Rocket barrage and why you should use it.

[The_Cook]

Basically Rockets are excellent, but maligned and not used much because commanders don't know how to use em.

Rockets are a quick powerful one hit quit attack perfect for an even slightly organized team. Have your team hold a line outside of the contested cap, lay down your mark in the center and let loose a barrage. As you hit the button tell your squad leaders to throw smoke, so by the time the rockets land the smoke is cooked and ready for a charge. This works only if you have a Microphone.

The best map to use them is with Factory.

[Sensemann]

I had the honor to play Red October Factory with the OP yesterday. Through his communication with the Squad Leaders and the team, the first objective, that's often so hard for the Russians was easily taken, because of one coordinated attack. Rockets rained down on the center of the first cap, soon after the Squad Leaders threw smoke everywhere and basically, the whole team positioned close to the capzone.

Rockets rained down, coordinated attack and the cap was taken within seconds. Great gaming!

[Colt .45 killer]

twas an honour to be there with both of you gents gettin them marks and taking lots of names. I've said good things about katushas before, but never seen them so well used as when cook was laying em down.

[lyosha]

Because Firing Katyushas - YouTube

[clambo]

All of the above - and I love the shock wave effect of the big explosions.

On Factory there are some secondary fire-y explosion effects too -
like in front of the first cap a bit to the left so you'll get the first big blast with the shock wave
and then the fireball lights up afterwards ( like it hit gas drums or something).
The rail cars come apart all over the map too. With all of the constant anti aircraft bursts in night sky -
its a map filled with "fireworks"

[Westernesse]

Actually RoF A is prob just about the perfect rocket target for 64 player servers. I'd tested it before there on 32 player, but there is going to be a lot more exposed players on 64 man so you get a better numerical advantage and you can possible get their tanks too.

I'd mainly only used them on the last cap as victory celebration/ just because we were going to win, so why not rub it in with some rockets before we cap or has a last ditch push when your out of men and the enemy as reinforcements you can sit outside of a capzone, rocket it and then rush cap it before a respawn. Alternatively, when both teams are almost out of reinforcements and you have some time, tell your team to hang back and use rockets for the numerical advantage. Rockets are pretty useful on MK, but I'm still exploring that.

[slavek]

I can vouch for rockets on MK. Similar tactic as OP. Smoke it, so team moves up naturally, launch rocket barrage and charge; Saving a force respawn is also nice for a little more punch.

[schepp himself]

I used rocket barrage just once on the mejakaneva () map. At a contested objective C my squadleaders didn't give me any good artymarkers on the flanks, so I used the one on the southernmost point of the objective. I just have read that the rocketbarrage was one powerful precise strike. So I called it out, told my team to gtfo out there two times and let lose. Lets just say I had some more points after that barrage and only one teamwound...

Greets
Schepp himself

EDIT: oh, I was inspired by this thread to use that barrage. I shunned away from it because I didn't know what to expect. So thanks OP for inspiring me!

[MeFirst]

The "problem" with the rocket strike is that you also need a team which will actually attack when the strike is going down. It does not help if you call the strike and clear a cap-zone when nobody is really going to take it. That is probably why you dont see it so often. If you have a capable team and you tell the team when to attack the cap it can be very effective.

In the Video you see how it can be pretty good on mamayev (32 server). Sadly I did not record how the cap was taken afterwards but I guess you see how it works.

Red Orchestra: Heroes Of Stalingrad - Rocket Strike - YouTube

[Paajtor]

In RL, how where these Katyushas aimed?

Each rocket individually (like a torpedo), to create a spread,....or did they just aim the entire launch-rack at the desired hight & direction, while having the rails adjusted for the spread-angle?

[stern]

Originally Posted by Paajtor

In RL, how where these Katyushas aimed?

Each rocket individually (like a torpedo), to create a spread,....or did they just aim the entire launch-rack at the desired hight & direction, while having the rails adjusted for the spread-angle?

they fired the entire salvo in one go, katyushas had about 30 rockets (15 ontop and 15 underneath) they were fixed on rail type launchers, and just fired. they were fin guided, unlike the nebelwerfers so were abit more stable in flight, however the nebelwerfers carried more of a charge (15cms and 21cms and also the 28cm cage fired type)

basically you just pointed them in the direction you wanted and fired them off, they did spread but a battery, especially of the katyushas were about 6 or more vehicles, nebels about 3-6. so you had an awful lot of rockets going down so the spreading wasnt a handicap.

the kayushas were also used in even larger batteries at the start of major offensives.

in game imo, the rocket spread should be a bit bigger, and should maybe have a few more rockets going down, but i guess swings and round abouts.

[Paajtor]

k thx

[Cpt-Praxius]

Originally Posted by Sensemann

I had the honor to play Red October Factory with the OP yesterday. Through his communication with the Squad Leaders and the team, the first objective, that's often so hard for the Russians was easily taken, because of one coordinated attack. Rockets rained down on the center of the first cap, soon after the Squad Leaders threw smoke everywhere and basically, the whole team positioned close to the capzone.

Rockets rained down, coordinated attack and the cap was taken within seconds. Great gaming!

I do that every time I play that map.... if there's bots, I order them to follow me where I'm by the radio so they don't wander off into ground zero and giving me TK's... and I tell the rest of my team that I am calling in Rockets on sector whatever and to hold back.

I target the centre of the building and let them rip..... as the last rocket is coming down I order everybody to attack and I, with the bots following me, flank left and sweep through and under that 2nd floor area where Germans love to camp & shoot my team as they run through the centre.

Rockets are very effective but have a horrible cool down time.... most people use the mortars and arty due to a shorter cool down time, but if you're targeting a building or area with a lot of cover, you don't get many enemies as they'll just hunker down.

But with Rockets, it doesn't matter what cover they hide under, whether they're in a building or not.... the Rockets will wipe anything out in it's attack area, making it easy to ensure most of the defenders are no longer there, or of they are, there's not many of them, so you can flush the remaining defenders out with your dominate man power (while they're waiting for the rest of their team to respawn and run back to help them.)

Rockets are also great for those camping tanks you find from time to time who are chewing up your team, as the damage they cause to the tank is much more than mortars and arty, thus they sometimes have enough time to get out of the blast area.... with Rockets, they don't have much of a chance.

But other times, like Com's House.... if the Germans are just constantly coming wave after wave, preventing you from getting to objectives, well placed mortars are the way to go, as they last a long time via more volleys and can easily cut off their back up as they rain down.... that and the cool down timer is the shortest, so in another couple of minutes you can lob more mortars at them as you advance to the next objectives.... making it really easy to take the map as Russian.

I called rockets on a camping Panzer IV over the weekend and although by the time they started to come down the PIV already moved off... the spread of the rockets was still wide enough for me to blow them up, along with a few other germans as bonus.

Funny thing is, later on when I was playing that map again, I was in a T34 chewing up the Germans and we were at the last cap. I camped a bit in one spot and suddenly I hear the sounds of rockets coming in..... I thought to myself "well, those would be for me" so I switched to the driver and took off with rockets raining down all around me.... three exploded right in front of me and I went "OH SH*T!" and veered left 180 degrees as more rained down around me..... I heard my crew in the tank screaming "THEY HIT THE FRONT! GET US OUT OF HERE!!!" and zigged zagged back and forth.....

Surprisingly I survived..... I checked my tank damage indicator in the left..... Nothing.... not a scratch!

So I of course HAD to rub that in the German Commander's face by typing "lol.... no damage to my tank" That was sweet..... though I doubt I'd ever be able to pull that ballet off again, dodging rockets.