[TLAM_Strike]

There are a few things to consider when defending or attacking against infantry. Look at the terrain; is it dense Asian jungles or European woods? Or is it open deserts like Iraq or the Sinai? Or an urban setting? Maybe mountainous Afghanistan?

Areas like woods tend to have lower LOS making your direct fire weapons (Machine guns, tank cannons etc) less effective than indirect weapons (Arty). If you’re defending in a limited LOS area trade off some of your heavy machine guns (US .50 cals or Soviet 12.4mms) for lighter ones (7.62mms). Then concentrate your few HMGs at critical areas (Say a strongpoint or a bridge your enemy must cross) and disperse your LMGs around the battlefield. The LMG units also have the advantage of being faster making movement in woods easier. Arty also becomes more important in woods, instead of having a lot of machine guns in your infantry units have a few more mortars that can lob rounds over the trees. If things get dicey don’t forget your mortars can also be used as a direct fire weapon (ie you can use it like a normal unit’s weapons with the ‘F’ or ‘W’ keys or by clicking on a target). But remember that trees provide cover from incoming shells so aim for a target in the open and put some nasty ambushes or obstacles in the trees to prevent attacks from there. On defense you can also use FARSCAM batteries to lay down mines behind the enemy’s engineer units that are clearing your mines to further slow your enemy.

Open LOS areas make defense different. Search around and find nice long-range weapons, when the Soviets were in Afghanistan their infantry found the Mujihadeen could snipe at them with impunity because they outranged the Soviets and their new Aks with old bolt action Enfields from WWI! Here you want to use HMGs and snipers (especially the Heavy Sniper with the M82 .50 cal since it can defeat unarmored vehicles and even damage some APCs with a side or rear shot). Put down suppression fire on the advancing infantry from out of their range and pin them down for your mortars or if you have them MRLS (Rockets are great at dealing with infantry on the move since they cover a wide area with a single volley- just don’t get the ones with only a few rockets per launcher). Ever see that episode of The Unit when they are forced to take shelter in a forward base and the bad guys capture the base’s HUMVEE armed with their only .50 cal gun? The only weapon they had that had the range to take on that .50 was the Unit’s sniper rifles… of course the geniuses left it in their truck.

On offense different considerations come in to play. Be mobile no matter what the terrain. You will see that when you take the V Hexes the enemy infantry that was spread across the map turns around, abandons their positions and heads for you. Of course by this time your armor has to go on to the next V Hexes or needs to head to the nearest ammo bunker for a fresh load of Frags. So what do you do? Have an “Operational Maneuver Group” as part of your forces. What that? Basically it’s a fast force that’s used to exploit a breach in the enemy’s defenses. Light APCs like the BTR and Helicopters are great for this. If you can take your objective quickly send in your OMG to hold them from counter attack while your main forces moves on. Use infantry, machine guns and mid to short range AT weapons as part of your OMG. You can also carry an Ammo container in an APC or deliver it by chopper make your troops harder to dig out, just remove it after your troops have rearmed. One you have taken your V Hexes and surviving enemy infantry starts to try and take them back your now on the defensive and the tips in the two above paragraphs start to apply.