Of DC's and FT's

[Juzek]

These two support weapons might be the most feared when they appear in your opponent's OoB, but its often difficult to use them effectively. They draw fire, especially the FT, and you have to get really close to the enemy to use them. They will attract a lot of Defensive Fire, possibly allowing other units to close in, but using them as bait seems like a waste. In real life, it seems obvious that the guy toting a flame thrower was easy to spot, but I wouldn't think a guy with a DC was obvious until he was in your face. Most of the action accounts I've read about using flame throwers seem to be after the enemy has "gone to ground" inside a bunker or a cave, situations that happen only now and then in ASL. So, what tactics work with these SW?

 

[Wayne]

Both require use by Elite Infantry for best results.

All Leaders are Elite (except Partisan). Sometimes an OB gives a suitable "spare" leader for such use. An 8-0 can be a good choice.

 

[DVexile]

They will attract a lot of Defensive Fire, possibly allowing other units to close in, but using them as bait seems like a waste.

I am just a newbie, so I’m sure others have more useful to say, but I think “using them as bait” misses the point a bit. No SW, AFV or squad on its own has a predetermined outcome. They all need to support each other for there to be a high probability of effect.

A leader with a DC moving up supported by other squads in reserve forces your opponent into making “tough choices”. Fundamentally you don’t care if they “take the bait” - either they do and you get to move a bunch of squads free of DFF or they don’t and you get a chance at a 30FP attack.

Folks often say that a leader with a DC does more “damage” just by existing nearby than it ever actually does by placing the DC. The threat causes a lot of decisions by the opponent that have negative consequences for them. It’s almost a waste to actually end up placing the DC as the threat goes away!

So anyway, I think one shouldn’t look at DC and FT in isolation or view them as just “bait” either. It is their use integrated into the rest of the OoB that makes them most useful.

Personally as a newbie I find a BAZ or PSK with no armor around to be even harder to do anything useful with!

 

[Old Noob]

It also helps, to give the FT and DC troops good covering fire.
Bazookas and PSKs are useful in blasting buildings (never knock 8 - 12 FP)

 

[von Marwitz]

FTs are fine to negate TEM. They are not halved in the AFPh, which makes them extremely powerful in that phase. As the unit who carries the FT is vulnerable (-1 DRM to attacks vs. it), it is good to use from good TEM versus good TEM.

DCs are fine to negate (Smoke) Hindrances, that may - at the same time - cover your approach. And they are especially handy when used by the Japanese as the latter are extremely difficult to stop on the move due to their Striping capability, the DC-Hero capability, the capability to blow up oneself during the MPh...

Both of these SW are fine as a "threat in being". Your opponent will react to them even if they are merely close to his units.

von Marwitz

 

[asloser]

Be patient, wait for the right moment to move them in. Keep them back and use when the defences are spread thin and force opponent to consider them all the time.

Keep an eye for rowhouses or factory walls. One of the most satisfyingly tricks you can pull in ASL is to breach a wall and then fire a FT through the breach.

If you are playing Japanese and you have a DC read the rules on DC heroes carefully. One of the most important assets In the Japanese arsenal.

EDIT: I see von Marwitz made more or less the same post just minutes before. Great minds and all that….

 

[Robin Reeve]

Assault Moving in a stone building with a FT still leaves a +2 DRM.
I don't see why it would only be used against broken units.

A DC is another story: it often can be used as a distracting threat - quite like an OBA SR hovering over the battlefield.
You can draw defensive fire against the unit toting it - a HS or even a low rank leader...
Now, you can place it without risk when breaching a rowhouse wall: the placing unit is out of LOS (possibly keeping concealment if no other good order enemy unit sees it) and the DC still attacks with 12 FP.

Of course, tactics are situational by definition and, besides some general guidelines and sneaky tricks, the fundamental rule applies : analyse, adapt, overcome.

 

[Eagle4ty]

Smoke, especially in ASL, is always your buddy.

 

[bendizoid]

These two support weapons might be the most feared when they appear in your opponent's OoB, but its often difficult to use them effectively. They draw fire, especially the FT, and you have to get really close to the enemy to use them. They will attract a lot of Defensive Fire, possibly allowing other units to close in, but using them as bait seems like a waste. In real life, it seems obvious that the guy toting a flame thrower was easy to spot, but I wouldn't think a guy with a DC was obvious until he was in your face. Most of the action accounts I've read about using flame throwers seem to be after the enemy has "gone to ground" inside a bunker or a cave, situations that happen only now and then in ASL. So, what tactics work with these SW?

Lately, I’ve been throwing my demo charges a lot. Seems to be the way to go, none of that nasty D-Fire to deal with. Just throw it and booom, especially from 1st level, maybe something good will happen and at least it won’t be captured and used against you.
Never end a scenario with a unused demo charge, unless it’s the last turn and something really, really bad could happen.

 

[jyoung]

Be patient, wait for the right moment

Got my first ever AFV kill using a FT on the weekend - Festung Budapest CGIII, Russian T34/85 charges towards a German 37mm AA gun to overrun it, AA gun (trying to fire HEAT) malfs with boxcars before the T34 reaches it, so the tank crew with MP to spare decide instead to go on a crazy drive to suss out some reserve cloaked counters some way behind the gun. The first one they moved next to turned out to be a vengeful Hungarian assault engineer with a FT.

 

[Old Noob]

Ouch (spoken with Russian accent)!

 

[Hutch]

Вот дерьмо!
(According to Google Translate, this is "Oh S**t! in Russian)

 

[bendizoid]

Dont stack your flamethrowers with anybody. Less is more so use a 8-0.

 

[Tuomo]

We've never done a One Thing About for either of these?

 

[c600g]

I played AP 11 Swamp Cats over the weekend, and managed to keep both my elite Russian squads w/ DCs concealed until the moment they made their moves to detonate them in stone buildings. Before setting them on their assigned tasks, I moved all of the other units to try and draw fire away from their avenue of approach, then dropped concealment on them and ... boom!

 

[fenyan]

Last weekend in BoF21 Dying for Danzig, my 8-1 leader "Chekhov" with FT was jumped in ambush by two German squads. Winning the ambush roll, Chekhov infiltrated to an adjacent hex and in Prep Fire rolled snakes for a 2KIA. He proceeded to KIA 2-and-a-half more squads in the enemy rear lines.

 

[Carln0130]

Almost always move your FT'S and DC'S last. Watch where your opponent's fire goes and try to draw it off with other units, starting with the least valued units and ascending. If you don't get a bite, a bunch of excellent units got into position and the FT/DC served its purpose as a threat in being. If you get a bite, maneuver into a safe spot and unload in ADV fire.

None of this is set in stone as ASL is the ultimate "it depends" game. However, adhering to this tactic works in most cases.

 

[Eagle4ty]

In a playtest for The Finn project from BFP a Russian 37* armed armored car knocked out 3 Finnish tanks (including a FT AFV) all with CHs & all in the same hex in 3 consecutive fire phases. Unfortunately, it was one of the bright spots for the Russkies in that playing. His partner in crime didn't fare as well, malf'ing its MA on its 1st shot. If you're looking to have a lot of fun with the Finns this is going to be a great product based upon the scenarios we've had the pleasure to playtest. Again I believe it's going to be another quality and enjoyable product from BFP.

 

[thedrake]

Critical Hit magazine #2 had an excellent article on Red Barricades CG and one of the topics in the article was on use of FT+DC, which can be applied to just about any scenario.