[RERomine]

Charles, I think you are still missing a few points.

I was said the following:

The AI had a combination of 240+ AFVs and half-tracks

I was not saying calling half-tracks armored fighting vehicles, but just saying the total of AFVs and half-tracks was over 240. Looking back at the AAR I did for that battle, there were 179 tanks and armored cars destroyed and over 40 half-tracks destroyed. Additionally, the AI still had over 40 tanks still alive.

Another thing you are missing was my use of AAA in that defend battle. Enemy aircraft weren't expected because visibility was 20. This is directly out of the Game Guide:

Note low visibility (less than 40 hexes or so) means that air strikes are unlikely to be allocated, even if set to a positive number in the preferences screen, as visibility is too low at the airfields for flying that day.

My tracks were parked on the back edge to stay away from artillery and not to stop aircraft in this instance. As you pointed out, they can be deployed farther forward and still be relatively safe from artillery to get more benefit of their AA ability. That would have been a consideration had the visibility been high. The Game Guide says air sorties are unlikely, but not impossible and my units were out of position in this case. The same can be said for my AAA units. Since they weren't expected to be needed in that role, I figured they still could cover flanks for advancing armored cars, tracks and infantry. Once AI aircraft were seen, those that survived the first wave, repositioned to some extend. The AI targeted my AAA units in the first wave, effectively putting half of them out of action.

Originally Posted by Charles22

I'm not worried in the least about what my infantry will suffer, in fact, I can't recall them ever being attacked by the air.

Keep in mind, my infantry are in tracks until they get to their attack position. The tracks are more visible than infantry on the ground and more likely to be attacked.

Originally Posted by Charles22

Interesting about para scouts, but in my case the scouts are so combatively useless that doing so would be more of a novelty than anything

If I'm understanding correctly, you are saying you don't use scouts and if that's the case, all I can say is WOW! As for the panzerfausts not making a difference, in one battle, I covered one wooded flank with 4 scout units. They destroyed 3 Sherman tanks trying to move through those woods. Fighting is not their main role, however. They are great because they can get as close as two hexes from entrenched infantry without being seen. They then carefully back off and I call artillery in. I've even had them slip through minefields and find AI bunkers in the rear without being seen. The last thing I would have wanted to do was find those bunkers when they fired. As it was, I maneuvered against those bunkers and destroyed them with no losses because I knew where they were. These aren't unarmed trucks which as we've discussed that have more negatives than positives. Scouts keep other units alive. Their spotting ability is much better than regular infantry units and I don't fight without them. There are some benefits to units who's main role isn't fighting.