Best Uses/Practices for: Halftracks

RedDevil · 05-06-2007, 03:01 AM,

What good are these thin skinned bullet magnets? Can't you figure out how to keep them alive once they make contact with the enemy? Why waste those buy points on this mechanized meat wagon?

This covers the basic version of the Halftrack, not the modified gun carrying versions or mortar weapons carriers.

Halftracks are a good general purpose transport unit, and MANY come with a MG that can pin down enemy INF and make armor button up. A Halftrack unit is certainly a better buy than a truck unit or a jeep when you need to transport those ATGs up to the front because it can fight back instead of becoming an instant victim in a fire fight.
It can also haul another small unit like a LMG to give INF support to your ATG while it positions for an ambush. Other than that, their main purpose is to provide transport for guns and armor protection to the passengers when moving up from a distance. They are NOT intended for front line combat situations

HOWEVER you can utilize them in some ways to benefit your purchase once the drop off is made.
Use them to shoot up INF that is moving in the open, they PIN these types of units quite easily. You can also attempt to button up armor but you'd best be MOVING to another location out of LOS while you do it.

They can however ward off INF rifle fire and some MG34, maxim, and vickers MGs shooting at 500 meters or further out, anything closer and it's a wreck.

HTs are good for long range covering fire only, nothing close and personal as they fall victim to just about anything from a hand/ rifle grenade and up.

You should use them where they can cover your fellow INF units from advancing enemy INF units and out of sight of everything else. If you cannot get something like this suitable, it's best to make like a turkey and get the flock out. Head out of the main battle areas to cover the flanks or rear flags and provide INTEL on any enemy units making the dare to sneak in.

Standing toe to toe with any thing that carries a Gun bigger than 14.5 mm is a BAD idea, as is trying to make an MG42 or a .50 cal HMG give up shooting at you at medium ranges. The HT becomes a wreck quite quickly when used improperly. Try to keep your HTs alive by not trying to use them as recon cars or INF support weapons.
Their points add up at the end of the battle, just like everything else.

Some tricks for HT use is to "allow" your enemy to see them moving somewhere, thus forcing him to decide upon meeting that threat with some units that might make his attack/defense weaker or gambling that you're not pressing anything in that area. He can't see if you have passengers or not, only if you are carrying guns.

Another thing to do is to dart them forward and attract enemy armor attention while your armor moves up to engage. This is a bit tricky if you don't get out of the LOS quickly enough to avoid being toasted, but you must remain in LOS long enough to attract his gunner to target you. This gives your armor a better chance at a 1 or 2 shot advantage while he re-targets.

Any other uses out there? Let's hear about them.

Antoni Chmielowski · 05-06-2007, 03:46 AM,

For the points they cost, I would buy a shed load of jeeps and use them as a recon asset.

RedDevil · 05-06-2007, 04:01 AM,

Standard HTs aren't designed for recon purposes tho, they can be "used" in that role, but not effectively, but more so effective than jeeps that go up in flames from spitwads at any range :)

Antoni Chmielowski · 05-06-2007, 04:07 AM,

I agree with you Randy on that point !.

The problem I have (cos I am a bit of an idiot) is that I buy the wrong type of h/t`s and then find they cant transport my infantry ! (This after 500+ games !)

05-06-2007, 04:11 AM,

Yes I usually use the HT's for towing up guns and transporting infantry to destinations on the map that I know will be contested from the word go and try to get my troops in their first.

Once delivered I very rarely let my HT's hang about tendong to rush them back to the rear of the map out of LOS and only using them in a counter attacking role against any enemy infantry that are getting the upper hand.

Fredrocker · 05-06-2007, 05:14 AM,

I usually use the H/T to deliver the infantry quick to an area of suggested battle or quick up on a defense during a meeting engagement... then I will try to run them off under cover to each flank and see if I can work them out behind the enemy for disruption purposes.... or at least they will pick out the flank defenses and maybe do some damage... I agree with Randy on them being a long distance "pin dem troops" if used in an offensive mode... The funny thin about them... one time I had the 250/1 run over a russian 45mm atg and it destroyed it... so I believe you can gang two or three in close combat and overrun things also...

Good thread.... and are they worth the points... heck the way I play nothing is worth the points...:)

That is all...

Grumlin · 05-06-2007, 10:10 PM,

I have done a couple of storming attacks with infantry carrying HTs in the end phase of a battle - by then you should know where most AT stuff is, and the enemy is often low on ammo. You can storm through his lines buttoned up and get a position to flank/rear shoot......

05-07-2007, 08:52 AM,

Grumlin Wrote:I have done a couple of storming attacks with infantry carrying HTs in the end phase of a battle

Ive tried this at the start of a battle too... rushing blindly up a flank to release a cargo of suited and booted killing machines into his flank. Certainly makes him think about diverting assets to deal with the insurrection.

Soldier · (This post was last modified: 05-08-2007, 06:54 AM by Soldier.)

I like to move my infantry up front with them until contact with enemy is made. Then I order them to stick around, to support infantry (now on foot) with their MGs and more importantly, draw enemy armor into the fight.
My armor is kept just slightly behind the halftracks, to deal with such a response.
Nothing makes a better Tiger bait, then an Americana build halftrack.. :-)