Fight's over! What do we do next?

[Beeper]

Just had one of the usual scenarios against the AI. Lots of action, killing etc. Took the flags with some losses but there were still some enemy troops left close by.

What did you do in real life when the fights died out? Did you wait for darkness so you could sneak back to your lines? Try to hold on to your position (when low on ammo and friends)? Negotiate a cease fire with the enemy and then sneak back?

[Sergei]

Uhmmm, depended on situation? If possible, the friendly logistics tried to supply you where you were, as much as was possible. If it wasn't possible, then you'd withdraw (or friendly troops would try to advance into positions that would make supplying you possible).

[Kingfish]

Pile the corpse and light them on fire

[JasonC]

Dig. Shells expected in two hours. So you dig like your life depends on it, because it does.

[michael_wittman44]

Many ceasefires were called for the injured to be collected and maybe even some dead buried.

[Michael Dorosh]

Ammo checks, casualty evacuation, prepare for enemy counter-attacks (including digging), report to higher headquarters, clean weapons, eat, maybe even sleep but that was last on the list of priorities.

Check enemy dead for intelligence, reconnoiter ahead of your position, send out patrols to contact friendly flanking units, send out patrols to maintain contact with the enemy, dominate no man's land.

Always stuff to do after a battle.

[Bigduke6]

Sleep. Yes digging and policing the battlefield and eating and the 1st Sergeant's details are important, and sometimes even you life depends on them.

But given their druthers, most troops would go to sleep.

[SgtMuhammed]

Troops learn very quickly that all those little things really do matter. Sleep is what you do when you have prepared a place to do it, else it might be one you never wake from.

Usually you either prepared to hold the ground you took or keep the ground you held. Other times you looked for better ground to hold.

[Michael Emrys]

Press on! Avanti! Ever onward!

Michael

[von Churov]

Originally posted by JasonC:

Dig. Shells expected in two hours. So you dig like your life depends on it, because it does.

Exactly!

Average infantryman spends most of it's time digging.

Eather he digs in in a newly taken position (as it is in this case) in order to prepare for expected enemy counterattack, or he additionally fortifies the position that he's been occupying for a while (so it's digging again) in order to meet potentian enemy assault (digging the shelters, strongpoints, nests, fake positions, communication magistrales to the rear...etc.), or he digs in in the new position that he just pulled back to (in order to prepare for meeting the expeceted continuation of enemy advance).

Or he digs graves for his dead mates.

Or he digs the ****holes.

So, whatever happenes (advance, retreat, static situation etc.) infantry is digging (in) most of the time. :mad:

They may deal more with their spades than they do with their rifles.

That's how attacker too in CM Ops appears to have a foxoles in the morning.

Infantry was quite busy during night.

As for sleeping...It is quite low on the list of the priorities. For it is better in the morning to have your men dug in but tired, than to have them fully rested but with their pants down.

Had one that had seen at least one artilery barage been offered a choice of eather diging in or taking a nap during a night, what do you think he would choose?

No order for digging needed in such cases.Troops do that by themselfs.

Cheers!

[ September 28, 2005, 03:35 AM: Message edited by: von Churov ]

[Ales Dvorak]

Originally posted by Michael Emrys:

Avanti!

[MikeyD]

In patrol situations the troops would withdraw after a firefight or continue their patrol (aka Vietnam patrols). If they're trying to actually advance the front they'd set up quick defensive positions in preparation for a likely attempt to retake, and they'd wait to be relieved by fresh troops. I'm not sure what they'd do once relieved - withdraw a short distance to retrieve their transport and get some hot chow? I'd bet more often instead of replacements they'd get reinforcements, which would mean staying on the line and eating cold C rations in their holes.

In an 'Advance' situation after a hard fight, the depleted troops would sit and let fresh units pass through their position, catch up with them later after getting their ammo restocked.

I believe U.S. doctrine was different than German. U.S. would keep front line units in the fight continually and flow in replacements until some units could claim a 200% casualty rate! Germans tended to pull depleted units from the line to refit as a group.

[ September 30, 2005, 01:01 PM: Message edited by: MikeyD ]