coldmeter Posted July 6, 2004 Share Posted July 6, 2004 Just thought I'd share a particularly success full (for my opponent that is) attack by an airplane on my forces last night. I had 3 Stugs and I embarked a HMG platoon and my Company CO. Off I set at speed with the intention of dropping off the HMGs' and then keeping the armour out of sight below the ridgeline that I was driving up. My tanks get to the ridge line and who should they see but a Sherman, so the HMG boys jump off and the tanks engage the Sherman. Success, my Stugs knock out the Sherman and my MG42 crews have rann into a couple of lovely craters located in the scattered trees either side of the tanks. Wait whats that noise, sounds like a diving airplane, ahh feck it anyway! Two Stugs bail out, the third immobile, all the MG42 plus the platoon CO dead and my Company Commander. The morale of the story, stop putting your tanks so close together you big eedjit when you know there are aircraft lurking about. Cold 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingfish Posted July 6, 2004 Share Posted July 6, 2004 What you experienced happens only 30% of the time. The other 70% has the same American airplane dropping it's payload on the Sherman. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldmeter Posted July 6, 2004 Author Share Posted July 6, 2004 Originally posted by Kingfish: What you experienced happens only 30% of the time. The other 70% has the same American airplane dropping it's payload on the Sherman. Very good Kinfish. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl Puppchen Posted July 6, 2004 Share Posted July 6, 2004 I would not only beware the jabos but also heavy artillery. The amis have lots of heavy artillery and if your tanks are bunched up 105 and 155mm guns can definitely ruin your day, not to mention naval gunfire. You need to spread out and not lump your assets together or all can die at once as you mention. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kestrl Posted July 6, 2004 Share Posted July 6, 2004 or maybe if you know aircraft are around purchase 20mm or 37mm AA guns 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elmar Bijlsma Posted July 6, 2004 Share Posted July 6, 2004 You need quite a supply of AA to have a reliable chance of downing an aircraft before it drops it's eggs. Better just buy another AFV with it an hope the other guy is going to hate his flyboys. For the Allies good concentration of .50 does better, less likely to score a kill but quite a good chance to force an abortive attack run. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeyD Posted July 6, 2004 Share Posted July 6, 2004 Fun with airplanes. Construct a tiny scenario on dry desert ground with a few M14 AA halftracks and some troops for the Allies and couple sharpshooters and a LOT of those cluster bomb dropping German bombers (85 bombs dropped at once, or something like that?) for the Axis. Run it just to see a third of the map explode at the same time! Woo Hoo! Next best thing to playing with SturmTigers! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoofyStance Posted July 6, 2004 Share Posted July 6, 2004 Originally posted by Kingfish: What you experienced happens only 30% of the time. The other 70% has the same American airplane dropping it's payload on the Sherman. My PBEM opponent and I are well aware of this propensity - his 9th AF buddies are dropping ordnance everywhere on the map, including on his own troops. My Tiger is unscathed so far, much to his continuing annoyance 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joachim Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 Current PBEM: 3 StuKas. 2 plts lying around 2 big craters. One plt on each side. But the info provided by their strafing runs is great... I knew some likely positions before scouting. Gruß Joachim 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldmeter Posted July 7, 2004 Author Share Posted July 7, 2004 Originally posted by Kestrl: or maybe if you know aircraft are around purchase 20mm or 37mm AA guns At the time I was playing a scenario and there was no AAA provided with my forces. Originally posted by Elmar Bijlsma: You need quite a supply of AA to have a reliable chance of downing an aircraft before it drops it's eggs. This brings me on to something I was thinking about yesterday. How far behind and an advancing infantry company(s) supported by tanks, or an advancing tank company for that matter would the AA company (or elements there of) supporting the attack follow behind? Was there a pre-determined distance in German doctrine for this type of thing or was it all based on the level of the threat? Cheers Lads, Cold 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joachim Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 Level of threat, terrain, weather, availability, mobility. There are many incidents where SPAA was used to replace tanks as supporting elements, so they were used forward. In CM you don't need lots of AD. In scen tests, 2 40mm AAs on a dominating hilltop regularly killed at least 1 plane out of 3. Their location is very important. Clear field of fire is a must. Gruß Joachim 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spotless Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 re: location: I understand that clear LOS is a must, but what about proximity? Does having a Flak vehicle nearby matter, or is a nice, open field (away from the action) serve me better? My quad flak seems to have trouble tracking and getting shots on target. I have kept it within, say 300m of it's "protectees." If I had parked it in a field, but farther away, would I have been better off? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elmar Bijlsma Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 On location of AA, You'd be wanting to have them placed such that all the protected units are in the same(ish) direction, not to far away otherwise you'll be hard pressed to score hits, not too close to avoid tracking problems. No further then 500m is my preference. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................................... Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 If you suspect that the flyboys will be making an appearance, put your tanks into scattered trees at the scenario start and leave them on 'Hide' for as long as possible. You will avoid detection while hiding in scattered trees, and also quite possibly persuade the flyboy to look for a target on the other side of the map, much to your opponents dismay. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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