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Commanders getting killed.


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If you move squads without breaking them up into teams, when you go to move them, before you click the mouse button to place them you will see colored "shadows" (corresponding to each team in the squad) on the ground telling you where they will go if you move there. The lightest colored shadow seems to include the team that has the team leader. I try to keep that team to the rear, if possible. If it is really critical, I break up the squad into teams and move them separately so there is more control over where they end up and in what order they move.

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  • 2 weeks later...

This is annoying - in a PBEM game from four german "half squads" under fire, it is the leader who dies first in three out of four instances (all in buildings) ....... and you bet everytime a rifle man will be the last man standing ...... no SMG, no LMG

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If you move squads without breaking them up into teams, when you go to move them, before you click the mouse button to place them you will see colored "shadows" (corresponding to each team in the squad) on the ground telling you where they will go if you move there. The lightest colored shadow seems to include the team that has the team leader. I try to keep that team to the rear, if possible. If it is really critical, I break up the squad into teams and move them separately so there is more control over where they end up and in what order they move.

Also works (mostly) well, when ordering infantry into foxholes during setup phase (when 2 action spots are offered, while the FHs just covers 1). Have yet to test, if that works equally well during the game. It´s more micromanaging teams, but I think it´s worth getting used to it.

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Does the game always assumes the binocs to be in possession by the squad leader? While it´s mostly true that it is so historically, oftenly the squad leader assigns "observation tasks" to a particular squad member, giving him the binocs, when he´s "busy" with something more important. Think it also makes a difference, whether a squad is in an attack or defense situation. While on the attack, the squad leader is more likely to use the binocs, watching out for enemy defense positions at far range (just one example of many possible), while on the defense with regulated defense tasks for the squad members (shoot/engage enemy, when....), observation tasks & binocs would be more likely given to another squad member.

Think I´ve watched oftenly the squad leader raising binocs, in situations not quite appropiate. That could be if it seems, the SL does not have LOS to anywhere useful, or when he should be occupied either in close defense or generally "directing" his squad on enemies/terrain, that does not require use of binocs.

Generally I can not judge if SLs die more often, than not due to unnnecessary exposure. Just my 2 cents...

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It probably is observer bias for the most part. I get plenty of casualties that are not the leader. I've even seen only the leader left of a group. But I'm not counting, and it is possible that leaders go down more often than they should.

Then again, it's not just leaders who seem to be bullet attractors.. I particularly recall one whole platoon taking but one casualty as it crossed to safety in a stand of woods. Who went down? The only marksman of the group.

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Well.... it was the same in CMBB. Might be that the guy with the automatic or the guy giving orders are priority targets for the shooters - especially for the snipers among them. Officers do get an inappropriate share of hostilites since 1776 (Cf. "The Patriot" ;) )

If you were the SL, short of opening up on an unsuspecting enemy squad - what would be your orders? "Fire at will" or "Hold fire till Joe Marksman, Johnny Bar or me opened up, then give them hell!" And what would be the assigned priority targets for Joe and Johnny?

Losses of NCOs and junior officers in the Wehrmacht were a problem. Looks like they got more than their share. I doubt it is different in other armies that lead from the front.

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My leaders don't get killed too often. I always keep them behind their subordinates because it's easier to control them in back and I usually tell them to hide. For example in my infantry platoons three squads go forward in a line (roughly providing for terrain) and the HQ is behind the middle squad. So, in this configuration the HQ is much less likely to get shot at by small arms. Generally, I lose HQs to artillery and random HE flying around the battlefield more than any other cause not because they are up shooting at the enemy.

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From an earlier, somewhat-related thread:

I understand real-world infantry squads would rotate who got to take point during a patrol because the guy up front was most likely to get shot.

Ohhhhhh, so that's why when a squad of mine executing an Assault movement order in the open suffers a casualty, it's always the squad leader. :D

Bingo. People often wonder if the AI is purposely targeting the SLs, but it's because they are often in front.

It's also often because they are firing bursts with their SMGs at 300m while the riflemen are firing occasional shots. Guess who gets spotted first? ;)

Well, being the one to yell "Mir nach!" or "Follow my tracer!" certainly has its disadvantages. :cool:
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