Aufklarungs

[bracco_n]

Hello everybody, when using armored recon elements such as armored cars and halftracks I usually send them up front using the "move to contact" commnad, this usually ends up with said units being destroyed by hidden AT guns or other threats. Ok, now I know where the enemy is hiding and can move the main force to destroy them, the thing is that I don't like my recon elements get killed like that. How do you use them effectively?

[Vark]

You cannot really, the game does not deal with typical recon missions, unless a unit attacks a lightly defended infantry force or encounters an enemy recon patrol. Again CM campaigns, allowing strategic movement, would have shown the real ability of these units to find the weakest part of a defence.

[bracco_n]

I see, but then could you tell me how do you usually try to determine the enemy's position with these units?

[Erwin]

Generally, for ALL the CM series games, it's always best to lead with recon infantry to locate ATGM's (in CMSF) or ATG's (CMBN and CM1) and ambushes.

As Vark pointed out, due to the tactical short range scale of nearly all CM games, leading with vehicles is almost always a suicide mission.

The one caveat is if you move a vehicle FAST (say down a road) and then immediately REVERSE to a safe area, you just may encourage an enemy to fire and miss, thus revealing his position. You can simply repeat this maneuver, each time moving FAST a little further down the (say) road until something happens.

The only advantage imo of using vehicles like this is that they can travel a lot further than inf in the same amount of time, so you short-circuit the "recon by getting fired on" process. It's useful if your recon vehicles are expendable. And to some degree I think that's what recon vehicles were. I recall reading about Brit AC crews getting drunk before a mission to get courage as they knew they were at high risk of getting ambushed every time they went out on a mission.

[Michael Emrys]

I recall reading about Brit AC crews getting drunk before a mission to get courage as they knew they were at high risk of getting ambushed every time they went out on a mission.

Understandable, but I have to wonder if that didn't increase the risk of overlooking some telltale clue that an ambush was about to happen. Freshly cut brush piled in a spot where no farmer would put it being an example.

Michael

[Erwin]

I suspect they may have been more concerned with the fact they probably wouldn't survive anyway. (Presumably their mates in the rear would report what killed the point vehicle.)

[Vark]

You really should use the vehicles, as has been said, as taxis, especially if the map allows covered areas of advance. Fast move them up, perhaps with a radio spotter, and dismount them into cover terrain (forest, BUA, brush etc) the game usually gives recce unit HQ's good stealth bonuses, so they can advance using sneak or advance to contact (short arc). You can now either

Recce with the dismounts whist the AC's provide overwatch from keyhole positions, or below a crest ready to shoot and scoot, or

Recce with the vehicles, either

Moving forward at 100m intervals conducting bounding overwatch, this normally results in a burning AC but the others can either KO the gun or record its position, which is one less for the tanks to worry about. If you are playing a human opponent then they have to decide how far into their defensive zone they will let the vehicles go before reacting, which can be tricky.

Conduct a recce by fire and generally being a pain, better against a human opponent as the AI has a hair trigger.

Roads in a terrain shadow are your friend and, as in real life, if you have any doubts dismount and check it out.