I’m trying to improve both my reconnaissance and the way I structure my C2 network in Combat Mission.
At the moment I usually field an infantry battalion with a separate armour formation, often only one or two tank platoons depending on points. My infantry tends to do most of the reconnaissance, and I’m not sure I’m making particularly good use of dedicated recon or building my command structure to pass spotting information efficiently between infantry, recon and armour.
I’m interested in how other players approach this:
- How do you structure your C2/chain of command to maximise spotting information getting back to the units that need it?
- Do you deliberately use HQs, XOs or liaison elements to connect separate infantry and armour formations?
- Do you keep dedicated recon under battalion/company command, or attach it more closely to the manoeuvre element it is supporting?
- For vehicle recon, do you prefer jeeps/Kübelwagens carrying dismounted scouts, or armoured cars/halftracks acting as reconnaissance platforms?
- How much does your approach change depending on terrain, particularly something like Normandy bocage versus more open ground?
I’m especially interested in how people get reconnaissance information from the scouts at the front through the C2 network and eventually to the tanks, rather than simply how they physically scout the map.
What does your usual recon/C2 setup look like?
Having played a lot with the Soviets, I tend to play conservatively with armor. It is really tricky getting spots via C2 with them, it's not impossible. The answer is always mass - you need lots of armor in one small area of the frontline. That way you don't have to worry about C2, tanks will be lost, but the rest will get the job done. Same goes for the infantry - concentration is the key (how you disperse them on the approach is up to you). Having played the US in our FB operation, I can tell you that there is no comparative advantage of a well established C2 link - my tanks spotted on their own, especially during the counterattack on your attempted wedge at the Bois Gresse.
Instead of thinking how to optimise your scouting and C2 links, you should focus on planing the entire battle, predicting enemy strongpoints and movements. By scouting you can get bogged down and then you can't dictate the tempo and enforce your will. The battles are as much as psychological, as they are purely physical contests.
Also, scouting with single teams and vehicles is dangerous. You should do it with the smallest tactical unit, which is a platoon.
@aurelius I definitely agree with the point about concentration and having an overall battle plan. I’m not really looking to scout every enemy position before committing or build some perfect C2 network before I move.
What I’m more interested in is the actual Combat Mission C2 mechanics once reconnaissance does find something.
For example, if a scout team identifies an AT gun or tank, is there a practical way of structuring the force so that information gets back through battalion/company HQs and eventually reaches a separate tank platoon reasonably quickly? Or, because the armour is from a separate formation, am I mostly wasting my time trying to create that link and should just expect the tanks to spot for themselves?
That’s also why I was asking about XOs, HQs and dedicated recon elements. I’m trying to understand whether there is any real benefit in deliberately using them as information links between formations, rather than simply improving the physical reconnaissance itself.
I do take your point about scouting in greater strength though. I probably have a tendency to send very small teams forward because I’m trying to minimise losses, which may be making my reconnaissance too cautious and fragmented.
If you move a unit -with Communication to the HQ you want to receive the information- close enough (within voice contact distance) to the Unit that spotted the enemy, this information will reach the unit first , then the HQ , and then the units that share the C2 link with the HQ.
For example, a scout team belonging to A company spots an AT Gun. You move a scout car- with C2 link to the Tank Btl HQ- within voice contact distance to the scout team. AT Gun contact will be shared with the scout car, which in turn will pass over this info to its HQ. Then the HQ will pass the information (in terms of a contact icon) to its organic units. How quickly that happens depends on the quality of the troops.
Although Company A and Tank Btl HQ do not share a direct C2 link, they will still share information, albeit more slowly.
@deadpanic My own personal experience says it's a waste of time. While it is nice to have a well established C2 link, it takes time. I use my HQs mostly for the benefits they give to their subordinates. Of course, I don't frown at the fact that they will send info further down the chain, but that is secondary.
That makes sense, and I think that distinction is probably what I was trying to get at.
So in your experience, the information-sharing side of C2 is more of a useful by-product than something worth deliberately structuring the force around. Keep the HQs where they can support their own subordinates, and if spotting information happens to work its way through the chain and across to other elements, great, but don't hold up the battle trying to make that happen.
That is useful for me because I think I may have been putting too much emphasis on trying to create an efficient information network between the infantry, recon and the separate armour formation.
I’ll probably experiment with treating C2 that way instead — prioritising the command benefits within each formation and letting information sharing happen naturally, rather than trying to build the plan around it.
@cargol
Yep, I understand the basic mechanic you’re describing — using a unit as a bridge so that a contact can cross between formations that don’t share a direct C2 relationship.
What I’m really trying to get a feel for is how worthwhile people find doing that deliberately in practice. For example, whether you would actually assign that scout car to act as a liaison between the infantry and tank battalion and manage its position specifically for information transfer, or whether in most battles the time and effort involved means you’re better off just letting contacts propagate naturally and allowing the tanks to acquire their own spots.
So I’m less unsure about how the C2 system transmits the information, and more interested in whether people actively design their recon/C2 setup around exploiting that mechanic.
@deadpanic To answer your question, it depends on the time length of the battle and on the force mix.
If there is enough time, I will try to establish and preserve a good C2 (horizontal and parallel) network.
Also against armored forces good C2 which will probably provide a spotting advantage in a tank to tank duel, is worth investing in.
I had considerable better results in spotting and eventually in killing armor when C2 was established and maintained.