APC usage tips

[Scandicci]

Originally Posted by Dr2B Rudd

the only thing that gets me about being in the same squad as an APC when every1 else is infantry, is that the driver and gunner create ALOT of voip traffic, making it hard to communicate or even hear thats why I like to work with APCs that aren't in my squad.

A four man APC squad with SL, engineer and two crewmen would be pretty effective. In this way the SL could use chat to communicate with infantry elements to coordinate activity and the crewmen are free to do their jobs more effectively.

...That is it... I am going online right now to play PR...

[Skodz]

I love mechanised infantry (Infantry supported by APC).

SL
Crewman
Crewman
Ingeneer
Medic
LMG/Rifleman/heavy AT, etc.

Very good in insurgency.

[cyberzomby]

Love it as well

[Scandicci]

Yesterday I ran a mixed APC Infantry squad on Seven Gates on the British side of the 10th Mountains Server.

The layout was

1. SL (Scandicci)
2. APC Gunner (Deathflesh)
3. APC Driver (Lord Alroar)
4. Engineer (Gabes)
5. Medic (PeteGlory)
6. Rifleman (Chunga)

I kept the APC back until we had targets and we were relatively sure that there were no serious threats to the APC. I put attack markers on the hostile troops moving to River Fort, the APC would roll up, engage the attack marker and then move back. This sort of use of the APC is extremely effective. Later we assualted and secured the outpost using the APC at a medium standoff distance that softened up the objective with high explosive rounds while we walked up to take the flag. We got to the top of the Outpost structure and there were just a bunch of dead Opfor. The guys in the squad have to be disciplined. The APC driver has to stay put and only engage when the SL and squad members have identified targets and are sure that the APC is not over-committing itself.

[GrimSoldier]

Very nice guide.

[wookimonsta]

well, i always find that there are certain things that keep me alive in an apc and give me a high success rate:
1. Be mobile, if you stand too still someone with an IED or something will manage to sneak up on you.
2. Keeping infantry around you can be a real live safer as they can pick off any sneaky buggers. They can also make it harder for enemies to flank you.
3. Keeping distance from enemies (especially against insurgents) is probably the most important, it makes it much harder to hit you with AT rockets and throwing IEDs at you means they have to walk a long way. Lets remember, you can shoot a good deal further and more accurate than most enemy infantry.
4. Use Cover. This is one of the most important ones, I don't know how often i see an APC standing in the open only to get slammed by an rpg 30 seconds in. If you see some low rocks or a sand bank, get behind it almost only your turret is poking out, and you will be ALOT harder to hit by AT rounds.
5. Dont drive infantry right into the middle of it. Even if you are a taxi, you are still a very valuable asset. You have a long respawn time and your team looses extra tickets for your death. If you think an area is dangerous to take the apc in, drop of the Infantry and use your cannon to give them support.
6. Lastly, dont take on enemy armored vehicles head on. I constantly see apcs rushing into head on engagements with other APCs, sometimes even MBTs. If you do encounter an enemy APC, feel free to fire, but try to engage them from the side or if possible the rear. This means the enemy will likely not have spotted you allowing you to put a lot of ammo in before he knows where you are. If you attack from the side the target will also present a larger shape. And of course the armor is strongest at the front.

[Solid Knight]

It's all circumstantial really and you're exact position has a lot to do with how vulnerable you are. Moving around can be just as dangerous as sitting still. I've taken out dozens of APCs on the move and mainly because they moved into my IED or into my field of fire.

Personally I like to just work an angle and shoot my way forward. So you hammer away at an angle for a bit then scoot forward a bit. You keep the pressure up the entire time giving the enemy minimal or no opportunity to make a concerted effort against you. They're too busy trying to not get killed to retaliate.

Your position relative to the terrain is paramount. You not only need to concern yourself with a good angle for attack but also a quick retreat to cover, reducing your profile, and angles of return fire. The last one is very important and is often never considered. I know lots of people who like to put themselves in a position that has a wide field of fire but also has an even wider field of return fire.

If you're squadleader then you should be the driver. Why? When you're stationary and your gunner is engaging targets you are free to scan for new threats. You place the marker on them as well as identifying what you've seen. Remember that the gunner has tunnel vision. He'll spend most of his time engaging the enemy in a particular area. While he is shooting, you should be looking around, checking your six, checking your flank, et cetera.

By the way, if you're on the .50 on a tank look somewhere other than where the driver and gunner are looking. You don't need three eyes forward--try looking rear sometime. This is important on maps like Qwai where the TOW HMMWV tends to approach from the rear.

[Cptkanito]

Nice guide

[wookimonsta]

Something i find annoying, on karbala (spelling?) especially, is that apcs never seldom seem to defend infantry.

I have had several occasions where the all three caches were placed in that little building complex in b3.
All around this is about 0 cover, and inside are a couple hundred places to shoot from. This is where apcs and humvees come in handy, but most of the time, i see infantry advancing with at most one humvee and they are usually killed off rather quickly.

Only one time, have i seen apcs and humvees and even supply trucks do their job properly here. Two apcs and three humvees had set up north of that position and kept up a VERY heavy suppressing fire from a distance that made it hard for rpgs to hit them and enemy to flank them. Behind them, someone had dropped a repair station meaning they could take alot of damage.

Their formation was that the two apcs were a little further back and on the flanks, and the humvees werea little further forward and in the middle.
While this was going on, i saw three infantry squads walking without needing cover about 150 meters up to the wall, go in, and eliminate the caches and get back out. They were taking 0 fire outside the complex simply due to the heavy suppression fire.

I guess that fits more into tales from the frontline, but iguess what im trying to say is, work as a team, and you will be much more useful than if you drive off and go chasing insurgents.

EDIT:
also, in insurgency, stay put, and do alot of shooting since the enemy has a much shorter effective anti tank range.
When you are fighting a standing army, keep on the move, since the enemy will be much more effective at destroying armor at a range.

[Mack Impact]

About the driver and gunner creating much noise on the squad voip...

I find that if you got the two crewman on a separate channel like most players have something, vent, teamspeak, skype or even msgr, it frees the squad voip for the SL and the rest of the infantry.. It is a great experience in leading a mech inf squad with this set up. Gunner is engaging all kinds of confirmed targets, the driver stays informed about the next objective, infantry can follow SLs orders and its still fairly quiet..next best thing to telepathy