Bunker busting - what's best?

[pktaske]

Little exp. here as I find I'd much rather go around them if I have the time. In the case where you have to crack 'em, what are some tried and true techniques? :confused:

[PVLLVS MAXIMVS]

Send a couple bazookas escorted by a couple of squads around behind and go for a rear door penetration... and pray that there are no AP mines behind it.

Of if its LOS is limetd enough, just dump some arty smoke in front of it and high tail it past the area where its dangerous.

[Pvt. Ryan]

One of the best weapons against pillboxes is the Stuart tank. The 37mm has a high rate of fire and is pretty accurate. If you set two Stuarts against a MG pillbox or bunker you should be able to either knock it out or route the crew in two or three turns. If it is an AT pillbox your Stuarts are dead meat, so you will have to try something else. I have had success with putting Sherman Jumbos against a 75mm pillbox, but you don't often have a Jumbo on hand.

[Jarmo]

Wasp does it quickly. But you'll have to make sure there's no other AT defenses around.

Against 75mm and lesser, the best way is a heavy tank. Churchill or Jumbo. Something that can shrug off the hits.

Anything can kill a bunker if you get behind it. But that's tough.

[Brewmeister]

I am also trying to gain some experience in bunker busting. Stumbled upon a scenario that might help hone your skills. I am in the middle of a battle called The Crisbeq Battery that seems to be a good example of using infantry/engineer units to take out a series of mg and 88 gun bunkers. My experience so far has been that a single squad of engineers(w/satchel charges) can take a mg bunker out in one turn and a gun bunker in 1-3 turns as long as its from the back or side never from the front and they are not harassed by the enemy. So take a platoon of riflemen a mg and mortar to suppress the enemy units that are always there to protect the bunker's flanks. An added bonus is that if there is a AP minefield protecting the flanks the engineers will clear it away.

The Crisbeq Battery scenario can be found on the Games of War site and many thanks to the author.web page

[Brewmeister]

:confused: How did that happen?

[ 06-27-2001: Message edited by: Brewmeister ]

[Greenman]

The third battle of Patrick Ware's 'Any Port After a Storm' mini-campaign was a good bunker buster scenario.

I had two platoons, zook's included, hammer the bunker for three turns straight. It took a while but eventually it cracked. Unfortunately it ate up most of my remaining ammo doing it.

Did I have a bad position or is multiple turns common? I had one platoon behind, cracking the door. The other was right on the front slit. It was the front platoon, IIRC, that finally knocked out the gun.

[Hensworth]

I discovered by accident that ordinary rifle squads can also take out pillboxes (even the concrete AT ones) by tossing handgrenades at them. This was in a scenario where the bunkers were placed in amongst some buildings. Most of the bunkers were dead inside a minute.

I guess this could be explained as the individual infantryman sneaking up from the side and lobbing a grenade through the slit.

[CombinedArms]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Sgt_Kelly:

I discovered by accident that ordinary rifle squads can also take out pillboxes (even the concrete AT ones) by tossing handgrenades at them. This was in a scenario where the bunkers were placed in amongst some buildings. Most of the bunkers were dead inside a minute.

I guess this could be explained as the individual infantryman sneaking up from the side and lobbing a grenade through the slit.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

This happened to me once, too, in a city scenario--to my great surprise. I sent a zook behind the bunker and a squad into a building right next to the bunker. I expected the zook to do the job but it expended five rounds w/o result. The squad's grenades did the work and they got credit for the kill. You need the protection of a house for this to succeed.

IMHO an AT bunker (in version 1.12) WITH extensive lines of sight and strong flank protection and no Jumbos or Churchill VIIIs on the board is about the toughest nut to crack in CM. (In earlier versions, tank fire was more effective and mobbing 3-4 tanks would usually kill them, sometimes w/o loss.) If you can get behind them with infantry or AFVs, they're no problem. MG Pillboxes can't defend themselves against AFVs, so they need to be carefully keyholed to be effective.

[Pzman]

Just bring a flame thrower team up behind it. I did it last night. The Pillbox blew up! Big explosion and then the crew died the same way.

[420]

try the Battle for Navarone scenario for bunker busting practice, in the most extreme circumstances. the scenario is in beta, but i'm sure the author appreciate testing feedback. check out the scenarios forum.