Armoured Car Tactics
 

How do other people employ their armoured cars and light tanks? At the moment I just tend to deploy them as covering forces on the flanks of an advance engaging targets of opportunity such as fleeing enemy units. Also is their spotting capability comparable to other enclosed AFVs such as tanks?

Re: Armoured Car Tactics
 

Covering force and chopping routed enemy? You got it!
Also can be used to bolster recce units.
As for vision, AFAIK treated the same way as tanks, but faster, less armored, cheaper = sucks less to lose them.
Brits have good combo, with light cars (Dingo, Humber), medium (Humber with BESA, Daimler) to heavy (AEC, staghound...)

Re: Armoured Car Tactics
 

If they have the speed very good for 2 things.
1) advance scouts
Move to an area of woods & park on edge with an exit route, turn range down low so it does not fire. If its small & stationary should be safe from view at over a KM great on larger maps.
2)ambush
set up behind something or in woods to surprise as player is lax not expecting an attack this early because your tanks can't be there, so he is often moving flat out.
Again an exit route is needed do not get involved in a punch up but this can slow him down enough to let you take the good ground.

Re: Armoured Car Tactics
 

The tactic I've used in the past was sent them out as recon, watch them get blown apart, bomb the crap out of that area, and proceed. The second part of this tactic was never planned but always happened.

Now, I'm trying to use them more conservitively as recon and as mobile light cannon and MMG support for my troops. They are also escorts for my mobile FO viecle. I'm also a huge fan of the German "Puma". It's 50mm cannon can take out a Sherman from the side or rear, not to mention shoot up all kinds of HT and Trucks. My current campaighn has two and they will probably get upgraded to light tanks soon.

Re: Armoured Car Tactics
 

I would not call that an upgrade the Puma is an awesome bit of kit highly mobile allowing it to get in position to take on virtually anything. If anybody puts one straight up the exhausts or offers the opportunity to some one else on a regular basis its this guy.<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

Re: Armoured Car Tactics
 

I always find having a big(ish) gun on a more lightly armoured vehicle a terrible temptaion. The urge to manoeuvre for just one more shot tends to lead to trouble! I'm quite happy with a 20mm cannon on a halftrack i.e. 250/9, for recon as I know this will persuade me to avoid scary big tanks!

Re: Armoured Car Tactics
 

If you got the Puma's why not keep them?
As you pointed out they have great attributes.
You can always expand and buy light tanks for the tactics you may have in mind.
Just my humble opinion:)

Re: Armoured Car Tactics
 

Sorry, my fault for the confusion. I meant to say that my current campaign has two ARMORED CARS*, not specificly Pumas. No, I wouldn't upgrade a puma, but leave it as is.

*(I'm running a USSR 60 Battle LC and have 2 BA-6s. Those can be upgraded to light tanks with good side effects.)

Re: Armoured Car Tactics
 

I'm pretty sure most AC's come within the recon class, therefore giving them greater vision than a standard light tank. In my way of playing, they are most valuable for guarding forward flank positions of the map, even if on the defensive. They sit in a position behind a good deal of woods, if possible, and peek through a crevice openingto watch a lane. In this way they are very likely to spot somethign without being seen, and then can still hightail it out of there. The ultimate, would be if you could find a very fast vehicle which could carry a very small unit, because the player could thereby leave the small unit behind for spotting if he so chose. Then he could leave the small unit behind or embark it back in the vehicle and pull out.

I like using AC's for infantry support as well. If you work hard enough at it, you can find spots where these guys can fight against units that are not routed, and yet not expose themselves too much to any fire. There is some German AC, that had drives on both the front and rear, such that it could go in what looks like reverse, just as speedily as what looks like forward (forward gearing went in opposite directions. Whether either set had true reverse gearing I don't know). I haven't seen a game that has ever brought out that rather unnoticed advantage.

Re: Armoured Car Tactics
 

Where do people get off on quoting such utter bollocks from?

There seems to be some sort of voodoo folklore that some things have magical abilities because they are scout or recce or whatever.

A man in a scout team or armoured car has exactly the same Mk1 eyeball as a cook.

Andy