Villiers-Fossard

[LimShady]

First, hats off to Rune for coming up with this scenario.

Second, does anyone have a good list of tactics to use in bocage fighting? I've been trying what works, letting the infantry lead, keeping the tanks a couple hundred meteres behind the advance until the AT threats are cleared, trying to get off the main roads, etc. But anything else? (Like trying to figure out where that #(%_)#(#()! panzerschreck is firing from....)

One other thing, I'm still trying the figure out how to used armored infantry in the bocage. Do most people keep them in the tracks as a reserve, or dismount and use the halftracks for fire support?

Just wondering,

LimShady

[Simon Fox]

I can't claim to be an expert but since no one else has replied I'll give you my views.

First mechanised infantry are a waste of time, their halftracks might provide handy firepower but I haven't used them thusfar.

Take it slow. Be methodical. Use area fire where you think the bad guys might be (with your supporting weapons not infantry). Liberal doses of HE: tanks, mortars and arty seem to do the trick. Protect your flanks when advancing as it's easy for AT teams to sneak up on you. I prefer to fight June scenarios in the bocage as they remain inpenetrable to allied tanks too.

------------------

"Stand to your glasses steady,

This world is a world of lies,

Here's a toast to the dead already,

And here's to the next man to die."

-hymn of the "Double Reds"

[CombinedArms]

I'm fairly new to CM & haven't done much bocage fighting yet, but you might check out Michael Doubler's book "Closing with the Enemy: How the GI's Won the War in Europe 1944-45"--which is makes a strong case for the quality of US troops & tactics in WWII AND which contains a detailed account, with maps, of US tactics for bocage assault as they were worked out through bitter experience. By the time the last battles were fought, they had a pretty good method down.

Excellent book, by the way.

[LimShady]

Originally posted by CombinedArms:

I'm fairly new to CM & haven't done much bocage fighting yet, but you might check out Michael Doubler's book "Closing with the Enemy: How the GI's Won the War in Europe 1944-45"--which is makes a strong case for the quality of US troops & tactics in WWII AND which contains a detailed account, with maps, of US tactics for bocage assault as they were worked out through bitter experience. By the time the last battles were fought, they had a pretty good method down.

Excellent book, by the way.

I read the book and to use some of the tactics aren't modeled well in CM (IMHO, of course). For instance part of one of the tactics to have the tanks shoot smoke or WP (which isn't in the game) at the hedgerow corners to blind AT guns and MGs while the infantry moves in behind the tanks. The problem in CM is that when confronted with that threat the TacAI switches from smoke to HE. Also, getting the infantry through the hedgerow is another difficulty as, CM doesn't model a hole in the hedgerow made by the Rhino/Cullin device, so the infantry STILL gets hung up in the bocage and gets cut to pieces.

LimShady