Flanking

Flanking is an important real-world tactic that frequently goes underused in Call of War. The core idea of flanking is to avoid opposing armies by cutting around or over them. There are a number of ways to do this, each with different advantages and disadvantages that work better or worse in different situations. The purpose of this article is to explain how to flank effectively. Reading this will not instantly make you a flanking master ( :[ ) but it will provide you with the tools to flank more skillfully.

## Flanking Terminology

**Bottleneck:** a region (group of provinces) that can only be entered/exited through one province without provoking a neutral nation.

**Encirclement:** the act of completely surrounding an army, so that all of the provinces that it can access are controlled by enemy or neutral units.

**Flanking:** bypassing an army without engaging it in combat.

**Interception:** the cutting off of a flanking army through another army engaging it in combat.

**Rush:** a group of strategies based on rapid invasions and taking over the enemy heartland as quickly as possible. Also known as "blitzkrieg". Flanking is often very useful in rush strategies.

## Flanking Methods

### Basic Flanking

The most basic method of flanking is to simply move your army around that of an opponent. This allows you to avoid entering combat with the enemy units very easily. Like most flanking methods, you most be able to see your opponent's army. In order the carry out the flank, move your troops in a vague half-circle shape through provinces not controlled by enemy units.

The main advantage of this technique is that it is very easy and intuitive. It is also applicable in a reasonably large number of situations, and almost any troops can carry it out (although fast ones are less likely to be intercepted). However, basic flanking also carries with it a number of disadvantages. It cannot be used in a bottleneck, where there are no available provinces to dodge through. It also can be rendered impossible simply through the creation of a continous front line. Furthermore, it is generally quite easy to intercept the flanking units, and the defending troops do not have to move as far. In situations where these issues make basic flanking impossible, one of the other methods may be more appropriate.

#### Amphibous Flanking

Sometimes the only way to use basic flanking on an opponent's land armies is to make use of convoys and travel by sea. This is similar to basic flanking, but it is neccessary to factor in embarkment and disembarkment times, and it is advisable to escort the convoys with defensive ships such as Destroyers and Cruisers. Otherwise, the method is pretty much the same.

#### Chain Flanking

Chain flanking is the process of repeatedly flanking enemy armies in order to get to core enemy provinces with minimal engagement. The most effective way to do this against spread-out armies is to flank in opposite directions for each enemy army you encounter - this ensures that your troops will not get bottlenecked against a neutral nation. However, always avoid predictability, so try not to make a regular pattern.

### Bait Flanking

This is specifically designed to counter the threat posed by a continous front line. This makes basic flanking impossible because there are no undefended provinces to cut through. In this situation, the only way to flank the enemy is to force or trick the front line into breaking. One way of doing this is through bait flanking. By advancing troops close to those of your opponent, you encourage them to try and move to attack them. You then retreat the troops slowly, baiting a part of the front line further and further out. It is ok to lose provinces during this process as long as you keep unit casualties to a minimum - after all, an effective flank can lead to you taking control of most of your enemy's core provinces. Once the gap between the majority of the enemy's front line and the baited troops is sufficiently large, you can manoeuvre large armies through the gaping hole. Note that it is quite difficult to flank using the baiting units because they are by necessity very close to your opponent's units.

The main advantage of this method is that it can allow you to flank a seemingly inpenetrable frong line. It also requires minimal skill and commitment, as all you have to do is move armies backwards and forwards. However, it relies on your opponent taking the bait; many players will simply ignore the baiting units, or move up troops from behind to deal with them. In addition, it still doesn't solve the problem with bottlenecks. However, it is overall more effective in many scenarios than basic flanking.

#### Bombardment Flanking

If you struggle with luring opponents during bait flanking, then this method is for you! Bombardment flanking is very similar to bait flanking, except the bait units outrange the enemy's front line and are able to bombard them from a safe distance. SP Artillery and SP Rocket Artillery are ideal for this on land, as are Battleship / Destroyer combos at sea (although the openness of oceans typically makes flanking less of an issue). The bombardment forces the opponent's troops to either advance towards the bait units (at which point you can simply retreat the units and repeat), stay put and be annihilated, or retreat. This last option is actually the most problematic - you can't advance the bait units because if the opponent's front line is continuous then they will be at risk from nearby frontline units, and the gap probably won't be large enough to fit an army through. The solution here is to either carry out aerial bombardments, forcing them to retreat further, or to attempt to bait another section of the front line - the entire front line can't keep retreating forever! Once there is a sufficiently large gap, immediately thrust your main strike force through it and begin pushing towards the provinces you intend to take - fast-moving units are key to preventing the massive front line from retreating and smashing your successful flanking forces to pieces.

This can help to deal with the difficulty of effectively baiting opponents in bait flanking, but it puts more valuable units at risk. The bait units in any sort of bait flanking are often destroyed, so try to use cheap units, or units that can flee easily. This also STILL doesn't fix the issue with bottlenecks (don't worry, we'll get there). It also takes marginally more skill, although this is still quite minimal.

#### Diversion Flanking

For those still struggling to get troops past stolid front lines, this is a foolproof method (although the cost is typically much greater). First, scout out the most vulnerable spots in the enemy front line - this might be an army that has already taken damage, an especially small army or an army composed entirely of one armour class. Send troops to attack that army that will definitely be sufficient to defeat it. The defender now has three choices: ignore the battle, bring in support from the front lines or bring in support from the back lines. In the first two cases a gap will be created in the front line, and you can move the main body of your armed forces through it. In the latter case, you weaken their back lines, and you can repeat until you finally create a hole - once you do, taking over their provinces will be much easier because they used their back line forces to defend against your attack.

The main advantage of this method is that, eventually at least, it is guaranteed to allow you to get your forces past the opponent's front line. It is also very versatile, and allows you to attack your enemy at their weakest point. However, it is bound to lead to casualties, something that should be avoided as much as possible when flanking. Only use it as a last resort, if an opponent's front lines prove to be too well-disciplined for bait flanking or bombardment flanking.

### The Encirclement Problem

The bane of all flanking units is encirclement. When all of the movement lines a unit can travel on are controlled by enemy troops, that unit will be forced to eventually enter combat, as long as the enemy units only travel directly towards it. With that in mind, the most important thing for flanking units is to avoid being encircled. The following methods can help substantially:

* Use fast units with a large view range. Armoured Cars and Motorised Infantry are perfect because they move quickly, see far and are scouting units, meaning they can even see hidden units of the same level or lower. The Pan-Asian doctrine (see Doctrine Analysis) is perfect for flanking, because its units gain a 20% boost to speed and a 30% boost to view range. These advantages allow you to better notice threats and escape from them. Remember, although flanking is typically used offensively, the style of flanking is very evasive.
* Avoid mountainous terrain. All units are slowed down by mountains, so your opponent will easily have time to encircle you. Stay close to plains, because they provide many already fast units with a +25% boost to movement speed.
* Avoid borders with other neutral nations. It is easy to get trapped against one of these borders, because you cannot cross it without provoking an attack. If you get in this situation, try and negotiate with the player who the border is with to grant you Right of Way.
* Don't be afraid to retreat. As awesome as it is when you can chain flank an opponent all the way to their core provinces, as often as not you will just end up getting encircled. Avoid this at all costs - it is okay to backtrack as long as you don't let yourself be pushed all the way out of their territory. Take any chances you get to advance through holes.
* Scout out enemy troop positions beforehand with aircraft. Interceptors are the go-to for this because they are scouting units, but the massive range of Strategic Bombers can also prove effective.

### The Greatest Flanking Unit

As amazing as Armoured Cars and Motorised Infantry are, despite their incredible speed and scouting ability they have one drawback - they are limited. How? They can't fly. Ladies, Gentlemen and others, please put your hands together for... Paratroopers!!

Paratroopers are easily both the most versatile and the most fun flanking unit. On the ground, they have a speed of 42 along with minimal movement penalties, which is nice but hardly remarkable. Where they shine, however, is in their ability to convert. When in aircraft form, they can traverse the skies incredibly quickly, and can land in enemy provinces. This makes them the only (semi-)ground unit capable of escaping encirclement purely of their own accord. Airstrips only take a couple of hours to construct, and the high damage output of Paratroopers should scare enemy troops away long enough for them to convert and fly away.

Naturally, they aren't completely undefeatable. As mentioned, they require an Aircraft Factory or Airstrip in order to fly; in addition, the conversion between ground and air units takes a few hours. However, the sheer number of opportunities for simultaneous air and ground combat that Paratroopers present makes them breathtaking at flanking.

-Article by Qweifomapsvoiams