1) Recce is best done slowly. Use covered approaches to a spot which gives you overview and drop your dismounts in cover. Then move them over the hill/through the village/ through the trees to observe.
(If you don't have dismounts, then the crew can get out for a ground recce - '@' key)
Recce of possible enemy positions is best done in sneaky-beaky mode and on foot.
Sitting vehicles out on an over-watching hill for recce is for defensive recce, to spot moving enemy vehicles approaching you. (And is still better done by dismounting behind the cover and putting dismounts out, assuming you will have time to run back and dismount to run away, brave sir Robin
!
2) You
ARE walking into a trap in any SP attacking battle. The enemy direction and rough starting location is already known to you, i.e. pre-game recce is really done already. The enemy is aware of you and alert. You do not have any option to bypass him and try another spot.
Therefore any force recce you have, bar some scouts walking ahead of your dismounted infantry, is really only of use as flank security in case of surprises (esp v a human player who may come forward in the defence!). Stick them on your flanks in cover, screening the approaches to your flanks. Their job is spot and run, so Jeeps or tin can APC + scout teams are just as good as expensive light tanks with all the bells and whistles.
If the enemy have TI sight missiles, then the best way to deal with them is to carpet-bomb likely firing sites in his deployment zone, and keep carpet-bombing them. And then lead with M1 or CR2 etc which are really immune to most non top-attack ATGM. Let the APCs or foot grunts follow the charge of the rhinos - who will do your recce for you and can generally shrug the HEAT warheads off, as well as any Sabot, so long as you allow him no flank shots. Again - carpet bomb any identified missile firing sites with 155mm and/or MLRS cluster weapons, and anything at all for foot ATGM teams.
(Mine plough MBT are a
very good idea to lead the rhino herd with - the plough gives the front hull a significant anti-HEAT boost, and they can clear any IED or unexploded MLRS bomblets too. CR2 MP has 183 front hull and 158 turret v Kornets 120 HEAT pen. M1A2 SEP MCBS 175/147)
No need to be subtle or pussyfoot about - you know where he is roughly, so send in the heavy bruisers while stonking him with arty.
And if you approach higher than him then he will be firing uphill at you - and when firing uphill, more turret hits scored than hull ones, so any weakness in lower front anti-HEAT armour (can be < 100 for MBT) is negated. So have some rhinos over-watching the area from a hill steeper than his area, if possible.
But best to analyse the terrain and approach through any bit that has not much LOS into it - ie go through woods or villages. He cannot fire ATGM through terrain after all!. In the case where there are lots of woods etc into his area, then a force buy of lots of cheap APC and grunts can barrel through, and dismount well into his territory and then walk to combat. (with a few big MBT lurking as support). Grunts are not bothered by Kornets.
The bottom line - 'recce' is not really needed in-game, much. At least against an AI opponent... (A human defender will not be as passive, an will put out at least a few 'spoiling' ambushes ahead of his deployment line in the first turns - if not a total mobile counter-attack to try to fall on your exposed flank/rear.)
Andy
advance to contact and ATGMs
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