Artillery in T2K

[copeab]

I would think light mortars (easily portable) would be fairly common while heavy mortars (probably abandoned in place or destroyed by counter-mortar fire) would be much rarer.

SPGs are probably rarer than tanks -- as big as a tank, as slow as a tank, but not as well protected as a tank -- as SPGs would draw more air strikes than tanks (an infantryman has *some* chance of killing the tank rumbling down the street towards him but *no* chance of killing the howitzer firing on him 15 miles away). Towed howitzers, while more vulnerable to counter-battery fire, might be more common.

Lets not forget AAA -- a 40mm Bofors without working radar can still shoot up ground targets like trucks, horses and infantry.

[Raellus]

Originally Posted by copeab

SPGs are probably rarer than tanks -- as big as a tank, as slow as a tank, but not as well protected as a tank -- as SPGs would draw more air strikes than tanks (an infantryman has *some* chance of killing the tank rumbling down the street towards him but *no* chance of killing the howitzer firing on him 15 miles away). Towed howitzers, while more vulnerable to counter-battery fire, might be more common.

Fair points, Brandon. I agree that SP gun attrition would be high early in the war.

Originally Posted by copeab

Lets not forget AAA -- a 40mm Bofors without working radar can still shoot up ground targets like trucks, horses and infantry.

No doubt. A Vulcan, Gepard, Shilka, Tunguska, etc. would be absolutely wicked in the anti-personal mode. This would be pretty much their only role by 2000. Once again, though, considering the massive quantities of ammo they go through, the main problem would be keeping them "fed".

Apparently, the ZU-23-4 Shilka was the weapon most feared by the Chechnyan fighters during the fighting in an around Grozny during the First Chechnyan War, moreso than tanks, tube or rocket artillery, or any kind of aircraft.

[Grimace]

I ran a game on the island of Cyprus and utilized some pieces of artillery. If I remember right, there were three operable pieces that the Turks were using against the Greeks. The prime movers stayed right with the artillery pieces because the section was to hit a known spot with about 15 shells and then vacate the area so when the Greeks sortied out the artillery section wouldn't be wiped out.

The PCs ended up stumbling across the section as it opened fire and were stunned by the use of artillery. Recognizing the Turkish uniforms, they decided to do a quick hit and run on the prime movers and hope that it helped the Greeks out a bit. I think they successfully disabled two of the prime movers and hurried onwards towards the British base. They never knew what happened to the Turkish artillery after that.

Beyond that, it's been an occasional mortar, but even then it's pretty sparce. The last group to see any major artillery action was a group that I ran DURING the death of 5th Infantry Division in Kalisz.

[Adm.Lee]

I think towed guns/howitzers should certainly be making a comeback, which gives the Soviets some kind of advantage.

All of NATO's sophisticated firecontrol would be concentrated for divisional or higher artillery.

Brigade level on down, I see lots of mortars in direct-fire, and not much else.