Counterbattery
Artillery against artillery.
Counterbattery is the duel between artillery crews: locating the enemy's guns and destroying them before they destroy yours. It makes relocation and concealment as important as firepower.
What this page teaches
- What counterbattery means
- How to locate enemy artillery
- Why relocation keeps you alive
- Concealing your own position
What counterbattery is
Counterbattery fire targets the enemy's artillery itself. Because artillery is powerful and expensive, knocking out an enemy battery can shift a whole sector.
It turns artillery into a contest between crews, not just a tool against the front.
Locating enemy artillery
Enemy guns reveal themselves through their fire, the direction shells arrive from, and scouting reports. Recon, observation, and intel work together to pinpoint a battery.
Finding the enemy guns is most of the battle.
Why relocation matters
If you can find their artillery, they can find yours. Crews that fire from one fixed spot for too long invite counterbattery and lose their gun.
Plan to displace: fire, observe, and relocate before the enemy ranges you in.
Concealing your position
Reduce your signature: use terrain and cover, avoid predictable firing patterns, and keep your battery away from obvious, mapped locations.
The artillery that survives is the one that is hard to find.
When to prioritise counterbattery
Prioritise counterbattery when enemy artillery is actively hurting your front or your own guns. When there is no enemy battery in play, those shells are better spent on the front directly.
It is a response to a threat, not a constant activity.
Related systems
Counterbattery builds on Howitzers and Spotting, and relies on Recon and Partisans and Map intel to find targets.
Firing artillery from the same fixed position for too long. A static gun is an easy counterbattery target.
Build relocation into your fire plan. Fire, check for return fire, and displace before the enemy can range your battery.