C
Cue-Ball
Guest
Be careful when using area fire in the neighborhood of friendly units! It's common (and tactically sound) for a player to issue area target orders to suppress a building, hedgerow, etc. while having another squad or two assault the area. You definitely want to suppress the enemy, but be careful as the area fire can have disastrous consequences on your own men!
Here I have a rifle squad performing a Quick move into a 2-story brick building, while two rifle squads have Target orders on the first floor of the building to suppress any Germans inside:
As you can see, even though there are NO enemy units inside the building (or anywhere else, for that matter), the squad has already suffered one casualty, the entire squad is pinned and nervous, and many men are cowering. And this is all before the last man has even made it through the door! What happened? The two squads performing overwatch were given Target orders. This permits them to use grenades, rifle grenades, bazookas, etc., all of which can cause friendly casualties. Moving quickly through "splash damage" areas, using fit and high-morale troops, staying in C2, etc. help prevent suppression of your own units, but if you stop in a fire zone you will likely suppress your own guys with friendly fire.
Using Target Light instead of Target can prevent these casualties. However, Target Light can still suppress your own troops. In the last game I played I ordered a squad to move from the house they were in to a nearby low wall, run along the low wall, then move to the doorway of an enemy held house (to make sure they went in the side I controlled, not the side facing the enemy), then move inside to the first floor. The entire time I had MGs and another squad pouring Target Light fire on the house to keep the enemy suppressed. On the way to the house the assaulting squad received fire and one man went to ground. Because of that one man, the rest of the squad stopped and waited at the doorway waypoint. They could not continue to the next waypoint until that man was either killed/injured or joined the group.
This is not a shot from that game, but it's a recreation of the same outcome. If a squad stops for any period of time in an area that you have a Target Light order on, they can be suppressed. This particular squad was suppressed by two .30 cals and one rifle squad in under 30 seconds. The exact same thing happens when firing at walls, hedgerows, etc. The "splashes" of bullets hitting terrain and objects causes suppression, even though there's no danger light arms friendly fire. If you're firing over or "through" friendly units, there is no suppression.
Not all Target Light is created equal! The Target Light command restricts units to using small arms and MGs. However, tanks, halftracks, armored cars, etc. have .50 caliber MGs that can kill your own troops. Here's what happens when you suppress a building with a single Sherman and the Target Light command, without first buttoning him to prevent use of the .50 cal:
The men have barely made it into the building and they already have 3 casualties, they're pinned, and they're rattled. If this happened during WeGo play, those guys might be stuck in that building, receiving .50 cal fire from friendlies for another 30-40 seconds. Anyone who isn't killed is not going to be combat effective for several turns, assuming they don't panic and run in the first place.
Conclusion: When using units to suppress the enemy for an attack, use the Target Light command, not the Target command. Even when using Target Light, make sure that you either prevent the use of .50 cal MGs or you keep your suppressive fire far away from where friendlies will be. If possible, try to time your area fire to stop before your troops have to move through the area (difficult if playing WeGo). If you must move through friendly area fire, do it quickly and use high quality troops.
Here I have a rifle squad performing a Quick move into a 2-story brick building, while two rifle squads have Target orders on the first floor of the building to suppress any Germans inside:
As you can see, even though there are NO enemy units inside the building (or anywhere else, for that matter), the squad has already suffered one casualty, the entire squad is pinned and nervous, and many men are cowering. And this is all before the last man has even made it through the door! What happened? The two squads performing overwatch were given Target orders. This permits them to use grenades, rifle grenades, bazookas, etc., all of which can cause friendly casualties. Moving quickly through "splash damage" areas, using fit and high-morale troops, staying in C2, etc. help prevent suppression of your own units, but if you stop in a fire zone you will likely suppress your own guys with friendly fire.
Using Target Light instead of Target can prevent these casualties. However, Target Light can still suppress your own troops. In the last game I played I ordered a squad to move from the house they were in to a nearby low wall, run along the low wall, then move to the doorway of an enemy held house (to make sure they went in the side I controlled, not the side facing the enemy), then move inside to the first floor. The entire time I had MGs and another squad pouring Target Light fire on the house to keep the enemy suppressed. On the way to the house the assaulting squad received fire and one man went to ground. Because of that one man, the rest of the squad stopped and waited at the doorway waypoint. They could not continue to the next waypoint until that man was either killed/injured or joined the group.
This is not a shot from that game, but it's a recreation of the same outcome. If a squad stops for any period of time in an area that you have a Target Light order on, they can be suppressed. This particular squad was suppressed by two .30 cals and one rifle squad in under 30 seconds. The exact same thing happens when firing at walls, hedgerows, etc. The "splashes" of bullets hitting terrain and objects causes suppression, even though there's no danger light arms friendly fire. If you're firing over or "through" friendly units, there is no suppression.
Not all Target Light is created equal! The Target Light command restricts units to using small arms and MGs. However, tanks, halftracks, armored cars, etc. have .50 caliber MGs that can kill your own troops. Here's what happens when you suppress a building with a single Sherman and the Target Light command, without first buttoning him to prevent use of the .50 cal:
The men have barely made it into the building and they already have 3 casualties, they're pinned, and they're rattled. If this happened during WeGo play, those guys might be stuck in that building, receiving .50 cal fire from friendlies for another 30-40 seconds. Anyone who isn't killed is not going to be combat effective for several turns, assuming they don't panic and run in the first place.
Conclusion: When using units to suppress the enemy for an attack, use the Target Light command, not the Target command. Even when using Target Light, make sure that you either prevent the use of .50 cal MGs or you keep your suppressive fire far away from where friendlies will be. If possible, try to time your area fire to stop before your troops have to move through the area (difficult if playing WeGo). If you must move through friendly area fire, do it quickly and use high quality troops.