Proper use of tank hunter teams?

[markshot]

How should tank hunter teams be used? How does there use compare to bazooka, piat, and panzerschreck teams?

Thanks.

[YankeeDog]

Depends a lot on the specific AT weaponry they are provided with.

Many Russian AT teams (and even some early-war Germans ones) have only Molotovs. I generally find these of very limited use against anything other than lightly armored or open-topped vehicles. Sometimes I will forgo their AT use entirely and use them as forward OPs, scouts, or even as a close-range firepower 'boosters' for infantry squads. Especially in the early war, two additional SMG makes a huge difference in a close-range firefight. The one postive thing I would note about these molotov and hand grenade only equipped squads in CMBB is that if you play under EFOW they can remain unspotted for a *very* long time by buttoned enemy armor, even while they are chucking molotovs/grenades. This means that they can often get multiple throws off before being spotted at all.

Most of the thrown/placed AT specials (Panzerwurfmine, Hefthohladung, the Russian RPG 43, etc.) seem to be very effective against all but the thickest armor if they actually manage to get close enough to make a throw, so pentration/kill chance looks to be only a secondary concern. From what I have seen, these weapons can be used at any range under about 39m (the longest range I have ever seen one thrown), but my own subjective experience suggests that they are more likely to be used if the engagement distance is under 20m. I would also include the German Pz-30 in this category, as its range is really no better than a thrown AT weapons.

It's only with late-war German AT teams with Pz60s and especially Pz100s that things begin to change a bit. Here, you have a certain amount of range to work with, so you can use them more like Shrecks and Zooks - sometimes these teams will have two , three or even four Fausts, meaning that they also have the ability to shoot again if they miss the first time.

In general, though, I find my use of AT teams in CMBB is only marginally different from the way I used AT-special equipped infantry squads in CMBO. That is, hide them along likely avenues of armor approach, try to strip any enemy armor of accompanying infantry, engage from an 'off' (i.e., non-frontal) angle if at all possible, and also use multiple assets (other AT teams, ATRs, ATGs, or even armor) to enagage the enemy armor from several different angles and so 'swamp' it's ability to return supressive fire. It is also still very advantageous to use an asset OTHER than the AT team to button the enemy tank BEFORE attempting to take it out. Sharpshooters are still probably the best choice for this job in CMBB, but other units such as on-board mortars can also work (make sure you don't hit your AT team hiding nearby, though!). A change in CMBB is that MG teams are much more usful to button up tanks since they are much more likely to remain unspotted (and therefore untargetted) at medium to long range.

Some other differences I've noted in CMBB that apply specifically to the use of AT teams:

1) Cover Arcs. Very useful when you think an enemy AFV is likely to drive into or through a good ambush spot during a turn. If you're careful about how you set the arc, you can even get the AT team to hold it's fire on a passing AFV until it has a nice, juicy rear-angle shot - something that was very difficult to do in CMBO. Also keep in mind that units are MORE likely to target and shoot at units inside a cover arc than they are if left without any targeting orders at all. This can be a useful way of 'encouraging' AT teams (or any other unit, for that matter) to use AT specials on targets.

2) The HIDE command can still be useful in CMBB with AT ambushes, but be careful. a HIDING unit wihout any Cover Arc at all will probably just remain hiding unless it is almost run over. Hiding units with a "Cover Armor" arc will (usually) "Unhide" themselves and attack any armor that comes into their Cover Arc. Also, keep in mind that HIDE significantly reduces spotting ability - if you are playing EFOW and you AT team doesn't have other friendlies nearby to help it spot, you may want to leave it unhidden and use a very close Cover Arc to keep it from opening fire prematurely. Fortunately, under EFOW small, 2-man AT teams are VERY unlikely to be spotted if in any decent cover unless moving or firing, so it is generally not a problem to leave them unhidden.

3) It is still much better to have the tank come to your AT Team than vice versa in an AT ambush, but the new movement orders do give you some additional flexibility in executing close-in 'rushes' of enemy armor. I usually end up using the 'Advance' command, is it seems to give the best compromise between speed and resitance to any incoming fire. There are situations where "Assault", "Sneak", "Run", or even "Move to Contact" are betterr options, though - it all depends on the specifics.

4) The "Follow" command can be useful to get your AT team to continue the attack on a moving AFV, but be careful. I have made the mistake several times of ordering the "Follow" command for a close assault, only to watch my AT team charge across open ground after an enemy AFV rapidly speeding away. The "Follow" command does turn off after the enemy AFV gets farther away than about 70m, but by then its sometimes too late. The "Follow" command seems best reserved for situations where you can be pretty confident the enemy AFV has to move slowly, such as a medium or heavy tank picking its way through scattered trees.

That's about all I can think of for now. I've had considerable success with AT Teams in CMBB. I'm curious to hear others' uses. . .

YD

[flamingknives]

I've seen the Heavy AT stuff (magnetic mines and Panzerwafflegrenades) go out to about 50m, and it's alot more effective than the PzFaust 30. A hit is usually a kill. The Sov. RPG is pretty killer too.

Add to that a good amount of close range firepower and they kick arse in urban and other close terrain.