Gameplay Tactics:Defense-Linear

[ShermansWar]

From 2 D Forums, originally posted about a year and half ago


Topic: Tactics:Defense-Linear
I have noticed different defensive sets work better than others , depending on the circumstances.The linear defense is the most common, although myself, I am apt to use a defense of interlocking fields of fire, in depth.
This, however requires time and preparation, and thats not a commodity we always have in a game, especially if we just took an enemy BP and have to set a hasty defense.The linear defense, or defense in a line, is something that is basic, and we all must use from time to time.Nothing here most of us dont know, just good to put principles and doctrine down in print to refer back to from time to time.

A defense should be based on geograhic features that provide cover and concealment from enemy fire.Sometimes is based on a ridgeline, sometimes a woodline, sometimes a creekbed.Sometimes, particularly with a linear defense,it can be based on flat open ground.On flat open ground, it's really the only defense you can use.


We should pick specific positions that are covered, with a firng position a few seconds away.A good defensive position should have long lines of sight covering the avenues of approach to our position.Our defensive position , in a linear defense, should be FORWARD of whatever it is we are defending, not behind it. To defend from behind calls for a different type of defense.

In a linear defense, the single most important thing is the integrity of the line.It is the line itself that gives the linear defense the advantages it has, mainly, fire superiority forward, facing the avenues of approach we defend, and the difficulty it presents to anyone attempting to flank us.The point is that we have more guns firing at him than he has firng back.Units should not be grouped as platoons or sections, rather,they should be spaced more or less evenly, about 200 to 300 hundred meters apart, so as to have a different LOS for each unit, yet interlocking.
The point is that any tank approaching will be fired on by multiple tanks from different positions, so he cant key on just one.


A linear defense must not have gaps between the units involved,lest an enemy slip between the gaps, and then the whole thing is useless.Units in a linear defense must close the gaps in the line as they appear. For this reason, a reserve must be kept.You should not group more than 2 tanks together for a reserve, even if your reserve is more than 2 tanks, makes to inviting a target to players like NIK.Better to anticipate which units will do the most firng and killing, and keep a reserve tank nearby in case the unit in the firing BP dies, so you can replace it.

Most of your strength should be on the line, but only a few units at a time should expose themselves and fire,and they should alternate from where they fire, so enemy has no idea of true strength and boundaries of the line.It is best not to have all the units exposed.Kinda like berm drils, even if is not based on a berm.The trick is to conceal from the enemy the limits and boundaries of the line, for the enemy will seek to turn the flanks of it.One tank can roll up a whole line, if it comes from a blind side.It's the perfect situation to deploy brads and Inf on the flanks.

The main points, again, are the advantages of firepower forward,concealing the boundaries of the line, alternating firing positions, a reserve( not massed), and foremost is the need to close gaps between units as they appear, and the vulnerablity of the flanks to envelopment.

[luit]

Sherm this is a nice read indeed. However I can't resist the urge to fight it on some places.
You said something about not to mass a reserve but if you want to make your defense really effective you should have some units about a platoon in each team that is reserved for counter attack only.
for example. A team is atacking a platoon position. The platoon is likely to get killed however if you use the force of a reserveplatoon to do a flanking manouver on the enemy the enemy will stand no chance.

Interlocking lines of fire yes if you have enough units the thing you really want is interlocking lines of sight this way you know where the enemy tries to sneak tru and you can use a reserve to clos the gap.

The main thing you need in any defense is a warning line for 2 reasons.
Masking your real line of defense and to let you know where the main effort is of the enemy.

Luit

[ShermansWar]

I agree with all you said. I would only point out that i was speaken stricyl of a defense, and was not actually addressin the issue of counterattack, rather, the reserve i spoke of was to be kept simply to plug the gaps in the line and maimntain it's integrity.

it seems, however, unless I am mistaken, your example is of an ATTACK.
You seem to describe what I call a single envelopment, wherein one part of the force sets up a base of fire, thus fixing the enemy in position and denying him mobility and the ability to maneuver , while the second part of the force seeks to close with the enemy, advancing by means of an indirect approach until it has closed within the enemies battlespace, and then engages in battlesight engagements to clear the enemy BP and destroy him by direct fires.

The only other point i would make, is that SB, unlike real life, does not reward one for deploying in platoon and attempting to mass ones fire in this manner, rather, the game seems to reward he who has the most LOS, the longest LOS, and the most convergent fires . I mass in SB not by actually massing my units, but by massing my fires, it seems to be more effective. This, I think is one of the biggest differences between SB and how real armored forces operate.I rarely ever maneuver a platoon as a single unit in the assault. even if i throw a whole platoon into the attack at once over the same narrow front, they will all have slightly different routes. i just dont like presenting an entire platoon as a target, either in offense or defense.

As far as a warning line, i do indeed set one up, but I will cover scouting and recon in later threads.Or at least later, lol.

I am curious if you read the thread on LOS, i dont remember, but i think i talked about the single envelopment there, basically as the attack you describe.

Myself, i tend not to keep a purpose deicated resrve, trying to keep most guns available to fire when need so as to provide fire superiority forward. niot disagreeing with your idea, just saying i would rather have as many forces engaged as possible so as to acheive fire superiority. i usually find that when i want to make an attack, it's just as easy to pull units off the line to do it.

also bear in mind i use a defense in depth, and not a linear defense most of the time, so i am gathering units from different points, which becomes a routing and management operation in itself during game, which sometimes take me out of gun and gets individual tanks killled. The hope is, that by having units advancing along multiple axis of advance, as opposed tom a single axis of advance, that some of the units will catch the enemy in the flank as he comes out to meet me.
He cant fire in every direction at once.

[Cobra2]

hello all, im here at last.

ah defense. how to go about it. many books written and yet its a new story every time.

defense is governed by 3 factors every time. mobility and firepower of the 2 sides, terrain and the nature of what is being defended.

i see mobility and firepower to be more or less the same because you cant have one without the other. here its a matter of who can strike the greatest distance. you really cannot move where you take hits and cannot shoot back. if you can shoot the enemy and not get hit, that works rather well. here it would be wise to consider TIS and LOS. Radar and other intel systems are not modled in SB so i wont talk about em.

when using mobility and firepower, its best to take a BP where in you maximise your LOS and try as much as possible to limit the enemy's detection range. in SB i really miss nets, but i did notice i could come HD on a modest hill and look between the trees that line the hill. AI will usually not see me, and human players will have a hard time seing the single 'glowing' pixel im looking through. this tactic is SB relevant and yet is aplicable IRL to some degree. i know thermal will see through trees.

terrain. wooded, then use troops. open, then use tanks. a bit of both, then use both. SB really does not allow for more than that. the troops are indeed the weak point in SB and you cannot avoid using tanks even in areas where tanks are ineffective.

the nature of the defense. what are you defending will have a very heavy influience on your planning. if you are protecting the perverbial 'Square Obj' then where you choose to deploy will be a matter of prefrance. you could set your lines front of the 0bj, but that will usually give the other side an idea of your position. however, hiding and letting the enemy take the square and then jump him 10 min befor the timer runs out is a prooven tactic in MP SB.

if you are defending a line as in holding the line vs red T-tanks and what not, then you need to cover as much of the front as possible. if you are defending a large Obj with many places to cover at once, the line defense makes sense again. the question is how to best defend the line.

here you come with 2 choices. static and mobile. static is much what Shermanswar said. evenly cover a line. however, a mobile defense is more exciting. you use fewer units on the line itself, and group your remaining forces in one or 2 tast forces. here, you will use the bulk of your armor to respond to a main effort.

why use the mobile defense? in SB you usually have 2 even sides. so a defending side will always have fewer guns in any one place where the attacker may strike. a mobile defense will offset this and help insure the overall integrity of the line. sure will have more holes in the line, but paradoxally you will have a srtonger line.

[luit]

it seems, however, unless I am mistaken, your example is of an ATTACK

No i didn't. If a team is in a defense a platoon of the same team can attack however the team is still in a defense. It is all about exploiding the situation that the enemy offers you. if you do the attack in combination with a minefield and some indirect fire you can knock out about 8 tanks within 30 seconds...

[luit]

A basic picture of what I mean. the platoon on the side of the enemy attack will be behind the hill in the beginning. When the enemy is big in front of the minefield he will drive up shoot and then drive up halt at the blue line go back along the same route and leave for an other BP