Combat Mission status

[JudgeDredd]

Does anyone know why my Mark Mines command is disabled? What exactly do I have to do to get it enabled?

[Pete Dero]

Does anyone know why my Mark Mines command is disabled? What exactly do I have to do to get it enabled?

I think only engineers can mark minefields and the Mark Mines move order is only available when the engineers have actually detected the mines and are next to the minefield.

[Jarhead0331]

It may be a bug. I think presently you need to drive over one before your engineers can mark them.

[IronX]

Pete is right. Only engineers can mark mines. They need to detect them first - so move with caution. Once marked, other units can move through, albeit slowly.

[MOS:96B2P]

As Pete Dero said the Mark Mines move order is only available after the mines have been detected and the engineers are next to the minefield. 

Below is my SOP for first safely locating a minefield and then marking the minefield.  Granted you must have a suspicion a minefield is in a certain area before you go through these steps.  This suspicion is typically provided by a hint in the briefing and/or likely choke points on the avenue of advance or sometimes by a detonation  :o.   

1. Split Team to divide Eng. squad into 2 teams. Generally no AT or Scout teams.
2. Provide security for the engineer teams.  Consider a smoke screen.
3. Give Engineer teams a 32m 360 Target Arc.
4. 1st Team Slow & identifies mines. 2nd Team Slow behind 1st & Mark Mines.
5. Slow 1st Team into suspected minefield with 15 second pauses every A/S.
6. 2nd Team Mark Mines when minefield is identified.
7. Slow for follow on forces to cross marked minefield. (Appx. 1min per A/S)
8. Buddy aid demo charges from casualties. 
Notes: 1) Place a waypoint every action spot.  2) Can mark from adjacent A/S. Appx. 2-3 minutes per A/S. A yellow sign with skull & crossbones = Marked A/S.

[JudgeDredd]

It may be a bug. I think presently you need to drive over one before your engineers can mark them.

That was what I experienced. The only time the Mark Mines order became available was when one is found. The manual isn't clear on that. Somewhere I read said you can get them to mark mines within a "square" of the mine marker

[MOS:96B2P]

Yep.  If you put engineers next to an identified minefield (red signs) the Mark Mines command will be available.  They can then Mark Mines and the sign will change from red to off white/yellow, after marking, depending on the CM title (the Eng. will then crawl into the minefield after marking).  This movement can be cancelled allowing you to Mark Mines from an adjacent action spot.  I don't bother with this adjacent marking.  I just use the above SOP.   

Marking mines is only useful to help infantry to navigate a mixed or AP minefield.  Infantry will not set off AT mines so can walk across anyways.  Marking mines does not matter for vehicles.  They will almost always (like 95%) set off mines if the minefield is Marked or not.  AP mines will destroy soft skin vehicles and damage tracks on armor.  AT mines destroy all vehicles.       

Of course if you have Combat Mission Battle for Normandy you can actually clear mines if the scenario provides the tools. 

 

[jomni]

What about IEDs?

[JudgeDredd]

BOOM!

[JudgeDredd]

Yep.  If you put engineers next to an identified minefield (red signs) the Mark Mines command will be available.

That's what I'm saying though. I had my engineers by the mine field and no matter their position, the Mark Mines was disabled. It only became available when a vehicle was hit...almost like the mines marker meant nothing until it was confirmed by a vehicle being blown.

Marking mines does not matter for vehicles.  They will almost always (like 95%) set off mines if the minefield is Marked or not.

Also - that might be ok for WWII, and I wasn't an engineer, but I'd imagine modern engineers can clear AT mines.

Looking at the first scenario in Task Force Thunder, I imagine the commander would be like "There's one way round this berm - and it's likely mined. Either give me AT Mine clearing kit or get ready to foot the bill for a couple of M1s" 

[JudgeDredd]

As Pete Dero said the Mark Mines move order is only available after the mines have been detected and the engineers are next to the minefield. 

Below is my SOP for first safely locating a minefield and then marking the minefield.  Granted you must have a suspicion a minefield is in a certain area before you go through these steps.  This suspicion is typically provided by a hint in the briefing and/or likely choke points on the avenue of advance or sometimes by a detonation  :o.   

1. Split Team to divide Eng. squad into 2 teams. Generally no AT or Scout teams.
2. Provide security for the engineer teams.  Consider a smoke screen.
3. Give Engineer teams a 32m 360 Target Arc.
4. 1st Team Slow & identifies mines. 2nd Team Slow behind 1st & Mark Mines.
5. Slow 1st Team into suspected minefield with 15 second pauses every A/S.
6. 2nd Team Mark Mines when minefield is identified.
7. Slow for follow on forces to cross marked minefield. (Appx. 1min per A/S)
8. Buddy aid demo charges from casualties. 
Notes: 1) Place a waypoint every action spot.  2) Can mark from adjacent A/S. Appx. 2-3 minutes per A/S. A yellow sign with skull & crossbones = Marked A/S.

I only just saw this, so I'm going to try this on the first scenario again - see if it works.

[MOS:96B2P]

What about IEDs?

Unfortunately IEDs cannot be safely located or marked.  However a triggerman needs to be close enough to the IED to detonate it.  Also the game AI (triggerman) needs to see OpFor in the kill zone to know to detonate.  So one of the best counters for an IED is smoke.  When going through a choke point or somewhere I think is a good spot for an IED I deploy smoke.  Even if the triggerman is still alive he can't see the unit moving through the kill zone so he does not detonate.  Depending on the ROE hosing down likely triggerman locations is also helpful.  Below is some general information on IEDs. 

In CMSF there are four sizes of IED: small, medium, large & huge. There are three types of IED: Wire 100m, 10% failure / Radio 300m, requires LOS to activate, 20% failure / Cell phone 600m, 10% failure. IED teams consist of the bomb and the triggerman.  To work the IED must be activated and the triggerman in range (if radio LOS also) and not panicked with an undamaged trigger device.  If this criteria is met when the triggerman observes OpFor enter the Action Spot (adjacent AS for huge or large device) the device will detonate.  (The triggerman will not detonate the IED unless he can spot OpFor next to it.)  An IED can be activated and detonated by any triggerman.  Example: A Wire triggerman can activate and/or detonate a cell or radio IED. 

Four sizes of IED:

[JudgeDredd]

That technique didn't work at all. No mines were sighted and I lost two vehicles

Also - how do you do a 360 arc? I could only get a 180 arc

[Pete Dero]

That technique didn't work at all. No mines were sighted and I lost two vehicles

I believe putting engineers next to the suspected minefield for a few minutes will make them detect the mines without somebody or something blowing up.

[Yskonyn]

That technique didn't work at all. No mines were sighted and I lost two vehicles

I believe putting engineers next to the suspected minefield for a few minutes will make them detect the mines without somebody or something blowing up.

Engineers need a few minutes to scan the area and spot mines.