favorite scout units
 

Just for discussion, what are your favorite units for scouting? I've never really mastered the technique but I've tried snipers, bike infantry, cavalry, motorcycle units and game scout units as well. I get that a horse is big and a motorcycle is loud, but trying to get them up forward quickly for spotting is a challenge. Ski scouts appear to have the movement but in the middle of July those skis are rather useless.

Thoughts?

Re: favorite scout units
 

I love to have infantry scouts mounted in jeeps or whatever (in a different formation). Zip them up front in the vehicle, dismount out of sight, withdraw the transport and push on on foot.

Re: favorite scout units
 

Me, I like motorcycles as scouts, especially the ones that have dismounts. If you manage to zip into the enemy rear then you can wreak utter havoc with his mortars/artillery (but not so much any flak or ATG you trip over!).

Needs a map with some screening cover- hills, buildings, low visibility or woods - in the wide open steppe, they are far less able to hide and so they get shot up by MMGs etc. unless you can find a hidden route - up a sinken river or valley say.

Also good to take the objectives and then get out of there quickly before any AI plotted arty arrives, then go off on a rear zome smash and grab mission.

But that is as raiders and not scouts (though they can do the dismount in cover and walk up to a vantage point thing as well).

Motorcycle troops are seriously fast, especially if you get to use a road into the enemey rear that is not overwatched. Excellent in cities, though usually get badly smacked if they bump into an unexpected enemy. So buy a few platoons!.

Re: favorite scout units
 

Not played near as much WW2 as MBT but I'm partial to cavalry with dismounts (need to make your own at times).

Much the same as motorcycles, tho not as fast, HOWEVER they can traverse almost any terrain type pretty effectively.

Re: favorite scout units
 

For me it’s just plain old infantry scout teams (4-6 men), most of the time with an occasional armored car section for special duties.

Re: favorite scout units
 

I like plain old fashion infantry scouts best too. Sometimes I will pair them up with forward observers, but they seem to slow down the scouting unit, which is vitally important considering how important speed is when scouting.

Re: favorite scout units
 

Neat ideas gents. Thanks!

Never thought about motorcycles with dismounts!

Once this battle is done, I see some core expansion in my future... ;)

Re: favorite scout units
 

BT tanks pair nicely with cavalry for raids in the enemies rear.

Re: favorite scout units
 

Most scout work takes place before the deliberate attacks. It can help scouts if you drop arty/smoke to hide their movement or suppress enemy observation.

Re: favorite scout units
 

Any unit that is smaller than size 1. Best if it has radio and can therefore help adjust for fires.

Has short ranged weapon, keep to contact range not more than 1 so they don't accidentally give away their presence.

You can only move mounted in the first couple of turns. After that, its always dismounted movement towards an OP location.

Re: favorite scout units
 

I've done that before and it worked real good, though to cover an entire front I ended up expending a lot of smoke at the beginning of the battle, smoke that would become twice as valuable later in the battle. Luckily, I play mostly random battles, so I had the choice of buying twice as much off-map artillery as I would normally have, but when you play scenarios you are greatly limited and can only use what is given to you.

Re: favorite scout units
 

As above, anything size "0", on jeeps or motorcycles if possible. Heavily armed scouts are expensive and not always available but can get themselves out of a tight spot.

Re: favorite scout units
 

Vehicles are easy to spot, so if vehicles are used, its best to pair them up with radio equipped infantry scouts, dropping the scouts off somewhere out of the enemy's field of vision, then sneaking the scout to a position that improves your army's spotting ability.

Re: favorite scout units
 

A bit late to the discussion, but a big favourite of mine at the moment are spotter planes, when available, since they can easily access pretty much any area of the battlefield. Drawback being that they are very vulnerable to any kind of AA fire, even the humble AAMGs, so it is a good idea to start by scouting the edges of unknown areas and then gradually creeping on. If any AA-fire is encountered, a couple of turns of artillery fire may be able to deal with it. In defensive missions, spotter planes flying behind your own lines may be able to spot approaching enemy vehicles a good distance away (depending on visibility), allowing you to move anti-tank reserves or plot artillery strikes to provide a warm welcome.

On the ground, motorcycles are fast and have the advantage of not littering the ground with burning wrecks like actual vehicles, and can try to scoot out when coming under fire (rather than getting pinned on spot). Rather vulnerable to fire, so usually best supported by some dismountable units and/or light armoured vehicles.

For foot units, the one man marksman (simple sniper with bolt action rifle) units can be handy, as they are cheap, difficult to spot and easy to fit into transports. Their speed of 6 is a bit less than for actual scout teams (speed 7), but that is not a big difference and scouts are on their most effective when moving slowly (one hex per turn).

As for foot scouts that can fight in a pinch, I like the six man Foot Patrol in the US TOE, armed with Garands, BAR and SMG. If they can catch the enemy by surprise, they can cause quite some damage until they are spotted, at which point it is usually best to withdraw them - even with six men in team they cannot afford to take many casualties. Sneaking them behind enemy lines to ambush retreating infantry units can be particularly effective, though don't count on them dealing with armoured vehicles with their hand grenades.