Rules for use with 1/285 to 10mm miniatures INTRODUCTION This game simulates combat between tanks, self-propelled guns, armored cars, and anti-tank guns. The basic rules comprise less than five pages of text. These are all that are needed to begin play. Optional rules for infantry, anti-tank guns, artillery guns, mortars, tactical air support, artillery support, and varieties of terrain are also provided. Each vehicle figure represents one actual vehicle. Each inch of the playing surface represents about 100 feet of actual distance. Ten-sided dice are used to resolve combat and other random events. (A "0" = 10 to generate numbers 1-10). In addition to d10s, miniatures, and terrain pieces, you will need the following materials to play; 60 and 40 degree fire arcs, a 45 degree template for determining target facing, morale puffs, and small markers for designating stopped, overwatch, shot, stunned, and immobilized vehicles. The following terminology is used in these rules; a "tank" is a fully tracked vehicle with a turret, an "SP-gun" (self-propelled gun) is a fully tracked vehicle without a turret, a "Gun" is an anti-tank or artillery piece. "Vehicles" are tanks, SP-guns, armored cars, halftracks, trucks, etc. (not Guns or infantry). The term "unit" indicates all combat units, including vehicles, Guns, infantry, etc. These rules have been under development since 1988, and the author welcomes suggestions for further improvements. BASIC RULES The basic rules, in conjunction with the Vehicle Specifications Tables, are all that are needed to play. Basic rules are necessary for the game, and should always be used. Additional rules are designed to enhance the game and are optional. SEQUENCE OF PLAY: Each game turn proceeds through ten phases: 1) Axis Morale & Load 2) Axis Fire 3) Axis Movement 4) Allied Fire (mg) 5) Axis Fire (mg) 6) Allied Morale & Load 7) Allied Fire 8) Allied Movement 9) Axis Fire (mg) 10) Allied Fire (mg) MOVEMENT: Each vehicle is given a certain number of movement points, as indicated in the Vehicle Specifications. The German Pzk IV for example has 6, and cannot expend more than that during its movement phase. This means that it may move up to 6 inches in clear terrain during its movement phase. Movement Table lists the costs in points to move over different terrain. Note that it costs 2/3 of a point to move I inch on the road, which would allow the Pzk IV to move 9 inches on the road (1.5 inches for every point expended). One extra point is required to move up one hill level. If a vehicle or Gun moves during the movement phase and ends the phase stopped place a "stopped" marker next to it. If a vehicle or Gun does nothing during its movement phase other than pivot, an 'overwatch' marker is placed next to it. Unmarked vehicles and Guns are those that remain in motion at the end of the phase. These are considered moving targets during the fire phases. Units that begin the game on the battlefield may set up 'overwatch.' If a vehicle began the movement phase `stopped' or 'overwatch' it must expend 2 movement points to get itself moving again. Units may pivot freely at any time during the movement phase. However, vehicles that end the movement phase still in motion should be pointed in the direction in which they are moving. Turrets may end the movement phase pointed in a different direction than the front of the vehicle. FIRING: TO-HIT: A unit may only fire during one of its fire phases (e.g., a German unit may only fire during one of the Axis Fire phases). Units may choose not to fire in a fire phase in order to save the shot for a more favorable one in a later phase.  When a unit fires place a "shot" marker next to it. A unit with a single rate of fire may not fire again until after the shot marker has been removed during its Morale & Load phase. A unit with a double rate of fire may only fire once during any individual fire phase, but may fire during two separate fire phases before both shot markers are removed during its next Morale and Load phase. Thus a unit with a double rate of fire may have up to two shot markers placed next to it. During the Axis Morale & Load Phase remove all shot markers from axis units (except those that are stunned), and do likewise for the allied units during the Allied Morale & Load Phase. Units are not allowed to pivot during a fire phase in order to bring a weapon to bear on a target. All pivoting must be done within a movement phase. Realistically however, a small amount of traverse could usually be accomplished quickly. To account for this all turret-mounted weapons are given a total firing arc of 60 degrees (30 degrees to either side), and bow-mounted weapons are given 40 degrees (20 degrees to either side). The target for each unit firing during a given fire phase should be declared before any To-Hit rolls are made. For example, if five German units are firing at two Russian units, the German may decide to fire three at one target and two at the other. If the first firer of the group of three knocks out the target, the others are considered to have fired at it as well. (This is consistent with battlefield accounts; once spotted a vehicle may be hit a few times in quick succession, even though the first hit may have been enough to take it out of action.) A shot has a base 50% chance of hitting its target (d10: 6+) with various modifiers listed in the To Hit Table. The range modifier is determined by the distance from the firer to the target and the weapon type (S, M, L, or VL - indicating relative muzzle velocity). Note that all weapon types have the same modifiers for ranges up through 25 inches. The indirect fire modifiers are typically ignored, except for fire by mortars or batteries of artillery guns (see the optional indirect fire rules). A "natural 1" (a roll of a "1" on the die before modifications) is always a miss. This game differentiates between three types of aiming, firing while moving, firing soon after stopping, and standing stationary in 'overwatch' for some time before firing. To represent these three types of aiming a vehicle suffers a -3 penalty for firing while moving and it gains a +2 bonus for 'overwatch' fire. (The +2 modifier for overwatch fire and the +1 modifier for overwatch target represent both the increased likelihood of hitting when the firer and/or target have been sitting stationary, as well as a possible increased rate of fire. A single shot may be taken to represent more than one actual round of ammunition, depending on the circumstances and the weapon.) Once it has been determined that a shot has hit, the Hit Effect Table is consulted, with unarmored vehicles being automatically destroyed. HIT EFFECT: A hit has a base 50% chance of damaging the target (d10: 6+, see the Fire Effect Table), with an additional 10% chance of stunning the crew. Modify the hit effect roll by the range of the shot, the size of the weapon, the weapon type, and the target vehicle's armor modifier. The armor modifier can be found in the vehicle specifications. To determine if the hit was to the front, side, or rear; imagine lines emanating from the vehicle's corners at 45 degrees. If the result after modifications is a 4 or less the armor successfully deflected the hit, with a 5 the crew is stunned, with a 6 the vehicle is immobilized, and with a 7+ the vehicle and crew are destroyed. For example, a T-34-85 hits a Tiger I on its side facing at a range of 10 inches, and rolls a 6 for effect. The modifiers are +l for range (6-13.9 inches), +1 for weapon size (85mm), +1 for weapon type (L), and -2 for the Tiger's side armor modifier. This adds up to a net +1, which added to the 6 makes a 7. The Tiger is taken out of action; place a morale puff on it. IMMOBILIZATION HITS: When a vehicle is immobilized it may not move for the remainder of the game. An immobilized vehicle may not pivot in place but may pivot its turret. A moving vehicle that becomes immobilized will immediately stop, but may make an errant turn before coming to a stop. Roll a d10 using the Errant Turns Table. The vehicle is turned 0, 45, or 90 degree as indicated and then moved 1 inch before coming to a full stop. Place a stopped marker next to it. ERRANT TURNS d10: Effect: 1-4 Straight ahead 5-6 45 degrees right 7-8 45 degrees left 9 90 degrees right 10 90 degrees left Vehicles are destroyed if they go off a bridge or cliff or if they hit a building. Armored vehicles that collide both become immobilized, while other units are destroyed without effect to an armored vehicle. STUN HITS: A stun hit assumes that the crew has somehow been jarred, wounded, or put into some form of confusion, while the essential functions of the unit have remained undamaged. Place a stun marker next to the unit. If the unit is already stunned it is taken out of action instead. The stun marker is removed at the conclusion of the unit's next movement phase and the unit may not move during that movement phase. A stunned unit may not fire, pivot, load, or move in any way until after the marker is removed. If a moving vehicle is stunned it will immediately stop after rolling for an errant turn as with an immobilization. LINE OF SIGHT: When one unit fires at another, stretch a tape measure between the two and this is the firer's "line of sight" (LOS). Certain obstacles block or hinder LOS, such as walls, hedges, hedgerows, buildings, woods, and hills. Walls and hedges are considered ground-level obstacles. They do not block LOS, but modify To-Hit rolls as described in the next section. Buildings, hedgerows, and 1st-level hills are 1st-level obstacles. Woods and 2nd-level hills are 2nd-level obstacles. 1st and 2nd-level obstacles may block LOS.  FIRING THROUGH OBSTACLES: LOS can be traced through 1 inch of woods. Two units at different elevations can always trace LOS through 1 inch of the hill upon which the higher unit is located. The half inch nearest the edge of hill is considered to be sloping downwards, thus units are clearly visible in this area. LOS may be traced to vehicles between a half and 1 inch from the edge of a hill, but these are considered hull-down when fired at from lower elevations. Only turret-mounted weapons may fire from this hull down position onto targets at lower elevations. Russian tanks, the Lee/Grant, Char B, and Type 95 are exceptions, they may not fire to units at lower elevations unless they are within a half inch of the edge. (Thus SPguns and all Russians should be placed less than a half inch from the edge if they wish to fire at units lower than themselves or more than 1 inch if they do not want to be targets. In practice, we find it easiest to place vehicles that cannot take advantage of being hull-down right at the hill edge so there is no question. Many geo-hex type hills have a slope of about l inch and a flat plateau top. The `edge' of the hill is the corner formed by the top of this slope and the level top. Units on the slope are considered to be at the lower level.) Use a -1 modifier versus Guns that are between a half and 1 inch from the edge of a hill when no other terrain modifier applies (e.g., don't apply this modifier if already dug-in). FIRING OVER OBSTACLES: If one unit is on a 2nd level hill and another is at ground level, then, LOS may be traced over a 1st level obstacle. Measure the distance from the lower unit to the edge of the obstacle closest to it, and from that same edge to the higher unit. LOS may be traced if the distance from the 2nd level unit to the edge of the 1st level obstacle is less than the distance from the obstacle to the ground level unit. For example, a unit on a 2nd-level hill wishes to trace LOS over a 1st-level hill to a target at ground level. If the distance to far edge of the 1st level hill is 20 inches then the target must be at least 40 inches away from the firer (which also means that it has to be at least 20 inches from the edge of the 1st level hill). The reverse is also true, whenever a unit traces LOS over an obstacle one level higher than itself to a unit two levels higher than itself, the distance from the lower unit to the obstacle must be equal or greater than the distance from the obstacle to the higher unit. A unit may never trace LOS over an obstacle at its own height to a lower one; although it may fire over such obstacles to targets at a equal or higher elevations. A unit on a 1st-level hill, for example, may not fire over a second 1st-level hill to a unit on ground level, but may fire over it to a target on another 1st-level hill. LOS between two units on hills of the same level is unaffected by those hills. WALLS AND HEDGES: Whenever LOS is traced through a wall or hedge a -1 modifier is applied to the ToHit roll. This rule has several special cases: If the firer is against the wall or hedge the modifier is not used. If the target is a vehicle within against a wall it is considered "hull down" instead (use the regular -1 for hedges). Hull down vehicles may not fire bow MGs. Hull down SP-guns may fire their main armament. If one unit (target or firer) is at a higher level than the other, the modifier is not used unless the target is against the wall or hedge. MORALE: Before play begins all vehicles should typically be grouped into `platoons' of 3 to 5. Guns should be similarly grouped into `batteries' of 5 (typically those under 75mm) or 4 (75mm+). However, a referee setting up a game should feel free to exercise a great deal of latitude in allowing any number of units to act independently (e.g., tank destroyers and AT guns setting up in ambush or individual reconnaissance units). Units acting independently are not subject to morale rolls. Infantry typically act independently (although a referee may want to organize infantry transport vehicles into groups which must roll morale if one or more vehicles are lost before the infantry dismount - the vehicles and the infantry would share the fate of a single morale roll).At the beginning of the Morale & Load phase a d 10 is rolled for each group of that side which has lost at least one unit since their last morale phase. The easiest way to keep track of this is to place a puff on a unit when it is taken out of action and roll morale for its group during their next morale phase. Be sure to remove all puffs for that side at the conclusion of the morale phase. A group need not roll morale if there are no enemy units within LOS of any of the members of that platoon. Immobilized vehicles and infantry units more than 6 inches away are treated as if they are out of LOS. Morale is failed if the number rolled is equal to or less than the number of units that group has lost since the start of play, with stunned and immobilized units counting as intact. If morale is failed that group must attempt to retreat from battle during the next and all subsequent movement phases. Stunned and immobilized units are abandoned. All overwatch and stopped markers are immediately removed and the units are considered to be in motion (they need not pay the movement penalty for starting). Vehicles may load and fire but must do so while moving. Once a group loses its morale and attempts to retreat it will continue to retreat unit it exits a "safe" side of the battlefield and remains out of play. If no reasonable avenue of escape exists the units are abandoned. Typically one side will have superior morale relative to the other. Thus one side (or just some platoons) may be designated as "elite" or "fanatical", or they may be "regular" in comparison to an "inferior" foe. That side (or just those platoons) fail morale only when their roll is less than the number of units they have lost. For example, if such a group has lost 3 units it would fail morale on a 1 or 2. This designation adds two to the value of each unit. AMBUSH FIRE: Any time a unit attempts to both enter and leave the LOS of a loaded enemy unit it may be fired upon during that movement phase (using either the To Hit or the Machine Guns & Small Arms Table). The target must have begun the movement phase out of LOS of the firing unit and must attempt to leave the firing unit's LOS during the same movement phase. The target may be fired upon at any point during its move. The fire must be resolved immediately, before any other unit is moved. Due to limited LOS duration an additional -1 modifier applies to ambush fire when using the To Hit Table.  Be sure to place a marker alongside any unit that uses ambush fire in order to indicate that it may not fire during the following fire phase. ADDITIONAL RULES The rules below are designed to enhance the game and should be considered optional. ANTITANK AND ARTILLERY GUNS: Anti-tank and artillery guns are treated identically, except that batteries of artillery guns may use indirect fire. The term "Gun" is used for both artillery and ant-tank guns. Guns may set up in any terrain before the start of play, they may not be moved into buildings during the game. They are never considered hull down. Guns may be hand-towed by their crews according to the Gun column of Movement Table. All Guns are destroyed when hit by a weapon 70mm or larger. When hit by a weapon 20-57mm the Gun is automatically destroyed if hit on the side or rear, and roll for Fire Effect for hits on the front, treating an `immobilization' result as `no effect'. Guns have a +4 front armor modifier. The following table lists the specifications for Guns. The German Flak 88s and American 90s are listed as AT guns but may use indirect fire as artillery. Due to a large carriage the American and British 76mm Guns are treated as 90mm for movement, towing, LOS, target size, fire arc, hidden set-up, etc.  TOWING GUNS: While hitched all fire is directed towards the vehicle, not the Gun. If the vehicle is destroyed, the Gun is taken out of action as well. If the vehicle is stunned, so is the Gun crew. If immobilized, the Gun and crew are not affected. A vehicle may not move during the movement phase in which a Gun is being hitched or unhitched, except that it may start OR stop. Guns under 80mm are considered to be set up and loaded at the end of the same movement phase in which they unhitch; they may fire during their next fire phase. Guns under 80mm may also hand tow during the movement phase in which they hitch or unhitch. Guns over 80mm must spend a movement phase unhitching and a second movement phase `unlimbering' (setting up) before they may fire. Guns over 80mm must also spend one movement phase 'limbering' and a second `hitching' before they can be towed. A Gun may not have an 'overwatch' marker placed at the end of a movement phase in which it unhitches or unlimbers; although it may have a `stopped' marker. Guns may not fire while hitched. An exception is that the German 88mm Flak Guns (88L,D & 88VL,D), and other Flak Guns with a similar wheel configuration, may fire while hitched or `limbered' with a loss of their double rate of fire. Guns 140mm+ may not be towed and set up during the time frame of this game. Jeeps, Bren carriers, White Scout Cars may only tow the 75S and Guns 57mm and smaller. Vehicles may not reverse while towing Guns. Horses used to tow Guns have 6 movement points and use the "wheeled" column of the Movement Table. INFANTRY: Each infantry unit represents 3 to 6 individuals armed with small arms or with small arms plus either a machine gun, mortar, or an anti-tank weapon. Infantry may move up to 3 inches during their movement phase. Ignore all terrain, except that infantry may take 4 inches on the road if all of movement is on the road, movement is halved in swamps, and a full movement phase is required to move across a hedgerow, ford a stream, or to move up or down one level of cliff. Infantry need not expend points to start. There is no need to place stopped or overwatch markers alongside infantry, except for overwatch markers on mortars. When fired upon with the To Hit Table, infantry have a size modifier of -1. With the To Hit Table, infantry hit by weapons 70mm or larger are removed from action. Infantry hit by weapons under 70mm are stunned, or removed if already stunned. Stunned infantry are removed any time an enemy unit comes within 1 inch. Use the Machine Gun and Small Arms Table to resolve small arms and MG attacks. The table is a To-Hit and Fire Effect table together, only one roll is needed. Small arms and MGs have no effect versus armored vehicle facings. Small arms and MG's have a double rate-of-fire, but may only fire during the fire phases designated as the two "MG" phases. Do not place fire markers when infantry fire small arms or MGs. Small arms may not be fired if the unit has a fire marker from firing an anti-tank weapon or mortar, or if it will fire one of those weapons during the same fire phase. Infantry may fire MGs, mortars, and small arms in any direction regardless of facing (they have a 360 degree fire arc). Infantry armed with only small arms have a value of 2, which is included in the value of mortars and anti-tank weapons. Infantry armed with MG have a value of 3. MACHINE GUNS: Many vehicles were fitted with one or more machine guns (MGs). Bow mounted MGs may fire forward using the 40 degree fire arc. Co-axial MGs are mounted in a turret and may use the 60 degree fire arc centered according to the orientation of the turret. Some open-topped vehicles have an MG that may fire in any direction with a 360 degree fire arc. MG's have a double rate-of-fire, but may only fire during the fire phases designated as the side's two MG phases. Do not place fire markers when infantry, bow, or opentop mounted MGs fire (except for the M10 & M36). These MGs may fire during both MG fire phases regardless of the fire from the vehicle's other weapons. The MGs mounted on the M10 and M36, as well as all coaxial MGs, may not fire during the same phase as any main armament in the same turret. They may not fire if the vehicle has a fire marker along side it from the same turret. Place a fire marker when these MIO, M36, or coaxial MGs fire (this is the only time fire markers are used with Machine Guns and Small Arms Table). Use the Machine Guns and Small Arms Table to resolve MG attacks. MGs have no effect versus armored vehicle facings. INFANTRY ANTI-TANK WEAPONS: Infantry anti-tank weapons include American bazookas, British piats, German panzerfausts, German panzershrecks, and anti-tank rifles. ATRs were used by all nationalities except the French. Infantry anti-tank weapons use the regular To Hit Table when they fire, but substitute the range modifier from below according to the `Hit' category given in the table above. With a hit versus a vehicle or Gun the normal Fire Effect Table is used applying the appropriate modifier found under the `Effect' column above, and no other modifiers except the target's armor (no range, weapon size or weapon type modifiers). Guns hit on the side/rear, mortars, and unarmored vehicles, are automatically destroyed. Panzerfausts and ATRs have no effect against other infantry. Infantry hit by other infantry anti-tank weapons are stunned. Regardless of the outcome of the to-hit and Fire Effect rolls, with infantry anti-tank weapons other than the ATR an additional d10 is rolled for depletion. On a 1 or 2 Bazooka, Piat, & Panzershreck units are changed to regular small arms units, Panzerfausts are changed on a 1-4. If infantry weapons other than Piats and ATRs were fired from within a vehicle or building, and the result of this depletion roll is odd, then the back blast has caught the vehicle or building on fire and it must be abandoned during the next movement phase. Vehicles may make an errant turn before being abandoned. A puff is placed immediately. Infantry weapons (other than small arms and MGs) may not fire from moving vehicles. As with Guns and mortars, one figure (or stand) is used to represent both the weapon and the crew. ATRs have a double rate-of-fire, other infantry anti-tank weapons have a single rate-of-fire. INFANTRY TRANSPORT: There are four basic types of infantry transport; armored fighting vehicles such as tanks and SP-guns, armored personnel carriers such as M3 and SdKfz 251 halftracks, softskins such as trucks and jeeps, and horses: Tanks and SP-guns: Up to two infantry units may ride ON tanks or closed-topped SP-guns of medium weight or heavier. One may ride on light tanks and light closed-topped SP-guns. Except for the Russians, infantry may not ride on tanks and SP-guns before 1942. Small arms and MG fire may be directed at the riding infantry. If stunned by this fire the riding infantry are dismounted from the vehicle. The infantry are dismounted from the tank or SP-gun if any weapon hits the tank/SPgun or if it fires its main armament. Infantry dismount at the conclusion of the current fire phase and are placed next to the vehicle so as to position the vehicle between themselves and the enemy. Armored personnel carriers (APCs): Up to two infantry units may ride IN armored halftracks, the Ram Kangaroo, French 37L, or the `unfrocked' M7 Priest. The SdKfz 250, Bren Carrier and White scout car can carry one. Small arms and MG fire may be directed at the riding infantry. When in APCs, other Infantry in the Ram Kangaroo are always in the crouched position. When in the crouched position infantry may not fire their weapons and may not be fired upon by enemy small arms or MGs, since they are crouching below LOS. Unless the crouching position is specified, small arms and MG fire may be directed at infantry in APCs. Stunned infantry will move to the crouching position at the conclusion of the current fire phase. Except for this, infantry may change from crouching or uncrouching only during their movement phase. Softskins: Trucks and unarmored halftracks may carry up to two infantry units. These vehicles have crews or drivers that are separate from the infantry, thus they can move around on their own if they have no riding infantry (this is also the case for tanks and SPguns and APCs). Jeeps, kubelwagons, and sets of two German motorcycles with sidecars may carry one infantry unit, but this infantry unit includes the driver of the vehicle. These vehicles may not move if the infantry disembark (jeeps may be taken by other infantry units, including the enemy). All enemy fire is directed at the softskin vehicle, not the riding infantry. For all vehicles: If a vehicle transporting infantry is stunned or eliminated the infantry are stunned or eliminated as well. If it is immobilized the infantry are not affected.  Infantry may fire any of their weapons from a overwatch or stopped vehicle (unless they are `crouched' in an APC). Infantry in a moving vehicle may fire only small arms or MGs. Some APCs and American trucks were fitted with their own MG, these are fired by the vehicle crew and stay with the vehicle when the infantry dismount. Except for tanks and SP-guns that fire or are hit, infantry may only mount or dismount from stopped vehicles, and only during their own movement phase. If the vehicle begins a movement phase stopped or overwatch infantry passengers may dismount and move full during that movement phase. If the vehicle began the phase moving, the infantry may only move 1 inch. In either case, the vehicle may then move away if it has movement points remaining. A vehicle that is towing a Gun may not also transport infantry. Cavalry: Mounted troops have 12 movement points and use the "fully-tracked" column of Movement Table, treating roads as `clear' and disregarding the cost to `start'. It costs 4 points to mount or dismount. Infantry may fire small arms when mounted, but only if stopped or overwatch. No other weapon may be fired while mounted. Although not reflected in the tables, while mounted infantry lose the -1 target size modifier on the To Hit Table, and disregard any wall or hedge modifiers. Mounted cavalry gain +5 on hand-to hand combat rolls when the combat was initiated by themselves against infantry, a mortar, or a Gun that is not in woods, rough, or dug-in. Cavalry may not initiate hand-to-hand combat versus units in buildings. Hand-to-hand combat may not be initiated versus moving cavalry unless the cavalry are in woods or grain fields. HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT: If an infantry unit moves to contact an enemy infantry, mortar, or gun, both roll one d10 at the end of the movement phase and the one with the lower roll is eliminated. Both are eliminated on a tie. The attacker subtracts 1 from this roll if attacking over a wall, hedge, or hedgerow, or if attacking a unit in woods, building, or dug-in. A defender with an MG adds two to its roll. Stunned infantry or Guns are automatically destroyed without rolling. If more than one infantry are on a side, attacks are made one at a time with a unit subtracting 1 for its second engagement, 2 for its third, etc. Winning attackers may be placed in the spot vacated by the defenders. Thus they may move to occupy buildings, foxholes, etc., and immediately gain any benefits afforded by that cover. CLOSE-ASSAULTS: Infantry may attempt to close-assault a vehicle by moving directly alongside it during their movement phase. The assault is resolved at the end of the infantry unit's next fire phase (phase #5 for Axis, #10 for Allies). During their fire phase the Infantry unit may only fire at the assaulted vehicle or at infantry riding on the assaulted vehicle. The assault is resolved after all firing is completed using the Close Assault Table below. If more than one infantry unit attacks a single vehicle the attacks are made one at a time with a +1 applied to each of the attacks after the first. A vehicle may close assault a Gun or Infantry unit by moving into contact during their movement phase. The vehicle must have at least one weapon or be carrying non-crouching infantry. If the Gun or Infantry unit is stunned it is immediately eliminated and the vehicle may continue its movement. Close-assaults by vehicles are resolved during the movement phase. Loaded Guns and anti-tank weapons may first fire at the vehicle. Guns must have the vehicle in its fire arc. Infantry (including mortar teams) not firing an anti-tank weapon may fire small arms or an MG at an unarmored vehicle or at infantry units riding in or on the vehicle. Fire is at pointblank (0 inches) range versus a moving target. Place fire markers for Guns and antitank weapons. After any fire is resolved use the Close Assault Table. If the vehicle wins the close-assault then it may complete its movement, including close-assaults versus other units. CLOSE-ASSAULT MODIFIERS: Modifier : Value Each-infantry unit riding in / or vehicle -1 Each vehicle MG with enemy in fire arc -1 Armored vehicle 1941 or before -1 Infantry assaulting moving vehicle -1 Woods, wall, rough, grainfield, or smoke +1 Vehicle assaulting dug-in infantry +1 Infantry defending hedgerow +2 Stunned vehicle +2 Open-topped armored vehicle +2 Unarmored vehicle +4 CLOSE ASSAULT RESULTS d10: Result 5 or less : Infantry or Gun eliminated 6-8 : Vehicle immobilized 9+ : Vehicle destroyed INDIRECT FIRE: Indirect fire may be used by artillery guns, mortars, Sherman 105s, Bishops and most open-topped vehicles with weapons >70mm. Rocket artillery (e.g., Russian Kaytusha, German Nebelwerfer, & American Calliope rockets) may only fire indirect. To use indirect fire units must be grouped into batteries of at least 4 of like type. All units in the battery must have 'overwatch' markers, be loaded, set up (if Guns or mortars), and have the target within their fire arc. Certain vehicles, such as armored cars, halftracks, or jeeps, must be specified before play (either in the open or in secret) as artillery spotters. Spotters act independently for morale purposes. During any of their fire phases a spotter may attempt to call for indirect fire to a target in their LOS. A stunned spotter may not call fire. The spotter must roll a d 10 for radio contact: Americans and British need a 2+, Germans a 3+, and others a 4+. Subtract I from this roll for `39-42 and subtract 2 if the radio is in a moving vehicle. If radio contact is successful then the artillery battery is fired at the target. The minimum range for indirect fire is 16 inches. The maximum range is 72 inches for weapons under 80mm and 96 inches for weapons over 80mm. Rockets have a minimum range of 24 inches. All units have a single rate of fire when firing indirect. All units in a battery fire together at one target location. For indirect fire under 140mm make a separate To-Hit roll for every unit within 1 inch of the target location. Use 1.5 inches for weapons 140mm+. On the To Hit Table, use the indirect fire modifiers instead of the direct fire modifiers. Make one roll for each target unit, even though there are multiple weapons in the battery. If the roll indicates a hit then unarmored targets are destroyed (including Guns). For AFVs use a single roll on the Fire Effects Table using only the target's armor and the weapon size modifier. Disregarding the range and weapon type modifiers. Use the front armor for closed-top AFVs and the side armor for open-topped AFVs. MORTARS: As with Guns and infantry anti-tank weapons, one figure or stand is used to represent both the weapon and the crew. Mortars must have an overwatch marker in order to fire. Like artillery Guns, mortars may fire individually when they have direct LOS or as a battery using the indirect fire rules. Due to their high trajectory, even when firing individually they use the indirect fire portions of the To Hit and Fire Effects Tables. To account for their lower accuracy versus specific targets, mortars are given a single rate of fire. Mortar crews are treated as regular infantry for close assaults. They may also fire small arms if they do not have a shot marker and if they do not also fire the mortar during the same phase. When fired upon mortars are treated as infantry targets. Mortars move and are transported as infantry units. 76-82mm mortars require a full movement phase to set up after transport or to dismantle before transport. 76-82mm mortars that have been set up may be hand-towed as Guns with 2 hand-tow points without dismantling them. Mortars may not fire from within vehicles or buildings. HEDGEROWS: Line of sight may not be traced through a hedgerow unless one unit (target or firer) is directly against it and is either an infantry unit or is overwatch. LOS may be traced OVER a hedgerow as a level one obstacle (as a building). Tanks and SP-guns are the only vehicles that may move through hedgerows, and they may not do so in reverse. It requires a vehicle's full movement to cross a hedgerow. It must begin the movement phase (either moving or stopped) with its front directly against the hedgerow and it is simply placed on the opposite side with its back to the hedgerow. It may not pivot after the maneuver and ends the movement phase either still moving or stopped. Hidden units revealed by this movement are not indicated until the conclusion of the movement phase. A few Shermans, Stuarts, Cromwells, & Churchills were fitted with hedge-clearing prongs. These vehicles pay the usual cost for crossing a hedgerow, but mark where they cross, and other units may cross at that spot as if they are moving across regular hedge. Bulldozer blades may be used similarly. Bulldozer blades block bow MGs. Prongs and bulldozer blades add 2 to a vehicle's value. BUILDINGS: Buildings should be about 1 inch square, or if larger, divided into 1-inch square sections. Each section can accommodate only one vehicle or Gun. Buildings are considered one level only. If a weapon 88mm+ destroys a unit in a building then all infantry in that building section are also destroyed. Units may position themselves alongside the outside of a building so as to gain some cover by being partially obscured by the building. Such units gain an additional -1 "LOS through wall" modifier when partially hidden. If not already hull down, vehicles gain the hull-down modifier instead. Infantry may `crouch' in buildings. Infantry crouching in a building may not be fired upon by MGs or small arms fired from more than 1 inch away. Weapons over 70mm may be used versus crouching infantry with an additional -1 on To-Hit. Crouching infantry may not fire at units more than 1 inch away. Weapons over 70mm may fire at I-inch square building sections in order to attempt to hit any units that are possibly hiding in them. Roll To-Hit as if firing at crouching infantry. With a hit by a weapon 70-85mm one unit in the building, determined randomly, is the one that was hit. Units hidden in woods may also be fired upon as in this manner. The firer chooses a 1-inch square section of building or woods to fire into. The modifiers for other terrain should not be combined with the modifier for buildings. GRAIN FIELDS: Grain fields include crops such as wheat and corn, but this rule may also be used for other vegetation such as short brush, tall swamp grasses, etc. Use the movement effects of any other terrain that may exist simultaneously with a grainfield (clear, rough, swamp, etc.). LOS may not be traced TO infantry on foot through more than 2 inches of grainfield unless one unit is at a higher elevation or the infantry unit has fired since the last time it moved.  BRIDGES: Ordinary bridges of the period were not designed to handle the weight of many heavier vehicles made during World War II. The type of each bridge should be determined before the start of play, either randomly or specified by the scenario. Whenever a heavier vehicle attempts to cross a bridge (such as a Heavy vehicle over a `Type C' bridge) roll a d 10 and a I means the bridge collapsed; both it and the vehicle are destroyed. The chance of a vehicle collapsing a bridge is determined by its weight (Guns are treated as light when hand towed or horse drawn over a bridge, Guns over 80mm increase the weight of a towing vehicle by one level). A "I" in the table below means that there is a 1 in 10 chance that the bridge will collapse. An "N" means that the vehicle may not cross, the bridge will automatically collapse, a "-" means that the vehicle will have no problem. The 'd10' roll is for optional random determination of bridge type over fordable rivers or streams. CLIFFS: A cliff is a slope too steep for a vehicle or Gun to go up or down. Any slope, or part of a slope, can be designated as a cliff. Any slope that goes up more than one level at a time is automatically a cliff. Infantry must expend their full movement to go up or down single level of cliff. Infantry stunned while between cliff levels are destroyed. Infantry may not fire while between cliff levels. DUG-IN UNITS: Some or all units may be allowed to set up dug-in before the battle begins. Units may not dig-in during play, they must begin the game dug-in. Dug-in vehicles and Guns are considered to be in shallow holes with earth, rocks, sandbags, logs, or something similar piled around them. Vehicles and Guns may be dug in only to their front, or on other sides as well. Vehicles dug-in on three sides may not pivot in place (although their firing arc remains unchanged), and must move out in reverse. Guns may be dug-in on all four sides, but may not then be moved (except to pivot). Infantry are dug-in on all sides. Infantry may move out of their dug in positions and may move into foxholes prepared earlier by other units. As with buildings, infantry may `crouch' while dug-in. Do not combine the effect of a building, wall or hedge with the dug-in modifier. These are part of the material used for digging-in. Woods and hedgerows combine with being dug-in for a maximum effect of -3 (not -4). HIDDEN SET UP: A scenario may allow a certain number of units from one or both sides to set up hidden. These units are not placed on the board, but their location is recorded on paper. A unit may be hidden anywhere on the board, even in the open. When one side is allowed to set up hidden the other side may designate a portion their vehicles as reconnaissance units. A referee should pre-designate these units. Otherwise divide the total number of vehicles for that side by 5 and this is the maximum number of recon vehicles that may be designated. A hidden unit is revealed by any of the following occurrences. The longer distances given assume that a recon vehicle is doing the spotting; they are reduced by 1/3 (in parenthesis) for non-recon units. Treat cavalry as vehicles. Fire or movement by a hidden unit in LOS of the enemy Disregard if at the end of a fire phase all enemy units in LOS are stunned or destroyed: Any unit in the open is revealed. Vehicles and Guns in grain fields, rough, or behind a wall or hedge are revealed. - Vehicles and Guns over 80mm in woods, a building, or against a hedgerow are revealed if within 36 inches (24 inches) of an enemy unit. Guns under 80mm in woods, a building or against a hedgerow are revealed if within 18 inches (12 inches). Infantry in woods, rough, grainfield, swamp, a building, against a hedgerow, or directly behind a wall or hedge are revealed if within 9 inches (6 inches). Movement of the enemy into LOS of the hidden unit: Any unit `hidden' in the open is revealed when an enemy comes into LOS within 72 inches (48 inches). Vehicle or Guns over 80mm hidden in woods, a building or against a hedgerow are revealed when an enemy unit comes within 18 inches (12 inches) and LOS. Guns under 80mm hidden in woods, a building or against a hedgerow are revealed when an enemy unit comes within 9 inches (6 inches) and LOS. Infantry hidden in woods, a grainfield, swamp, building, against a hedgerow, or directly behind a wall or hedge are revealed when an enemy unit comes within 6 inches (4 inches) and LOS. SMOKE: Instead of rolling To-Hit on the To Hit Table, indirect fire by a battery may be used to lay smoke. A referee may also designate one or more platoons of vehicles as capable of laying smoke. These vehicles must have weapons over 70mm and there must be at least three vehicles in the platoon engaged in laying smoke. At the end of the fire phase place three standard-sized cotton puffs against each other in a triangular configuration in the desired location. The smoke lasts through 5 fire phases. For example, a battery lays smoke during axis fire phase #2, the smoke is placed at the end of that phase and lasts until the end of the axis fire phase #9 of the following turn. An easy way to keep track of this is to place a small six-sided die with the 5 showing. Change it down by one number during each fire phase of the owning player (e.g. during each axis fire phase if placed by a German player).  AIR SUPPORT: Before the start of the game determine which side has the possibility of air support. Germans have the option of receiving air support beginning in 1939, Americans & British 1942, and Russians 1943. Roll a dl0 for support at the end of each of the owning player's Movement phases. If a 10 is rolled a plane arrives. The plane will make two separate attacks according to the following sequence: 1) Germans 1939-42 will receive a Stuka armed with MGs as its first attack weapon and bombs as its second attack weapon. Germans 1943-45 will receive a Stuka with either 20mm cannon as its first attack weapon and bombs as its second (d10: 1-5), or 37mm cannon to be used in both attacks (6-10). Americans and British 1942-43 will receive a Hawker Hurricane armed with 40mm cannon to be used in both attacks. Americans 1944-45 will receive either a Hawker Typhoon armed with 60 lb rockets as its first attack weapon and 20mm cannons as its second (dlO: 1-5), or a P47 Thunderbolt with MGs for its first attack weapon and bombs as its second (610). British 1944-45 will receive a Hawker Typhoon armed with 60 lb rockets as its first attack weapon and 20mm cannons as its second. Russians 1943-45 will receive a Sturmovik armed with 37mm cannon to be used in both attacks (d10: 1-4), or 20mm cannon as its first attack weapon and bombs as its second (5-10). (The rockets sometimes used on the P47 and Sturmovik performed much like the bombs, the 60 lb rockets of the Typhoon were much different.) 2) The plane's first target is determined. The side with air support chooses an enemy unit and rolls a d10; on a 1-6 that unit is the target; with a 7-10 that target was not spotted by the plane. If the target was not spotted then choose another target at least 12 inches away and roll again to see if that target is spotted. If the second target is not spotted then the plane returns one turn later to try again. Units in buildings or woods cannot be targets (including units on roads passing through woods). The owning player places the plane 12 inches from the first target (in any direction), with the plane facing towards that target. 3) During the enemy's fire phase any loaded AA guns may fire at the plane. 4) At the beginning of the owning player's next fire phase the target is attacked by the plane's first weapon: MGs: Roll a dl 0; a 10+ is needed for a kill. To-Hit and Fire Effect are combined into this one roll. The result is either kill or no effect. Modify the roll by the target's rear armor regardless of facing, using +7 if U, a Gun or infantry (use +4 if dug-in). Modify by +l for the P47. 20-40mm cannon: Roll a d10; a 6+ is needed for a kill. Modify the roll by the target's rear armor. Modify by +5 if U, a Gun or infantry (use +3 if dug-in). Versus vehicles also modify by -2 for the 20mm cannon, and -1 if the vehicle is moving. 60 lb Rockets: Roll a d10; a 3+ is needed for a kill. Modify according to the following: +1 if the target is infantry, a Gun, or unarmored (unless dug-in), -1 if the target is a moving vehicle, and -1 if the target has 0 or -1 rear armor. 5) Immediately after the fire at the first target is resolved the plane is moved forward so that its nose is directly above the first target. 6) At the beginning of the enemy's next fire phase any loaded AA guns may fire at the plane. 7) At the end of that enemy's fire phase a second target is chosen (and automatically spotted) and is attacked by the plane's second weapon. The second target must be within a 60 degree arc of the plane's facing; 30 degrees to either side of straightahead. Use the arc for Guns under 80mm. (If there is currently no second target within this arc then the plane must roll for spotting and move to 12 inches from another target anywhere on the board during its next movement phase and then fire in the subsequent fire phase. AA guns may fire at it during each of their fire phases.) A direct-hit automatically destroys any target. With near-hits unarmored vehicles, Guns, and infantry are destroyed (stunned if dug-in), and armored vehicles roll a d10 and modify by the rear armor; -4 no effect, 5 stun, 6+ wreck. For misses roll a d10: The number on the die, divided by two, is how far away from the target in inches, the weapon landed. The direction is determined randomly. Units within 1 inch of this location suffer a near-hit. Do the same for 60 lb rockets that miss. American, British and Russian air support has a value of 30. German air support has a value of 20 for 1939-40; 25 for 1941-42; 30 for 1943-44; and 35 for 1945. AIR ATTACK With 20-40mm weapons attack as above. With bombs roll to hit as follows: Effect d10 : Effect 1-3 : Miss 4-8 : Near Hit 9-10 : Direct Hit Modifiers Situation Modifier Moving Target -1 Same Target as First +2 Distance from First Target 0-2.9 : 0 3-5.9 : -1 6-7.9 : -2 8-9.9 : -3 10+ : NE ANTI-AIRCRAFT GUNS: All AA-guns used by all nationalities are treated as 37VL,D or 40L,D Guns in all respects, except that they have a 360 degree arc of fire and they may fire at planes. AA-guns may fire at units on the ground, and be fired upon by them, according to the usual rules for Guns. 37 and 40mm AA guns have a value of 12. Large flak Guns, such as the German 88, may not fire at the low-flying tactical air support of this game. AA-guns were often mounted on unarmored halftracks (value 15), trucks (14), and occasionally on armored halftracks (17). Other vehicles that may fire at planes include the British AA Mark Light tank and Crusader AA, and the German Ostwind and Wirbelwind. The Americans may use the quad-.50 cal MG's versus planes. Treat the quad-.50 as a single 20L,D versus vehicles and an `o' MG versus Guns and infantry, adding +1 to its MG rolls. The quad .50 was available as a Gun mounting `42-45 (value 11), and mounted on an armored halftrack `43-45 (15). Vehicle mounted AA-guns must be stopped or overwatch to fire at planes. AA-guns may not fire out of woods or buildings. LOS for AA-guns firing at planes is only blocked by woods on the same or a higher elevation or by hills two levels higher than the AA-gun. The Anti-Aircraft Fire Table gives the roll needed for all AA guns to divert the plane (immediately remove the plane, it does not effect the target). If a second roll is again successful then the plane was actually shot down. ANTI-AIRCRAFT FIRE Range (inches) : d10 0-5.9 : 6+ 6-13.9 : 7+ 14-23.9 : 8+ 24-35.9 : 9+ 36-47.9 : 10+ 48+- : NE MINEFIELDS: A vehicle moving through a minefield has a 1 in 10 chance of detonating a mine for every each 2 inches of movement within a minefield (d 10: 1= a detonated mine). Upon detonating a mine unarmored vehicles are destroyed. Other vehicles roll a d10 on the Minefield Damage Table. This roll is modified by +l for light vehicles, -1 for heavy or very heavy vehicles, +2 for wheeled vehicles, and +1 for half-tracks. Passengers in immobilized vehicles are stunned, those in destroyed vehicles are eliminated. Towed Guns are unaffected. Guns and infantry have a I in 10 chance of detonating a mine whenever they move into or within a minefield (except when only pivoting). Guns and Infantry that detonate mines are destroyed. A unit is not required to roll for mines if it is following within 1 inch of a vehicle, as long as the first vehicle is of regular weight or heavier, and is not lighter than the units that are following. MINEFIELD DAMAGE d10: Effect: 1-3 No effect 4-8 Immobilized 9+ Wreck MINE-CLEARING VEHICLES: Mine-clearing vehicles need not roll for mines as they move through minefields, and they clear all mines in their path. Lay string behind them to mark their path. Any unit that moves along this path does not need to roll for mines. Of the many varieties of mine-clearing vehicles used only the most common will be covered. The Matilda III and Sherman 75 were each fitted with chain flails. They may not move more than 2 inches during a movement phase while clearing mines. The first time a hit on their front facing results in an immobilization, their flails have been destroyed instead. The Matilda has no turret. The Sherman may not fire any weapons while clearing mines. The Matilda has a value of 13 and the Sherman 25. Both were available beginning 1943. The Sherman 75 was also fitted with giant metal rollers. It has 2 movement points and may not pivot in place. It cannot move through woods, rough, hedgerows or walls unless another vehicle with a bulldozer blade has cleared a path. It may not cross a stream unless by bridge and may not move up a slope unless by road. Ignore hedges. When a second Sherman 75 is pushing from behind the combination has 4 movement points and may move up slopes (neither may fire). It has no bow MG. The rollers cause it to always be considered hull down with fire versus its front facing. The rollers block its own fire at certain angles. Its weight is V-heavy and it value is 25. It is available beginning 1944. VALUE SYSTEM The values listed for each of the various units represent the relative strength of the units in game terms. They have nothing to do with historical availability or production costs. For vehicles the value is determined mainly by weapon strength, armor protection target size, and mobility In general 125 points represents a typical late war `platoon' (e.g, 125 points covers 5 M4 Sherman 76s, 5 T-34 '43s, 5 Pzk IV Js, 4 Panthers or 4 Tigers). The value system is useful for the generation of scenarios where one wishes both sides to be relatively equal. Alternatively, a scenario may specify a certain number of value points (e.g, of 1944 Germans) to set up in a map area, along with a certain number of enemy value points to attack from a particular direction. The two sides then allocate their forces before play begins, with both sides not necessarily being equal. The value system is also useful for 'tournament-style' play. VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONS: "w" indicates wheeled vehicle, "ht" indicates halftrack. MP: Movement points. Armament: The size in mm and weapon type of the main armament. For weapon type: S = Short-barreled gun (low muzzle velocity). M = Medium gun L = Long-barreled gun (high muzzle velocity). VL = Very-long gun (very high muzzle velocity). D = Double rate of fire. MG: Lists any machine guns: b = bow (40 degree traverse in the fire phase), c = coaxial (mounted in a turret, 60 degree traverse in the fire phase), o = open (mounted external to an open top, 360 degree traverse in the fire phase. Most AA-mounted MG's are not listed because their use would expose their crew to fire and would interfere with the commander's ability to direct the vehicle's movement and fire.) Sz: Size to-hit modifier applied to To-Hit rolls against it. F, S & R: Front, Side and Rear armor modifiers to be applied to Fire Effect rolls against that facing. Wt: Relative weight of the vehicle (related to its weight in tons, not necessarily its organizational classification); L = light, M = medium, H = heavy, and VH = very heavy. Yr: Year in which the vehicle saw action (e.g. `9-1' indicates it was primarily used 1939 through 1941.) V: Relative value of the vehicle in game terms. N: Notes: 1) All versions of the Stuart are included according to their first two characters. The M3A I for example is included in the M3. Other vehicles throughout the specifications, such as the M4 Sherman, are treated similarly. 2) Used primarily by the British and Canadians. 3) The 75mm gun is in the bow, and the smaller gun is in a turret. Place fire markers separately for each. The bow gun may not fire when the vehicle is hull down. The Char B has a right side armor modifier if 0, and a left of +1 due to an engine grille. 4) Some were fitted with the 76L (value 27). 5) Optional MG. 6) Other SP-gun mountings on the MS halftrack include: 105M (year: 2-3, Value: 17), 75S,D (2-3, 15), 37VL,D (2, 15), and the Russian's mounted a 57VL,D (3-4, 18) on some of their lend-lease ht's creating the SU-57. 7) The MGs in small turrets may fire at any target in the vehicle's forward or side facing. 8) The Bren, or `Universal', carrier may have an ATR instead of the MG. 9) Includes the Pzk II `Lynx' 10) The L/70 version was mounted with a 75VL (value 29). 11) No bow MG in 1943. The Panther has only 5 MP in 1943 (value 30). 12) Use a single To Hit die when firing the quad 20, with Guns, Infantry and unarmored vehicle targets automatically destroyed and armored vehicle targets rolling four Fire Effect dice. 13) Eight-wheeled armored cars may move full in reverse and use the halftrack column of the Movement Table. 14) Use these specifications for all unarmored halftracks of any nationality. Smaller halftracks may be given a -1 size modifier. 15) Although listed only under the German specifications, all countries had trucks throughout the war. Use these specifications for trucks and miscellaneous wheeled softskins for all nationalities. Some American trucks were fitted with an o MG. 16) Lend-lease vehicles use the -1 To-Hit modifier for Russian firer and may not fire from hull-down positions on hills to units at lower elevations. Other lend-lease vehicles used by the Russians 1943-5 include the Churchill, Valentine, Stuart, M3 scout car, halftrack, and jeep. 17) Includes the amphibious KA-MI, which does not have the -1 size modifier when its pontoons are attached. 18) The Type 97 with the 47mm was known as the `Shinhoto Chi-Ha'. Panzertruppe Vehicle Specifications 3rd Edition Charts Back to MWAN # 128 Table of Contents Back to MWAN List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2004 Hal Thinglum This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com