Tank hunter teams

[Ken Talley]

So has anyone else had any success with the tank hunter teams?

I had a one man tank-hunter team with a single grenade bundle in a 1944 game. I didn't know what to do with him, so I hid him way up front in a forest alongside a road and forgot about him.

Well guess what! A whole gaggle of infantry walked right past him and never noticed he was there. And then around turn 15 or so, a tank drove up and stopped not 5 meters from him. This hero jumped up, hurled his grenade bundle and boom-one immobilized tank! He promptly died for attracting attention to himself. I think that Renalt R-35 light tank learned a lesson about fooling around with a tank hunter team. Too bad the tank wasn't a Su-152 or something. It was 1944 after all.

Anyway that is my one and only success with a grenade armed tank-hunter team.

[MVPD 43-80]

Sweet, i always lose and have the worse luck, ever seen Last of the Mochianns, where the Indians attack the british on a road, yeah soviets everywhere ground convey to a halt:)

[akdavis]

I setup a little test with the editor involving 9 unsupported T-34s, 15 veteran FJ tankhunter teams armed with magnetic mines and a couple of mortar spotters. Think punishment battalion scene from the movie "Stalingrad." With a single large objective flag at the end of a narrow, flat and treeless map, I setup the tankhunters in a staggered row across the center of the map, dug-into foxholes in the snow. I assign each a 30m, 180 deg. cover armor arc facing to the rear. The two spotters wait for the t-34s to approach, then force them to button-up with a little HE love.

I've run it through a couple times and so far I've only been able to take 2-3 tanks per test. The AI ain't stupid. The mortars can only last so long, and as soon as they stop or the tanks clear the AoE, the TCs unbutton. Also, the AI invariable leaves several tanks to the rear in overwatch, so as the bulk of the tanks run right over the foxholes, the covering tanks tear anyone to pieces who pops their little blond head up.

Next I'm going to try dropping the mortars right on top of the tanks as they cross the foxholes, ensuring they stay buttoned, but I have feeling my little tankhunters aren't going to appreciate this tactic.

Conclusion so far: tankhunters are brave little bastards, but against large numbers of armor, theirs is truly a suicide mission.

Ooh, question I forgot to ask: I noticed in the editor that magnetic mines are not available until 43. I thought these were one of the earlier German infantry AT weapons, but perhaps I'm mistaken?

[ September 30, 2002, 12:17 AM: Message edited by: akdavis ]

[mikster khan]

I played a quick battle set in May of 1945. It was an urban defense with a ragtag & out-numbered German troops I had picked. I had one of my tank hunter teams hidden in the upper story of a building, just waiting for the hordes of Russian tanks that were in view. Then a Soviet pioneer squad popped out of nowhere and ran into their building. And then another popped up and were coming across the street as the action phase ended. I figured that the 2 squads would quickly find and kill them. So I decided to let loose on the group coming across the street, picturing my guys going out in a backs to Berlin, the damned die hard kind of way. The next action phase started and my boys acted like it was a war movie, wiping out the squad by end of the turn. They used up a lot of ammo. The other squad gave them ineffective fire from the first floor and was removed the next turn by a squad I sent to the rescue. The tank hunter team ended up with 18 Infantry casualties caused. Now if I ran that turn again, they probably would be immediately waxed, which is what I thought would happen.

But it went my way this time, which will comfort me as my luck goes downhill from here.

Cheers,

Mike

[ September 30, 2002, 12:17 AM: Message edited by: mikster khan ]

[Chad Harrison]

Are you kidding!?!

They are great. I have been playing a number of PBEM's and I always buy atleast 3 or 4 of them. In the TCP games that I have played, every game I can usually get atleast one tank with one, as the germans. The russian moltov cocktails are not nearly as effective as the panzerwurfmines and ATMM's! Just get em in close and let them do their thing. Its best to target the tank also, it seems to give them an extra incentive to use everything they have!

A 11 point AT team for a 120 point T34. Thats a trade I will always be willing to make

Chad

[Big Poppa Pump]

Tank hunter teams are very effective within 40 meters. That RPG can do some serious damage on any tank.

Do any other squad ever get the RPG? I've only seen it with tank huneter teams.

[Vergeltungswaffe]

They also have the occasional side benefit.

In a quick battle as the Germans, I had one TH team following an assaulting platoon as I suspected a BT-7 to come into LOS as they moved. Long story short, no tank, but Soviet counterattack panics closest squad and kills one member of the TH team, but the remaining soldier used his MP-40 and ended up with 11(!) casualties caused. He even lived. Iron Cross 1st class for him.

[Cribtop Gamer]

Possible "A Warm Place to Sleep" spoilers

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

'

Playing "A Warm Place to Sleep," I had the two tank hunters creep toward the flag in the trees on the West of the map (left side from Axis point of view). I ended up with one on either side of two BT tanks. The tanks killed one of the teams, but in doing so faced away from the other, who destroyed one outright and immobilized the second (which a German tank then finished off). The team then vindictively killed both KO'd tanks' crews.

In the same scenario, a regular infantry team near the right side flag engaged the T-34 from a hidden position 14m off the road, immobilizing it with a molotov and KO'ing it with a grenade bundle.

I think the infantry worked well in this scenario because of the cover available, the awful weather (blizzard) which led to poor visibility and the fact that the Sov tanks had to worry about German tanks and were often buttoned and distracted.

[Eden Smallwood]

Originally posted by Chad Harrison:

Just get em in close and let them do their thing. Chad

Oh, is *that* all?

In Yelnia, as Axis, I have given up on them ever taking out a tank, and have opted instead to let them do what they do best, (dying), in an aesthetically pleasing manner. Helps morale, you know.

If you have some tricks to "get em in close" could you expand on that? Or are the games you mention more urban types of things...? Tia,

Eden

[Warmaker]

I haven't tried the Russian side to see their equivalents to the German Tank Hunter teams I've been playing around with.

Because of the Panzerfausts, magnetic mines, grenade bundles, etc., the German THunters are VERY well equipped and should deal with any tank.

I've had the best luck so far with Fallschirmjager teams.

[CMplayer]

What about using them to scout? Will that be considered gamey?

Personally I think they're great to have go on point for an advancing platoon. With that SMG they can hold their own for a few minutes if they bump into enemy inf at short range. They seem to have built in stealth; I've seen them do some amazing stuff.

Also, does anyone know if they will use their grenade bundles or molotovs against gun emplacements or infantry in trenches or stuff like that?

[ September 30, 2002, 03:24 AM: Message edited by: CMplayer ]

[KEEF888]

I find it's best to keep 'em down and hidden until the last second, but they sure can do the trick. I especially like the Soviet ones with molotovs. It's sooooo sweet to set up an ambush, watch 'em pitch the bottle at some unsuspecting tank, hear the sound of breaking glass, and then watch the fire begin. And extra-super-duper sweet if they take the bugger out!