Game Manual: Intelligence (pg. 166-168)
The Command Ops 2 Game Manual (link on Discord) has a section on Intelligence that is important reading for this Tactics Talk. I will summarize the highlights here but I do encourage you to read the few pages in the book that cover the topic.
Spotting and LOS
All units check to see if they can spot enemy units and will update the markers on the map as they gather tactical intelligence. Enemy unit icons and there information displays will update throughout the battle. The Intel Filter is used to sort reports based on age. This display can be open by clicking on it's tab on the bottom left of the screen. Default is All with the other filter options being None, Current (last 5 minutes), or Recent (last hour) (pg. 45).
Intel Filter, Game Manual Pg. 46
The manual discusses Spotting and Line of Sight (LOS) which is what a unit uses for generating intel reports. LOS is defined as, "a straight line, traced from the forward edge of the spotter to the forward edge of the enemy unit." Detection is reduced by terrain and is also affected by the status of the unit being observed. A moving or firing unit is easier to spot than one that is deployed in dense woods.
The condition of the unit attempting to spot the enemy also affects the probability of detection. A spotting units ability to detect is reduced by suppression, route, movement, and resting. Poor effectiveness in the categories of cohesion, freshness, and morale also affect spotting. Furthermore, poor weather and darkness also reduce the ability of units to detect the enemy. Spotting is not reciprocal. A unit is great shape and in favorable terrain may be able to spot a retreating unit 1,000m away while remaining undetected.
Assessing a Sighting
Sighting of enemy units are rated by Age and Reliability. Both of these categories are displayed on the Force Data Display. Age is listed as Current, Recent, or the number of hours wince the units last sighting (displayed when All is selected in the Intel Filter). Reliability is displayed as Excellent, Good, Poor or Vague. Unreliable or outdated reports may have inaccuracies related to location, unit type, size, strength, and state (such as deployment status or current activity).
Sighting Age and Reliability, Game Manual Pg. 167
Reconnaissance
Current and accurate operational intelligence is crucial to winning battles in Command Ops 2. Poor tactical intelligence is better than none because it will at least provide you operational-level information on where the enemy is operating. Intelligence will be gathered through normal operations.
There are three primary types of reconnaissance (recon) that you may conduct to gather intelligence. The first, area recon, "focuses on obtaining detailed information about the terrain or enemy activity within a prescribed area" (ADRP 3-90). When you conduct an attack, with a battalion for example, the leading unit is conducting this type of recon for the parent unit. Armored companies or recon platoons make for great area recon units because of speed and firepower that allows them to effectively engage lighter units or survive run ins with other armor. I rarely conduct area reconnaissance with units larger than company.
Area recon can also transition to a screening mission. These types of missions involve a small force maintaining contact with an enemy without becoming decisively engaged. Maintain contact helps refine intelligence by increasing its reliability in addition to maintaining a good age rating. Enemies with Current ratings also make for juicy artillery targets. Sometimes a retreating or routed unit can lead you to a HQ or supply base!
The second deliberate type of recon that you are likely to engage in is recon-in-force, "a deliberate combat operation designed to discover or test the enemy’s strength, dispositions and reactions or to obtain other information" (ADRP 3‐90). Recon-in-force differs from area recon in that you want to deliberately engage with the enemy to test reactions and assess unit types. Recon-in-force on the flanks of a battle area can reveal the width of an enemy's defense or allow for a pincer/encirclement.
Recon-by-fire is the last primary type of recon. Artillery bombardments or direct fore by tanks can be used to flush out suspected enemy positions Units under heavy bombardment may retreat, enabling spotting and persecute by recon units. I heavily rely on bombardments by division and higher level indirect fire assets at the beginning of scenarios to conduct recon-by-fire to help me plan and adjust my operations.
Putting it All Together
Intelligence is a key enabler for victory. Attacking and making contact with the enemy alone is not enough to gather all of the information needed to win a battle. Deliberate actions such as recon allow you to make informed decisions. Forward recon operations also allow you to plan in advance so that you can minimize the impact of orders delay. Try working some of these tactics into your game plan and let me know what does and does not work for you.
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