German Meeting Engagement V.S. Russians CMRT Insight and tips and tactics wanted...

[The Great White North]

Greetings one and all! I have a match I am getting ready against an opponent I know is better tactically than myself. I am not dismayed by my disadvantage as I learn faster how to play against such opponents. That being said I still would like to make it challenging for my opponent and not make it a walk in the park. Anyone who has seen M.Herm Youtube videos will understand my point. I am very green playing against the Soviets and I will mention some observations I already have to not have them repeated and possibly get some info and tips I am not aware of or haven't figured out yet.

My initial observations regarding the Soviet force and general tactics:

- They do fight differently than the Allies and German forces by design.
- The point structure for our match is set to huge so I will assume I will be outnumbered with Armour min 3 to 1 and Infantry min 4 to 1 as a base just on the affordability in the purchase section prior to battle..

- Armor wise their optics are not great at range so that is a bonus for me if its not a 4 to 1 ratio against me.
- Infantry has a good mix of weaponry minus the AT side.. They have great SMG firepower in close combat.

My opponent will have dominant reverse slope ground to use as a fire base on our map that will also see into my partial deployment zone if I remain in those areas...
This same RS will most likely be his jump off and fire base for the 3 OB's on the map...

Another observation I've noticed previewing the map is he is back lit by the sun and I am front lit from the sun. He will be harder to spot and I will be much easier to spot.

Anyone here with experience playing ME's as the Germans in PBEM matches has any tips I would appreciate them very much and thank you in advance for any ideas thoughts and suggestions brought forth.

Best.

 

[Gorst]

Another observation I've noticed previewing the map is he is back lit by the sun and I am front lit from the sun. He will be harder to spot and I will be much easier to spot.

Fortunately for you Combat Mission does not model silhouetting

 

[The Great White North]

Fortunately for you Combat Mission does not model silhouetting

Thank god!

 

[Brille]

The soviets have some good vehicles to threaten even the heaviest of german tanks up front. They might have worse optics than the germans but that hinders more their spotting ability rather than their aiming. But regardless of that the difference is not that far off so I would not count on that.

I had it just recently that JS2 tanks managed to one shot 2 of my Panthers at over 1000m. Especially the late variant is one of the worst enemies to face: It can even deflect Tiger and Panther shots, while their gun cannot be stopped the other way around.

The only downside of the JS2 is that it reloads slowly and has only a small ammo count. Tanks from the ISU (ISU 152, ISU122) and SU family (SU100) can be a big threat too and probably should be avoided by anything smaller than a Panther or Tiger on a distance.
Most of the time however you will be confronted with T34/85. Those can be cracked by most of the german tanks but it should not be underestimated. It is better than the Panzer IV, rivals the Panther and can destroy a Tiger without much effort (if "mealtime" position is not in effect)

Anything else is just tank tactics 101 really:
- bring more tanks into combat than your opponent can (locally)
- try to disrupt the enemy before he can get into position (ambush).
- try to keep your tankcommanders out, while his commanders down in the tank.

And don´t shy away from using smoke. If you can blend out 1 or 2 (or even more tanks) with a few smoke shells it may be enough to come out victorious.

Up to the infantry:
The smg troopers are a real mean bunch though short in their effective range. You should keep them at arms lenght and use more long range MG and artillery. If you have to face them in close combat you should always have some supporting fire available. Once they can unleash their firepower your troopers will hit the deck and sooner or later will be destroyed. Try to let them move to you and get them in an ambush.

If you have to move against them in an urban environment or wooded area just think if you really have to go there or can avoid it by any means. If you really have to go there then you are in for a tough fight, especially when they are of higher experience than green. Without much firesupport there is not much to accomplish I suppose.

The standard infantry however is a different bunch. They have more SMG than a standard german squad but apart from that they are slightly inferior. As long as the german MG gunners are alive that is.

On the anti tank part I agree to a degree. They only have the anti tank rifle (no real threat to medium tanks and higher) and the RPG43, a throwable shaped charge, only worth for close quarters.
BUT the soviets can also have these neat little tankhunter teams with german made Panzerfausts. So they have access to the 30, 60 and even the 100 variants which can destroy pretty much any tank you can field.
As a soviet player I would have at least a couple of them around just in case. So better not drive your tanks to close to infantry units.

 

[The Great White North]

Thank you so much! Very much appreciated!!! I'm going to my tank range and do some play testing!

 

[Lethaface]

I think Ghorst makes some good points.
My 2 cents: As the Germans your MGs will provide to the bulk of your infantry firepower, try to employ them in positions where their range can be utilized. Although as always it is prudent to prevent them from being able to be targeted from all over the map. Ideally have them in keyholes positions with overlapping fields of fire and some (mobile) AT assets covering them against any armour/SPG.

On map 81mm mortars are great for denying enemy infantry to close the distance to your positions, while on or off map mortars can utilize sustained fires against discovered enemy infantry concentrations/defenses. The 120mm mortars are deadly but lack ammo, if you get them I'd advise saving them for suppressing strong enemy positions for attack/assault.

For attacking formations I'd go for combined arms units utilizing SPW (half-tracks) with MGs for transport and covering fire. The 20mm 251/17 (iirc) half-tracks are great for fire support as well. My favorite infantry are the pz gren with 2x mg per squad.
For tanks, obviously the Panthers are among the best choice but not cheap. But against IS2 you'll need long barrel 75mm or heavier firepower. Against T34s the Pz IV can also do work, they are also great for anti infantry work.

Overall I think the best decomposition is one which you select in accordance with your analysis of the terrain and plans. Almost all units on the TO&E can be made to do work if employed properly. I usually first observe where and how I want to take and hold initial objectives, leaving some points for a mobile/counter attack force.

For example Marders make for good long range mobile AT assets but are lacking when fighting against infantry, their cost is significantly lower though. So a combo of Pz IV with Marders might be a good choice. If you want tanks with great frontal armour for an armoured push, Panthers are probably unmatched.

In complex close range terrain it might be favorable to go with an infantry heavy force, with plenty of indirect and schreck teams for AT.

Finally, watch your C2. Your infantry has superior C2 and communications, utilize that. Try to attrite large groups of enemy infantry so that they are forced to attack peacemeal and lack C2.

Good luck!

 

[The Great White North]

Some great points! Thank you for the reply it will get printed as well!