Best Uses/Practices for: 2 man LMG units

[RedDevil]

What's the best use or practice you've come up with involving the 2 man LMG units? Do those BARs and Brens make you smile? Do you buy lots of MG34 2 man LMGs? Do you base your defense on the DP LMGs?
So what do you like or dislike about these pests?

The LMG units don't have a lot of punch out past 100 meters and mostly get limited to harassing fire duty rather than used for their close up supporting roles. A few LMGs positioned among the troops will add to their defense when the enemy closes for assault. Many times however it seems they get picked off at long range and become useless. It is your patience that will enable them to survive, you must limit their fire and keep them hidden until the time is proper for letting fly a hail of lead.

Some commanders have them open up on a single squad approaching, and then they get picked off by his supporting units after pinning the 1st squad, doing minimal damage. Allowing the unit to get close enough to practically waste it with more than just the LMG unit will ensure that the units live longer, as they can hide again and perhaps even sneak back a few meters unseen to prepare for the support fire that will likely be coming in to soften up things.

A few LMGs in support of wire will keep a lane of travel closed for a while, but it is imperative that he is exposed to a minimal LOS from outside the kill zone, lest he be picked off at distance again.

These units are best for up close support and harassment, not for holding a position against assaults.

They are also great spotters for your commander and can surprise the hell out of a sneaky Tank hunter team or sniper moving up the flank.




I personally use these LMG units to ride on my armor and drop them off behind the hill crest, then move them slowly up to scout for targets for my armor. They make some great spotters and usually only show a nation symbol to the enemy if you have a good leader with stealth bonus' close by.

I also like to mount them on recon cars (if allowed) and dash them into the thick of the VP areas to pin up and slow the enemy advances into the area. This tactic mostly gets them dead, but they do the job most times, and even some survive!

When setting up a defense, I tend to stick these units with my ATGs and ATRs, but keep them hidden so when INF arrives close to investigate the kill or even to assault the positions, I have a little time to delay them with some well placed MG fire that will pin most, while the gun can swing around to engage or more troops can be moved into the area to fight.


So let's hear your tips!

[MGK(FGM)]

Sometimes I use them as fast fire support for my assaulting smg- squads to pin down defending troops while smg squads assault

[MGK(FGM)]

and second - they are good as scouts searching for enemy AT-infantry

[PoorOldSpike]

LMG's are almost useless in combat,they're basically just eyeballs on legs and I wouldn't buy lots of them in QB's even if they were given away free in boxes of Kellogs Rice Krispies.
I might buy the odd few to use as scouts if I've got a few points left over, or if I want them to garrison a safe flag in my rear

[MGK(FGM)]

That is interesting because in real combat LMG squads were very useful (I know it from books but also from veterans :)

[Chipmunk]

If I have a map where most of the flags are grouped together and one is off by itself in leftfield I generally won't go after that lone flag, prefering to concentrate round the main objectives instead. However I'll send an LMG team off to it just in case my opponent has decided not to go for it either.

[RedDevil]

I agree with MGK, the LMG units were very effective if used in their proper roles, providing quick up close rapid fire support to the INF squads.

One would not want to lug their MG42 HMG around the town in a house to house fight, they get set up on the long lanes of fire and cover arcs and you use the LMGs to provide the up close punches and the quick mobility helps when moving up amongst the houses.

[The Coil]

I use 'em routinely as scouts...they have binocs, and you can get them for 5/6pts. Let them find mines, find enemy positions, absorb arty fire, while the rest of your forces follow behind. I've seen a lot of folks scout with snipers and throw away a lot more points when they get aced.

I've always wanted to try the 'all LMG defense' just for grins...think about it - 2000pts = 333 LMGs at 6 pts each. Might not hurt your opponent much, but man, he'd run out of ammo trying to kill you.

Played an all LMG attack against ATCS once, just to see what would happen. It did not, as you might imagine, go well. The lack of an advance command makes 'em not so good for the mass attack. But it's neat to see arty shells fall on your pack of 75 attacking LMGs and watch 'em all scatter...

[Fredrocker]

[Colonel Talvela]

LMGs have the same suppression range as HMGs. When used for area fire, the LMG will cause any unit to want to suppress within a certain radius of the area fire point (30m in cmbb - much greater in cmak although I cant remember the exact number).

a distinct advantage they have over HMGs is that they have no setup time, and are much quicker.

So they are far from useless, and do have a nice role to fill.