What's the best AXIS artillery unit ?

[Lord KhaZimir]

According to you, experienced players, what's the best axis artillery unit ? I mean artillery and not rocket launchers. My experience tells me the 120mm mortar is a must have. High he value, decent rate of fire and possibility to smoke. 1600m i also a decent range for a mortar. Am i missing something ?

 

[xXSunSlayerXx]

According to you, experienced players, what's the best axis artillery unit ? I mean artillery and not rocket launchers. My experience tells me the 120mm mortar is a must have. High he value, decent rate of fire and possibility to smoke. 1600m i also a decent range for a mortar. Am i missing something ?

The problem is, not every division has access to every piece of artillery, and they also don't always need artillery for the same purpose. The 120mm is certainly potent, but in most divisions it only becomes available in phase B, where a lot of divisions have other concerns than what this unit excels at. Is it worth a deck slot? Depends™

 

[Herr_Robert]

For me, the mortar halftracks because they suit my playstyle the most (besides rocket artillery). I find that normal mortars are too vulnerable when playing against more experienced players, and I don't want to have to micromanage my artillery pieces by constantly keeping them on the move. When it comes to normal mortars, I actually prefer using the 50-60mm ones because they are cheap and have a high rate fo fire, so it's not a big deal if they are destroyed.

 

[Lord KhaZimir]

The problem is, not every division has access to every piece of artillery, and they also don't always need artillery for the same purpose. The 120mm is certainly potent, but in most divisions it only becomes available in phase B, where a lot of divisions have other concerns than what this unit excels at. Is it worth a deck slot? Depends™

You're right. Heavy mortars are mostly phase B but artillery becomes also only useful from phase B, when more and more units flood the map and nasty AT,Arty,OP start showing up. Arty can counter anything but planes so it's definitely more than a slot worth, don't you think ?

 

[dmdelor]

The different categories artillery pieces are all good for different things, but I'd agree with you that the 120mm mortars are arguably the most effective overall pieces when you can get them. They strike a really nice balance between range, power, reaction time, and endurance.

 

[xXSunSlayerXx]

You're right. Heavy mortars are mostly phase B but artillery becomes also only useful from phase B, when more and more units flood the map and nasty AT,Arty,OP start showing up. Arty can counter anything but planes so it's definitely more than a slot worth, don't you think ?

There are divisions that don't need to rely on arty to kill anything close to the front line, these divisions more often than not require arty to kill other arty and AA units instead. Mortars don't have the range for that.
Edit: I also disagree with the statement that arty only becomes useful in phase B. Some divisions rely on their phase A arty to offset f.e. their terrible phase A infantry.

 

[Max_Damage]

if we arent talking about offmaps then one of these: mortar 80mm, mortar 120mm, russian 122mm, lorraine, nebelwerfer 41. Depending on what is required and what you have.

Mortars do the best DPS but are easy food for guns with longer range.

 

[Lord KhaZimir]

There are divisions that don't need to rely on arty to kill anything close to the front line, these divisions more often than not require arty to kill other arty and AA units instead. Mortars don't have the range for that.
Edit: I also disagree with the statement that arty only becomes useful in phase B. Some divisions rely on their phase A arty to offset f.e. their terrible phase A infantry.

According to me, the purpose of artillery is to destroy things far from the front line, that's why i make difference between rocket artillery that punch a hole through front-line defenses and regular arty, that destroys enemy AA or Arty. I agree that Panzer Lehr for example relies heavily on the sole Panzerwerfer they have to survive phase A but most of the time, artillery appears in phase B. (Short-range mortars are also litteraly "just behind the front-line" weapons).

heavy mortars like 120mm have 1600m range, that's not bad i think, Imho, howitzers and SPART aren't accurate enough but i would be glad if someome makes me discover i'm wrong.

 

[Feeblezak]

Personally I like the captured 76mm ZiS-3 field gun and the 122mm M-30 howitzer.

quite rare in the German roster with only two divisions getting them I think, but the duel use aritllery/anti-tank is very useful.

 

[Gilmund]

All arty serves a purpose.
With lehr the sdkz 257 is probly the most useful in phase A, panzerwerfer excepted. I always bring it very very soon. But it's good to fire infantry or at guns then you've to bring bigger caliber. The best arty is always the better gun you may get as fast as possible with a good price/effectiveness ratio. And with good survivability.

 

[Nordhammer]

Gustav

or Dora

 

[Max_Damage]

Personally I like the captured 76mm ZiS-3 field gun and the 122mm M-30 howitzer.

quite rare in the German roster with only two divisions getting them I think, but the duel use aritllery/anti-tank is very useful.

What about zis 3 guns? I thought they are really low on HE.

 

[Nerdfish]

Gustav

or Dora

We need 800mm Gustav OP. 100HE. you aim individual shot with the OP.
XD

 

[IronHat]

What about zis 3 guns? I thought they are really low on HE.

the zis3 cost 100 pt and still out-range the 25 pdr and 105mm at 2600m.

the longer range also make the zis 3 and 122m more accurate than the 105mm and 25 pounder, as they all have the same scatter at max range, but the max range on the russian gun is higher than the max range on the 105mm and 25 pounder.

 

[Feeblezak]

What about zis 3 guns? I thought they are really low on HE.

They are but they more than make up for it in range and direct-fire anti-tank ability.

I mostly use artillery to force large pushes to fall back as opposed to inflicting any meaningful losses on the enemy. Any HE will add to the morale damage leading to pin/retreat Only when focusing on stationary anti-tank and anti-air guns do I expect the artillery to destroy the target.

The only tradeoff with the ZiS-3 and M-30 I find is the lack of smoke rounds, but the anti-tank ability more than makes up for that I feel. Always plenty of other options where smoke is needed.

 

[Nordhammer]

We need 800mm Gustav OP. 100HE. you aim individual shot with the OP.
XD

Honestly not sure what the original posters is looking for,he has narrowed the parameters to such a degree.
And given each division has different units suited to their playstyles,along with having different playstyles...

 

[Lord KhaZimir]

Honestly not sure what the original posters is looking for,he has narrowed the parameters to such a degree.
And given each division has different units suited to their playstyles,along with having different playstyles...

Actually, i started playing SD44 with huge arty micromanagement, ending with 6 guns firing in battery to any target i could see. When Eugen made supply trucks vanish from the decks, i had to totally change my strategy and started to play with actual units Since then, except 120mm mortars, i barely use arty and i'm the one pounded by enemy artillery. I tried some tubes (fk18,wespe,hummel) but they seem terribly unaccurate. I was looking for advice, if something was better than the 120mm mortar, i needed to know.