What to do?

[hveldenz]

Andy,

Thanks - I had seen that thread, that is why I have a 17cm in my core. I also have a 21cm hvy art in my core (why - it seemed like fun at the beginning ) Both of these units are elite with 100+ experience. They still only CB around 40% of the time in response to enemy OB fire. I also only have two batteries, and the case I asked about included 12 enemy OB batteries. My batteries do do CB ( and the 21cm is great when it connects!) What should my on board forces do/try once I encounter a heavy OB set in the AI?

[Mobhack]

What should my on board forces do/try once I encounter a heavy OB set in the AI?

Do not fire your experienced counter batteries - leave them silent to fire CB. CB is a rarity (or off map arty would simply shut down on turn 2 or so!). If a real problem, more counter battery candidates means more chance of CB fires. Buy another bty or so in the early core. do not buy over expensive 17cm type arty - use relatively cheap but longish ranged stuff (e.g. the 10cm K18 if you are playing Nazi). Use the on-map arty (SP mortars etc) to deal with enemy on-map troops while the experienced core off map does the CB task. (Better yet, use an army whose basic gun-howitzer has a relatively good range like the UK . Investigate the captured arty batteries, as these often have better performance than the standard Nazi ones - e.g. if playing German I usually wait till 1941 when I can use captured 25 pounders (unit 313) or unit 317 (captured 5.5 inch) or #330 (Some French piece). Unit #319 you have to wait till 42 for - best to use 5.5 inch.

If you need to stay in one place, make sure you are dug in (or in shell holes, rough, woods, broken buildings etc). Hint - fire your large-calibre arty to make nice shell holes around an objective cluster, for your troops (hopefully!) to use as shell scrape cover after taking them.

Don't give the enemy targets, other than some sacrificial ones as arty attractors. Try buying some support mortars or howitzers and perhaps SP mortars - and keep these continuously firing on the approach routes etc. Once he locates the decoy arty and starts firing, you may get CB on his off map (at least they are not firing at your manoeuvre troops!), and locations on his on board arty units which you can now deal with.


Cheers
Andy

[PatG]

All good suggestions so far but I think the real problem is that there is no way to know in advance how much arty the other side has bought.

You get a meeting engagement, buy your forces appropriately, do your set up, maybe a turn or two of advance and - bang - the HE hurricane starts. What do you do then?

Since the opposition is artillery heavy you should have an advantage in numbers. The key would be to get onto (and off of) the objectives as efficiently as possible and nullify the artillery advantage. For infantry, scout out the enemies sight lines and move up under cover. For armour, go all out hopefully moving forward faster than the enemy can replot his fires.

In both cases, use scouts to grab VHs and pull the enemy out of position to be chewed up piecemeal. Assault through the objectives and defend from the far side to stay away from probable gold spots and to force the enemy to come to you.

Just a couple of thoughts.