Good uses for minor vehicles

[DS Phelps]

I've been playing the game for a few weeks now. I was wondering if there are any subtle differences to the "minor" vehicles that I might take advantage of? I look at the armored cars, carriers, etc. (not the halftracks) and say to myself, "what do I do with them?" The only way I've used them is sort of like armor-coated soldiers.That is, keep them far away from tanks, and run them around to battle rifle squads and machine guns. I was just wondering if i could be doing better with them? Just out of curiousity, what would something like an armored car be used for in real life?

[Webs]

Recon.

[Panzertruppe]

Yep,....recon....and spotting. I don't feel any units in the game are "minor". If you don't know where the enemy is.."recon", or send a jeep at "fast move" to see where the enemy units are!

[Tank Ace]

Stuarts can take out almost all german tanks once they get around to the flank, 883/884 meters per sec shot. I took one out got SS of it to

[IntelWeenie]

Some of them have a small transport capability as well. Load them up with some split squads and/or heavy weapon teams and use them as a reaction force or reserve. Some of the larger 'minors' can tow AT and INF guns, too.

[Cybeq]

It seems like the popular answer has been to use "minor" vehicles as recon scouts. I don't think that is always the best answer. A fast moving jeep or armored car can't spot hidden infantry, guns, MG's, or mortars. In fact, they don't spot very well at all. Most of the time your only clue about enemy positions will be when your recon vehicle blows up from an unseen AA gun or infantry AT unit. Then you'll be left guessing what killed it and where it came from. Infantry make better scouts. Armored cars and other light vehicles excel at guarding your flanks and racing up the enemy's flank. They excel at distracting the enemy's armor and at supporting your infantry.

[YankeeDog]

I often attach a 'minor' vehicle, like an armored car or light tank, to my forward most recon units on the attack. This unit serves two purposes:

1) Often, I will have a heavy weapons team, usually an MG to ride on the light AFV, so it can keep up with my rapidly advancing recon screen. Sometimes, if my recon is advancing into an area where I think enemy armor might be hiding, I have an IAT ride along instead. When the recon screen runs into trouble, the heavy weapons team isn't far behind to lend a hand.

2) While light AFVs usually don't have a heck of a lot of firepower, an AC or light tank can still help your recon platoon get out of a tough situation. The idea here is to prevent your opponent from being able to ambush and destroy your recon units 'on the cheap', with little risk to his own units - he may still be able to ambush your infantry, but if he does so, fire from your quick-reacting light AFV will pin down his ambushing units until heavier support can arrive, ensuring at least a tit-for-tat exchange of infantry rather than a clean ambush adn getaway. Given that the attacker usually has a numerical advantage, tit-fo-tat exchanges are usually a bad idea for the defender.

The best option for overwatch support of your recon screen is actually other infantry teams, especially light mortars and and MGs as they are cheaper than light armor and can't be eliminated by one quick shot from an ATG, but depending on terrain it can be difficult for these units to keep up with your forward screen. Light AFVs can either carry such support or simply offer it themseleves with their own gun and/or MG(s).

Using light armor in this way allows you to keep your forward recon screen moving quickly and with some degree of overwatch and fire support, but still keep your heavier armor in defilade so your opponent has to keep guessing where your big guns are. Without light armor to help the recon screen, you either have to expose your heavy armor as overwatch support, or put your recon platoon(s) out on their own without support, which is rarely a good idea.

Very often, the first player to reveal his big armor also becomes the first player to lose his big armor. This is especially true when you're playing Allies, whose armor really needs the advantage of first shot when taking on the heavier armed and armored German cats.

Obviously, the big risk with this tactic is that you'll end up losing your light armor in its forward position. There are two things to keep in mind here: First, the correct position of the light AFV is 100-200m *behind* the recon platoon, and preferably in defilade or behind a stand of trees or other terrain feature that limits its exposure to potential sources of enemy fire. It darts from cover to cover, relying on speed and surprise to avoid getting hit. When and if it's fire support is needed, as much as possible keyhole the position of the light AFV so it's not exposed to enemy fire from a wide swath of the map.

Secondly, I generally resign myself to the possibility that I will eventually lose a light AFV I deploy in this manner. To a certain extent, they also function as bait to force my opponent to reveal his AT assets so I can pounce on them with heavier armor and/or artillery and mortars (for AT guns). I would rather not lose any AFVs, but if I have to lose one, I would rather lose a Greyhound or a Lynx than I would a Sherman or a Panther. The trick here is to try to force you opponent to reveal a *good* AT asset like a 50mm+ AT gun, or even better a tank, rather than a measly IAT team or light gun. This takes some finesse and luck - light ATGs and AA guns in particular are the nemesis of light armor. Ideally, the light armor is moving so fast, and exposed for such a short period of time, that it actually manages to reveal an enemy unit without getting KOed itself. I will gladly trade a Greyhound for a PaK40, or a Lynx for an M10, if I can, though.

This is just one use for light armor. It has many others. . .

Cheers,

YD

[Howard R]

I generally use light armor and recon assets in a similar manner. I will usually keep the true recon vehicles toward the rear early in a game, but somewhere with good ines of sight. They will usually spot and identify something before either being killed or retreating out of the line of fire. often, they can identify an good enemy unit before they have even been spotted. i will almost always select at least one recon vehicle and one armored car (37mm or better, only). the armored cars can come in very handy when fighting enemy ight armor and halftracks. An american M8 AC can take down a German halftrack (and its MG42) from 800-1000 meters, and can kill mst German armor with a side or rear shot (which they can occaisionally get when the German tank is otherwise occupied and the hatch is closed).

just my buck and a quarter on the topic

[DS Phelps]

Good replies all, the long and short. They've given me good things to think about, and hopefully, will allow me to use my troops in a more thoughtful manner. Many thanks.

[Beta1]

Best use of light armor I know is too "bait" big cats with. If you can attract a Tigers TacAIs attention by popping a daimler out of cover 90 degrees or more away from the line your firefly is going strike from then by the time the tigers turret has rotated to target the daimler the AC is back in cover and the firefly has time to pop up and get a shot off before the tiger can rotate back and engage. Essentially exposing the AC gets you a free shot. If you time it right the firefly can often crest a hill get a shot off and get back behind the hill before the tiger can rotate back.

[Aco4bn187inf]

Use of light vehicles at night-

When visibility is limited it is actually safer to use light vehicles in support of infantry. When the inf. runs into enemy units, the light armor rushes from the edge of darkness and hoses down the opposition. In daytime the amount of unscouted woodlines in sight, lines of fire, etc, is much greater so your thinskinned vehicles are at a greater risk. As the third tier, I have the medium tanks just behind the light vehicles, in case enemy tanks show up. Also, it's better to lose a scout car to a hidden AT team than to lose a firefly- make sure your infantry is close enough to punish that panzerschreck. In this method, medium tanks get involved ONLY if enemy tanks show up- no need to risk them otherwise.