Can a Mortar team hold ground?

[bowen42]

Can a mortar team or tac-air team hold ground for victory condition purposes on an objective that requires "some troops"to be left there?

[Ryujin]

I think so, I don't think there is any requirement on exactly how many troops you need there. Probably one soldier would be enough.

[MikeyD]

That's an old trick. I've occassionally used leftover bailed truck drivers or empty ATGM teams as someone to 'occupy' a spot as my real fighters moved on to other tasks.

[theFightingSeabee]

Yep me too. If the crew has rifles, they can hold their own long enough for reinforcments or withdrawal. No assaulting though!

[MikeyD]

I don't want to endorse this too enthusiastically. I seem to recall a couple instances where the AI did not give me credit for occupying the objective because of my almost-nothing forces in place. Spies or bailed crews, or whatever. So it may not be guaranteed.

[taccovert4]

Crews can occupy positions, as well as FO teams, leadership teams, and depleted fire teams. It can get really gamey though. However, I normally move my dismounts that were dismounted due to enemy action to a single rally point while my combat troops take care of the wet work. This point is normally an objective already taken, if one is availible.

And in response to the Fighting Seabee, Why can't you assault a position with dismounts? I know they don't have an assault command, but that's easy enough to do via waypoints and movement orders. I can say that 2 Humvee logistics crews have taken a warehouse and held it against 3 SF squads while waiting for their 2 Stryker loads of 'assists'.

I've also had more than one Battalion XO or Commander take down a building (and I know this happened in Iraq in '03, a buddy of mine ended up being the number 2 man on this particular Major's 2 man squad. Fortunately there wasn't anyone in there, because an M16+203 a laser designator, and a pistol don't really count for much in a 2 story motel.). Is it risky? Yes, but in war sometimes you have to take great risks to gain great rewards. And I've met very few company or battalion commanders that were too 'sensible' to not 'lead the charge' if they were right beside the objective. And my favorite thing to do with those seemingly tactically useless leadership units? Load'em up with all the Javelin rounds you can muster and put them in a nice tall building. Keeps your infantry teams together and gives you nearly unroutable AT firepower.