How to cross HMG covered wire with a conscript halfsquad

[JasonC]

This is one of the more difficult recon tasks. Conscipts are sometimes pressed into recon role as expendable, and naturally the smallest units are used for it. Although conscripts lack the ability to use the "advance" command, which point infantry units in particular often find useful, and can't hold their fire using covered arcs while moving (only hide, while stationary, will keep a conscript from firing at anything in range), and are brittle under the least bit of fire, they are still infantry units that spot what they walk over, and other units can see what shoots at them.

HMG covered wire can be a difficult obstacle. A unit moving in wire is 100% exposed. In addition, the more robust forms of movement tire the men out rapidly trying to cross the wire, because it is slow. So often move or sneak are used instead, with sneak being relatively slow, and move brittle if the unit takes fire.

HMGs retain the ability to break infantry in the open at 70% exposed, let alone 100% exposed, out to medium range. When a unit is caught on wire by an HMG, it can't rapidly relocate to better cover. In addition, HMGs in good cover are stealthy shooters, hard to spot even when firing unless friendlies are within about 200 meters. A well positioned HMG can cover a strand of fire far enough ahead of its own position, that only men across the wire would get a full ID on the firing MG. Everyone else gets only sound.

Scouts can sometimes avoid fire simply because they don't look like much of a threat, and the defenders don't want to reveal their positions, or use up scarce ammo. But HMGs are range typically have abundant ammo, and won't fully reveal their position by firing, if properly placed. Still, there is some chance your opponent may react to the conscript halfsquad crossing the wire by doubling over in laughter and letting it, while waiting for the main body.

The right way to cross a strand of wire is first, not to, and to instead go around. The second best way is to look for a place where there is the least incoming LOS to the wire - e.g. a stretch in a hollow, or too far beyond a crest, or just ahead of woods trying to keep you out of that body of woods, and then setting up the crossing operation carefully.

That means moving several units right up to the near side of the wire, overwatching, but spread out at least 26 meters apart from each other to avoid area fire effects. Use every shellholes and patch of brush or rocky, near the intended crossing point. Move the first crosser right to the near edge of the wire. Then give him a waypoint barely clear of the other side of the wire, with a sneak movement order. (Shellholes under the wire can also help). If you think the site will not be covered, risk using "move". It takes about 1 full minute to cross a wire strand using "move". Do not risk multiple units at once unless you know the crossing point is dead ground to all enemies.

Once the first unit is across, it should stay near the wire on the far side. One point of wire is to allow men beyond it to get a many on few on the first men through, and if you charge ahead with lone units looking for cover, you will often just lose them in such traps. Cross another units beside the first, staying 26 meters away. Then another. It can take 5 minutes to cross a single platoon, but done this way, the defenders never get a chance to clobber more than a single squad on the wire, at any one time.

If they do open fire on you, reply if you have full spots. Sometimes smoke can silence the shooter long enough to get the "caught" men off the wire. Often, though, you just have to write off that crossing unit, and concentrate on killing their tormenters in reply. In this way you "trade through" the defenders covering that section of the wire, one at a time.

There are two main solutions if you can't get any spot on those tormenters - temporary smoke, with lots crossing in parallel under it - the smoke can be on the crossing site itself or on the shooters, depending on how many of the latter there are - or send a tank ahead, over the wire, and far enough ahead to get spots. Notice that infantry can cross wire at speed on a tank deck, too.

But the bottom line for the title question is, you can't, don't try. Wire is generally to be avoided outright. A gamble to cross it can make sense if you think it is uncovered by enemy fire, and carefully use the packet movement method above. But you don't execute that method with a single conscript half squad.

Crossing stealthily covered wire with infantry, sans prep, is exactly the sort of match up a defender dreams about at set up time. It is a mistake to hand it to him.

[John D Salt]

This is all fantastically good tactical advice.

Unfortunately some of it reminds me of some good old NATO ideas from the 1970s, like "How to fight outnumbered 3:1 and win", "Why it is a good idea to use the armoured division's reserve brigade as a forward screen" and "Fighting in a chemical warfare environment without any replacement filters".

All the best,

John.

[JasonC]

Quite.

But then the context was "tactical stories whose ultimate moral is 'don't go there'"...

[Guest Guest]

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[433tom]

Try a scenario called Recon in Force. It's in the summer 43 scenario pack. The scenario depicts efforts by the 4th Panzer to clear out Russian outpost units the day beffore the main battle commenced at Kursk.

The german player is faced with crossing an open field covered with wire and mines to assualt the Russian positions situated on higher ground. For the German player to be successful requires proper use of the terrain to maximize what little cover exists, and use of artillery assets and smoke at the appropriate time. Patience is the key.