Entering Buildings: Need help.

[Champagne]

I'm having difficulty with my squads entering buildings.

I can't figure out whether they will enter into the nearest side or run around to another (more exposed) side of the building and enter from there. They usually get chopped up when they do that!

I've looked at the windows and doors on the buildings, and sometimes the door seems to be the way in, but, not always.

Any helpful suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Wego McPbem]

I'm always nervous about this. I put an extra waypoint right outside the door I want them to enter through. Haven't seen it go wrong yet. I agree that it can be hard to tell which door you can use sometimes though.

[Stalintc]

Yeah placing a waypoint outside the door tends to help getting the men to go in the right way.

However, be cautious if that house\building you are entering has not be surveyed for enemy presence. putting a waypoint right outside the the door can spell death for a whole sqaud, because they will stop briefly and reorg before moving to the waypoint inside the house, which leaves them as sitting ducks!

If you believe the enemy may be present, make sure you are getting some covering fire on that building and place the waypoint a little further back, preferably near cover, before placing the entering waypoint.

[Michael Emrys]

However, be cautious if that house\building you are entering has not be surveyed for enemy presence. putting a waypoint right outside the the door can spell death for a whole sqaud, because they will stop briefly and reorg before moving to the waypoint inside the house, which leaves them as sitting ducks!

This is one of those instances where splitting off a scout team is really useful. Have the rest of your squad not firing, but with a covered arc on the building so if any enemy do turn up you can suppress them right away. And if your scouts do get wiped...well, you've only lost two men instead of the whole squad.

Michael

[Wego McPbem]

Good point. I do keep forgetting about the reorganisation at waypoints, has messed me up a few times.

[pcelt]

As a CM1 returner -one question I would like to raise is this----if you have a squad running toward a building or wood etc to try and take possession of the location and where enemy presence is unknown, is it preferable to set up active suppressive supporting fire from other units into the area or to give supporting units firing arcs so thet will directly engage enemy units who appear in the area.

Thanks

[YankeeDog]

As a CM1 returner -one question I would like to raise is this----if you have a squad running toward a building or wood etc to try and take possession of the location and where enemy presence is unknown, is it preferable to set up active suppressive supporting fire from other units into the area or to give supporting units firing arcs so thet will directly engage enemy units who appear in the area.

Thanks

Depends on factors like how much ammo you have to burn, how likely there is to be an enemy presence, etc.

In general, though, if I think there's a good chance there's enemy hiding in a building, or other heavy cover like woods, and I decide that I absolutely must clear this particular location by actually putting some my men physically on this location (I try to avoid this as much as possible), I will try to have at least three teams on the job, for example the three teams of an American rifle squad:

1 - Suppression team (ex: BAR team) TARGET LIGHT area fire into location for suppressive fire. This team can be fairly far away, and still be effective at its job. TARGET LIGHT is so that they won't use HE specials like rifle grenades, which can harm friendlies (small arms fire below 12.7mm does *not* harm friendlies, to simulate squad-level fire & maneuver, lift & shift drill, etc.)

2 - Overwatch team (ex: Rifle team) under cover of fire from supression team, moved into position close to, but not on objective, with FACE or COVER ARC watching objective. This is the team that will hopefully spot any enemy that pops up on the objective quickly, and take them under fire.

3 - Assault team: (ex: Assault team). The team that actually closes onto objective to root out any enemy.

[Champagne]

Thanks so much.

Final follow-up question from me:

I gather from this thread that my men entering the building must use a Door, rather than a Window. Units cannot enter a building through a Window, but, must use a Door or a Breach of some sort.

Is this correct?

[womble]

Thanks so much.

Final follow-up question from me:

I gather from this thread that my men entering the building must use a Door, rather than a Window. Units cannot enter a building through a Window, but, must use a Door or a Breach of some sort.

Is this correct?

Yup. They also can't shoot out except through modelled openings.

[YankeeDog]

Correct. Unless you have a demo charge available so you can blow a hole in a wall of the building, you need to enter a building via a door; no hopping through windows.

Hopping through a window is one of those things that was probably done occasionally IRL, but is difficult to model and probably not advisable most of the time -- clambering through a window isn't the easiest thing in full combat kit, and would probably make you an easy target much of the time.

[Hetzer21]

Coming out of a house through a window however...

[pcelt]

YankeeDog--Thanks for advice--seems very sound to me -employ both suppressive fire and an overwatch team with fire arcs

If in a difficult sitn you had only 1 element available apart from the assault team would suppression or overwatch with fire arcs be the better option ?

Thanks

[YankeeDog]

YankeeDog--Thanks for advice--seems very sound to me -employ both suppressive fire and an overwatch team with fire arcs

If in a difficult sitn you had only 1 element available apart from the assault team would suppression or overwatch with fire arcs be the better option ?

Thanks

Assuming I thought there was a pretty good chance there was enemy at the objective, and I wasn't worried about my ammo levels, if I only had two teams to work with I'd probably prioritize the suppression team over overwatch team. Area fire is guaranteed to have at least some effect on any enemy near the target point, and an overwatch team with just a cover arc and no area target order may fail to spot an enemy for some time in dense cover situations... those first few seconds when an enemy pops up from hiding can be critical.

[pcelt]

Thanks a lot--convincing rationale--i would certainly fast track you for an infantry command appointment.....

Cheers