In(direct) fire vs. cover arc question.

[Roast Duck]

It seems from reading the posts people like to use the indirect fire command. Aside from the nice tip about targeting a bazooka (or any unit) on a building (area) and not on the enemy squad directly to avoid return fire. Indirect fire seems to burn up valuable ammo that may be needed another time. The length and type of game tends to determine your preference for (in)direct fire. For example my friend and I play on maps that I make (truly I try to be impartial on the map making, I think of a theme and design around that) with 80plus turns. Being frugal with ammo has become an obsession. I will use cover arcs and indirect fire against know enemy positions, but if it's guess work I will use a cover arc. My friend tends to use indirect fire more then myself and cover arcs less so, but he is no expert on the subject. His MGs have a habit of shooting at my men at extreme ranges. All of this has nothing to do with my question now that I think about it, but I wrote it so now it gets posted too.

The question:

You have two enemy houses separated by 20 meters of paved road, one of your MGs has a clear line of sight down the road and the two houses. At the end of the last movement turn you saw one enemy squad leave one house and start across the road to the second house, it's halfway there. What appears to be at least one more squad is about to move across to the second house.

To stack the most enemy bodies, do you?

A) Put a cover arc over the road between the two houses.

Put a cover arc over the road between the two houses and target the enemy squad on the road.

C) Put a cover arc over the road between the two houses and target the road with indirect fire.

D) Other?

I would do B, every so often A.

[Akula2]

I would do B, every so often A.

Me too. Except I might include one or both houses in the CA

[imported_no_one]

My experiences with CMBB and HMG34/42's is that if you place a cover arc AND tell the HMG crew to target the enemy squad on the road,the HMG crew will fire on the targeted squad until LOS with it is lost.Then it will sit there like a f'ing moron and watch the other squad(s) cross the road without firing a single shot.It will continue to do this until you re-issue the arc,or the HMG crew comes under fire from a closer threat,or the targeted unit comes back into LOS

One of my biggest pet peeves in CM.