Close Combat: The Bloody First – Basic Armor Tactics

While great books have been written about the art of tank vs. tank warfare, the basic principles are simple. First, always try and get the first shot – lay in wait and fire from ambush whenever possible. Second, try and set up the engagement so that you are shooting at an enemy’s weaker side or rear armor while he is shooting at your thick front armor. Third, try and outnumber your enemy – engage two or three on one whenever possible.

Also remember that infantry cannot harm tanks at long range but can damage or immobilize them with improvised anti-tank attacks at very close range. To avoid this, tanks should usually act as support vehicles, with infantry ahead to ferret out enemy infantry and concealed anti-tank guns. Once the enemy is found, the tank can then blast away from a safe distance.

In Close Combat: The Bloody First, American tanks will often find themselves at a disadvantage against heavier German tanks. The US M4 (Sherman) medium tank, while having many fine qualities, lacked the high velocity gun and thick armor needed to tackle the heavier German Panther or Tiger tanks head-on. The introduction of a limited number of Sherman tanks with a high velocity 76mm gun (just before Operation Cobra) was an improvement but still did not completely address this problem.

In addition, German infantry was well-supplied with the hand-held, single-use Panzerfaust anti-tank weapon. The Panzerfaust had a very short range, but was capable of penetrating the armor of any American tank. Extra caution and heavier tanks losses are generally required when playing the American side as a result.

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