Newbie needs help

[arkai88]

I was wondering if you CM vets could give me a few pointers. I have been playing the CM:BO and CM:BB demos for about 3 weeks now and I ordered the CM bundle last week.
My question is that when I play the Barbarosa demo as the Russians with all the 45mm AT guns, I never seem to get off more than 1-2 shots before the entire German force spots me and blows my guns to bits. However, if I play that scenario as the Germans, I never spot the gun positions, even with 2-3 tanks in each platoon unbuttoned. I just sit there taking hit after hit until finally one gets through.
What in the world am I doing wrong?

[KG_ThorsHammer]

it could be your placement of the guns,in the open they are easier to spot. In the demo, the computer places them in rough terrain or bush, which makes them harder to spot. Having your tanks hunt or move at a moderate pace will help in spotting them

[Gary Owen]

There are a couple places that you can use to create a kill sack for the tanks. The AI will move the tanks pretty much in one group and it will not use the extreme edges of the map. Just before the first victory flag is a small bowl. Place the AT guns along the rim of the bowl, especially in positions where you can get a rear or flank shot into the tanks after they enter the bowl. Place the KV's in hide positions. When the axis tanks are all in the bowl, open up with everything at once, and move the KV's out of defilade. You can get every axis tank before they crest the hill by the first victory flag this way without losing all of your AT guns.

When playing as the axis, move by platoons in bounding overwatch. Move one platoon into hulldown positions with good fields of observation. Once that platoon is set, move the other platoons in a leapfrog manner. If anything engages the moving platoons, the overwatching platoon should be able to suppress it so that the moving platoons can manuever and engage. Only move the bounding platoons as far as they are covered by the stationary platoon. --- this is usually just the next decent overwatch position. Set the moving platoons so that they can guard the other platoon as it moves forward to the new overwatch position. Repeat this process.

[arkai88]

Thanks fellas - I've actually gotten a win as the russians - came close as the Germans. It's good practice for now.