The four requirements of infantry...

[Der Kuenstler]

The other day I was reading the CMBB strategy guide again, and came across something that is good for review. The guide said that infantry need four basic things to stay happy. I thought I would list them, comment and open the thread up for additional comments.

1) Leadership - always keep your infantry within the command radius of a good HQ unit. The only time I don't do this is when I'm sending out scattered half-squads for recon and I'm expecting them to get shot up and crawl away - their purpose is only to draw fire and expose the enemy - not to do any damage. Try to match your HQ to the job your squads have to do. The most demanding jobs (assaulting, etc.) should have a +2 combat, +2 heart commander if you have one. A platoon waiting in ambush would benefit from a +2 stealth commander, etc. Your men need a leader to gain strength from in the heat of battle. Without leadership your squads will soon be pinned and crawling sideways in any firefight, so pay close attention there.

When shooting at an enemy platoon, it's always good strategy to shoot the HQ unit. You don't even have to actually kill the unit - just panic him - his command lines will turn black and the squads will all lose his leadership. How do you find the HQ unit in extreme FOW? Well, most players (me included) tend to try to protect the HQ and will move around kind of like this:

X

X X X

Shoot the X farthest back of the approaching platoon - that's probably him...


2) Rest - do not run your men until they show "tired" - not only do they slow down anyway, they will also do all kinds of unwanted things like pin, panic, and rout when they come under fire. No tired squad can run or assault. Firing accuracy and hand-to-hand combat are also reduced. If you see any of your squads showing "tired" - stop them and hide them - they recover quicker when still and hiding. If that is not possible, at least walk them into some cover - but stop running them. If they get exhausted, it can take 10 minutes or more for them to recover. Watch your terrain here - if you are in deep snow or mud - don't even try to run - forget it. Just walk everywhere. Most squads can run a full minute on dry open ground and show "tiring" but not "tired" - if you ask them to run through more difficult terrain than that adjust accordingly.

3) Cover - If I can quote JasonC here: "Men don't like being shot at." If your squad is in the open or walking down a road, a single bullet from a sniper can send the squad crawling sideways in panic. Keep them in the best cover available whenever possible. If your platoon has made it near the flag and the flag is in a clump of brush, and there is a spot of woods (better cover) within 50 meters, just move your boys into the woods - they'll be happier and live longer. Remember, anything safe from enemy fire is cover. So if you are playing in fog at night, that is also cover. Distance is cover. If the ME has just begun and the nearest enemy is foot soldiers 1000 meters away, go ahead and run through the open - they can't hurt you from that far. It is helpful to have a cover chart that shows infantry exposure levels in different cover. I have one by my monitor, so I can say "Oh - I see he's in those scattered trees, I think I'll move my boys into this rubble here (better cover) and then shoot at him."

4) Support - this is my weakest area. I haven't been mindful enough of this in the past, but am working on it. Your infantrymen need to be supported in their efforts by the units behind them and on their flanks. Being first to the flag is only part of it - only adequate support will allow you to keep that flag. Without heavy support getting quickly into position your advance platoon will be shot out of there.

According to the manual, infantry take a huge morale hit when they realize they are being fired on from the SIDE or from the REAR. In other words, they realize they aren't being supported by their buddies. An example of this was during a battle where I ordered my men to advance across about 50 meters of open ground into a recently collapsed building. The building was still smoking so I had cover in front of me. I had a good +2 combat leader and enough men for the job. However, my opponent had smartly slipped around to the side with a couple of his squads and started firing as soon as the men got in the open - my attack quickly failed - within a few seconds everyone was crawling for cover. I put every squad on "withdraw" and luckily got them out of there with few casualties, but they were panicked and useless for the next several minutes. What had I done wrong? I asked these guys to assault this building without enough support on the sides and rear. I had no MGs or tank HE in place yet to return fire on these shooters and suppress them.

When fire comes from the rear or side - infantry think something like "My God - we're surrounded - where is everybody - maybe they withdrew - oh *@#$% -we're cut off!" They won't fight effectively like that. That's why you MUST guard your flanks if you want your men up and shooting instead of crawling around quivering.

I would say I'm a better than average tank commander -I usually win those battles. Infantry I'm not that great at - hopefully this post will encourage a few more infantry hints....