What to do with headquarters?

[Erik Springelkamp]

I have now played a couple of scenarios from the British Module, and I have enjoyed it immensely.

In the first - border crossing - scenario I was busy with my main combat troops advancing, and found myself with a lot of headquarters sitting idle in the rear. So I ordered them to check out some buildings that I passed by with the main force, using only some suppressing fire during that first pass.

While I slowly prepared my combat engineers for the final assault on the main building, the Syrians capitulated when their living area was flattened by artillery, which was accurately called in by a forward platoon HQ by the way.

In the mean time a lot of my HQ units had fallen to booby traps and close combat defence by a few remaining Syrian men. So in the end the the most dangerous function under my command proved to be a radio operator. I still feel kind of bad about that.

Later I discovered that the infantry HQ units posses the on board mortars, so that gives them something to do.

What I still don't get what a HQ of two Javelin teams has to do all the time, even in real life.

They take up one of three vehicles to command just eight men. And their vehicle doesn't have much fighting power either.

So what do you do with those guys, other then position them somewhere?

[Combatintman]

Well in real life the Atk Pl HQ (and similar elements) commands the platoon in peacetime which covers a whole range of activities outside of the scope of the game - welfare, pay, promotions, courses, discipline etc. During planning (again outside the scope of the game) the OC of the Atk Pl will provide specialist advice to the BG Commander and the BG HQ as to how best to employ the BG assets.

The 'anomaly' you mention about the HQ commanding only a few blokes is down to how the task-organisation is handled. In reality the atk (and others) platoon is task-organised across the BG and this is how it has been implemented in CMSF in that each coy has a Javelin section. The sum of the parts (namely all of the sections in the rifle coy pick) equate to the atk pl in peacetime.

[Erik Springelkamp]

Thanks for the real life info.

So do you use them for some tasks in the game?

Does it impact the performance of the teams when you put their HQ on some remote observation post?

[ScubaSam]

I believe the location of the HQ is supposed to be "in a position where they can best influence the battle" - So for a Rifle Platoon HQ that should be one "tactical bound" (50m or so) behind the lead sections, where they can use that 51mm mortar to best effect. The Sniper platoon HQ would need to be in a position with comms to both his sniper teams, but maybe also overwatch on them as well because of his L96.

As for the Javelin HQ...Its true that their vehicle is pretty rubbish, but to be far neither they or the Jav teams need to be close to the action. The missile has a range of 2.5km, so I tend to sit them back on, as you say, a good observation point where they can watch for tanks. Because of the relatively safe nature of this location, the HQ sorta sits with them, but as I said the key idea for HQs is usually one "tactical bound" behind the lead combat element.

[Vinnart]

The only real use I have found for the officers in this game is to use them as medics or arty spotters.. I trail mine behind the assaulting troops so when they take casualties they can keep moving while the officer comes up to treat the wounded. If they are in radio contact it is my understanding officers do not need to be close to the unit it commands to have any influence. I'm not sure the officers really have any influence though, atleast any that I have noticed.

[ScubaSam]

Radio contact is ok but the other forms of audio and visual communication are (supposedly) better. Without a command delay its hard to see the difference, but I think the better the C2 link between squad and HQ, the better the morale bonuses etc applied to the unit.

That's why Syrian squads break so easily - their C2 links are pretty poor, and thus a squad will often find itself cut-off from any help from above. The manual mentions something about it, how a squad with no C2 may assume the worst - perhaps the entire force has pulled back and left them behind? And they thus take a corresponding drop in morale.