Rules Question: Indirect (plotted) Artillery Fire

[Ragnar65]

Hi Guys,

yeah, I did it... Got my copy of Micro Squad Rules. But now questions go on... This time it´s about Indirect Artillery Fire.

Given Situation: I decide to send some shells to point A on the map. In turn 3 my FO has a clear LOS to Point A. I plot the fire for turn 10 (yeah, I play Germans).

1) do I inform the other player, that I plot artillery fire to Point A? Or will he be informed of the plotted attack later in turn 10 by revealing the Artillery Plotting Sheet??
2) must my FO keep LOS to Point A the whole time (6 turns) until the shells arrive? Or is he allowed to move somewhere else after having plotted the Artillery Strike?

Game goes on, we are now in turn 10. Now, in the Joint Artillery Fire Phase, I place the impact marker for the plotted attack, right? And now I follow the Indirect Artillery Fire Procedure Chart?

As usual, any help will be much appreciated...

Ragnar65

[TAMMY]

As I read the rules, the answers are:
1) No. The other player will know it when it arrives.
2) Surely the FO has to have a LOS when making the request (plotting) and when the fire arrives. In between I think that it is not necessary.
3) Yes.

However I think that the FO role has to be better cllarified, for the following reasons:
1) You may plot a certain numebr of fires before the start of the game (Artillery Efficiency rule), but in this case ypou may have no FO in view of he targets. Forthese plots it is still necessary to have a FO in LOS at the arrival of fire>?
2) To suspend a mission you need a cohesion test but you should reach the same result (and without risk) simply moving the FO. The plot is immediatelycanncelled.
3) Therefore I would apply the FO rule only to fire plotted during the game and not to those plotted before it.

[RedLeif]

Hi,

Ragnar65:
I almost completely agree with TAMMY's reading of the MS rules and answers to your 3 questions.

TAMMY:
thoughts on your points
To the first part of your point 1 I agree. 'Pre-game' and really all artillery plots must be directed at locations on the board, not specific units. As for the pre-game plots, these could have been conducted hours/days before a scenario begins, so I can rationalize why one wouldn't need an FO to plot them.

In regards to your question in part 1 "For these plots it is still necessary to have a FO in LOS at the arrival of fire>?" I think you do need an FO with LOS for them to arrive (per § 7.. As to why, I'd imagine Artillery doctrine and a countries miiltary laws look unfavorably on a gun/battery commander who doesn't have LOS or isn't at least talking to someone with an LOS to where they think the rounds will land for safety reasons. You've undoubtedly got more experience with this than I do so I'd like to read your answer to your own question.

On your point 2. Why does moving the FO cancel the plot? I don't see a rule that says that moving the FO cancels the plotted mission, nor does it seem to specify that the 'calling' FO be the same as the 'arrival fire phase' FO. Unlike the MATG rules, the FO stand in MS can be in movement or fire posture and still trace LOS for indirect fire purposes. (BTW, I highly recommend players of MATG amend 7.8 to the MS standard, allowing FO's to be in any posture and still trace LOS.)

Maybe you meant 'moving the FO in such a way as they can no longer see the impact location cancels the mission'. I probably just over reacted to your point 2, sorry if I got a little carried away. Does my interpretation above match or come pretty close to yours?

My interpretation leads me to conclude that pre-game arty plots don't need an FO to trace an LOS to the impact coordinates but a friendly FO must have a clear LOS to the artillery impact marker on its turn of arrival or the mission doesn't arrive.

have fun!
RedLeif

[TAMMY]

Hi Redleif

Usualy you may plot artillery fire on map reference without actually seeing them both in planning and in arrive of fire. It is usally directed to some specific point behind the enemy front line, like a narrow, a forced passage and so on.

For example you may plan and execute a rolling barrage without an FO. The plan will indicvate how many rounds yoiu will fire before changing target. In this case an FO may be useful to suspend fire if you are advancing too fast but is not striclty necessary

Having always an FO in LOS of the target for its arrival means that the artillery is limited in use to the targets that will be in the immediate LOS of an FO that is only to targets visble to the front units. In any case the efficiency rule is an exception to the FO in continuous view of the target to request fire

This may be the case of the artillery fire requested during the game against target presenting themselves during the fighting.

On point 2, I had actually in mind moving the FO in order to interrupt the LOS to target
and automatically cancel the fire mission.

[RedLeif]

thanks for sharing knowledge TAMMY.

After thinking about this topic some more today, I know I've read about most forces in WWII employing artillery units for counter battery fire, whos impact is very unlikely to be 'observed' by friendly FO's (although I think many countries used acoustical detection and trigonometric algorithms determine the coordinates of the fire). I've also read of many forces employing artillery fires to 'break up' concentration and suspected formation areas of enemy units. None I've read about seemed especially effective, but they definitely fired their guns at unobserved positions. So I definitely agree with you that FO's aren't needed to observe the impact point.

In game terms perhaps a minor disadvantageous die roll modifier (+1?) might be in order to fire without a clear LOS to the target and I think there should definitely be a disadvantageous CRT modifier, i'm thinking maybe a +2. Since anything arty hits at all always suppresses this would bsaically mean you're unlikely to Eliminate anyhting with this type of fire but still it would do its job of creating chaos down range.

Thanks again
RedLeif

[TAMMY]

I can answer only now because in the last days I was involved in another game period: Renaissance in 15mm.

May amswers is on two points: FO in the game and artillery in the game.

In oredr to simulate the effect of an FO in LOS of the target I will suggest to add a modifier (-1 or -2) to the die roll for the second cohesion test, that relevant to the point of arrival of the fire. I will not modify the CRT result because the FO may adjust the fire but will not change its effects.

The sound and flash ranging for counterbattery fire was reserved to Corps Artillery therefore is outside the scope of these rules which are more relevant to Divisional artillery or mortars.