Leap Frogging Squads and providing overwatch

[Guy w/gun]

I am well aware of this tactic as it seems to be one of the most recognized in CM. Yet it never seems to work for me.

This tactic is supposed to be used when enemy contact is highly likely, right? So far so good. The problem is what happens *when* I make the contact. This is the usual scenario for me:

1) Contact is made with the enemy. The squad that made contact usually tries to complete it's move order, all the while firing at the threat. The problem is that by this time, they are out of LOS of the rest of the platoon. And more importantly, so is the enemy. Consequence- solitary squad faces the threat, platoon mates scratch themselves unwise to the action out of LOS. So I have to endure a whole turn before I can bring the rest of the platoon up to help.

What am I doing wrong? Am I making my "leaps" to big? Because of this problem, I sometimes advance the whole platoon at once, slightly staggering the squads at an angle with platoon HQ behind like so:

Sqd

Sqd

Sqd

HQ

The direction the line of squads is usually perpendicular to where I think a flanking threat may appear. This little diagram is sort of simplified, only taking in account the platoon (no support units) but it still illustrates how I sometimes advance.

Any help, comments, or observations would be greatly appreciated.

[jasoncawley@ameritech.net]

When I am moving, I use a "wedge" for "traveling overwatch". One point squad is 50-100 yards ahead. The rest of the platoon is mostly in one line behind it, in a sort of inverted "T". Or in silly ASC graphics -

_____S_____

__S_____S__

_____H_____

___T___T___

S means a squad, H is the HQ. T's are teams, if there are some along - a zook and an MG for example.

The point squad follows the rule of "run in the open, move in cover". The balance of the platoon usually moves, if contact is likely. This basically tells the point to not stop and fire if caught in the open, but instead just keep pushing until cover is reached. The rest of the platoon, however, is able to fire at any target spotted.

To keep the point from getting too far ahead, I just keep the bounds a reasonable size. The point has usually stopped moving before the end of the turn. He then has a command delay to move off again, during which the rest of the platoon closes up. He thus winds up running across open fields, moving, halting, catching his breath and having a look around, etc.

His distance from the platoon does bounce around. Sometimes the platoon with close up with him entirely, e.g. at the edge of some body of cover. Sometimes he will be clear across a wide field, but usually not.

Will the point get shot sometimes without the rest of the platoon being able to reply immediately? Sure. Just "withdraw-run" him back to momma afterward, while the balance of the platoon moves to the nearest covered place that can see the shooter, and lights him up once they get there.

In also helps to manipulate the "sides of cover" you are on. You want the point to be leaving cover to cross an open stretch, not too far ahead of the time your platoon will get to where he left from. Often that is when the main platoon reaches the near side, of the body of cover he is about to leave - if the body of cover in question is reasonably thin, that is.

What happens if you get ambushed then, is the ambushers shoot the point, but soon afterward the whole platoon - which the ambushers couldn't see, masked by the cover, and who are therefore fine - comes to the wood line or crest line or whatever, and replies.

The purpose of a point is not to avoid being shot at himself. It is to avoid the main body of the platoon being shot at, and to make sure anyone who messes up the point, pays for it in the following 2-5 minutes.

Suppose I get hit from the right side, instead of the front. Then the right side squad just became the new "point".

The HQ runs forward and to the left, the left squad moves rightward as necessary, the point can "right face" and back up a bit, and bingo, wedge is now oriented in a different direction.

The key is that nobody at the edge that gets hit, has to maneuver at all to change the direction of the whole formation. So one squad getting pinned does not paralyze the platoon.

No formation you can put the men in, will handle all events without adaptation. The idea of formations is to deal with whatever arises, by being flexible. You will have to move some guys to meet any threat that does crop up. That is OK. Just so long as you don't have to move everybody, and especially don't have to count on a guy who is pinned, to do something heroic. (You can count on him retreating - LOL).

The firefight will take 2-3 minutes to develop. Then it will take another 2-3 minutes to resolve, sometimes more. You don't have to do everything at once.

[Guy w/gun]

Thank you Jason!

[Guy w/gun]

For everyone's info who's going to respond, my diagram in mt first post didn't come out right when I hit the "Submit Reply" button.

The diagram was supposed to show the squads lined up diagonally at a 45 degree angle with the HQ behind the middle squad and to the left/right of the trailing squad.