Use of Hvy Weapons Platoons

[jdmorse]

The American Companies often have hvy weapon platoons attached. My question is both historial and specific to CM I am wondering how most people employ them and how they were used historically.

Were they kept together as an integral "platoon" or were the sections parceled out to the rifle platoons, or were they spread over the map.

As you use them in CM, are people finding it better to keep together or spread them out, either to the platoons or as fire support spread across the board. If kept together with the Hq how dispersed are they.

Thanks

JD

[I/O Error]

Personally, I prefer to spread out the guys and equipment over the battlefield, within reason. After all, you HAVE to defend certain key strategic areas, and just scattering all your troops evenly would result in everybody dying, most likely.

If I KNOW I want to attack in a particular direction, I will allot a slightly higher percentage of those units to that flank.

However, since the members of a Hvy Weapons Platoon tend to have very heavy equipment, they don't really lend themselves well to the attack. I usually use them most effectively on the defense, usually in a few choice locations with good overwatch.

Sun-Tzu (Slightly incorrect, but I think I remember it well enough): "If your enemy reinforces his left, he is weak on his right. If he reinforces his center, he is weak on the flanks. If he reinforces everywhere, he is weak everywhere."

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DAMN good quote, I feel...

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Honor, Duty, Courage.

Valhalla awaits you, honorable warrior...

[StellarRat]

I use the German heavy weapons platoons (or is it companies?) strictly on the defense. Those four heavy machineguns and 81mm mortars will stop any infanty attack cold. Haven't tried any Allied heavy weapons platoons yet.

[Banshee]

in the attack I usually try to looks for a piece of ground (either a building or a nice treeline) which is about 100m away from the position I want to take, I then use armor or ht's to move the MG's to that spot to use them as the base of fire. I then move my platoons on to the first objective knowing they will have good fire support.

After using them in their initial support I will slowly move them up to bring them even with the platoons advance and then have the platoons advance to the next objective (repeat until victory is achieved). The biggest achilles heel of this method is that it can delay your forces just enough for arty to start dropping on you. So be careful of your force positioning. I would much rather have more infantry and arty than the heavy weapons platoon , but if I get one I use it as much as possible.

The mortars I put in a central location and use the Heavy Weapons platoon HQ or a company HQ (which ever has the larger command radius) as the spotter. I move them behind the main force as necessary for support. Or if there is a really good observation point I place the HQ at that spot with the mortars out of sight from the enemy.

As for Historical use, I believed the MG's were parsed out to the platoons during the defense, with mortars kept under the Company Commanders control.

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Veni, vidi, panzerschrecki

[Neil Kemp]

The function of the heavy weapons platoon is to provide addtional punch within the company. Normally, with three line platoons and a heavy weapons platoon, you would put one or two of the line platoons forward with the remainder in reserve. Then you would PROBABLY reinforce one of the line platoons with the heavy weapons. You might keep them back with the reserves until you figure out where the enemy is and what their intentions are.

In a real lief situation if your company had point, you would receive support from battalion, etc.