Suggestions for taking out fortifications
 

I am having a hard time advancing against bunkers, sandbag MGs and spider holes.
I have had some success with tanks and flame tanks.
Sometimes infantry close assaults give hit messages of "track hit" etc.
Artillery hits, air strikes, helo rockets, all seem to do little or nothing.
Other than avoiding and bypassing these things, is there a trick to destroying them?

Re: Suggestions for taking out fortifications
 

By passing is good if you can. Well depends on what you have to work with. Engineers and 155mm guns are my best tools. suppress with the 155's and then approach from the rear if possibile.

I also like the drive by engineer attack. take a couple apcs and some other suppotting fires, agl, .50 cal, ect and suppress the fortifcation and then drive up with your engineers in tracks. smoke the area and unload and dogpile the bunkers.

that is my fav way.

Re: Suggestions for taking out fortifications
 

The game considers fortifications to be "vehicles" - so you will see the occasional "track hit" messsage. Assume that one bounced off the earth near the base of the bunker http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif.

Bunkers and fortifications are not 100% proof against rifle fires (unlike armoured vehicles) - so pouring on the rifle and MG fire onto a bunker will get occasional casualty reports as a round "goes through a firing port". It also adds suppression with each hit.

The chief way to deal with bunkers is to supress with direct or indirect fires (mortars etc). Tank gun fires (including HEAT) can kill them (chack the armour values - the front firing slit is usually lower, even if the sides were say 40 cm the front slot may be (say) 8 cm). Close assaulting with troops with satchel charges or flame throwers is good too, especially if it is a "fixed angle" bunker and you can approach it outside the 120 degree firing arc. Some MG and other ones are 360 degree ones, so cannot be approached from a "safe" angle though.

Flame tanks are good, against those with no A/T weaponry. Aproach, usually 2 hex range with VFT, fire a round, and even if it does not kill it, the hex is now on fire, and the occupants are now in an oven being grilled!. After a while the crew may well decide they are too well toasted, and want to go home, abandoning the bunker. Being in a fire hex will add supression a lot, reducing fire effect while they are being cooked.

Against VC who like spider holes, I tend to invest in the neat M113 based flame thrower vehicle. Locate spider hole, bring up M113/flame to torch it. (so keep these near the point scouts, but out of RPG range - they usually have RPG-2 or simlar with 2 hex range, not RPG-7) As a spider hole is usually 1 man, this often kills him, or supresses the spider hole to routed status so someone else can close and kill the guy cowering in the bottom of the rifle pit from 1 hex range.


Cheers
Andy

Re: Suggestions for taking out fortifications
 

Thanks for the help.
My current campaign is USMC vs VC and I don't have any armour. I guess I'll have to wait it out.

Re: Suggestions for taking out fortifications
 

Unit 38 - M67 Zippo 1967-74. 22 flame shots, base cost 70 points, worth looking at when core upgrade time comes around as it is not too expensive, or as a support unit when assaulting.

Cheers
Andy

Re: Suggestions for taking out fortifications
 

I used the Zippo successfully in Operation Starlite, so I know what you mean.
The current campaign is a 2 man team game. My partner controls the top of the map and overall command, I control the bottom half. We shall discuss this.