Panzer/Infantry tactics

[Martinios]

What are the best methods to use infantry with tanks

[Björn Eriksson]

IMHO, it depends on the terrain. In large, open areas like steppe, I usually lead with my tanks (and a few infantry scouts), counting on them to discover and suppress the enemy. When the enemy is suppressed or routed, I move in with the infantry to deal the final blow or round up the survivors.

If the terrain is more dense like in woods or towns, I lead with the infantry, keeping the armor in reserve to deal with any strongpoints I might run into. I never move my tanks into areas that have not already been cleared by the infantry, because in close terrain it is rather easy for the defender to create kill sacks for armor with a few AT-guns and tankhunter teams.

On defense, I also keep my tanks in reserve. Armor is IMO only good for local counterattacks or to bolster the defense where my infantry is taking a beating.

I hope this helps.

[CombinedArms]

Originally posted by Martinios:

What are the best methods to use infantry with tanks

The above advice is very sound. One German panzer company commander gave this advice: "The infantry should say 'It's our job to protect the armor' and the armor should say 'It's our job to protect the infantry'".

In short, the two arms should work together for mutual protection while mutually trying to stick it to the enemy. Infantry's strengths are its ability to move stealthly through cover, its ability to spot targets from cover, its ability to suppress soft targets at long range and kill them at short range, and its comparative robustness under fire--a single tank round won't kill the whole squad and AT weapons are generally non-fatal. Armor, on the other hand is fast when moving over open ground, lethal against soft targets--once spotted--even at long range if given sufficient time, able to knock down buildings, and impervious to small arms fire that can pin or kill infantry. If you can use those different strengths in concert while minimizing the accompanying weaknesses, you've got good armor-infanty cooperation.

Based on these differences, sometimes the armor must clear the way for the infantry and sometimes the infantry must clear the way for the armor. The more you play the game, the more you get a sense for which is which.

[ February 26, 2003, 10:16 AM: Message edited by: CombinedArms ]

[xerxes]

I'd also add that within a particular battle, you might have your armor jump ahead at one time, and have your infantry jump ahead at another. The less predictable you are the better.

Armor can kill at long range, but it's also quite effective "up-close" when combined with an infantry assaulting force. Up-close you want the armor keyholed or shielded from long range AT fire. Your infantry insures that short-range infantry AT won't get off more than one shot. The Germans have a particularly good time with this since the Soviet infantry is woefully underequipped with ranged AT weapons. The Soviet T34s are great in this role with their speed and their canister rounds. NOTHING ruins an opponents infantry like canister.

[CombinedArms]

Originally posted by xerxes:

Your infantry insures that short-range infantry AT won't get off more than one shot. The Germans have a particularly good time with this since the Soviet infantry is woefully underequipped with ranged AT weapons. The Soviet T34s are great in this role with their speed and their canister rounds. NOTHING ruins an opponents infantry like canister.

One thing that really changes the dynamic of armor-infantry combat, for CMBO veterans at least, is the absence of zooks-PIATs in the hands of Allied infantry. That means German tanks can work much closer in to opposing infantry. In CMBO, 100m was an absolute minimum safe distance, and 200m or more was better, esp. against the German shreck. Yet in CMBB, before 1944, the Germans also lack ranged at weapons (and they seem to have fewer shrecks even late-war than in CMBO) so for much of the war, both sides' tanks can work in much closer. This makes leading with armor--at least in the semi-open--somewhat less hazardous. And canister, plus, better MGs and, I think, higher HE blast values, make tanks more deadly at close range in CMBB.

But, it's also very easy to underestimate hand-held AT weapons. An early-war grenade bundle has ruined the day of more than one KV-1, as I've learned to my sorrow, whereas tank-fired AP, before the long '75s come in, seems to generally fail. And in a recent PBEM, I knocked out two Stugs and a Flammpanzer with nothing more than molotovs, grenades, and ATRs as the enemy AFVs tried to chug through my infantry infested scattered trees. One of these Stug IIIGs (long '75) had earlier killed 3 T-34/76 as they bounced shots off it's tough frontal plate, so the ability of infantry to first immoblize and kill the Stug saved what would otherwise have been a lost battle.

It's also highly risky to drive through city streets unless your infantry has cleared the way. In an urban setting, even without zooks/shrecks, you generally want your infantry to lead, with tanks a little back, providing supporting fire. If you must run tanks unescorted through hostile streets, try doing it at top speed--somewhat limiting the risk from hand-held weapons. Tanks are great for leveling buildings in which enemy troops are found by your own infantry, however, and they can also be effective at denying the enemy the use of the streets for moving infantry laterally as reinforcements, since a tank parked at the end of a street pointing toward the enemy position makes it into one long fire lane.

[ February 26, 2003, 01:54 PM: Message edited by: CombinedArms ]

[Tigrii]

For steppe advance, I'd use this technique: move up infantry towards objectives. I fno one shoots at them, great, they get there. If something does, keyholed armor in advance route overwatch kills the threat, the infantry recovers, and you resume the advance.

As for armor in cities, a tank zooming down a paved street at max speed is immune to thrown weapons, and even most fausts, due to it's speed. You can drive right past enemy infantry safely. The problem occurs when the tank gets to it's objective, and then stops, located by the enemy, without infantry support. A useful tactic is to go on roun-trip shoot-em-ups with units like MGMCs, MG-heavy tanks, and recon vehicles, MGing soft targets you past without worrying about return fire (or mines, on pavement).