Certainly on Arad or BDJ- where your flanks are secure from enemy tanks- I could see a slight value in having such a 'firebase' available. However, on Arad such a vehicle would simply dominate either field; and on BDJ the only option for employment is on the spawn end of South Flank (North Flank is simply too hilly for sighting)- but the sight distances make it no more effective at long range than the much more mobile (and turreted) Tiger. To balance things out, the Ivans would need a number of IS-2's on BDJ- something I doubt many German tankers would consider a decent trade!
As for the comparison with the StuG, I'm not so sure the premise is sound. After all, the StuG is much smaller and certainly more maneuverable than the Ferdinand/Elefant, and with a much higher rate of fire. Note that with the larger round size of the F/E's gun, reloading would take even longer than the Tiger- possibly even slower than an IS-2. The much slower rate of fire, combined with their relative immobility, makes them big fat targets in my book- any Ivan tanker worth his borscht is going to hit the gas and flank them. To counter this, the Germans would of necessity have to detail some tanks for screening, but in doing so THEY are going to be the focus until they're out of the way, then the F/E's are next- and the expense of guarding the F/E's isn't- in my book- worth the return.
There are two realistic places on Orel (to use the map example) where the F/E's could be employed: East Field, firing across the river to block the South Lake bridge, or West Field to either block the West Field Bridge or take South Lake itself under fire. I'll give my take on both:
East Field: F/E's take up positions near the river to gain a decent field of fire on the approach to South Lake; Ivans flank wide across the river out of sight and pop up at 2-300 meters= dead or dying Elefants. Ivans take East Heights and rain down fire on soft topside armor= dead or dying Elefants.
West Field: F/E's take up positions west of the cap zone to overlook WF bridge/South Lake; Ivans either flank them from South Lake or avoid them completely by swinging wide on the approach to South Lake bridge. OR Ivans come out of South Lake en masse and overwhelm the F/E's in the field. Either counter-tactic can be supplemented by fire from the Heights, assuming the Germans send a sizeable escort for the F/E's, thus leaving key cap zones relatively unsecure.
The Heights on Orel, while providing the best observed fields of fire, are untenable as the Ivans can speed up the slopes under the F/E's guns while they are in the middle of a sloowwww reload cycle (not to mention being able to slip in while the F/E's might not be able to depress enough to engage).
OTOH, F/E's could conceivably be useful IF sighting distances were dramatically increased and optics upgraded to reflect actual capabilities. Thus, BDJ gets coverage from F/E's stationed on the rise behind forward spawn (for either Flank), and Orel gets coverage from F/E's stationed on the rise behind the Axis East Field bridges. Any farther forward on either map risks imminent flanking and destruction.
CONCLUSION: "Nice to have" as an option, but not a cost-effective weapons system in the field.
gimie one of those on arad or bdj, watch me keep back an extra 200 - 500 meters then you would ususaly do with a tiger, watch me smack the shizzle out of russian tanks with impunity because all they can do is shoot me frontal armor!
its like the stug really, everone thinks it ****s, yet if you match up some really good tankers in stugs versus ruskie team of t34'76s, those 76s are gonna get owned, grouped stugs can put out such a volume of fire, that i would bet my money for 4 stugs defending the ruins against 6 t34's rolling down west field road, in the first volley, assuming for 2 misses, the russians would be down 2 tanks. by the time they realise where the fire is coming from, angle and turn their turrets, another volley of 6 rounds will have been fired, that would atleast take out 1 t34, theyr at 3, now assuming for 2 misses again .. 1 stug is damaged veruses 2 t34s, and seeing as a t34 reloads at half the time of a stug.. you get the idea, all the t34s are soon burning recks...
