Comet or firefly against late game Axis armor

Just nitpicking here. Some of the things you mention have been fixed/addressed with the most recent patch. Your mileage might vary.

Comet:
Comet is an expensive good all rounder tank but has a few issues:
- It has a habit of missing often, making it a bit of an RNG machine. Sometimes it does amazing against inf and tanks, sometimes bugger all. May have to do with the comets lack of a projectile.

The Comet projectile issue has been ninja-fixed. This is one of the unsung heroes of the February 25 patch
I haven't used the Comet much since the patch, thus I can't comet on its accuracy (which was previously affected by the missing projectile)

- The smoke shells have excellent utility and really make the comet shine, the problem is the ability bugs out when its needed most, sometimes making a complete mess of things. White phosphorous shells can stop a schrek blob in their tracks, so be generous when sharing with the axis.

Just like most bugged abilities, make it a habit of hitting "Stop" right before activating the ability (then you can keep moving as the canon rotates). Works 80% of the time.

- The grenade ability while useful, should not be relied upon or be used in a situation that puts the tank at risk. It does a small amount of aoe and often fails to kill the weapon crew its aimed at. Churchill on the other hand has a nuclear powered grenade which is good at wiping out most things (and currently its only useful feature). Not tried a comet since latest patch so I’m not sure if the ability still bugs out.

Comet and Churchill grenades have been rebalanced (that short line in the bug subsection of the notes).
- Currently, both Comet and Churchill nades are identical (both resemble Rifleman nade stats iirc)
- Previously, Comet nades were the weakest nades in the game -- worse than Shock nades
- Previously, Churchill nades were best nades in the game; better than Light gammon bombs.

Thus, another advantage of the Churchill lost (face it, you won't use Comet nades much with the OP WP shells).

- If you insist on going for comet spam (not recommended at all – better to have a mixed armour force) then go for a commander with vehicle repair and smoke ability. Really makes a difference at keeping your force going.

Either that, or get 2 Sappers to Vet2 (they gain increased repair speed; something that's NOT affected by the vetbug). Also get 5-man squads (25% more models = 25% faster repair). Best way to gain Vet? PIATs.

Thanks for the update on the changes with the patch, Mr. Smith!

I'm intrigued to see how much of a difference the projecticle change will make for RNG Comet.

I would realy love the Comet more if its smoke shell abilities worked first time, everytime. I'd have to remember your advice for next time though.

Seems there really is no reason to build a Churchill and more reason for the Comet - oh well...

Don't forget that going Hammer tactics makes it so that whenever a you deal damage to a vehicle, it's now spotted for about 10 seconds instead of the normal 2-3 seconds. This comes in handy if you are going for Fireflys and don't plan on building comets any time soon.

Don't forget that going Hammer tactics makes it so that whenever a you deal damage to a vehicle, it's now spotted for about 10 seconds instead of the normal 2-3 seconds. This comes in handy if you are going for Fireflys and don't plan on building comets any time soon.

That's also true. Scoring a hit with the enemy will keep the enemy marked for about 10 seconds (enough to get a 2nd hit with a Firefly). However, hitting a marked enemy will NOT refresh the mark (Thus, you will still require a spotter).

Another thing about the grenades. Turns out that they are still a bit too strong. Their damage profile is like normal (Rifleman) grenades, but their AoE radius is 25% bigger. This is a VERY far cry from the Churchill nuclear nades though.

(btw, shouldn't this thread be in one of the State Office strategy subsections?)

However, hitting a marked enemy will NOT refresh the mark (Thus, you will still require a spotter).

Are you sure about that? Maybe it's just with tank fire, or maybe it was patched? In fact I had a guy accuse me of map hacks a while ago because my mortar pit kept tagging his Tiger. He apparently was too dumb to move it out of range of my mortar pit, but he kept relocating it and my mortar pit would keep hitting it even though I never refreshed my vision.

IMO the combo of Churchills backed by 6pdrs (or a Firefly) is still very effective.

Are you sure about that? Maybe it's just with tank fire, or maybe it was patched? In fact I had a guy accuse me of map hacks a while ago because my mortar pit kept tagging his Tiger. He apparently was too dumb to move it out of range of my mortar pit, but he kept relocating it and my mortar pit would keep hitting it even though I never refreshed my vision.

I once tried it out with a Firefly and Churchill vs a King Tiger in cheatmod. This was right before the 25 Feb patch, and it worked exactly as I described.

I have never taken the time to notice this behaviour on the live, however. I do know that, sometimes, spotting abilities bug, however *cough* IR Halftruck *cough*, and you gain permanent vision of your enemy.

Having said that, I had NO idea that this could work with a mortar pit. Could it be that the mark expired while the mortar shell was still airborne? (thus, when the shell hit, the mark was refreshed?).

Could it be that the mark expired while the mortar shell was still airborne? (thus, when the shell hit, the mark was refreshed?).

I bet that's it.

Actually, I forgot to mention the MOST important aspect in armoured engagements: ALWAYS focus on Command Tanks first.

Everybody raves on about how OST & OKW TDs seem to be so potent in large games. This is nothing compared to how OP aura-stacking becomes when the size of the game scales up.

Command Panzer IV:

Features:
- This tank gives FREE -20% damage reduction (i.e., +25% HP) to all allied units nearby
- The tank is also affected by its own aura
- Its main cannon is quite good vs infantry-based attacks; thus, if heavy TDs are also present, you need to double-up on your infantry-held AT.
- Is cheap enough to be easily replaceable. Thus, you can't pull decent armour trades for this tank.

Counters:
- Try to use Tulips on the Command Panzer to take it down, or scare it off the main engagement
- Don't try to Tulip other targets near the Command Panther (Tulips will deal reduced damage due to Aura).

vs Command Panther:

Features:
- Comes with a Mark target ability (+50% damage). Thus, keep any slow moving targets (Churchills, Centaurs) safe in the rear
- At Vet2, the Command Panther also benefits from the standard Panther Vet2, which gives it extra HP and Armour.
- The aura has an insane range, and its buffs start getting progressively ridiculous at Vet3.
- If the Command Panther ever makes it to Vet3, there is no coming back. You have lost the game. GG.
- Did I mention that the buffs also affect all allied units in the vicinity?

Counters:
- Try to deny Veterancy to this unit as much as you can.
- This means no mass-Cromwell pushes unless you can guarantee 100% that the Command Panther will go down.
- It also means that you should keep slow-moving units (e.g., Churchills/Centaurs well in the rear). Damage debuff = fast Vet for panther.
- The Panther can easily outrun PIATs. Thus, you really need to eliminate all support for the Panther before you can move in with Fireflies + Tulips.

Thus, in a combined arms push:
1. Your first priority is to deny the Command Panzer IV buff to the enemy army.
2. Secondary priority is to deny veterancy to Command Panther
3. Then, start working your way in to the enemy's heavy TDs with your PIATs
4. Finally, and once the coast is clear, see if you can destroy the Command Panther.

Thats some excellent advice on the some of the less known terrors of the axis late game.

I have only rarely encountered the command panther and P4 working together and every time has been a total nightmare. Powerful combination of buffs to powerful tanks really do stack the odds against the Allies and its usually only the good axis players who do this.

To be honest I don't know what to do in such situations and usually resort to desperation tactics like attacking the base sector directly.

I've not seen a discussion topic about how to counter the command P4 and Panther combo so I've yet to discover sage adivce on what options are available (other than what you mentioned).

Thus, in a combined arms push:
1. Your first priority is to deny the Command Panzer IV buff to the enemy army.
2. Secondary priority is to deny veterancy to Command Panther
3. Then, start working your way in to the enemy's heavy TDs with your PIATs
4. Finally, and once the coast is clear, see if you can destroy the Command Panther.

What if the command tank stay behind a wall of heavier tanks?
I would like to know your opinion because that's how I often use it.

What if the command tank stay behind a wall of heavier tanks?
I would like to know your opinion because that's how I often use it.

Aura-stacking works a bit like the Advanced Emplacement Regiment. It might eventually get balanced for 1vs1/2vs2. However, in bigger team games, it is extremely abusive (on the level of pre-nerf Arty Cover). To counter it, this requires:
- A coordinated attacking team.
- A defending team that drops the ball and creates an opportunity for the attacking team.
- Unlike emplacements, Command Tanks can move and buff allied armies at the other side of the map, if needed. Still, they are unable to teleport, though.

From a strategic-level:
- Just veto all maps that are narrow (e.g., Red Ball Express, Rails and Metal), have chokepoints (March over Rhine?) or have an abundance of mud (Chateau de luv-nest, General Poop)
- Use recon to locate the enemy tank and coordinate with your team to gank up together on the other side of the map
- This way you indirectly deny Aura presence/Veterancy to the Command Tanks
- If the enemy holds 2 VPs and won't move, try to harass their base structures (minesweepers!).
- As the Command Tank moves from one side to the other, you are banking on pathing issues to pop up so that you can pick it off in an ambush.

If, for some reason, vetoes don't work / you can't coordinate with your teammates. I use these tricks:
- Tulips can penetrate buildings. This is useful for denying the Command Panzer IV, which is usually left immobile behind a building
- Otherwise, you really need PIAT commandos, so that you can sneak in. If you get them to vet3 before the raid, they are basically unkillable on retreat.
- If affordable, drop an off-map on the retreat path of the enemy targets to box them in (and force them to commit).
- You need to mind enemy recon abilities.
- Also, make sure you have some AA / minesweepers for that final push.
- Yes, this still requires your enemy to overextend & commit a mistake