Defending

[PoorOldSpike]

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/PoorOldSpike/defence.jpg



http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/PoorOldSpike/CMscho2.jpg



http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/PoorOldSpike/CMscho3.jpg

[PoorOldSpike]

This is much like the previous defence, my German infantry are secure in the woods protected by two groups of panzers on either side of them which are laying down a fire lane (red lines) across the front of the position like a fence, ready to cut down any enemy units that attempt to cross it.
I've also managed to hold a couple of panzers in reserve (bott right) ready to rush to any trouble spot.
http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/4408/defclassicgq2.gif

[PoorOldSpike]

Another typical defence (from an actual game)

I've put my Brit infantry on short arcs to stop them firing at long range and giving away their position. They don't want no trouble, they just want to quietly sit out the rest of the game holding on to the flag.
Note my MG's and light mortars are firing (red lines) to keep the enemy infantry at arms length like a boxer continually jabbing.
The blue arcs are bazookas, and I've got 3 tanks at bottom right.
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/PoorOldSpike/CM-defence3.jpg

[PoorOldSpike]

Line of death

A major tactic of CM is to sit your tanks placing a 'line-of-death' across the map (dotted line), ready to blast the first customer to try to cross it..
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/PoorOldSpike/ExIS/customer2.jpg


Bingo!
"It is good that the customer comes to the shop, rather than we should have to venture abroad to seek him" - Baron von Richthofen
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/PoorOldSpike/ExIS/customer.jpg

[PoorOldSpike]

Stay quiet to keep grip on flags

This endgame screenshot show how you can keep a flag neutral by simply having a few remnants near it like my Germans, even though the Russians have a heavy presence nearby.
My Germans are on 'Hide' with short arcs to stop them firing and giving away their position, they'd be crazy to come out and fight against a superior force and get blown away. Far better to stay alive and quietly maintain a presence to keep the flags neutral..:)

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/PoorOldSpike/Competitons/MD-endb.gif


Remember, the enemy can't kill you if he can't see you..:)
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/PoorOldSpike/ExIS/trench.jpg

[PoorOldSpike]

Also he can't kill you if he can't reach you

This is a just a simple little pic to illustrate a common tactic.
The enemy KV-1 is area-firing into the wood, so I've pulled my men to the back of the wood where his shells can't reach them. (the guy on left was pinned and delayed). Note the craters from shellbursts along the front of the wood.
It's natural instinct to want to crawl our troops to the front edge of woods but quite often its best to hold them at the back like this til its safe to crawl them forward.
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/PoorOldSpike/CM-woodyou.jpg

[PoorOldSpike]

Keep him guessing

The enemy is guessing that my German infantry are at the flag which is why he's laying down a bombardment on it (yellow zone).
But I've outguessed him and am holding them safely to the sides so many of his rounds are falling harmlessly into empty trees, plenty of time to crawl them nearer to the flag later..:)
http://img370.imageshack.us/img370/4013/defguessbo5.gif

[PoorOldSpike]

Conveyor belt
Sometimes you'll be lucky enough to be in a position to knock out enemy tanks as they come into view one by one like sitting ducks on a conveyor belt, as here.
My Rumanian R-2's are pouring fire into the column of T-26's as they trundle into view one by one from behind the trees..

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/PoorOldSpike/ExIS/conveyorB.jpg

[PoorOldSpike]

SLACK ARC DISCIPLINE
Don't you just hate it when you slap short arcs on your units to make them hold their fire to avoid giving away their position, but then some bozo squad opens up out of his arc like my German squad here?
Note he's a Veteran, fit and well, and he's in command, so there's no excuse for him to disobey the arc order, it's just CM's inbuilt randomness to make the game unpredictable..

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/PoorOldSpike/Competitons/arc-0out.gif



So to hopefully stop units firing outside their arc, give them a Hide order, but the disadvantage is that they'll be nearly blind with their faces planted in the dirt, as the test below illustrates-
1- The German infantry kneeling in the woods can see the Russians quite easily, but i don't want to risk them firing outside their arc and giving away their position (and then getting blasted by the tanks)
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/PoorOldSpike/hide1.jpg




2- So I order them to 'Hide', they can't see much at all with their faces planted in the dirt, and lose their LOS to the Russian infantry which turn into icons, but at least on 'Hide' they hopefully won't fire.
(But they WILL automatically un-hide and fire in self-defence when the enemy gets very close and is about to step on them, that's okay)
Note the tanks remain in view, so we can assume units on 'Hide' do lift their heads now and again for a quick glimpse and can't miss seeing tanks, but a mere glimpse is not good enough to see infantry..

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/PoorOldSpike/hide2.jpg



Tactical note - Another use for 'Hide' is to try to break the lock of incoming enemy fire. At the same time cancel any fire or movement orders your infantry have got, and slap a minimum-arc on them.
It's your way of telling them to go into stealth mode by face-planting and not firing back. Remember, the enemy can't kill you if he can't see you.

[PoorOldSpike]

DEFENSIVE FIRE LANES

This view from a Russia 1942 tourney game illustrates the importance of setting up fire lanes like 'fences' to protect your flags.
My T-34 groups 1/2/3/4 have arrived in position at key terrain locations that allow them to lay down fire lanes (pink lines) criss-crossing in front of my flag garrisons, and any enemy units attempting to cross those lanes will get zapped..
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/PoorOldSpike/sub3/Fire-lanes.gif

[PoorOldSpike]

Beware CMAK's 'gentle slopes' parameter
Because they're not slopes at all, they're just small ripples in the ground and give poor cover unless you can find an area of slightly sunken ground, so bear that in mind when playing Cmak..;)

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/PoorOldSpike/Competitons/cmak-gentle.gif



This is a randomly-generated QB Meeting Eng to the above params; no trees, no buildings, and the gentle slopes give hardly any cover for many of the units, a nightmarish 'battlefield from hell' -
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/PoorOldSpike/Competitons/cmak-gentle2.gif