Infantry combat

[Hafer]

dont understand how to properly use them.

for example: first mission

after i soften the enemy defence line with arti and tanks i assault them with infantry.

but despite my overwhelming force i lost 90% of my soldiers. i tried every tactic (sneak , move, assault, attack direction). even with the same results.

is infantry combat (especially in trenches) broken?

[phil stanbridge]

Infantry play a vital role in this game, but they are very difficult to manage. I think part of the problem is the bugs associated with them, like in the trenches as you point out. Regardless you will lose a certain amount of them. But if you practice you can get better - I tend to lose a quarter of my men per battle now.

Some missions (like the first) are trials by fire for infantry - you need to use the protected flanks and keep them down. Don't attack over the hills as you will stick out like a sore thumb!

You ideally need to micro-manage every sqaud, and focus on the individual men. Keep them prone where possible, and use cover to the best of your ability. Don't use individual men as bait, as this will get your whole squad spanked. Make sure your men don't fire stray rounds at distance from the enemy target as this will (eventually) give their positions away, so make sure they are under control. Disable those 'auto' movement things as I have found them next to useless, and especially so with armour. Use smoke as cover where possible.

I can't stress how important it is to use cover! You can creep a man right up to the enemy position this way if you are careful. I also try to flank, and utilise the squads properly. You can get quite a long way with just infantry, but it takes a lot of practice and you will still lose a percentage. I'm far from an expert but I am doing progressively better with every battle.

[Hafer]

thanks phil for your advice. i ll try your tips next time i play.

[Franko]

I was frustrated with the first mission, too. But then I learned patience. I bought a couple of Tigers, who sat up on the ridge and calmly pounded away and any guns that were dumb enough to shoot at them. i also used some scouts to spot for bad guys, and then dumped mortar rounds on them. When I was satisfied that most of the enemy guns were neutralized, then I moved up with my infantry. I took only a few casualties, although they came right over the hills through open terrain. The moved up quick and took the objectives. Patience is key.

[Rdent]

Well this is a historical game. Many of the infantry and the units apparently had little training before being rushed to the front along with new equipment. I feel the game mimics that aspect unfortunately.

The third mission is Basic Training with a Sniper and a couple of Scout Groups. After that mission you will be a pro with your infantry.

The next mission is a replay more or less of the demo but partially timed. I'll bet you after basic training your infantry skills have improved considerably. The terrain should be familiar enough for you to lay down area fire all down the trenches with you Machine Gunners enough so that there is very little resistance and your actually hounding around corpses looking for extra ammo.

Just don't rush the Syrtsev at the bottom or you will loose tanks. Flank them out to the right or something but keep those MG's inching forward until your covering the entire trench system with area fire. The next mission looks heavily infantry orientated as well. Time to read some tactics.