Gen-x87 Posted March 26, 2001 Share Posted March 26, 2001 Hello- I am curious as to your opinions on using mortars with the help of the company commander. Does anybody use this? I have been running some tests and if you group them in 4s they can do some pretty good damage. They also are nice for quick strikes where troops are retreating from a strike from off map arty. Gen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jagdwyrm Posted March 26, 2001 Share Posted March 26, 2001 I use it as often as is feasible. I can hide my mortars and can group fire them in a still similiar to offboard arty. eg. in a recent auto pick QB I was US army game gave me 4 x 60mm and 2 x 81mm....i kept them back out of sight as germans entered two 2 floor buildings standing on the VL I area targeted with all of them. light building was down in about 20 seconds and heavy 2 floor in about 40 all without any danger to my mortar teams. This of course is an extreme example of how effective this can be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiwiJoe Posted March 26, 2001 Share Posted March 26, 2001 grouping 4 close can be a very bad move. If you play agianst a decent player he will use counter-batteryfire on you. Mortars leave a nice long line when they target something. Its often not too hard to follow that line back into enemy teritory unitl you hit some trees or such on a nice hill overlooking the map. Placing 1 turns artillery on that location will probably revel 1 or more nice little black abandoned mortars as you knock them out :0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jagdwyrm Posted March 27, 2001 Share Posted March 27, 2001 true but 1 and a half turns of area target will deplete most mortars of ammo. Im talking about saturating an area with area target. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ckoharik Posted March 27, 2001 Share Posted March 27, 2001 I usually use them as either one big group under the platoon commander (sometimes the company commander depending upon their bonuses) or split them between platoon and company for support. Rarely do I leave them as organic support to a line platoon as they are too slow and fragile on the move. -Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maastrictian Posted March 28, 2001 Share Posted March 28, 2001 As has been said I usually keep them in groups in the rear. Groups of three for 60mm and groups of 2 for 3' or 81mm. I keep them deep in woods or on reverse slopes and use a command unit to spot for them. I almost never use them for DF. --Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gen-x87 Posted March 28, 2001 Author Share Posted March 28, 2001 How do you counterbattery? I they are behind a hill also would that matter? Gen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mlapanzer Posted March 28, 2001 Share Posted March 28, 2001 Originally posted by Gen-x87: How do you counterbattery? I they are behind a hill also would that matter? Gen Use off board artilery to counter battery fire an are you suspect of holding those mortars. The mortars even the 60mm kind we're mostly used in the manner specified. They we're usually in a Co. mortar plt. Not piece mealed out to the plt.s a lone 60 is just about useless IMHO. I spread them out as much as the terrain and LOS's will allow to try and minimize the counter battery fire effectiveness. There really should be a mortar plt. leader given in an OOB. While we're on the subject why aren't any attacking forces able to dig in? Depending on different types of attacks there should be units able to dig in. Also TRP's can be very effective for using your mortars on the attack since they don't have to have any LOS's to them if they haven't moved from the start of the game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gen-x87 Posted March 28, 2001 Author Share Posted March 28, 2001 OK, in the V4V games by atomic and even the World @ War series you could setup your artillery units to counterbattery any incomming artillery and it was automatic. I was not sure if they had this setup in this game also. So basically the opponent would have to guess on where the mortars are hiding behind a hill. Since it usually takes 1 min + for them to fire the mortars will probably be out of ammo anyways Gen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mlapanzer Posted March 28, 2001 Share Posted March 28, 2001 Correct Gen-x the comparison to the other games really isn't equal since those games are of a different scale. You really wouldn't counter battery fire on 60mm. Counter battery fire as you see it in those other games is really outside the scope of CM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Echo Posted March 29, 2001 Share Posted March 29, 2001 I counter battery them with Thompsons and M-1's at close range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Martin Cracauer Posted March 29, 2001 Share Posted March 29, 2001 Counterbattery even for mortars won't work in CMBO, since mortars cannot fire to anything neither they nor their HQ see. If the opponent mortars fire with a spotting HQ from cover, you cannot reach them with on-board mortars, only with off-board artillery. I used to concentrate mortars with a HQ, but do so not as often now. For many possible targets it does not make sense to attack with more than one 81mm mortar simulaneously. If it's dug in infantry, you cannot kill it anyway, only supress and one mortar is sufficient. To knock a building down, several 81mm mortars are nice, but I am not sure it is worth the ammunition. An enemy gun will usually hide somewhere where you have difficulties to get heavy mortars to, in time after you spotted the gun. The overall chances are probably better when you have individual mortars going their own routes. Better fire one mortar at a gun than having 3 mortars somewhere else. 2 inch seems to be quite useless, not sure about 60mm. As for digging in, can a soldier dig in within 30 minutes (for a 1 hour attack), when already under observation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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