Minimize or limited attack question.

[Fubar]

What are the pros and cons of 'limited attacks' against 'standard attacks'?

I have always used the 'standard attack' with limit losses for ordinary offensive attacks, this produces mixed results with even the occasional mega disaster leaving my forces badly routed.

But just lately i've been using the 'limited attack' with minimize losses and having much greater success with pushing back large numbers of healthy enemy units and then just simply moving forward into the empty hex when all the attacks are complete. It seems to be more supply friendly and uses less time up per attack letting you have multiple attacks per turn.

I was always under the impression the 'limited attack' option was for spoiling attacks and pinning enemy units in place so never really used it before.

What do you guys use the most?

[Fulcrum]

[Currahee]

I usually use the "standard attack" with "limit losses", and the "limited attack" only if I don't want the attacking unit to move after combat. But this does sometimes use up the entire turn, even though the battles all project to use only 10% or 20%. Also, losses against dug-in defenders can be horrendous. I'm going to start experimenting more with limited attacks, and minimize losses.

[Fubar]

I was like you Currahee but i was very surprised by the outcome of 'limited attacks' with minimize losses, maybe it's just a peculiarity of the scenario i'm playing but it seems to work in the other game i have going as well but i've only played a few turn of that game so far.

[fluidwill]

Good Q!

I use normal attacks on minimise losses with limited attacks on limit losses early in the turn for multiple combat rounds with if i haven't suffered a trun burn a final all in (on limit or even ignore losses) as my turn left % drops under 50.

Like Currahee I employ limited attacks more when I dont want the attacker to move than for any other reason - also to limit losses in fragile valuable units such as HQ's or engineers.

A couple of things to watch, I have had instances where early turn endings have left my front line troops all on minimise losses, its a bit frustrating if you spend a whole turn digging the enemy out of his holes only for your troops to retreat again at the first sign of a half hearted counter attack, leaving you the whole job to do again.

Also as a tactic it doesnt seem to work very well against that old defensive trick of small armoured units on ignore losses so if and when I get a combat result of 0% defender losses I am in the habit of gritting my teeth and ordering my attackers to close harderv with the enemy.

I am also in the process of finessing a new playing system wherein I limit the number of attacks I make in the early rounds of a turn, and by limiting the numbers I mean ideally less than 3 and "never" more than 5. The advantages I find are less chance of turn burn, clearer idea in my own mind of where my main effort is and what I'm trying to achieve and greater concentration of support where I want it. I do believe strongly that learning to use the combat rounds system to achieve breakthroughs in decisive sectors is at the heart of succesful TOAW play and am actually dissapointed at the inclusion of the "limit to the number of combat rounds" feature in TOAW3 as it reduces the impact of good attack mangement.

I am aware of the counter arguements and feel that if you are irritated because your great FITE offensive ground to a halt because you attacked with some unit on the finnish front then you should have asked yourself if that attack was really necessary to your plans.

[Pegasus]

As well as some of the other benefits mentioned above, limited attacks - min losses are good to wear out units that have been cut off from supply. If you make a unit defend it uses supply, and when it runs out it evaporates. If you combine this with flank attacks and art support you can eliminate units very cheaply.
you need to be careful, tho - if the unit can't retreat, you can burn up several combat rounds - even with 2 AT regiments attacking a worn out division!! The really neat way to avoid this is to surround 2 hexes and have the poor defender retreating back and forth between the two!!)

[Heinrici]

I use limited attacks with minimized losses supported with lots of artillery. In that way I can get more rounds... If I remain on 60-70% of move I use one round of same recipe... Them my third round is attack with ignore losses on positions which showed as potential places for biggest advance...

If I'm defending and playing WWI style, then third round could be limited with ignore losses also with heavy artillery support...

In that way my units remain in its initial position, don't advance and would suffer less from possible counterattacks...

I'm playing last few scenarios in that way and so far it was pretty good. :-)

[Fulcrum]

[Heinrici]

[Antoni Chmielowski]

I try to plan my attacks, using arty as well, which avoids choosing which type of attack to choose.