Low cost of german arty

[GUNSLNGR]

I guess I'm one of the benefactors of JP's frustrations...

In our current game we had 40000 purchase points and a 10% arty limit w/ ammo resupply allowed. This 10% limit also included mortars or indirect fire support weapons that were organic to companies purchased.

I was astonished at all the SP guns I had available to me as Germany...had how cheap they were! I kept putting the number in the calculator to make sure that 4000 was really 10%!

As far as a GAME tactic...this is great. His towed stuff was quickly found and hit hard. My SP guns could fire and then move, re-arm, fire again. JP was able to get through a screening force with his armor and got into my rear area very quickly...but the SP guns also have a pretty good anti-armor capability - most firing HEAT rounds. I have felt his frustrations as he has ably killed a lot...but I still have more.

I guess the question here is not for GAME tactics but for historical realism - as close as a game can be anyway. The Blitz "standard" seems to be the 10%, but I don't think - for historical purposed - percentages has anything to do with it.

While certainly limits on arty should be suggested by players, I think it may be more important HOW it used. As a GAME tactic, most games involved tubes firing willy-nilly all over the board. You spot a mortar, BANG - you target it. You spot a group of armor in a tree line, BANG - you target it. Artillery, with the exception of close support at the battalion or company level, just wasn't used that way in WW2 - the level of communication just didn't allow for it.

"Meeting Engagement" which is a term I've only really ever seen in SP, but is what most of us play, would have been a disaster if arty fire support was not RIGIDLY controlled by the commander. The targeting of individual tubes of the same unit, by one FO or CO, would not have possible - and very dangerous. You fired that stuff when you were very certain good guys weren't there.

Really heavy stuff, controlled at a Regimental or Divisional level, would be used to soften up and suppress targets prior to an assault - or to slow the advance of advancing enemy. We, most of us, just don't play that way.

As an example in game, let's say an infantry platoon is advancing through some trees to a open field. They are ordered to cross the field to the next tree line, about 200 meters. You also have purchased an FO, but he is nowhere near this platoon and has no eyes on them. As they cross the field, the platoon is hit by a machine gun and supporting infantry in the tree line ahead of them. The take a few hits and are suppressed...Now in real life what would happen? That platoon commander would call up to Btn or his Company HQ and request indirect fire support on that tree line. What would be most immediately available may be the Btn or Coy fire support - maybe mortars, maybe SP mortars, maybe a CS vehicle...whatever. That Btn or Coy HQ, it the vast majority of cases, would simply have been unable to call Regimental or Division artillery assests for a platoon.

What happens in the game...we click on the FO and assign a fire mission from any of a number of purchased arty units. We also may look for an arty unit or indirect fire unit that is in range and z-fire on that area (which is even more unrealistic).

I believe Weasel or Walrus developed a arty rules system that involved purchases and use of arty ploting - based on the number of F0's purchased. I think that goes a pretty good ways to controlling some of the unrestricted use of arty - but maybe not far enough.

A feasible system, with historical accuracy, is probably possible - but it would take some research, time, and effort. Anyone? But, also this is a game - so it may also be possible to add such a degree of historical accuracy, that all fun gets taken out of it.

Just food for thought...