Armor gameplay tips

Mechanised Infantry (Infantry transported and supported by armoured vehicles) is the most effective fighting force available, with everything that you could possibly require in the event of an engagement with an enemy force. It is rare that you should encounter an enemy with more firepower given the weapons in an APC and requestable for the infantry from the APC. In this guide I will set out some guidelines for utilising this force to its maximum potential in PR.

Loadout
There are two ways in which a mechanised infantry unit can be organised; the simplest method, and easiest to coordinate is to include a 2 man APC crew and 4 man infantry fireteam into a single squad, allowing the SL to issue commands to the entire squad using VOIP. The other option is to place the 2 crewmen into a separate squad, allowing the infantry unit to obtain a full complement of 6 men.
Whilst the second option is preferable, it is difficult to accomplish during a public game unless the APC crew and SL are utilising a 3rd party voice program such as teamspeak or mumble. I'll discuss mumble in more detail later on.
The infantry unit should maintain a standard layout; SL, Medic, Automatic Rifleman and Rifleman standard. The rifleman is an optional kit and may be interchanged to deal with certain situations (usually an anti-tank weapon), whilst the automatic rifleman should be designated as 2ic for the squad.

In Transit
Whilst moving around outside of possible areas of engagement the squad should be mounted up in the APC. If a squad member has to dismount for whatever reason the driver of the APC must be informed immediately. On arrival at a destination or objective the SL will say "Infantry dismount". Upon exiting the APC infantry must disperse to appropriate nearby cover and await further orders. Do not stay at the rear of the APC; if it needs to reverse in a hurry then you will be squashed.



Infantry provide all round cover for their Humvee transport

On Objective/In Enemy Occupied Territory
Whilst in your AO (area of operation) the infantry should be dismounted. This is for 2 reasons; firstly to provide additional all round security for the APC and secondly if the APC is taken out the infantry should survive.
In an urban environment infantry must be positioned to cover the sides and rear of the vehicle from infantry assault. This is particularly important when engaged in anti-insurgency operations.
In open environments the only instance in which infantry should be dismounted is when advancing on a target in which case the APC should be providing suppressive/covering fire from behind the advance.

Surviving a contact
The emphasis in any contact is always to achieve fire superiority over the enemy, and an APC is a highly effective tool in this regard. If contact is made the APC should engage immediately regardless if it actually has a visual. At the same time the infantry must dismount unless the enemy forces are too large/heavily equipped to be effectively engaged by the APC or the infantry. Usually the only instance of this would be contact with enemy heavy armour.
Once the enemy's position is confirmed then it is up to the individual SL as to how to procede to engage, it is usually highly situational and I won't go into detail.
Ideally however a maximum level of fire should be directed towards the enemy position by the APC and the infantry should attempt to move into a position to remove the enemy either through superior firepower, enfilading fire or CQB clearance.
It is important during an engagement for the APC to be protected at all times. The APC is the most important tool in the squad, providing heavy fire support, ammo and heavy weapons and finally an escape route for extraction if things go pear shaped.



Infantry storm an enemy occupied building whilst an APC covers

Mumble
In this type of combat, mumble comes into it's own. It can be used to coordinate with an APC crew in a separate squad, allow the APC crew to talk to each other without cluttering VOIP for the rest of the squad and allows the infantry to work as fireteams without cluttering comms for the APC. It is an extremely powerful tool in this regard and I would recommend its use at all times. At all times during combat the infantry should be able to relay information to the APC crew and vice versa.
Radio discipline is very importent and should be observed at all times by the entire squad. The basic idea is to avoid cluttering comms to the point that targets are missed or orders are not heard. To this end the APC crew are best positioned in another squad so they have their own VOIP channel. Where this is not possible, their primary means of communication should be mumble.
Infantry should be deployed in fireteams and again here mumble is useful. If all players in a squad are using mumble to talk to their buddies next to them then the SL has a clear channel to issue orders. Always remember if your SL is speaking then you should be silent.

The APC
As I have stated above the APC is the most importent component of this type of squad, it is a superb force multiplier able to drastically increase the firepower of the squad. It has everything that an infatry squad could need to both survive and to kill the enemy, and as such should be used with caution. At all times the APC must remain within close proximity (<75m) of the infantry, this is to ensure that the infantry and APC are providing mutual protection to one another and to allow the infantry a secure line of retreat if the enemy forces prove to be too great.
Whilst engaging enemy forces it is the driver's responsibility to watch to the rear of the vehicle whilst the gunner fires on the enemy. Whilst on the move, this responsibility is reversed.
If infantry with AT weapons are encountered the APC should withdraw or position itself so that it cannot be hit. The infantry must then work to a) locate the threat and b) remove the threat.



An APC covers the advance of the squad after they dismount on objective

The Infantry
If the APC is the hammer of a mechanised unit then the infantry are the sickle. The infantry are required to deal with close range fighting, seizure or destruction of objectives and protection for the APC. The primary objective for the infantry should be protecting the APC, it will keep them alive in a firefight, allow them to withdraw rapidly and help them win the vast majority of firefights that they encounter.
The infantry unit must maintain a distance of no more than 75m from the APC. Mutual support is the most efficient way for both units to operate and as such they must remain in close proximity. If enemy infantry with AT weapons are encountered it is the infantry's job to ensure that these are eliminated with minimal exposure of the APC.
The SL of a Mechanised unit has a very difficult job. He must be competent in both the fields of infantry combat and vehicle combat and must balance the 2 effectively. Above all the SL should be capable of coordinating the two sections so that they are able to support one another in an assault. Under no circumstances should the SL be manning the APC. It is imperative that the SL be on the ground, leading the infantry. This accomplishes a number of things; it allows the infantry to work more effectively (in most cases), allows rally points to be set and for the APC crew to benefit from the insight of the SL on the ground whose situational awareness should be high. The SL must be able to set fast, accurate markers to direct the APC's supporting fire.

Light Motorised Infantry
Light motorised infantry utilise vehicles other than APCs to achieve their mobile nature. These can include light transports like Humvees or Land Rover WMIKs or even transport trucks. When using these transports the same techniques apply although trucks are obviously less effective. As with APCs vehicles such as humvees can be used to increase the firepower of the squad. It is important to remember that the durability of these vehicles is far lower than an APC and also that you must ensure the full squad has proper transport. Only taking 1 humvee leaves one of your squad members on foot which is not fun, so ensure that you have enough seats to accomodate the whole squad.
Often it can be useful to combine light armoured vehicle such as a humvee with a logistics truck allowing the full squad to be transported and also allowing fast production of a firebase, as well as access to heavy weapons. When moving with this equipment a convoy tactic is important, ideally the protection vehicle (humvee) should be at the front of the convoy whilst the truck follows. This ensures the safety of the truck and also means that the enemy will meet the firepower of the humvee first.

with thanks to jigsaw-uk for this tutorial