Dispersion vs Concentration

[Tigrii]

There is a tactical issue that has been bugging me for a while and I'd like your thoughts on it. Since you need local superiority in addition to generic 1.5-1 superiority as a QB attacker, but bunching up effectively multiplies your enemy's firepower, how can you have it both ways? If its a fairly open map and your approach pathway is only a few tiles of cover, how do you mass the kind of force needed to force a breakthrough without putting a platoon in each tile and losing way too many guys if even a light mortar opens up? A related question: What is the minimum spacing between squads needed to avoid a MG shooting at one affecting the other as well?

[JasonC]

You don't mass into tiny spots of cover. Avoiding bunching is much more important than cover is.

The distance at which small arms fire suppresses anyone around it is around 25m. You want ~30m separations to avoid any suppresion to units besides the one aimed at. At the far corners of the same tile, you can barely have 2 units on the same patch without signigicant suppression. You (practically) never want more than 2 units on the same tile, and in the smaller buildings you want only a single unit.

When cover is scarce, the proper drill is to have your lead platoons adopt a 2 by 2 formation rather than all on line. This lessens the amount of cover you need for a formation of a given size. The first two pass through it before the back ones need it.

Infantry attacks should be deep. Do not expect to overload the enemy by having everyone on line. First, one thin line will be checked all the places the defenders are. Second, if you try to concentrate opposite the defenders, you will bunch up way too much. It is better to space the attack out into echelons ("waves"), that avoid "overstacking" like problems.

There are at least three reasons this works, and two counters to it to be aware of. First, your units farther back can still fire. The range is a bit longer, but your men between won't stop them from shooting nor will they get hit. Second, they tend to be unsuppressed, because defenders concentrate on the leading wave. This lets the following one maneuver better and fire back effectively. The first wave is really just a shield for the rest. Third, defenders don't have unlimited ammo, and ammo doesn't rally but infantry does. If the same platoon of defenders have to pin one platoon, then another, then another, they will run dry. And the first platoon will rally in the meantime and be ready to hit them again. You outlast them.

The counters to it that you should be aware of are (1) arty barrages meant to hit a deep column along its long axis and mess up a lot of men at once, and (2) reverse slope deployments, that only get LOS to the leading wave, while the following ones are still beyond some crest or past an intervening tree line or long line of buildings that blocks most LOS.

Dealing with the first isn't that hard, you just have to know it might be out there. You need to keep the back guys spaced properly too. Stagger the positions of platoons somewhat, left to right, rather than following immediately behind the point platoon (unless in dead ground etc). When you see rounds landing, steer around them with all the platoons not immediately under the barrage. Be willing to back up and wait when shells hit. Give the men time to rally. The defender can't afford to drop shells on you everywhere and all day.

Dealing with reverse slopes is an art in itself. But the first point to notice is that an enemy who can't see your backfield is letting you move around pretty much as will, on your own side of the LOS block. Use that. First put out any "eyes" he has on your side of the crest (LMG teams, snipers, half squad scouts, the odd HMG) - those are meant to keep him informed about where you are. His main body behind his crest can't help defend them. (That LOS isolation works both ways).

After they are gone, you can maneuver along the crest and pick your crossing point. You can drop arty on cover on the far side, to break defenders there right before you cross. (You need an FO with LOS or a fireplan on turn 1 for this, so plan ahead). You can cross with thick armor in force, to outshootany guns that open up on you the minute you pass the crest. (The armor war adage there is, always cross a crest together, never one at a time).

You can also just look for aspects of the terrain that aren't so reverse slope -ee after all. Sometimes there is a hill on one flank with LOS into his rear. Or the LOS block gives out at some point, and you can just go around the whole reverse slope position. Or there may be a "dead ground" approach, that uses the LOS block yourself to get a reasonably serious force into some patch of cover past the crest, somewhere.

What about when there is very little cover, like only a few patches of scattered trees on open steppe, with an occasional shellhole, not much more? In that case, use those cover bits for your heavy weapons, and have them "overwatch" your infantry. Meaning, they shoot anything that shoots at it. Your regular infantry can go right through that open steppe. Well spread out, and in depth = waves.

Steppe fighting like this takes some getting used to. You can't panic and try to rush across the "open". In steppe fighting, *range* has to substitute for cover. You don't want to press too close, too soon. Units shot should halt, fire back if they can see the enemy (not a "sound contact", the exact spot), and "hide" if they can't. Let the rest of your formation continue on and fire when they can. They will take the heat off the men hit, and those will have time to rally. Above all, they won't be closing the range. Steppe plus 200 meters extra distance can be as safe as scattered trees.

In open ground, you have a compensating advantage as the attacker. You generally have wide, long LOS lines for your supporting heavy weapons and tanks. You concentrate fire on the enemy, not manpower on top of him. Your towed guns, mortars, and HMGs do a lot of the firing - along with your tanks. Your infantry needs to close to get full IDs of sound contacts, and to create a threat that forces the defenders to fire.

Once targets are IDed, hit them with everything in your "backfield" until they break, or at least pin. You can also fire at them by whole platoons with ordinary infantry, if the range is close enough (under 250m) or their cover is poor (like only foxholes on steppe). If they are in trenches, though, send direct fire HE. Squad fire at men in trenches is pretty much just a waste of ammo beyond about 100m.

That will get your started.

[GreenAsJade]

Yay, he's back!

[Sabot3]

Great reply by Jasonc. Another approach to use is to use smoke to break up the enemy's line of sight. The result is that your "concentrated" units hit individual or small groups of enemy who are isolated by the smoke effects and consequently not mutually supported by other squads or units.

Getting accurate HE fire onto a reverse slope position is very difficult, however smoke ammo has at least some effect even if it isn't landing in exactly the right spot.

Smoke is a very under utilized element of the game in my opinion. What they can't see, they can't shoot!