Tank hunter teams

[billybubb]

can anyone please tell me how to deploy [effectively] tank hunter teams?

i have atough time to get these guys going,never mind destroying armor.am i doing something wrong here?do i have to employ them in a specific way or order apart from my other infantry?help. :confused:

[Bone_Vulture]

Please define which side are you talking about. German tank hunters are useful throughout the war, the Soviets only once they get the RPG43-AT grenades. And even then, they might still be armed with bare crappy molotovs.

Set your tank hunter teams to ambush enemy vehicles that pass near their location; do not try to charge in the open after the tanks, unless the location is extremely secluded, and the target is slow.

The grogs will fill you in on the rest.

[billybubb]

thank you for the reply bone vulture.i guess i should have mentioned tank hunters on the axis side.and yes that is exactly what i was doing wrong the making them advance out in the open.i will try to keep them hidden from now on untill the armor almost runs over them.we'll see what happens then.thx

[Vergeltungswaffe]

Good terrain and about a 30m cover armor command makes them pretty effective.

[Corvidae]

I set tank hunters to ambush , covered arc set at 25/30 meters, keep them in cover till enemy tank is actualy passing them, try not to attack a tank from in front, deploy covering infantry a ways behind them to keep enemy infantry away,

bring brattwursts, marshmallows, and beer, those red panzers make wonderfull bonfires

[coe]

tank hunter teams seem to be pretty effective with the Panzerwurf mines - while lacking in range compared to the Faustpatrone 100, it's much harder to spot the tank hunter team that has used the mine than one that just fired the panzerfaust + the team doesn't get surpressed if it lobs a mine from inside a building.

[JasonC]

Some other issues here - an infantry unit still on "hide" with a short arc - 30m - will often fail to engage a moving tank passing its position. The reason is there is a delay between the time the tank crosses the firing arc, and the time the unit will actually throw. This delay is much longer for a hiding unit.

It is better to come off hide the turn *before* the tank enters the arc, so you aren't hiding the moment the tank enters the covered arc area. You are much more likely to hit the thing, instead of it running straight by. It is also good to button the target, e.g. by having a sniper or distant MG or ATR "ping" it. This reduces his chances of spotting and suppressing you before you get the weapon off.

It also helps if you are facing somewhat to the side the tank passes on, with a 180 arc that way, rather than 180 straight ahead. 180 straight ahead only "tracks" the tank until it gets level with the team, because half the arc is over on left when the tank enters the right side or vice versa.

So, if e.g. he is going to pass your right side, you want a 30m covered arc facing 30 degrees right, 180 degree width, up and not hiding. If the cover is poor, however, you may have to risk a miss from him passing too fast, to keep the "hide" on until the last possible moment. Otherwise he may spot you. So e.g. in brush, you can't afford to come off hide, he will spot you as he approaches.

Panzerwurfmines, RPGs, fausts beyond the faust-30, and demo charges are all very effective infantry AT weapons. Faust-30s because of poor range, grenade bundles because of limited effect, and rifle grenades because of limited penetration (need a flank e.g.), are medium ones. Plain grenades (infantry close assault, actually, but that is how it is depicted) are also medium effectiveness. Molotovs stink - they will hit but do nothing.

[cool breeze]

When do russian tank husters become worth buying? ie. have rpgs?

[Bone_Vulture]

Originally posted by cool breeze:

When do russian tank husters become worth buying? ie. have rpgs?

Uh, was it somewhere around late '42?

[86smopuim]

do not hide, you are small enough not to be see if you are in woods, etc

set vehicle cover arc out to 39 meters if you have AT Mines, out to 60 with panzerfuat 100.

[JasonC]

The best way to get AT ability as the Russians is to buy some pioneers. Their demo charges work nicely for it. And full squads are a bit more robust than 2 man TH teams.

[Bone_Vulture]

Originally posted by JasonC:

The best way to get AT ability as the Russians is to buy some pioneers. Their demo charges work nicely for it. And full squads are a bit more robust than 2 man TH teams.

Very true. The demo packs hit like a 152mm artillery shell.

Even if the pioneer squad "misses" the target, the blast may knock out light vehicles in the immediate vicinity.

[Treeburst155]

The best use of early Russian Tank Hunter teams is to use them as Borg spotters. Combined with Borg ATRs, you have eliminated much of FOW.

One way to get decent early war Russian inf AT capabilities is to split squads in hopes that one of the half squads will come up without molotovs. When a split is successful, you have an AT half-squad and a Borg spotter half-squad to go with your Borg Tank Hunter teams and Borg ATRs. Gamey? Who? Me?!!

Treeburst155 out.

[A.E.B]

Hi all

I also thought that Russian tank hunters weren't worth squat early in the war.

But in Morning March I had a tank hunter unit hidden behind a building kill two Pz III Gs with two molotovs.

The first Pz III G was only immobilised. The second Pz III G ran up the back of the first one and started pushing it. The second Pz III G copped a molotov on the top and blew up. Either the flames or the explosion caused the crew of the immobilised Pz III G to bail, and the tank hunters gunned the survivors down.

Even worthless units can on occassion surprise you!

A.E.B

[Bone_Vulture]

Originally posted by A.E.B:

But in Morning March I had a tank hunter unit hidden behind a building kill two Pz III Gs with two molotovs.

Two molotovs actually committing damage in a row? What are the odds of that?

[Probert]

Do not depend on TH teams to take out anything. These teams are easy for the enemy to take out if they have any infantry support. Any armor kills they get should be viewed as sugar.

[Bone_Vulture]

That should be obvious; tank hunters are a cheap ambush instrument, though. I dream of planting a dozen of those at the edge of my setup zone when defending, watch the enemy troops roll by and then stab the armor in the back.

[Aco4bn187inf]

It might be a bit gamey, but an alternative use of tank hunter teams would be as mortar or gun or FO hunters. Or mini-ambushers. Two guys with submachine guns could cause a little trouble even if they aren't much good against tanks.

[BaD JoKe]

Originally posted by JasonC:

It also helps if you are facing somewhat to the side the tank passes on, with a 180 arc that way, rather than 180 straight ahead. 180 straight ahead only "tracks" the tank until it gets level with the team, because half the arc is over on left when the tank enters the right side or vice versa.

So, if e.g. he is going to pass your right side, you want a 30m covered arc facing 30 degrees right, 180 degree width, up and not hiding. If the cover is poor, however, you may have to risk a miss from him passing too fast, to keep the "hide" on until the last possible moment. Otherwise he may spot you. So e.g. in brush, you can't afford to come off hide, he will spot you as he approaches.

I too would set the arc on the right/left side of the team but if it's possible, on the rear area too. In my experience, at-spitwads are more effective if lobbed on the tank from behind.

[Treeburst155]

Originally posted by Bone_Vulture:

That should be obvious; tank hunters are a cheap ambush instrument, though. I dream of planting a dozen of those at the edge of my setup zone when defending, watch the enemy troops roll by and then stab the armor in the back.

It would be more like a PAT on the back if your Tank Hunters are equipped with the Mighty Molotovs.