I did a JANUS ex with the RCD this past weekend, and it has me thinking about some of these things.
I don't want to give too much away about the ex itself, but the nutshell summary is that it was a Regimental-level advancing screen three squadrons up. Each squadron had a Coyote troop and two GWagon troops, and we had routes to clear and a series of points to investigate.
The ex itself was outstanding; difficult terrain, complex ROEs, and a "new reality" OPFOR, not just the usual Motor Rifle Regiment. It really stretched the SHQs and the troop leaders.
I had one of the GWagon troops, and had a couple of interesting things happen:
1) Clearing a bridge as a troop level obstacle. I've got E Ptl with their vehicles on the near side and their dismounts on the far side. I push C Ptl over the obstacle with HQ Ptl following (2 callsigns - 8 car troop) One bound up from the bridge, 32C makes contact with a lone OPFOR armed with an RPG-18 (or maybe RPG-16?) maybe 400m to his north, in a woodline. ROE prohibits engaging unless fired upon, so my plan is to pull A Ptl across the bridge and then leave E Ptl as a piquet. In the meantime, everybody else is placed at what I think is extreme range for the RPG, pointy end towards enemy and covering, until I can get A Ptl across. Then the contact lights up 32C and we all open up on him. He is supressed pretty quickly, but he doesn't go full K until I bring a couple of callsigns up close - at which point his buddy with an RPK (previously unseen) lights up 32G.
I figure the woodline is probably infested with them and pull back to get enough distance to safely call in a fire mission, and then 39 shows up in his Coyote and takes care of business.
2) I go into an all-around defence around the smoldering hulks of 32C and 32G so 39C can come forward with the MRT and recover them and evac casulties & PWs. While this is going on, 33 (the other GW troop) who had been held in reserve, takes over the route from me and carries on. I detatch A Ptl to escort 39C back to the ECP, re-org, and follow along behind 33.
3) 33 makes contact with another RPG - who again doesn't fire - and leaves a Ptl to piquet. Then a battery of the guns rolls right over the contact (long story, don't ask) and the contact lights up two of the guns. 33's Ptl joins in to assist, and Rambo lights both of them up.
4) I move up and take up observation of Rambo, with the intent of re-establishing contact and then calling in fire. But my fire mission is scrubbed, and we really want Rambo dead (one guy with an RPG!) so I set up a 4-car assault with 1 car in the firebase and three line abreast behind a crest. I figure that 4 C6s ought to supress Rambo and then we can roll over him to finish the job. Rambo is supressed, I surround him, and then he un-supresses himself and lights up all four of my GWagons in about 30 seconds. (!) Two of these are stone cold dead, two are MF kills where the crew is OK but they can't move or shoot. Whoops.
This sequence made the AAR.
5) On a whim - and because I'm really pissed now - I dismount the observers from the MF kills and in SECONDS they have K-ed Rambo
6) We ENDEX for the day shortly thereafter, and we have a little Sqn-level AAR to talk about successes and not-so-sucesses. It is generally agreed that GWagons make shitty tanks, that the C6 is not working to supress/kill contacts very well, where the Coyotes *are* very successful - as are dismounts, apparently.
7) On the morrow, the plan is that I will take command of a composite troop consiting of the remains of 32 and 33, but overnight any of my callsigns who hadn't been recovered by 39C are reconstituted, and so I wind up with a 4 GWagon troop (with 4 more in the workshop being repaired - I would get 2 of these back before ENDEX) Given that I'm a little understrength, I'l track the route while the other two troops handle the point recces.
8) Halfway through a long E-W leafy defile, I make contact with another lone RPG. This time, the lead callsign (32B) fucks off forward while the supporting callsign drops back into cover. This saves both callsigns, but leaves the troop cut in half and out of contact. I dismount all the observers, and ticky-tack them back through the woods until we make contact. The contact tries to move north; I cut him off with a dismount. He tries to move south, I cut him off with another dismount. I now have him surrounded at all 4 cardinal points about 100m away. He opens up but is quickly smacked by the dismounts - no casulties!
9) On the far side of the defile, another RPG contact. This time everybody scatters into cover and scampers out of range, while a Coyote comes forward and engages. While that's going on, I creep everybody into extreme C6 range and provide covering fire (I'm afraid he'll un-supress and smoke the Coyote) That works - and forms the pattern for all subsequent contacts - GWagon makes contact, flees, re-establishes contact at extreme range, Coyote comes forward and engages, GWagon provides support.
10) In the AAR, we learn that two of the other squadrons actually broke up their Coyote troop, giving a Ptl of Coyotes to each GWagon troop in exchange for a Ptl of GWagons, and that having the extra firepower on call and integral to the troop worked very well - and I agree.
Now, conclusions (given that this is a JANUS ex and not necessarily indicative of the real world)
1) Even with a roof hatch and the C6 on the pintle, a GWaqon makes a crappy assault vehicle, and he who tries to use it as such will see them brewed up.
2) Given that the vehicle cannot sustain any direct fire, the best way to handle contacts in a GWagon-only troop is to fall back into cover and dismount observers who then winkle forward on foot, staying unseen.
3) Given the reliance on dismounts, I'm starting to think that having 2 observers per GWagon would be VERY useful. That'd make the GWagon troops have the same man count as the Coyote troops - but a Ptl would have a section- to play with, and a full troop almost a full platoon - not that they'd be employed as a full platoon very often, but it gives a troop leader a LOT more flexibility, and (according to JANUS at least) can be very effective. If we're going to be doing more of this Cavalry stuff in the future, it's something I'd strongly recommend.
4) A GWagon troop with a couple of attached Coyotes is MUCH MUCH more survivable and powerful than a pure GWagon troop. Coyotes may not be as good as the GWagon when it comes to making first contact without being seen as the GWagon is, but once you make contact, and ESPECIALLY if the enemey is shooting at you, Coyotes are much better at self defence.
5) JANUS rocks. There was a whole lotta learning going on (just the interaction with 39C on casulty& PW recovery was golden) and it was GREAT to be able to try different things to see how they work (or don't) without fucking troops over in the process.
DG
