Top-down building assault

[SlapHappy]

Anyone have any good tactics for moving down through a building from the roof to clear out a section?

It seems like you are actually at a bit of a disadvantage when trying to assault downward...enemies pick you off on top of the roof before you can get set to engage (from below). I would think you would be at an advantage.

I've had very mixed results trying to do this in the mission "House Cleaning". Always seem to sustain more casualties than I would like.

Any suggestions? Is smoke effective up there?

[Guest]

Interestingly, the major problem that I see with top-down assaults doesn't matter in game (the difficulty of pulling out casualties) and the real benefits -- increased momentum, lower exposure, and getting in behind enemy defenses inside the house -- are largely moot in the current incarnation of CM:SF.

Still, another problem -- how to get up there -- is pretty well solved in-game by the even building sizes.

I usually Hunt down into the top floor with covering fires from support units. I use small teams if possible. Smoke hasn't done me any good.

[Dowarisch]

Just blow up the whole roof with a Javelin

[Hardcharger]

When I was a young ground pounder in the Corps, the training was that, if all possible, it was better to clear a building from the top down. The idea is that you have part of your forces secure the bottom of the building while the forces sweep the building from the top. OpFor can always escape a ground assault by going up, but they'll run into the guys assaulting from topside. It's basically a pincer movement on a very small scale.

[tharawdeal]

Exactly. Plus, grenades don't roll up stairs...

[Hardcharger]

We actually used to practicing FAST roping onto buildings at the MOUT Facility in Camp Lejeune, NC. We did that until one of our Corporals broke his back from a fall which resulted from the helo pilot not being able to keep the chopper steady. The FAST rope went over the side of the building and the corporal basically fell three stories and landed on his back, but narrowly missed landing on a small concrete wall next to the building. Luckily, we were able to med-evac him to the soccer field by the fake school that was at the MOUT facility. The chopper landed and flew him right to the hospital, which probably saved his life, but his military career was over.

[snake_eye]

First to be able to get downward, you have to get on the roof of a building of the same height of the intended target and in the same street alignment (instead of progressing through the street, it is done by the houses roof). For sure, on the roof, you are at risk from eventual sniper, riflemen and or MMG overwatching you.

If that isn't the case, it is worth trying and get by the roof side to the intended house to be cleared and do it downward.

But don't forget to split your team to reduce casualties. In the battle named "house clearing" one of my team on the roof got shot at by the syrian being a level below. They did it, straight through the ceiling and the team replied through the floor. Maybe it was not so thick, anyway that has been done in real urban fighting. Forget the smoke they don't see you and you either, when you go in. They don't have stun grenades in the game.They would be welcome.

Another good thing is to progress with a team on the left street side and have another on the right.

The left overwatch the right one, and so do the right team for the left one. That way you can get in the 1st floor, while the other team is pooring down some suppressing fire to help you in.

You can not get in and choose to send rifle grenades in, or blast the street side 1st floor wall. For small houses that will do it.

In any case you have to do it very quickly to deny a coordinated suppressing fire from the enemy.

As you see, these are different actions to be applied and none of them is the best. However, one of them used at the right time is going to be the best.

If you see that it doesn't work right away, get the hell out of that place and try something else we have mentionned. Good luck in your urban fights to come.

[zeke26]

One more thing that speaks for a top assault is that you give the enemy the choice to leave the building in the street level, often out in the open, and there our support teams will be able to finish him off.

[SlapHappy]

Originally posted by zeke26:

One more thing that speaks for a top assault is that you give the enemy the choice to leave the building in the street level, often out in the open, and there our support teams will be able to finish him off.

Maybe, but unfortunately my experience is they start lighting up the roof and hitting my poor soldiers in their unprotected groin areas...ouch!

[Denwad]

Perhaps with all this top-down assaulting in Iraq will alert the Syrians to train for such an eventuality

doubt it though

[John Kettler]

Denwad,

If I were defending against a U.S. MOUT attack, I would have every roof festooned with antilanding obstacles and nasty wires which could get sucked into rotor systems. If I had a real budget, I would have the newish antihelicopter claymore mines, some of which have smart acoustic fuzes or the Strela blok autonomously triggered MANPADS described by Suvorov. In his day, it was an SA-7.

These days, it would be something much nastier that would autonomously detect and engage a helo or low level CAS bird.

Regards,

John Kettler