How attack across open ground?

[Tigrii]

I just played an all-infantry QB with open terrain. I was slaughtered as the russian attacker. I had 2 companies. The first was routed by an 81mm mortar barrage. The other advanced for 2 or 3 turns and was pinned by unseen MG42s. Then it was hit by a 81mm mortar barrage. I started area fire with an 85 Flak and some 82 mortars, but then they were killed by an 81mm mortar barrage. That guy is all over the place! :mad: How do you suggest attacking with two companies and a 82 mortar and DsHK HMG for each platoon in open ground against unseen foes?

[Redwolf]

Don't

[Redwolf]

Wait for the night.

[zukkov]

you have to create cover. if you don't have any arty that can fire smoke you won't make it...

[skelley]

Before the game you should have just said "ok, how bout I give you a total victory, now lets play a game that I might have a chance"

[Tigrii]

Thnaks Pillar! I'll try it next QB.

[xerxes]

Assuming I had to attack under such rotten conditions:

Unit selection:

1. You need long range firepower. Your on board mortar is your best unit for long range hitting. (I'd get a mix of 50's and 80's)

2. Choose Maxims, not DsHk, maxim has more ammo.

3. For infantry, get one recon company (rifle heavy) and one lmg heavy company.

Strategy: I would spread out my recon infantry. Probe all routes use 1/2 squads (B split squad). Use your own mgs to prevent him from redeploying. Keep your lmg company and an additional recon platoon in reserve. Make sure your mortars can reach all possible defensive locations (if they have to move make sure the terrain can cover their movement).

As you ID the general location of his HMGs, mark those, remember them and use the terrain to avoid the mg firelanes. Ideally You'll find an approach that has only a single HMG covering it. That's were you shift your reserve company and launch your major assault. Use your lmg company for fire, use your extra recon platoon to maneuver and flush out the enemy.

All of Pillars comments I'd agree with too.

[NewSocialistMan]

Remember CSC

Cover

Suppression

Concealment

The only way to move under fire.

[PiggDogg]

Tigrii,

To attack across the open, suppress everything, yes everything or nearly everything, that the enemy has with direct gun fire, direct HE fire, & indirect HE fire. :eek:

If you have smoke, while the enemy is suppressed, smoke quickly. Then "advance" your guys across the open into the enemy cover, ... then pray.

Cheers, Richard

[Sgt. Schultz]

All that has been said before and this as well.....

Check the wind speed before committing to advance under smoke. A windy day will rip your screen away and leave you bare-assed naked out in the open.

Smoke is great but practice is the key. You have to have a good idea on the time it will take for the shells not only to fall, but to start generating smoke. Then you have to be confident that the screen will stay up until you have reached your objective.

I like 120mm mortar and 105 smoke. It is big and sticks around, even in a breeze.

I supress like a madman while waiting for my smoke mission, and at the same time get all assaulting troops as ready as possible by resting them and making sure they have clear lines of advance without a bunch of terrain impediments(houses/etc) in the way. You have to take into account the command delay needed to get your boys off their butts and moving. Then figure how hard you can push them without getiing them all the way to "tired". Make sure that by the time they FIRST expose themselves, the smoke screen is about halfway generated. This means the shells have fallen and about half are blowing smoke.

DO NOT smoke right on an enemy or right on your objective. You want to block LOS of the most possible enemy units by screening the area in between. There are of course exceptions depending on terrain and distances involved. Smoke should be adjustable with a green line onto enemy positions, or, if you will need to walk the smoke.. you need to start long and walk the smoke towards you to keep a solid LOS to the target area.

Direct fire smoke is great but the russians are short in that dept. Use all that HE to blow up buildings in between you and the enemy and they generate rubble dust that lasts for a while and blocks LOS just fine.

If you know the terrain will be open ... load up on the cheapest FOs you can get. Green 120s are my favorite for smokers, but if the wind is still 81mm Mortar FOs will smoke for a while. 105s get expensive but can put out tremendous smoke screens that will last long enough for the slowest lazy bums to get their rears in gear.

There are fewer things more beautiful than a properly executed advance under smoke right up to the enemy and he can't do one damn thing about it. He knows you're there and he knows the hurt is coming, but so what? Then you hit 'em right in the lips with adjusted non-smoke arty and lay into them.

[Frunze]

When you say a whole company was stopped by an artillery barrage, it makes me wonder if you were bunching them up too much.

[Egan]

I qoute Mager Winters from Band of Brothers," The point is, you have to keep MOVING".

Oh yeah, and covering fire, covering fire and more covering fire!

[Chad Harrison]

Its tricky buisiness and we can all promise you that what worked in CMBO is long gone. CMBB requires a whole new bag of tricks. When I first got CMBB, I thought that I was doomed forever to be slaughtered across open fields. But now I have learned a few tricks.

I am playing a QB PBEM game right now where the OPFOR held high ground with wood cover. I had to attack them across about 150 meters of open ground to get to the flags. So I moved up all my MG's (about 5 MG42's) and all my platoons into a wide front with LOS to their position. Then I moved two or three half squads across the field. He opened up on them and gave away his positions. If he had not, I would of moved the squads right up to him until he HAD to fire. Then a whole lot of fire went out onto him from all my men in the woods. Then I moved more and more men across the field. It worked great.

The real key is supperior firepower. You really need to outnumber them by nearly two to one locally. 1/2 giving suppressing fire, the other 1/2 assaulting in waves starting small and ending biggest.

Hope this helps.

Chad