Use Terrain to Mask Movement – when moving units, you
must strive to keep your enemy from spotting your units, or least strive to
keep him from being able to place direct fire on them. Whenever possible place an obstacle between
your moving units and the enemy.
Historical Example: the important point is to ensure the terrain
feature you are using lies between you and the enemy as shown in these
images. (from US ARMY TD Platoon field
manual)
Technique:
whenever possible keep terrain obstacles (woods, hills, etc.) between
you and where you either know or suspect your enemy is located. When an obstacle is not available you can
create one with smoke (if it’s available), then use that as if it is an
intervening obstacle to mask your movement.
The goal is to maintain security and attempt to keep your
movements hidden from the enemy... failing that, at least make your units tough
to spot to keep them from taking fire.
Example 1: from my CMBN-MG BETA AAR versus c3k
I maneuvered my reconnaissance assets as far forward as possible behind a
ridgeline, then dismounted and moved forward on foot to spot the area ahead
without risking their valuable halftrack.
Example 2: from my CMRT BETA AAR I plotted the
movement of these infantry teams and ensured their movement was kept behind any
rise in the ground I could find.
Hi Thanks for posting this info! I am new to CM gaming and your posts are saving my bacon. how if possible can you check that your units are completely masked by the terrain? I've been using LOS checks from each way point to known/ suspected enemy positions. is it safe to assume that if I have blocked LOS to enemy position his LOS to me is blocked too? thanks! -Matt
ReplyDeleteUsually yes, if LOS is blocked for you it is for enemy units too (not always the case however). Also, you might be giving off sound contacts that you will never know about.. so even masked movement can be "spotted".
ReplyDeleteAre there any methods to ensure your troops dont make any noise while traveling? Maybe splitting squads into teams? Using hunt orders instead of move/quick orders? Or if possible marching your units through water obstacles?
ReplyDeleteThanks, Matt
Matt, obviously the slower you move the less noise you make, so Hunt and Slow will keep sound contacts for your enemy to a minimum. I cannot say for certain whether splitting teams decreases noise as I always split my teams when in close proximity to the enemy.. but it makes sense that it would.
DeleteRule of thumb for me when I play, if it makes sense in real life, then it "probably" makes sense in the game as well.