Russian Training Scenario 110

[Der Alte Fritz]

Doing ok with CMBB except for the advancing infantry under fire, which always fails. Tried RTS 110 advancing in a 2 by 2 formation HQ in centre with 25m intervals. Ran each section forward 20m in turn with 10 sec intervals between runs and hid them at the end.

Got to Turn 8 and MG opened up on one section which went to shaken and sneaked back over the road out of command range.

Turn 9 moved rest of platoon as before but left shaken section hiding to recover. MG raked most of platoon which left me with another shaken section and a pinned one but both these sneaked off to the rear towards the houses and out of command range.

Turn 10 only the HQ and the point section are left 140m away from the trench so leaving section to fire, HQ goes back to collect the strays. Try to run them all forward 20m in turn but the MG gets them before they move and we now have 2 broken and a pinned although they are back in command.

By turn 20 I have got 3 sections and the HQ within 100m of the MG but all but one are pinned or worse.

:confused: How do you get these guys foward if every time they are hit they sneak back out of command range and how does that MG blast three sections in one minute?

cheers

[JasonC]

If you can't do it with greens, try it with regulars. If you can't do it with regulars, give them a better HQ with +1 morale and command, as well. If you can't do it with them, you are doing something wrong. Anybody can. Greens are harder, meant to be.

[Pirx]

Don't hide your troops at the end of the advances. The key to winning the scenario is getting a full ID on the MG, so you can suppress it with targeted fire from your squads. Hiding the squads significantly reduces their spotting ability.

[Der Alte Fritz]

Ah Ha! Success! The regular troops did the trick as they did not sneak off out of command range every time they got shot at. Also did more of a flank attack starting off from the wood on the left so got further before the machine gun opened up. On the first try the nearest squad was about 180m from the trench so we were well and truly shot up before we got to spotting range, but this time we got to within 140m and had spotted the trench before the MG opened up so that our return fire was quite effective. Lost 9 men in the first squad but everyone else was ok. Tried RTS 111 using green troops but the same problem of losing control of squad when they got hit. Supressed the main MG but never got the MG on the flank under control so the green troops took a lot of fire. So will try again with regulars and will use the mortar to keep the flank MG supressed.

Thanks for the advice and finding the scenarios a great way to learn the finer points.

cheers

[JasonC]

111 you should be able to stomp even with greens, if you use the support weapons effectively. Once the 82mm suppresses the center MG, put your own Maxims on it to prevent rally. Then advance confidently on a broad front. Somebody will get close enough to put SMG fire into the center and that will finish him off. You don't need to silence the 2nd MG to win (though if you figure out where it is, the 82mm can suppress it too, readily enough).

[Der Alte Fritz]

Had another go with 111 with greens and got the infantry up to 140m from the trench before the MGs opened up though at the end of that first move I had 1 section broken, 1 panic, 1 shaken and 1 pinned! But I managed to supress the trench MG with the mortar and maxims, then it was easy and the infantry took the trench in a couple of moves. Really suprised by the amount of fire it took to supress that MG. Even managed to supress the second MG later and launch an asault again it with both sections (the Company commander rallied the 2 broken sections) and had eliminated it by the end of the game.

Had a go with 112 but ran into some trouble as I left the mortar back with the artillery spotter in the woods on the start line but he got pinned down by MG fire. By the time I had got the mortar sorted out and firing on the trench the infantry attack on the trench had been driven back into the houses. Question? When the mortar finally did open fire the shots went all over the place and I think only one bomb landed in the trench! So we never supressed the MG. In 111 I had the mortar up with the troops in the woods and under command of the Company commander and the mortar was right on target from move 1. So is it the range or the company commander or just the fact that the mortar got shot up that made him so inaccurate? I mean he was 100m over then 100m short so really off target.

The artillery fire was planned on move one and dropped on the woods in move 6 and the assaulting infantry was up there and took out most of the enemy infantry with the help of a Maxim, though they got flanked by the trench MG and could not finish the job.

So this does not seem to present any difficulties once I get the mortar sorted out so I am going to try the 200 series next.