Binocular icon - what's up with that? ...

[burroughs]

For quite some time now i have been wondering what does that tiny binocular icon in the unit box mean?

In my current "Danube Front '85" AFNORTH: the Battle for Schleswik-Holstein" MOD 3.3 V.1.3 PBEM game as the Warsaw Pact it mostly appears in the right upper corner. I thought that it means either a signature that a certain unit or subunit is in in sight of an enemy element or I used to think at first that it was a recon unit.

Now my latest theory is that it perhaps is supposed to mean that a particular unit is valid for spotting for indirect artillery and air support which would be a loop back to the very first hypothesis of mine.

I have just read both manuals - the basic one and that for the modern campaigns series - and either overlooked or didn't find a clue regarding that phenomenon.

What do the old hands say then?

[Liebchen]

Can't find the reference for it, but I'm pretty sure it means that the unit in question has been spotted by the enemy.

I've never really paid it any mind, since I can tell on my own that my units are spotted.

[jonnymacbrown]

It means you are spotted. I can come in handy if you've been spotted by air recon. jonny

[Compass Rose]

Yes, Liebchen is correct. The binocular icon means that your unit has been spotted by the enemy.

[burroughs]

I see; that means my theory about being in the eye contact with an enemy element was correct since " ... if You have the enemy in range that means You are in range of the enemy ... ". However that part about being spotted by some high altitude air reconnaissance flights left me puzzled a bit: will the icon appear then too, meaning that a certain unit of mine is on on the enemy map visible either as a big grey question mark at best or a counter with the equipment & weapon type along with a number estimation?
Liebchen is right obviously;some things in the game system lack the reference to in the manual, being distinct to a careful wargamer, but I think that those instances are luckily few.

Thanks a lot, friends. Glory to the community.

[jonnymacbrown]

"However that part about being spotted by some high altitude air reconnaissance flights left me puzzled a bit: will the icon appear then too, meaning that a certain unit of mine is on on the enemy map visible either as a big grey question mark at best or a counter with the equipment & weapon type along with a number estimation?"

Yes, if you are spotted by air recon the binoculars will show up. It depends on the enemy recon as to what they see, maybe a ? maybe more. jonny

[burroughs]

Sounds fair to me; after all that's what a recon is for. It's also good to know that we've been just spotted.

What bothers me more is that neither of my SpetsNaz subunits nor units is recon capable; that denies most of my best knowledge of the subject. Some of them are obviously enough deception units and that's fine regarding their behind-the-lines sabotage/diversionary mission, but what about reconnaissance? I know that some of them are either motorized or mechanized vanguards to perform a force recon, acting as a tip of the spear in front of the advancing main force columns, but I feel I should be given more flexibility in terms whether to drive on blindly the advance-to-contact deployment or - in anticipation of or detecting the enemy presence ahead- let them adopt a low profile and perform a little more stationary - or just more secure for a periofd o time - reconaissance mission using the :"recon spotting" command. Nevertheless no SpetsNaz element of mine so far has that ability.

Is that off-topic?

[Outlaw Josey Wales]

Actually, they should make it where you are spotted if your unit in turn spotted the unit spotting them. If you have been fired upon, it's a given you have been spotted 99% of the time (I have read before where arty units would fire blind by the map at intersections or trails at random intervals so the enemy using them couldn't time a safe passage). If not fired upon and not spotting an enemy unit, you should not know you have been spotted. If you have even been on a field exercise or real combat situation where you spot opposing forces and only report the location without firing on them, they won't know they have been spotted.

[Liebchen]

What bothers me more is that neither of my SpetsNaz subunits nor units is recon capable

I'm no expert, but it seems to me that the Spetsnaz units doing deception work might want to maintain radio silence, ergo nullifying any recon potential.

Is that off-topic?

Just a tad, but who's counting? :-D

[burroughs]

Quite right regarding the deep penetration missions being done by saboteurs and diversion of the enemy backyard, but should be true about those vanguards; as far as I can remember they were to look for some weak points enabling the main force mobile elements of some greater firepower to create a breakthrough and penetrate the enemy front before it estabilishes for good. Force recon I mean, but smashing blindly into an enemy formation of unknown strength, composition and deployment was never the idea behind unless the situation was critical. The latter doesn't comprise possible dumb assignments by a REMF higher-ups like those back in the Vietnam War who ordered the Rangers to go on an openly suicidal mission and expect 100% casualties.I believe Larry Chambers wrote about such situation and ceratinly that is only one of many such instances in various theaters and periods.