light tanks

[LevV]

I am still puzzled to understand value of some units or their purpose in game. Obvious unit class that raises a lot of questions – AT, though it has separate topic for discussion.
Today’s guest – light tanks.
In early war their role is more or less understandable due to the lack of alternative, nevertheless they are already terrible. From 1941 until 1943 every nation has option for something sturdy enough, be it Pz3, Pz4, T34, KV, Churchill. However light tanks were still produced and even further developed. Is it the game system that has no room for those or is it me that I don’t know how to use them?
Pz2
T-60 - T-70
M3 - M5
Crusader, Valentine, Cromwell

How do you use those?

[Locarnus]

Light tanks often make decent recon units.
Though I think in vanilla PzC the soviet lights were not in the recon class.

Those British tanks you listed are more like medium tanks in terms of weight, comparable to Pz III (and especially the Valentine is far too slow compared to usual light tanks).

Haven't played without mods for a long time though...

[MaxF]

Recon units are much more valuable.
It would be nice that the LIght Tanks could have at least 1 hex secondary movement like Recon units have, to express their mobility. Given the same mobility as the other Tanks it makes them only a weak/cheap unit.

Since they're cheap and cannot hold up the front-line you can use them differently
1) keeping them with low exp, with 1 star maximum. Eventually if they survive several battles and gain a hero you can begin to build exp and or upgrade it to a better tank - especially a brand new tank.
2) building exp. Since they cost less keepin' up with elite replacements, you will have a ( light) tank with high exp and high killing count very soon

(I do this with units of any class, for example I have now a Marder III H in 1944, that with 2 stars can still do something, taking some loss to let the big guys hit without losing their overstrenght prestige.)

[LevV]

Recon units are much more valuable.
It would be nice that the LIght Tanks could have at least 1 hex secondary movement like Recon units have, to express their mobility. Given the same mobility as the other Tanks it makes them only a weak/cheap unit.

Since they're cheap and cannot hold up the front-line you can use them differently
1) keeping them with low exp, with 1 star maximum. Eventually if they survive several battles and gain a hero you can begin to build exp and or upgrade it to a better tank - especially a brand new tank.
2) building exp. Since they cost less keepin' up with elite replacements, you will have a ( light) tank with high exp and high killing count very soon

(I do this with units of any class, for example I have now a Marder III H in 1944, that with 2 stars can still do something, taking some loss to let the big guys hit without losing their overstrenght prestige.)

thats pretty much what i think. they should either be faster or have higher visibility range to have any use.
i dont play much single campaign any more, but as much as i played it before i always had more than enough money to just have a better a stronger tank for any task. maybe if like in PC2 it would take less slots in core that could be another option also.
in multiplayer i think any kind of infantry is more sustainable and versatile. basically light tanks only little bit better then infantry in open terrain. any other combination is deadly. meanwhile infantry is good in protecting and taking victory points as 99% of them are closed terrain. and infantry with APC is way more mobile also (APC could have +1 visibility also, btw)

[Locarnus]

Recon units are much more valuable.
It would be nice that the LIght Tanks could have at least 1 hex secondary movement like Recon units have, to express their mobility. Given the same mobility as the other Tanks it makes them only a weak/cheap unit.

thats pretty much what i think. they should either be faster or have higher visibility range to have any use.

I went with phased recon movement and recon vision range in my Addon mod.
Also a bit higher defense at the expense of some rate of fire when switched to recon instead of tank class.

i dont play much single campaign any more, but as much as i played it before i always had more than enough money to just have a better a stronger tank for any task. maybe if like in PC2 it would take less slots in core that could be another option also.

I'm pretty sure many modded single player campaigns address those recon balancing issues (mine does for Africa Corps).

[PeteMitchell]

Sometimes it makes sense to keep them in a (tank) group, if you expose them individually, it becomes difficult. If you have team up, they can be of more value and it is less risky.

[LevV]

Sometimes it makes sense to keep them in a (tank) group, if you expose them individually, it becomes difficult. If you have team up, they can be of more value and it is less risky.

can you hint an example of such theoretical situation?
i think if this game was more focused on logistics (easier to get light tanks around) and/or if players for the most part had under-strength units (cant reinforce just any time in open field) light tanks could be a good help. otherwise they seem serving a decoration purpose.

[PeteMitchell]

I would say on some of the later maps in the East and also in BE by McGuba, if you group up/have them operate in groups, then light tanks can contribute... but this may depend on play style as well.

Regardless, individual tanks are always more vulnerable no matter what.

[bondjamesbond]

What are light tanks for?
There are two main areas in which light tanks have an undeniable advantage over MBTs. The first is sea landing operations, for which light floating tanks are quite appropriate. The second is operations in inaccessible mountainous terrain without a developed road network. For such conditions, the tank does not necessarily have to be amphibious, but preferably lighter than an OPV to ensure cross-country capability over weak soils and light bridges. Both of these areas were important from the point of view of the Soviet military and political leadership and the RKKA command. For both applications, the Soviet Army had the appropriate combat vehicles. The amphibious T-40 was based on the Soviet T-37 A floating tank



https://warfront.info/ww2_amphibious_vehicles/