Auggy Posted April 25, 2002 Share Posted April 25, 2002 Tanks all have one thing in common. To take controll of the battlefield. So can you tell me the roles of some of the tanks in CM? I'm having trouble with what each of their specific abilities are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gen-x87H Posted April 25, 2002 Share Posted April 25, 2002 Name some tanks and we can give you a role. Gen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pvt. Ryan Posted April 25, 2002 Share Posted April 25, 2002 What the heck is the Hotchkiss for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pzman Posted April 25, 2002 Share Posted April 25, 2002 Originally posted by Pvt. Ryan: What the heck is the Hotchkiss for? Retreating. [ April 25, 2002, 12:46 AM: Message edited by: Panzerman ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSpkr Posted April 25, 2002 Share Posted April 25, 2002 Originally posted by Pvt. Ryan: What the heck is the Hotchkiss for? Target practice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gredeker Posted April 25, 2002 Share Posted April 25, 2002 Originally posted by Panzerman: </font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Pvt. Ryan: What the heck is the Hotchkiss for? Retreating. </font> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gredeker Posted April 25, 2002 Share Posted April 25, 2002 Originally posted by Sir Augustus: Tanks all have one thing in common. To take controll of the battlefield. So can you tell me the roles of some of the tanks in CM? I'm having trouble with what each of their specific abilities are.This is a case where real life information sources are probably your best bet. Buy a good reference book on WWII armor and that should start you off in the right direction. There are some databases online with all the stats for the tanks that will probably help you out, but I don't have the links handy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
109 Gustav Posted April 25, 2002 Share Posted April 25, 2002 Ok, here goes. These catagories are highly subjective and don't include all the tanks in CM. Use at your own risk. Multipurpose tanks: These are useful for just about anything. They are good for killing enemy inf, and are also effective at taking out armor. However, they don't fill either role quite as well as a dedicated infantry support tank or a dedicated tank destroyer/hunter. They include: All sherman and cromwell 75mm tanks. These are best against inf, but have moderate AT power. Pz. IVs. These are the "average" tank in CM terms. They have good inf killing, and are good in an AT role as well. StuGs See above, except without a turret and with limited HE ammo. Panther. Also a heavy tank Churchill 75mm. Also a heavy tank, but with an infantry support gun. Tank Destroyers Tank destroyers are useful for one thing- killing enemy armor. They are typically fast, have thin armor, and high velocity guns for destroying enemy armor. Their high speed allows you to race around the enemy's flank, hitting his armor from the side. They include: U.S. M18 hellcat, M10, and M36 Jackson All sherman 76mm varieties, though these are also good against infantry Sherman Fireflies Wolverines Tank Hunters (panzerjaegers) These are turretless AFVs. Some, such as the hetzer and JgPz IV, have thick or well sloped armor. Others such as the marders, have paper thin armor. Use them to fire from ambush perpindicular to the enemy's line of advance when on the defense. Marder II and III hetzer JgPz IV jagdpanther jagdtiger StuG nashorn Recon tanks These are light and fast, with small guns and thin armor. Use them to scout or to get armor behind enemy lines. Speed is your friend. Note that many armored cars, such as the Daimler AC, M8 Greyhound, and Puma fill the same roles as recon tanks. Pz II Lynx Hotchkiss (captured French tank, and an all around POS) Stuart Chaffee Heavy Tanks These can slug it out toe to toe with smaller enemy armor. They have thick armor, are usually slow, and, except for the churchilll, high velocity guns. Panther Tiger I King Tiger Jagdpanther/tiger Pershing Churchill Infantry support tanks These are good for killing squishies. Although they may have hollowcharge rounds, they aren't much good against enemy armor. Sherman 105mm Cromwell 95mm Churchill 95mm StuH M8 HMC Churchill and sherman crocidile- flame tanks with 75mm main guns flammpanzer- a hetzer with a flamethrower instead of a main gun Self Propelled Artillery These are howitzers mounted on tank chassis. Historically you would usually not see them on a CM battlefield; they typically provided indirect fire (modelled as arty spotters.) They include: Wespe Hummel Priest Sexton There are lots of other specialty tanks that are used for AA, bunker busting, troop carriers and other unique roles. This list does not by any means include all the tanks in CM. Also, some tanks such as the StuG and Panther fit in more than one catagory. My advice is to play a lot of QBs against the AI to find out what works and what doesn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcpilot Posted April 25, 2002 Share Posted April 25, 2002 Hi Augustus, maybe I can help a little though Im sure others know more than I. To keep it as simple as possible, in CM, (reflecting accurately WW2), there were several types of armor used, with a different combat theory behind each. The first and most obviuos of those vehicles many of us call tanks generally came in three flavors. The first and probably most common tank in WW2 was of a type used for mobile warfare. Thay tended to act like the cavalry of old; a mobile force used to flank, or infiltrate, or just flat out PUNCH a way thru the enemy lines and disrupt the rear area of the enemy. Thay could cut off or at least disrupt supply and reinforcements, locate and destroy artillery and headquarters units, etc. and geenerally make a mess of the enemys sense of wellbeing. During WW2, first the Germans, then later the British, Americans, and Russians all learned how to completely incapacitate entire armies with a "tank" tactic called Blitzkrieg. Tanks of this type in CM would be most of the Sherman types, the german MKIV, and their MKV Panther, The British Crusader and I think the Cromwell,(though it might have been an infantry support tank), and The Russian T34. A second kind of tank that was used was more designed to support infantry in their attacks and defence, but espesially attack. These were generally called assault guns by the Soviets and Germans and most didnt have turrets. They were usually tanks with the turrets removed and a large caliber gun installed in the hull. The British, espesially in the early war years had a number of tanks with turrets used in this fashion though the guns were usually not of that large a caliber, mostly 37mm and 40mm. There assault firepower rested more in their machine gun armament I beleive, and these British tanks were also very slow. Tanks of this type in CM would be the British Matilda, the German StgIII and IV, and the Soviet SU-85 and SU-122. A third type of "tank" was the Tank destroyer. Again a turretless tank usually built from a standard tank hull with a very high velocity gun mounted in the hull. The Germans referred to them as "tank Hunters" hence the term "jagdpanzer". I could be wrong but I dont think these tanks were used on the offence a whole lot unless there was a shortage of regular turreted tanks as they would be at a serious disadvantage on a battlefield with turreted tanks. I think they were more suited and intended for defensive warfare. Tanks of this type in CM are The German PZV or jagdpanther and the "elephant", the US M-10 and M-18 TD's. Other types of armor generally fell into two catagories...armored infantry vehicles and self propelled artillery. These vehicles were generally lightly armored able to withstand Heavy machinegun fire at best and also offered some protection from shell fragments though they were nearly all open topped to my knowledge and the passengers were vulnerable to fire from above them, like units on a nearby hill for instance. These vehicles offered support to the attacking forces' tanks espesially when they were punching thru the enemy lines, giving the tanks added firepower and protecting them from enemy infantry who might try to hit their flanks as they went past. These vehicles would be the US, Geramn, and Russian 1/2 tracks, British Bren carriers, US M8 HMC, M7 GMC, Germanys' Wespe and Hummel. Oh, there were also a number of armored cars used by all the combatants as scouts. These would be the German PSW 222, American M8, British Humber for instance. Nearly All of these units were considered offensive weopons with a only few exceptions like the tank destroyers. However, the Germans became very adept at using armor in the defence as roving "fire brigades", (putting out fires, I see a soldiers dark humor here), rushing to any sector that was threatened with an imminent enemy breakthru to bolster the lines, (and the defending soldiers morale). Some tanks were never very good in the attack because of slow speeds like the German King Tiger and was used, I beleive, more for defence quite effectively. Sorry I got so "windy" but this is the short of it as best I can say and still give you a basic decent idea how CM tanks were employed during the war. Most CM battles are pretty small affairs being only no bigger than battallion size so there wont be any big breakthrus like in France but you can still use tanks and 1/2 tracks to flank an enemy ,(or punch thru his lines), bringing him under enfillading fire, and hunt down his arty and HQs...hehehe. Meanwhile your TDs can hold off his tanks preventing his flank attack, and your assualt guns and self propelled artillery can blast his infantry helping your own infantry in their contest with the enemy. If you dont know where the enemy is exactly then in go the armored cars with a hearty "Good Luck" and a few prayers. By the way, I added Soviet vehicles as we will hopefully one day before I get old get CM2 which covers the eastern front warfare. pcpilot out... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergei Posted April 25, 2002 Share Posted April 25, 2002 Originally posted by Pvt. Ryan: What the heck is the Hotchkiss for? When you're fighting against Green troops, they will confuse it for a real vehicle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipa Posted April 25, 2002 Share Posted April 25, 2002 Originally posted by Pvt. Ryan: What the heck is the Hotchkiss for? It's used for killing the enemy. The allied crews were probably distracted by the marvellous paint job... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lcm1947 Posted April 25, 2002 Share Posted April 25, 2002 There used to be a site that reviewed various tanks on a monthly basis but I don't remember which site. Maybe somebody remembers and would be so kind as to inform you. I myself wouldn't mind findin out as it would be interesting to read them again. Most were reviews by the forum members talking about the pros and cons of each tank in the game but I would imagine they would be close to real life roles and capabilies. I remember I was real new to the game at that time ( about 1 1/2 years ago ) so really didn't pay must attention devoting all my time to just playing but would now be more interested as I have the game down pat and can say the AI has no chance of beating me no matter what forces I give him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olle Petersson Posted April 26, 2002 Share Posted April 26, 2002 Hmm, perhaps flogging a dead horse... PcPilot got most of it right. I just want to put things in context, so here's the very short compilation of tank types and their use in WW2. Ca 1940 Types: - Light tanks - Break through / cruiser tanks - Close support tanks - Infantry tanks Light tanks Earlier used in a combat role, successful against civilians in the African and Asian colonies. Now used mainly for reconaissance and as stop gap for cruisers. Armament typically MGs or light guns. Poor armour, but enough to stop small arms fire. Examples: British Mk VI, German PzKw I,II, French FT17, Italian L3, L4. Break through tanks, Cruiser tanks Used for former cavalry missions to move fast and strike deep with no or light infantry support. Armament typically MGs to fight soft targets and some ATG (25-47mm) to fight armour. Moderately armoured to keep up the speed. Examples: British A9, A10, German PzKw III, US Stuart. Close support (CS) tanks The cruisers had no or poor HE. To make up for it some CS tanks with a low velocity large calibre gun were developed. These tanks were thus supposed to support other tanks, not infantry! Armament 75mm or 3" gun/howitzer. Equal to the supported tanks in armour and mobility. Examples: British A9CS, German PzKw IV (with 75L24 gun). Infantry tanks This was a British (and perhaps also French) concept. Slow tanks to support the infantry moving across the battlefield. (Most other nations made assault guns that fell into the artillery branch.) Same armament as cruiser tanks, but heavy armour. There were CS versions of the infantry tanks as well (with the same purpose as the other CS tanks). Examples: Matilda, Valentine. Heavy tanks To really make a difference during assaults, both in offence and defence. The heaviest gun and armour that could be fitted in a rotating turret. Examples: French B1, British TOG (prototypes). Mid-late war (after Kursk battle) Types: - Light tanks - Medium / General purpose tanks - Infantry tanks - Close support tanks - Heavy tanks Light tanks As before, but "light" had been pushed a bit. Examples: US Stuart, US Chaffee, Italian L6, Soviet T70, German PzKw III. Medium / General purpose tanks The former cruisers had now grown a bit and became more general purpose. This was the early form of MBT. Armament typically longer 75mm/3" gun. Armour better than before, able to withstand light ATGs frontally. Examples: British Cromwell, US Grant/Lee/Sherman, German PzKw IV/V. Infantry tanks The Brits still held on to these, albeit a bit less strict. Example: Churchill Close support tanks The Brits held on to these too, even if the other tanks now had better HE. Armament 95mm howitzer. Churchill and Cromwell Heavy tanks Same purpose as before. Examples: German PzKw VI, Soviet IS series, US Pershing. A compilation of self propelled artillery will follow. Cheers Olle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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