Infantry, Trees, and Cities.

[eniced73]

I have 3 questions:

1. I played through the Poland and French campaigns and the infantry on both sides served no purpose but to fill in for KIA gun crews. Do they play more of a strategic role in the remaining campaigns? I am looking forward to going up against panzerfaust teams but will they really pose a threat? It seems that you can concentrate on the enemy armor and worry about mowing down their infantry after the fact. Hopefully it is not this way for the remaining campaigns.

2. Are there any dense forest in this game? All I have seen so far is sparse tree placement here and there. Nothing that alters my attack plan or my movement coordinates. I just seem to be ablel to roll right across the map at leisure. I am not an expert on the landscape of where these battles took place so if this is accurate to the actual land please let me know.

3. Lastly. Are there any maps with multiple houses or buildings grouped together? I am not looking for a huge city but something that changes up the 'lets stroll across the beautiful wide open country and engage in battle at long distance. I guess I am looking for maps that bring the war up close and personal.

Any information is appreciated. Thanks.

[Arzok]

TOW is not a game of forest nor cities

Too many trees seems to be a problem, as I read it sometimes (path findings ?)

I thing there are more trees in the map of the mission pack.

There are some maps with "big" villages. I can remember the map 'ste mere', (the one of the game and the one of Gnasher), and St Lo (first map of the uchronic campaign). There is a big village in the map mp_map_003, that I used for the battle of Bulson, but the village is not in the playable area of my mission

There is another big village on the map mp_map_008, that I used for the second battle of the second part of my campaign.

[laminar]

1. Yes, infantry become increasingly dangerous with anti-tank grenades in the Russian campaign and bazookas, panzerfausts, panzerschreks, and the PIAT in the other campaigns. The panzerschrek is very deadly. The Russians and Germans also use anti-tank rifles, the Russian one being far superior, which explains why the Germans used many captured ones. Make sure to command your anti-tank rifle men to hold fire until they have a very good shot, or the enemy will target them first. Don't forget to check the enemy for loot, if you can. The German PWM anti-tank grenade is an especially good find. I haven't played the Polish or French campaigns in a while. I thought maybe the Polish had anti-tank rifles. Might be wrong though.

2. Nothing too dense. The "forest" foliage is dense enough to block line-of-sight and, to a lesser degree line-of-fire. I remember a British mission where you defend this little village. The forest was so thick that their Tigers were knocking down trees ~100m away and I couldn't see them yet. I am told that the French rural areas really do look like their real-life counterparts. Not sure about the others. The winter missions of the Eastern Front seem appropriately miserable and cold.

3. Like eniced73 said, there are some villages, and that's about it. These villages can often be ignored entirely. They can also be extremely useful, if you like micromanaging your American paratroopers around an old French cathedral, for example. Also, learn how to use your grenades and machine guns for quick wall removals. Make sure to provide cover, as there could easily be an enemy squad behind that wall. In defensive missions, I love putting anti-tank guns in villages. Nothing catches their tanks off-guard like a shot in the rear from 20m.

I remember having the same thought about the infantry when I started playing. If you use your artillery/anti-tank crews carefully, you shouldn't have to replace them often. Get to know your German tanks. Some shoot a heavier explosive round than others and should be destroyed first. The others will only hurt your crew if they are very lucky, or get too close. Also, if a tank's shells are getting a little too close for comfort, have your men ditch the gun for a couple seconds, the tank will choose another target, and you should be able to jump back in and catch it off-guard. Also, if you can make them alternate from firing at a tank to firing at your gun, it is likely that they will load the wrong kind of ammunition for that critical first shot. Finally, to save half of your crew, only attach your gunner and reloader. The commander and soldier tend to die from explosions, bullets, shrapnel and loud noises:eek:, so have them hide in some bushes or behind a hill. If your gunner and loader die, have the other two jump in to continue shooting. Another hint for gunner usefulness, is to watch the enemy tank carefully and only fire when it has slowed down, stopped, or showed a weak side to you. Most enemy tanks will stop just prior to shooting, so (I believe) you have a slightly better chance of hitting them if you shoot as they are putting the brakes on. They slow down when they run over trees and buildings and become an easier target, especially for grenades and rpgs.

Now that your other men are spared the gruesome fate of your gun crews, use them for distraction. Have them hold fire until several obvious targets present themselves. Dispense with enemy infantry and return to hiding in foxholes or bushes. Sending a squad against a tank might mean certain death for them, but if it distracts the tank from you 75mm field gun for a long enough time, then consider their brave sacrifice justified. Just make sure they approach from its flanks, unless it doesn't have a bow machine gun like some of the earlier tanks. Finally, two or three men sneaking up on an enemy anti-tank gun usually do better than a full squad, and usually will save you a tank being destroyed or immobilized. Have them target the ground and toss grenades to take out the unsuspecting crew.

I found that when I started paying very close attention to the lay of the land, the buildings, and the sight obstructing foliage (I use the 'enter' key alot), I saved more of my men for the next mission and had more fun doing it. I got to know and use some terms like "defilade" and "hull-down":cool:. I have even read some WWII stories from the men on the front lines, gleaning them for new tactics, and, of course, understanding what really happened.

Lately, I have been using the JSH mod, which among myriad changes, makes it harder for tanks to see infantry, prolonging your troops' lives, but also making the enemy that much more dangerous.

To finish my book, my advice is to continue with the game. The Polish and French campaigns give you a feel for the game mechanics (and perhaps some of the reasons why the Blitzkrieg worked so well ), but the other campaigns are much longer and satisfying.

[Knokke]

excellent advice Laminar.

I personally don't find my infantry useless (at least since i've learned to hide them in good spots where they can deliver a few nasty surprises before being spotted). An antitank team will be killed easily, as any other infantryman lying in plain sight, even if hidden in a bush, or trench, as soon as the ennemy gets close enough (they die usually before a target comes in range). But if they're posted in defilade between two houses for example, they'll be able to do a lot of damage because they won't be spotted too soon, and they'll be able to fire a shot at the side of a tank from close range before anyone as a chance to notice. The same principle apply equally well to normal infantry too. It will be easier for them to come close to a tank and throw a AT grenade at their tracks, disabling them. Even infantry lying down in trenches can survive long enough to at least disable the tracks of a few tanks. it is easier to use infantry in the game in defense, because you don't have to move, and can wait for the ennemy to walk into your traps. Any infantry moving in the open will be an easy target for tanks, guns, artillery barrages, and even ennemy infantry lying in ambush. There is only one way to get closer from the ennemy: using terrain to conceal the movement of your troops; if the ennemy cant see them, they will not be targeted, and so will live longer. If there is no way to get close unnoticed, then it is useless to launch a frontal attack in the open: it will end like in real life, by a slaughter. When the ennemy is launching a tank attack against your trenches, there is no use for your infantry staying in there if you have time to withdraw inside a village, or a more concealed position. The trenches are usually in the open, and their occupants will most likely be targeted as soon as they're spotted. It's better to stay concealed in the trenches though, if there is no time to change position, or if it involves running in the open without cover under ennemy fire. They'll last a little longer in the trenches, and might still do some damage before being overrun.