Force selection help

[PorkNBeenz]

After playing my fair share of tiny maps with low-point, poorly picked forces to get a general understanding of play, I'm looking to step up my game a bit and get a bit of advice on proper force purchasing.

My trouble lies in my lack of knowledge and experience in both the game and in military force organization. I understand the basics of combined arms doctrine, but I have trouble coming up with what to purchase and in what amounts to form a viable combined arms force at my chosen level of purchase points. Also, with what sized maps I should be using for X amount of points.

Any kind of suggested reading to get a better idea of force compositions for various sized battles would be really appreciated.

I've been playing primarily U.S. forces since I'm most familiar with their units and equipment.

What would you consider a decent force in the neighborhood of 1500-2000 points?

[Mobhack]

Originally Posted by PorkNBeenz

After playing my fair share of tiny maps with low-point, poorly picked forces to get a general understanding of play, I'm looking to step up my game a bit and get a bit of advice on proper force purchasing.

My trouble lies in my lack of knowledge and experience in both the game and in military force organization. I understand the basics of combined arms doctrine, but I have trouble coming up with what to purchase and in what amounts to form a viable combined arms force at my chosen level of purchase points. Also, with what sized maps I should be using for X amount of points.

Any kind of suggested reading to get a better idea of force compositions for various sized battles would be really appreciated.

I've been playing primarily U.S. forces since I'm most familiar with their units and equipment.

What would you consider a decent force in the neighborhood of 1500-2000 points?

Are you going to be fighting a leg infantry core or mech?
if leg, then you will likely want to make map width 80, or even 60 and/or make sure you have sufficient turns (35+).

Suggest
HQ company
1 or 2 leg FO officers (in jeeps)
2 light SPAAA sections (useful for grunt bashing if jerry air absent)
Recce - some armoured cars or Stuarts (1 or 2 sections of 2 each)
- scout jeeps with AAMG (for AA, fire support and scouting) + leg scouts
Bn direct arty support - some 4.2 inch mortars, or 81mm mor
Bn A/TK assets - some towed or SP AT guns (platoon or 2 sections)
1 off-map 105mm battery

2-3 company teams, each of:
1 leg infantry coy
1 tank (or M-10 TD) platoon attached in close support

- upgrade the inf coy 60mm mortars to 81mm ASAP as the 60s are rather short-legged, or buy some light trucks to move them up in the attack along with your ammo carriers.

- Buy a lift platoon of half-tracks per leg rifle coy later as 'battle taxis' to shuttle grunts forwards. Or buy a mech coy when you have upgrade points (+ attached tank/TD platoon)

You can justify a 105mm battery per company HQ in the USA core - counting the bn HQ as a coy as well. Use upgrade points to buy these for the rifle coys as your campaign progresses.

(Any towed 37/57mm ATG you get (e.g in mech inf forces) - are not wonderful ATK assets, but are rather accurate infantry guns, if you keep outside LMG range)

Cheers
Andy

[PorkNBeenz]

Thanks a lot, Andy. Hopefully more reading will make putting together picklists like this a lot easier.

Pretty exciting how one can have so much fun brushing up on their history with this game.

[Panzermeyer]

I've found this article to be helpful:

http://www.theblitz.org/articles/Art...ion=show&id=53