General or Personnel ?

[Polo]

What kind of artillery stetting are using against specific targets?

For example: what kind are you using against trenches, or AT guns? Or AT guns in trenches?

Thanks for your advice.

Polo

[Agua]

I had been choosing personnel against, well, personnel, and using general against buildings. It was just one scenario, mind you, but AT guns beside a trench filled with MG were not getting knocked out with personnel, so I started using general on AT guns as well as infantry in trenches. It seems to work. Again, it was one scenario and one turn, but I figured better safe than sorry.

[Speedy]

Not sure but I believe personnel will give you a higher percentage of airburst, so good against infantry not so good against vehicles and buildings.

[Faelwolf]

If the game modeled the enhanced shrapnel effect of air-bursts in wooded areas, the personnel setting would potentially cause some amazing carnage.

[akd]

Personnel uses time fuzes to attempt to achieve air bursts over the target. Some rounds will air burst at optimum height, some too high, and some will still impact the ground. Otherwise it is identical to General.

[Pak40]

I thought the U.S. didn't have those time fuses until later in 44? First used in the Bulge I thought. Anyone know the details on this?

[MikeyD]

Everybody had 'time' fuses, but mechanical time fuses are really tricky to use correctly. What U.S. got late in the war was the VT radar transponder proximity fuse. A real game-changer.

[Speedy]

Timed fuses have been around for centuries in different forms.

[Sergei]

If the game modeled the enhanced shrapnel effect of air-bursts in wooded areas, the personnel setting would potentially cause some amazing carnage.

You're mistaken there, and also mixing concepts. Tree bursts have always been modelled in Combat Mission. Just try it!

But personnel setting has nothing to do with that. General setting simply means normal contact fuses - if they hit the top of a tree, you get an airburst. Personnel setting means timed fuses, which is not quite as exact as proximity fuses, meaning that only some of the shells will actually detonate at the correct altitude, while the rest will detonate on contact. In the game, timed fuses are only available for initial artillery bombardments.

VT fuses already went into production in 1942, by the way, but they were considered such a valuable technology that initially they were only used for ship air defence in Pacific and defence of London from buzz bombs, where they couldn't fall into enemy hands and that way be reverse engineered. Only Eisenhower's insistence convinced Pentagon to allow their ground use starting in December 1944. Talk about something being too good to use!

[Polo]

Thank you for the historical perspective, guys; but in fact I was requesting a game (CMBN) tip.

Polo

[Sergei]

Using timed fuses is generally better unless shelling buildings, bunkers or tanks, and a lot better when shelling troops in trenches or foxholes.

But the question is not very significant, because you seldom know where enemy entrenchments are during the setup, and timed fuses are only available then or against TRP's. After the game has started, you have just the contact fuses to go with unless you put TRP's everywhere.

[Polo]

Right! I was wondering why I seldom had the choice! That makes sense, since I guess you have to be very precise with those fuse timers. (except if you have VT)

[Pak40]

Everybody had 'time' fuses, but mechanical time fuses are really tricky to use correctly. What U.S. got late in the war was the VT radar transponder proximity fuse. A real game-changer.

AH, yes. I remember now. Thanks.