Rear Echelon Spam

[CODGUY]

I finally got this to work in a couple games. I spammed RE squads until I got 6 sqauds total the first 3 capped territory the last 3 were like my assault sqaud. I upgraded them with flame throwers and later BARs. I am amazed how well it worked once I got it down. I've only got it to work against OKW, haven't tried it against Wehrmacht yet with their MG42s.


Anyone got any pointers on this play style? Like how to equip the sqauds or use them? Any pitfalls or good counters?

[B Ranked Aura Farmer]

Replacing rifles with REs works better in team games than in 1v1s. 1v1 RE spam would only leave you bleeding MP.

In a team game, use heavy cav (for rangers) or airborne (for paratroopers/pathfinders) to support your REs. If your ballsy enough, go ahead and use recon and pray that the air drop doesn't drop two zooka men.

[Robin]

If you're using flamethrowers, and you worry about HMGs, why not mix a mortar into your build for the smoke barrage ability? Let your battle ball close the distance without the suppression factor, if you don't have the option of taking a wide flank, instead.

[mustachewarfare]

I miss being able to spam them when they were 160MP and had better vet bonus lulz

[Hungry Hungry Cho'Gath]

Originally posted by mustachewarfare:

I miss being able to spam them when they were 160MP and had better vet bonus lulz

And no damage output.

[Skullfumble]

Lol, I remember barton (OKW) vs (don't remember name) (USF). usf spammed Re with LMG, barton had no chance, he was ass whipped till 50VP left, then barton called out KT, and he barely won. Maybe I will find replay. Usf made lot's of mistakes countering KT.

RE spamming is a valid meta, but there are better metas atm.

[ShodaN]

VonIvan used that like almost all the time in Factional Showdown matches.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4rqtZZsGZY

Overall that's really nothing new.

[Thekickingturtle]

Just add a mortar, I use RE 1v1 with the MG's you get from the Calliope doctrine as well as upgrade the halftrack and get that AA gun on it. Late game I use Jackson's, AT guns, and Stuart mortar carriages. They're really strong when you have six of them and they all have MG"s

[mustachewarfare]

Originally posted by Hungry Hungry Cho'Gath:

Originally posted by mustachewarfare:

I miss being able to spam them when they were 160MP and had better vet bonus lulz

And no damage output.

RET spam is about using BAR to negate that DPS issue.

You basically overwhelm your enemy with superior map control and then use that MU and FU advantage.

And vet 1 accuracy modifier and vet 2 squad size bonus they used to have really helped this kind of approach

[B Ranked Aura Farmer]

Some good tips for early RE play:

Strum pios at best need two REs in close range to beat a strum. Two is pretty risky so I would recommend three. Volks I would say are a much great threat, since they are better at range.

For wehr, get close up grens. Hug the gren. Pioneers, however you cannot underestimate. Those MP40s will tear up your echelons. Instead send out REs in pairs or triplets. This will ensure that they will swarm any resistance they can find. Weapon crews need a mortar.

For tier two shenanigans you might encounter, consider the following:
Call in units
HMG
BARs/1919s

For me, I prefer good old rangers or paratroopers. Pathfinders if I am feeling cocky. I also go Lut with this build of REs. HMGs would prevent any PGs or any other close range unit from snuggle struggling your rears. I personally don't equip my rears with BARs or 1919s but zookas once they are of vet one. I usually have two zooka squads then let two rears die to pave way for MP income or oncoming rangers/paratroopers.

[mustachewarfare]

Originally posted by Tri-o-iwi:

Some good tips for early RE play:

Strum pios at best need two REs in close range to beat a strum. Two is pretty risky so I would recommend three. Volks I would say are a much great threat, since they are better at range.

For wehr, get close up grens. Hug the gren. Pioneers, however you cannot underestimate. Those MP40s will tear up your echelons. Instead send out REs in pairs or triplets. This will ensure that they will swarm any resistance they can find. Weapon crews need a mortar.

For tier two shenanigans you might encounter, consider the following:
Call in units
HMG
BARs/1919s

For me, I prefer good old rangers or paratroopers. Pathfinders if I am feeling cocky. I also go Lut with this build of REs. HMGs would prevent any PGs or any other close range unit from snuggle struggling your rears. I personally don't equip my rears with BARs or 1919s but zookas once they are of vet one. I usually have two zooka squads then let two rears die to pave way for MP income or oncoming rangers/paratroopers.

How do you manage to use RET as combat unit early on? They are terribly inefficient in terms of skirmish potential.

Like you said 2~3 RET is needed to repel sturmpioneer and sturmpioneer is 300 MP vs 400~600MP of RET.

[Thekickingturtle]

Originally posted by mustachewarfare:

Originally posted by Tri-o-iwi:

Some good tips for early RE play:

Strum pios at best need two REs in close range to beat a strum. Two is pretty risky so I would recommend three. Volks I would say are a much great threat, since they are better at range.

For wehr, get close up grens. Hug the gren. Pioneers, however you cannot underestimate. Those MP40s will tear up your echelons. Instead send out REs in pairs or triplets. This will ensure that they will swarm any resistance they can find. Weapon crews need a mortar.

For tier two shenanigans you might encounter, consider the following:
Call in units
HMG
BARs/1919s

For me, I prefer good old rangers or paratroopers. Pathfinders if I am feeling cocky. I also go Lut with this build of REs. HMGs would prevent any PGs or any other close range unit from snuggle struggling your rears. I personally don't equip my rears with BARs or 1919s but zookas once they are of vet one. I usually have two zooka squads then let two rears die to pave way for MP income or oncoming rangers/paratroopers.

How do you manage to use RET as combat unit early on? They are terribly inefficient in terms of skirmish potential.

Like you said 2~3 RET is needed to repel sturmpioneer and sturmpioneer is 300 MP vs 400~600MP of RET.

They obviously aren't up to par with riflemen early game, but the great thing about them is that they're five pop cap and you can have five or six of them and if they all hit vet 5 they're pretty competent at fighting engagements. Early game I usually rely on my mortar, but that's not to say the rear echelon can't hold their own

[B Ranked Aura Farmer]

Originally posted by mustachewarfare:

How do you manage to use RET as combat unit early on? They are terribly inefficient in terms of skirmish potential.

Like you said 2~3 RET is needed to repel sturmpioneer and sturmpioneer is 300 MP vs 400~600MP of RET.

Here's the thing about Rears: Their cheap, low pop cap, and fast to build. You would have three units on the field when your enemy has two (or even only has one, if your fast enough or their slow enough) when you have the backbone of the army bulletin.

The ideal situtation with rears verus strum is a monkey in the middle type situation. Have a strum chase one of the rears while a rear chases the strum. How you repel the strum depends on how you set up that engagement. The first rear would ideally grab cover and brace for the strum. As the strum gets close but not too close have the first rear run to the second. Have the second stand their ground as the first gets behind them. Remember that rears will fire faster the closer the enemy is to them. An early emplacement to hold in won't hurt, but risky if your using it as a first engagment.

While the rear can and will bleed mp, their true strength lies with how fast they get back on the field. With backbone of the army rears will reinforce fast. Sturmpioneers, on the other hand, takes an year to reinforce. Hard work trying to find engineers who are willing to be given a rifle and some clothes.

Another tactic you could do is use assault engineers with your rears. They cost as much as rifles, but make no mistake, their rears with some proper fighting gear. Use the rears to screen for the assault engineers. If the strum decides to close in, the assault engineers will make short work of them. If you want long enough (or managed to gather enough xp and went airborne) consider giving pathfinders a try. Use rears as screen, and the pathfinders will finish off the models of german squads.

As a sort of rule of thumb: retreat your rears if only two models left or less than 1/3 health left. Rears are more fragile than rifles, so they are more likely to be killed while hauling back to base than rifles are.

A lot of this boils down to knowing the capability of your units at hand. Each engagment has a fundamental question: Can my units win? If your looking at the situation at hand and the answer is no, disengage. Not worthing bleeding manpower if you are not getting anything of value out of it. A good example of this is one strum vs one conscript and one combat engineer. In order to win this engagment I can either A: Stay at range B: have the engineers distract the strum while the conscripts are shooting or C: group the combat engineer and con together and fight the strum at close range. This engagment should be unwinnable, but it is, since the person knows the capabilities of their units.

When using this strat, kubels are no threat. Carbines do more damage verus grands (for some reason) and just follow the kubel around and try to get to its back. Or better yet, fight from green cover against the kubel. Kubels usually don't last long.

[Medryn]

Originally posted by Hungry Hungry Cho'Gath:

Originally posted by mustachewarfare:

I miss being able to spam them when they were 160MP and had better vet bonus lulz

And no damage output.

No, they had better accuracy than Riflemen (and still do) and can still take double BARs. They absolutely destroyed line infantry, and at such a cheap reinforce cost, they traded up extremely well.

[Medryn]

Originally posted by Thekickingturtle:

Originally posted by mustachewarfare:

How do you manage to use RET as combat unit early on? They are terribly inefficient in terms of skirmish potential.

Like you said 2~3 RET is needed to repel sturmpioneer and sturmpioneer is 300 MP vs 400~600MP of RET.

They obviously aren't up to par with riflemen early game, but the great thing about them is that they're five pop cap and you can have five or six of them and if they all hit vet 5 they're pretty competent at fighting engagements. Early game I usually rely on my mortar, but that's not to say the rear echelon can't hold their own

Riflemen's vet bonuses used to be absolute trash, you get the 3 REs, build tank traps for uncrushable heavy cover, and you win that way.

[Thekickingturtle]

Originally posted by Lord Rahl:

Originally posted by Thekickingturtle:

They obviously aren't up to par with riflemen early game, but the great thing about them is that they're five pop cap and you can have five or six of them and if they all hit vet 5 they're pretty competent at fighting engagements. Early game I usually rely on my mortar, but that's not to say the rear echelon can't hold their own

Riflemen's vet bonuses used to be absolute trash, you get the 3 REs, build tank traps for uncrushable heavy cover, and you win that way.

Can't you just shoot the tank traps with anti-tank guns?