Best way to use airmobile and panzergrenadiers?

[RecruitMonty]

I always try and strive for realism in my battles but lately I have been getting this sinking feeling when I go into a battle and I use airmobile or mechanised infantry. What in your opinion is the best way to do this in game?

[RecruitMonty]

In depth responces please.

[Mobhack]

Have you read through the "Game Play Notes" section of the manual yet?.

Cheers
Andy

[RecruitMonty]

Yes but I was wondering if anybody used different methods.

[whdonnelly]

On defense,I try to move them in an ambush position on the enemy approach, where they unload out of sight/range and wait for the atack. On offense I'll use them to mop up or go after artillery or OBs. I haven't had much luck using them when the opposing force is still unbroken and aggressive.

[RecruitMonty]

Fair enough.

[Mustang]

I rarely use infantry in armor battles unless there's a strategic choke point in close terrain. They're soo slow and easy to kill, especially in their expensive APCs. So if you want to know how to use them, take my advice- don't.

Against an enemy with less long-range weapons, like tank guns, your APCs might survive long enough to dismount infantry. On the attack, infantry are easily suppressed if they are in clear terrain and they enemy is in cover, so you'll probably need a strong number advantage or lots of artillery to keep the enemy's head down. You probably know the tactic where you lay down suppresion fire so another one of your elements can close in and assault the enemy- does that work for you?

[Pepper]

Personally, I find airmobile to be of limited use in most games. The problem is that they are so expensive and yet so vulnerable. A single SAM and you can lose an entire helo (already an expensive loss) PLUS whatever troops you are carrying. That, combined with the fact that they can be turned back rather quickly by even machine gun fire, limits their utility -- for the most part.

Despite the above, I will occasionally use airmobile if the situation permits. In a large meeting engagement, for example, airmobile will often provide an excellent way to get to the objectives very quickly, thereby changing the game from meeting engagement to OPFOR must advance on me.

On maps with clear chokepoints, if it is meeting engagement or I am defending, I may put a small high-morale team forward, with an artillery spotter. They can do a great job of slowing and/or temporarily stopping enemy advances along such a route. In the end they die, but in the interim, my forces gain a few extra tempo towards the objectives.

Finally, if the map is such that I am concerned about rushing armor forward (i.e. heavy woods or similar terrain where armor routinely runs into groundtroops risking assault), and there are a limited number of objectives deep in enemy territory on the map, I may buy a bird or two of airmobile to use in the final rounds of the game, to mop up the last objective(s). By then I've usually found or destroyed most SAMs and enemy forces are thin, so I can afford to fly straight in. This way I don't risk rushing a 200+ point tank through trees and having some lame foottroop get lucky on an assault and take it out.

Thats pretty much how I use airmobile.

[Mustang]

A great idea about airmobile use, Pepper. I never thought of using them in the last few turns. Maybe they do have a use after all. But for the most part, if you're playing on any fairly open terrain, the enemy tank reserves will squash your weak airmobiles.

[c_of_red]

As part of a combined arms plan. If you are not sure what to do with them, don't buy them. They are absolutly wonderful for ompletely destroying your opponents Boyd cycle. They also soak off (tie down) his reserve.
I don't buy airmoblie. Too Expensive. I do buy helios to lift regular infantry. Then I do a shuttle service.
If you are losing helios then you are not using them right.
Transport helios need to be used in concert with AH's SEAD air and arty. DO NOT land them in a hot LZ. That is hollywood stuff and should be left for hollywood and stupid Colonels that stay at high level and don't get shot at.
Like I said, they are best used to create confusion in your opponent. Get them to the DZ by flying in trail. That means you have a AH flying point with your slicks flying in line behind him. Move the AH a couple of hexes, then move the slick thru the same hexes. If there is something nasty lurking, the AH will be shot at first. They have better EW and Armor ratings so they have a much better chance of living thru the experience. The other half of the AH section should be the tail end charlie Drag). I like to put the AH with the highest experience rating back there. When the point gets shot at, the tail end charlie does a pop-up. That will draw more fire, hopefully away from the point. Rally the point and see if you have the shooter spotted. If you do and you point is not damaged, the tail end charlie fires at the shooter, unless there are a whole bunch of shooters. Be patient. If you have stumbled over a lot of AD, remember there is a soft spot somewhere else. Use your mobility to back out and try again at another place. Your AH's are not there to kill things, they are there to protect the slicks. So if the going gets tough, go someplace else.
If you have scout helios use the reassign key to set up sections of a scout and a AH. Let the scout run point and the AH drag and most of the time you will get your troops to the LZ safely. Depending on how alert your opponent is, you can use the same flight path several times.
Like ALL tactics, there is a counter for this, but I'm not going to tell you what it is. We might play one day.
BTW, this is straight out of the US Army manual for heilo operations. Or it was, I think they are doing a serious rewrite after that Iraqi famer shot down a 25 million $ AH-64 D with his 1850's smoothbore musket.