Who uses SMOKE?

[Lt. Smash]

Well that is the general idea in Real Life.

Putting it close to them:

a. Prevents any issues with carrier shells and other unplanned casualties.

b. It maximises the effect of a given amount of smoke a 100m screen close to the enemy obscures a much larger distance, whereas 100m placed near you only obscures, well, 100m.

c. Can mitigate the effects of wind, etc.

The whole ideas is that you know roughly where they are in order to obscure them. Dropping smoke "just in case" is a waste of ammunition (if no one is there after all) and of course attracts attention (refer the post above about the T-72 probably firing on the smoke "on spec") with a big "look at me" smoke cloud.

Ah...love the Search function! I came here looking for tactics on using smoke, and found this nuggest from more than a year ago. Great advice. Thanks, Major.

Bob

[LongLeftFlank]

Are you a cop or something?

I only feel compelled to speak out when it's used in conjunction with a grass mod

Know Your CMx2 Fiend!

Note: I do not endorse the techno, but the Fear and Loathing scene wasn't available.

Oh, and on topic, smoke grenades are pretty useful cover for a quick dash across an alley. Seems like each US squad only gets one volley though.

[Euri]

As I am not too educated in the proper use of some I would appreciate some guidelines (beyond the basics..how to do it and that shell kill etc).

For example does caliber matters? I find myself ordering a 150-200m linear smoke screen using 60 or 81mm rounds and a get a very sporadic and thin cover (I cannot even use the term "screen" because it would totally misleading). How long do you draw your screen in order to be a screen? Do you prefer area target instead? Stuff like that

[Erwin]

Good question, Euri. I used to do linear smoke, but as you say, it's usually rather spotty, unless it is a rather short line

BTW: I believe there is only a certain number of smoke shells and that's that. So, you MAY get 2 short smoke missions. But, usually it's all gone after one if your arty if firing more than 'SHORT."

[Lt. Smash]

My feeling -- and it is a feeling not scientific -- is 150 - 200m linear smoke screens are too big for just about anything. You need to keep 60 and 81 mm linear smoke screens as short as possible. To your point, you can't even call them a screen. For small caliber mortars, I find that Point targets are more effective. I try to point them between or in front of buildings. I recently played a scenario where I had 120mm mortars and tried a few 50m smoke screens. Even then, I wasn't happy with the result (although the wind could have had a serious impact in this case). Today, I played a scenario where I was given a organc 81mm plus 3 batteries of 155mm howitzers. I used the 81mm for an initial 20m screen (I could have used point) and the 155mm for 50m linear screens. This turned out to be incredibly effective. I've never seen the amount of smoke those howitzers made (plus, it was fun when I was done with smoke screens and could start raining down lead on enemy positions...it was rewarding and the amount of dust thrown in the air became a screen in and of itself).

Bob

[gibsonm]

As I am not too educated in the proper use of some I would appreciate some guidelines (beyond the basics..how to do it and that shell kill etc).

For example does caliber matters? I find myself ordering a 150-200m linear smoke screen using 60 or 81mm rounds and a get a very sporadic and thin cover (I cannot even use the term "screen" because it would totally misleading). How long do you draw your screen in order to be a screen? Do you prefer area target instead? Stuff like that

Can I suggest that the best way to learn this is not for me or someone to write a multi page description, but for you to set up just a simple test scenario (in the editor) and try the different calibres and make observations that are important to you and then use that experience in subsequent games.

Trying to convert 30+ yrs of military experience into two paragraphs of game specific pointers wont work.

[average]

Plus the game AI don't have range cards, fire plans, TI or the ability to just traverse a PKM across the smoke screen.

I've tried in game to employ smoke to screen the movement of armour from ATGMs with very mixed results. I read somewhere that was a legtimate tactic to counter AT-3/4/7 batteries. Didn't really work as well as expected, almost better having the tubes just fire a HE mission (the dust is almost as good). I don't know if you'd ever actually give that a go for that matter.

Same story with obscuring infantry movements at long range, except it blows away just at the point of maximum danger because they've got 6 WP rounds per gun.

What I feel is super gamey is when you're almost obliged to fire smoke to conceal a close assault or movement across a choke point. The smoke in that case is like a big target indicator. It stands in the mind of some scenario designers as a suitable substituition for proper fire support or a suitable force.

Its up there with obstacles not covered by fire, all out assaults without a proper reece or briefing (lets send a rifle company with a couple of light AFVs up the guts to destroy an undetermined enemy force and hold the ground so gained) and using a mech rifle company to clear 14 blocks in 2 hours using nothing more than self confidence while suffering less than 10% casualities.

[Erwin]

Am I correct that in CMSF smoke rounds too close to friendlies can also casuse casualties?

[tyrspawn]

Am I correct that in CMSF smoke rounds too close to friendlies can also casuse casualties?

The first rounds are standard spotting rounds, and thus can cause standard casualties. The smoke fire for effect mission itself can also cause casualties, although the shells have to directly hit friendly forces, it has a negligible damage area.

[Erwin]

Thanks for the clarification.