Couple of questions

[Plain Ian]

Thanks to everyone for there replies on the subject. I've pulled down the pdf's but I will look into the win help software file which works with win 7.

The reason for the indirect fire differences was listed in the Options section which I'm used to reading in game when you select the help button when picking options. Because I rarely play with Alternative Direct/Indirect Fire I've never really read this option properly. Artillery/heavy artillery are different from mortars/heavy weapons as ComradeP hinted. If the target is of mixed types (hard/soft) then you get to choose which one you attack. If they are all one type then its an automatic attack.

The visible units I see at 2 hexes must be due to patrolling units. The game started off with units already patrolling so that must be the answer.

Again thanks for the help and support.

Visibility?
So its a Dawn Turn, enemy units are visible to me 2 hexes away but I cannot indirect fire on them? Quick look at rules says Dawn has a "nominal" visibility of 2 but an "effective" visibility of 1? So Dawn is a special turn?
Visibility on Weather Reports says 3-5 km?

At dawn or dusk, nominal visibility is half its normal value, with fractions rounded down which can mean you get 1 instead of 2.

However, if you can spot enemy units without your men in patrol units or through recon spotting and with visibility at 2 as indicated in the game, I don't know why indirect fire wouldn't be possible as if direct fire is possible, indirect fire should be too provided the units with an enemy unit in their line of sight can act as spotters.

The visibility in the weather report is for daytime during that day, so on non-dawn or dusk turns (and non-storm turns) the visibility can vary from 3 to 5 hexes for the day in your example.

Indirect Fire
Alternative Indirect Fire has been selected as an option. Nebelwerfers and artillery fire ok with one shot. Hvy weapon units and mortars get to select targets in hex? Can't see this in rules and stupid win 7 doesn't support win help files so can't read the Options Help fie?

Heavy weapons and mortars might be considered a special kind of unit. They also fire twice in Panzer Battles, which has alternative Indirect Fire by default.