Zooks - more than just tank pingers

[David Chapuis]

I have recently discovered an extremely valuable use for zooks - gun killers. Perhaps everybody else already knew about this, but I didnt. Ok, 'discovered' isnt the right term. An opponent blasted all my guns with zooks, and now that I have used them for that purpose I am quite pleased.

I used to hate having to take all those zooks that come with a US platoon, but not anymore. Those 60mm mortars cant barely kill a gun with treebursts - forget about it in rough terrain. But zooks will do the job.

[Brent Pollock]

If a BAZ gets in close enough to hit your gun, you're probably doomed by infantry light weapons any way. The LOS must've been pretty tight for a BAZ team to get into range...~100 m,...without getting blasted first.

[David Chapuis]

Originally posted by Brent Pollock:

If a BAZ gets in close enough to hit your gun, you're probably doomed by infantry light weapons any way. The LOS must've been pretty tight for a BAZ team to get into range...~100 m,...without getting blasted first.

I have to somewhat disagree with this on two counts.

1) Inf wont KO a gun at 100 - 150m range. A zook will. In a game I am playing now, I KO'd a gun at 90m and 160m. In both cases he has an mg and a gun covering 90m and 150m open open ground. Inf alone could not break those positions nearly as quick as the zook.

2) Against good troops in prepared positions, 100m isnt even close enough to consistantly pin a gun. I was targeting these guns with 5 units (including two mmg) in one case and 3 units in the other, and they were only pinning for a few seconds.

[stoat]

In close infantry combat, I use bazookas against infantry squads. A single rocket is often enough, especially against green troops, to pin or sometimes panic the squad even if there are no casualties. It can take riflemen a while to attain the same results, and usually casualties have to be inflicted first.

[Bannon DC]

A tip for using bazookas against infantry and other out of the ordinary targets for a 'zooka is to target the ground near the enemy unit.

Normally bazookas will not fire at infantry units even if given the command. I'm not sure if they will fire at guns. I spent many a frustrated turn targeting and retargeting infantry units. I finally discovered that you have to area target the ground or the building instead of targeting the enemy infantry directly. If 'zookas will not fire at guns, try the same thing.

Also -- becareful when firing 'zookas from inside buildings. There is a good chance they will catch the building they are in on fire. Don't fire bazookas from any building where you have set up a strong point unless absolutely necessary.

[JasonC]

I do find zooks useful against guns. Also against bunkers, by getting the firing slit. I don't find them useful against infantry, although massed area fire at a house can sometimes set it on fire.

I also disagree with the comment that mortars aren't useful against guns. I consider them the main first line counter to them, and in my experience 2 60mm firing will pin a gun thoroughly in a single minute of fire and often make the crew abandon. A single 81mm or 82mm will do it even more reliably.

It is true that infantry and MG fire is ineffective against guns even down to short range. This is largely a model of overmodeled gun shields. Howitzers that lack shields abandon rapidly even under light infantry fire. The same can happen with a gun caught moving in the open.

When you do fire at a gun with infantry, try to get the maximum angle of crossfire. Shots from rear facing won't face gun shield effects. A single MG can help maintain pins achieved by HE, but otherwise frontal infantry fire against guns is generally a waste of ammo. They can be KOed at grenade range if you can get there, but zooks get close enough sooner.

[David Chapuis]

Originally posted by JasonC:

I also disagree with the comment that mortars aren't useful against guns. I consider them the main first line counter to them, and in my experience 2 60mm firing will pin a gun thoroughly in a single minute of fire and often make the crew abandon. A single 81mm or 82mm will do it even more reliably.

sorry, I didnt mean to imply that mortars dont work against guns. I completely agree with your statement I bolded above.

When using 60mm, I do like you said (target with two units). And even a lone 60mm mortar will KO a gun in a foxhole with treebursts - but I keep the 60mm firing its entire ammo load on the one gun just to make sure. With the 81mm - if I count three treebursts in the location I assume the gun in KO'd).

But I have not had good results with 60mm mortar against guns in rough terrain. Without treebursts, the 60mm lose a lot of punching power.

[ September 03, 2005, 12:01 PM: Message edited by: David Chapuis ]

[JasonC]

Don't blow the whole ammo load, that is a waste. Hit them for a minute with 2 mortars, then put a machinegun on them to slow/prevent rally, and turn off the mortars (or give them a new target). It is inefficient to throw light mortar rounds at a crew or MG that is already pinned, as the mostly likely outcome is just to leave them at pinned, and maybe down a man. A lone MG won't pin a gun, but it can add morale dips as fast as a unit already pinned or deeper can rally, and has the ammo to keep it up indefinitely. If the gun resumes fire, repeat the process, but often you will not need to.

[David Chapuis]

Since it was a 150mm, I figured it was worth it to make sure it was KO'd.

[JasonC]

Yeah, I have to agree. For those puppies I'll throw everything in LOS, and the kitchen sink after. If it stops one round the ammo is worth it.

[Mudhugger]

The only problem I have with using a bazooka in an area fire is; the dopes will use up their whole ammo load, if I forget to put in a move and hide in the same turn. Then a tank comes round the corner next turn and they're high and dry.

[Falcon988]

I don't know about zooks, but panzerfausts definately saved a lot of my men in a recent scenario.

Basically, they were on a tank column which was ambushed by Americans in some city. Platoon HQ wiped out within seconds by gunfire from a second story building. My infantry disembarked and -immediately and without orders- started firing their fausts into the buildings, over and over and over. These were crack German troops too and I guess they knew what they were doing because they pinned all the Americans and were able to get to cover the next turn having suffered only 1 - 2 casualties in a situation which could have led to the destruction of that whole platoon.

Hence I owe their survival to the fausts.

[David Chapuis]

Originally posted by Mudhugger:

The only problem I have with using a bazooka in an area fire is; the dopes will use up their whole ammo load,

Nobody was talking about area firing with zooks. I've been talking about targeting guns.

[GreenAsJade]

That's not true: some people were definitely talking about area firing with zooks, to make sure they fire. Take another look...

[michael_wittman44]

How do you do the quote?

[stoat]

Full reply form.

[junk2drive]

To the far right of the poster's name, next to the paper and pencil picture (that you use to edit your own posts) is quote marks for a quick way.

[michael_wittman44]

Thx Stoat!