About Tactics when assaulting prepared positions

[RecruitMonty]

I agree with Pepper, although I prefer a light airstrike (if possible), it takes a little time but with the smoke from arty (mortars or howitzers) it works a treat, going around the fortifications is also good but taking care to recon just behind the fortifications is always a good idea.

[Mustang]

Fixed fortifications are monuments to the stupidity of man.
-Patton

What I always do is use a lot of smoke. Even in the more modern battles, the enemy is going to have a lot of units with vision less than 40. Smoking them off out of sight will allow you to kill the enemy piecemeal. In any situation, use A LOT of smoke.

Here's a little trick. If your unit runs into an enemy at close range, lay down smoke in front of you. The enemy will try to close with you and pursue, but can't see you because of smoke and will get ambushed. MGs, for some reason, make excellent ambushers, better than most infantry when you take cost into account.

[Stormcrow07]

Hi all,

I think a required read is On War by Clauswitz.

It's available on line here

The concept of the Schwerpunkt (Center of mass) is very important. It reflects the nonlinear effects of timing and point of action.

[pdoktar]

As long as you don´t take clausewitz out of his context. He wrote those ideas of warfare for comtemporaries, not to be implemented everywhere and every time in the future, as "maxims" taken out of their context that happens nowadays even in high military school books for junior officers.

[Marek_Tucan]

Mustang said:
Fixed fortifications are monuments to the stupidity of man.
-Patton

Depends on what one expects from them If he expects them to be ultimate stoppers of the enemy, then his confidence is insubstantial, however if one expects them to be speed bumps (to give time for the field army to mobilise or so) then they might be effective.