HMG Question

[sombrero]

Hi I´m new in here but I´m playing CMBO for one year now and there has always been one question that didn´t let me sleep at night ! What the heck are six guys doing in a HMG team? One gunner, one loader, one ammo carrier okay:3 guys, but 6. Is that realistic (must be if it´s in CM), but what are they doin´? Thanks for answers in advance.

[Sergei]

A HMG comes with so much ammunition and spare barrels (for change when one heats) (or coolant if Vickers) that they need carriers for those (in addition to carrying the MG and tripod). When in position, someone bosses them around, one shoots, another feeds ammunition, and the rest fire with their rifles/replace the gunner after he gets killed by a sharpshooter.

[Wol]

Only 6? and that doesn't include support staff, limbers transport etc. An NCO in charge, a guneer, loaders, ammo bearers and labourers. BTW I want area fire on pre registered hexes for my MG using area fire!

Any chance of coding TRPs to particular batteries?

[SuperHero]

I believe there was 6 men for reason

the rest were in as riflemen mostly and were there incase gunner or someone got injured and they also helped in many other ways and protected MG teams from being flanked and stuff (i think)

[Liebchen]

I believe that Sergei had it right:

-- <u>Position (Loadout)</u>

1. Spotter (Binoculars, extra ammo, rifle)

2. Gunner (Heavy machine gun)

3. Loader/feeder (Tripod, rifle)

4. Ammo bearer #1 (Extra barrels, rifle)

5. Ammo bearer #2 (Ammo boxes, rifle)

6. Ammo bearer #3 (Ammo boxes, rifle)

Not a researched answer, just an off-the-cuff answer based upon past reading...

[Michael Dorosh]

Infantry Handbook has an answer I can look up, but the answers given seem correct. I did HMG training on the weekend actually, and an NCO with binoculars was important for spotting targets and giving commands to the gunners. An HMG takes about a minute to set up in CM, and I saw why on the weekend. Tripod assembly, aiming stakes, optical sight adjustment, and laying out the targets on a range card, etc., all take time, and go faster with a full size gun crew. Gunner 1 fires the weapon, gunner 2 loads and changes barrels. The remaining three have ammo to carry.

[Silvio Manuel]

Originally posted by Wol:

Only 6? and that doesn't include support staff, limbers transport etc. An NCO in charge, a guneer, loaders, ammo bearers and labourers. BTW I want area fire on pre registered hexes for my MG using area fire!

Any chance of coding TRPs to particular batteries?

Wol, TRPs don't help MG's, but they DO help Guns, i.e. AT guns...the "to-hit%" will be higher when the enemy AFV is near a TRP.

[Liebchen]

Originally posted by Silvio Manuel:

TRPs don't help MG's

I think his point was that they should be able to use TRPs in the game. My guess would be that this would be based upon having pre-ranged certain potential targets.

[Pvt. Ryan]

Originally posted by Liebchen:

</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Silvio Manuel:

TRPs don't help MG's

I think his point was that they should be able to use TRPs in the game. My guess would be that this would be based upon having pre-ranged certain potential targets.</font>

[Wol]

Da Tovarich, I meant TRP should be useable by HMGs, a common practice until the task was taken over by medium mortars. Remember all that theory of MG fire, beaten zones size over 500 yards, boat tailed ammo for vickers for 4.5 km ramge and reverse slope fire, fire by mg batteries on areas etc. Just a thought, even if they are off-table.

cheers

[MikeyD]

I recently was told by someone in the know that TRPs DO help mgs, and even infantry fire! Even in CMBO! This discovery was after more than a year of my playing the game and came as a BIG surprise.

So with TRP help and more lethal HMGs enemy infantry has that much more to worry about (that is until you quickly run out of ammo from all that area fire. Then you're screwed!)