The commander role in Colonial Marines is the largest factor contributing to marine success on the battlefield. It is a daunting position to many, as you are solely responsible for making or breaking the match, but it also incredibly rewarding. At any given moment, you have to account for hundreds of different variables, and make the best of every situation given to you, but if you keep a few key ideas in your mind, the process of doing so becomes significantly easier.
There are four important things you must manage. These are:
- Logistics
- Communication
- Morale
- Strategy
Logistics is the most important part of managing any operation. Steady access to supplies must be maintained for an army to be successful. There is no exception to this rule. In 1812, one of the world’s greatest generals, Napoleon, began a march to Moscow. His soldiers, numbering at seven hundred thousand, faced consistent supply shortages, and were constantly skirmished along the route. Less than a fifth would return home to France afterwards, the campaign having ended in disaster. Likewise, the same result can be expected when you, as a commander, order an offensive without taking the necessary preperations beforehand.
Logistics is a difficult task to coordinate, but you must prioritise it above all else. Squad leaders can be used to drop crates full of ammunition, medical aid, and metal to a pinpoint location, and should be your first methods of delivering gear to your marines. The strategic advantage of this ability is huge, and you should use it as often as possible. By deploying it from the air, you don’t have to worry about hauling the crates from the Rasputin, and leaving marines both vulnerable and away from the frontlines where they should be. The pod and shuttle are you next best method of supplying your marines, with the pod having the advantage of being far faster at deploying, whereas the shuttle is the go-to location for loading wounded marines, and in turn, clearing crates from its cargo bay.
As a result of its vital role in warfare, it is important you keep requisitions working around the clock. The moment the round starts, order them to prepare crates of ammunition, medical supplies, and anything else that might be justified in a distress beacon operation. Helmets are a no-go, purely because no sane commander would expect his marines to lose them, and it breaks the metagaming rule. Within ten minutes of deployment, you can start to expect requests for supplies, and having thought in advance, you can immediately satisfy the marine’s logistics shortage. It should take no longer than three minutes to get requisitions to stack some helmets in there, deploy a supply beacon, and launch the materials right where they need to be. You can never have enough equipment. Always keep that in mind.
Chapter 2 - The Biggest Problem in Communication is the Illusion that it has Taken Place
Communication is another important factor when it comes to operational success. That’s also why it’s considered to be a part of logistics. Alongside ensuring that the marines have adequete supplies, maintaining lines of communication is just as important. Communication provides you with valuable intelligence with each message, which you can then act on. For this reason, it is vital that you enable your radio to hear exchanges across each and every channel on the Sulcaco. That includes squad channels.
At first, all these new messages may be overwhelming, but it’s vital you learn to scan them for important details, some of which are less than obvious. There are a wide variety of scenarios which describe themselves through the chatter between marines alone, and you have to piece together the puzzle to come to the right conclusion. I’ll provide some examples.
Alpha and Bravo squad have been ordered to move across the river, and engage enemy positions. Aside from orders, the channel is very quiet. From this, you can deduct that:
- They are likely encountering heavy resistance
- There may be a large amount of wounded, or dead, unable to communicate
- Reinforcements may be required
Delta has been completely silent for the last thirty minutes. They were ordered to hold the forward operating base at telecommunications and engineering. The other three squads are positioned below the river in preperation for an offensive. There have been no reports of the marines needing to retreat. From this, you can deduct that:
- Delta is likely quiet due to there being nothing to report at the forward operating base
- Your supply lines allowing wounded and dead marines to evacuate on the pod aren’t compromised
- The situation likely doesn’t require further evaluation
As shown in the two instances above, communication plays a vital role in providing intelligence about the situation on the ground. From various clues in chatter, you can keep a rough mental note of how things are going, and prioritise actions accordingly. It’s use doesn’t end here, however.
Aside from a source of information, communication must also be used to coordinate supply drops, objectives for various squad leaders, and relaying vital information. As a commander, if you hear somebody ask for helmets, it should be your top priority to inform them that you’re sending the request to requisitions, and do so in turn. You must also maintain close contact with your subordinates, and listen to their every request. Communication, alongside supplies, is your most important thing to keep track of. Do not, under any circumstances, neglect it. If you do so, you can expect the performance on the ground to suffer.
Chapter 3 - [War] is Largely a Matter of Spirit, or Morale
Of any factor in combat, morale is the most important. The only time that you'll truly be losing a battle is when you believe you are. As the commander, it's important that you keep the spirits of the marines up with misinformation, propaganda, and so on. Nazi Germany never lead its people to believe that the war was moving straight to their front doorstep. The only indication that it was was when "triumphant victories" took place closer and closer to home, until they'd wake up one morning with allied soldiers knocking on their door. The country was masterful of its technique in controlling people, and changing their thoughts to only positive thoughts of the NSDAP, and its actions. You too, as commander, should do the same.
Marines act on whims. If they're ordered to conduct an offensive, they'll look for a source of information that might tell them it's a bad idea to follow the order, and thus, damage their morale. As a result, you have to keep everybody in the firm belief that the operation is going to your advantage, even when it's not. There are a variety of ways of doing this.
- Announcements are a strong asset for communication. Everybody reads them. Each one should be packed with uplifting speech, underestimated hostile numbers, and intentionally lowered numbers of marine casualties
- Squad leaders can be misinformed, passing that information onto their peers. Informing them that "light resistance is expected", and "minimal casualties will occur" is a good way of subtly lifting their spirits
- Regular messages should be broadcasted on the Sulaco regarding the situation on the ground. Paint things as positively as you can. Alpha squad didn't retreat from hydroponics - they tactically withdrawed, inflicting a large amount of losses in their wake
- Keep close contact with marines, where you can use their communication to spin propaganda
- All aside, do not ever allow marines to understand just how bad the situation is. They'll be inclined to give up, rather than fight when their backs are to the wall
There's no greater honour to be found than in participating in an offensive.
...Under Continued Construction...
