OFFICIAL CLARIFICATIONS & UMPIRE NOTES

Last Updated 04 March 1998

3.2 HIGHER LEVEL HQ and SHOOTING (Page 3)

• An HQ Platoon itself does not fire though other Platoons that are part of a HQ Company may fire.

2.3.3 SUPPORT BATTALIONS (Page 3)

• When splitting up a support battalion, the HQ must also be attached out. The HQ does not count as a company for attachment limits (ie. Every battalion may have up to a whole support battalion attached, ie. 3 Companies and an HQ Company/Platoon OR an entire complete battalion)!
• Note that TD battalions, Stug Battalions, Tiger (Heavy Tank) Battalions, etc. are usually considered examples of support Battalions.

3.2.2 ACTING HQ (Page 4)

• When a platoon is acting as an HQ, as well as providing the focal point for the command radius, it must also follow the orders as if it were an HQ platoon (ie. move along the command arrow, or remain stationary).

3.7 ATTACK ORDERS (Page 4)

We assume the command element may never slow below 6" movement (even if shot at/can see enemy - is this what you meant by 'contacts'?) thereby forcing other elements that may halt to fire to eventually move to remain in command radius! ......Or have we missed the point and 'contact' means physcial contact? Thereby meaning all elements must keep moving, etc.....?

• No. What the rule means is that all Platoons including the BC may slow down or even halt after they spot an enemy to deal with the situation; they are still nominally under Attack Orders. If and when there are no longer spotted enemy for that Battalion, they must continue as per their orders-i.e. at 6" minimum along Command arrow, etc.-even if they wanted to remain slowed down or halted.
• Note that after contact with any enemy fighting (non-recon) Platoon, Orders may be changed for/to any eligible Battalions as per the usual rules.

3.10 RESERVE ORDERS (Page 6)

• The Reserve may be commited after enemy are spotted by any friendly Platoon on that side; i.e. the Reserve units themselves do not have to spot in order to qualify for their commitment.

3.12 ORDER CHANGES (Page 7)

The unlimited change of facing rule, with an order change, we have assumed overides the rule about guns pivoting no more than 45º. We assumed this was intended?

• Yes.

PIVOTING AGAINST A TOWN SECTOR (pages 8 - 11)

Can any element moving "around" the perimeter of a Town Sector make a pivot (of approximately 90 degrees) so as to end it's movement in the Outskirts (ie. with it's rear edge against the sector edge it was originally moving parallel to)?

• No. They may pivot 45°/turn only, or enter the sector then on the following turn move out into the Outskirts. Note, however, that a unit under attack orders at the end of its arrow may have entered a sector or been adjacent to its edge and could then move/pivot as necessary to hold it as part of the implied order change to it's new Defend orders.

DISMOUNTING INFANTRY AS TARGETS (Pages 10 & 14)

• The act of dismounting does not count for disappearing fire! They are fired upon after they dismount unless they qualify as a disappearing target while still mounted. Of course, the transport truck or APC is removed from play upon dismounting.
• Spotting Dismounted Infantry/High Velocity Guns: If a high velocity gun - with a range of 18" - fires at a stand in the open that dismounts at say, 13", the gun may not fire at the infantry since the infantry is outside of 9" spotting range. If the gun were on a 2 level hill (adding 6" to spotting range) they do spot the infantry and would fire at them with their AI factor at -1.

6.5 AMBUSH FIRE (Page 13)

• Platoons that fired are spotted out to 12." They remain spotted even if they stop firing by enemy within 12". From their current positions, they may claim Ambush Fire again only against enemy that did not spot them within 12."

7.0 DIRECT FIRE OVER FRIENDLY TROOPS FROM AND/OR TO HIGH GROUND (Page 13)

Is this permissible, to fire from one hill to another even if friendly troops are on the low ground between? Or over a depression (it's basically the same)?

• You may never fire overhead (or through) friendlies with Direct Fire (unless these are support weapons integral to or attached to battalions).

7.1 and 7.6.1 SELF-PROPELLED GUNS and TARGET PRIORITY (Page 14)

• SPGs that shoot in the 3c Phase generally have the 3 (5) indication on the Data Cards. Players may, with mutual consent, nominate other vehicles they feel qualify.

7.3.1 TARGET PRIORITY & 7.7.4 FIRE PROHIBITION (Pages 14 & 17)

• Any weapon with a "-" on the data cards "ignores" all targets of that type for priority purposes (ie. The British Mk.VI Light Tank never considers another tank as a priority target, it will always fire on the closest "Soft Target").
• Remember units with very weak ratings must still obey normal priority rules, using the Suppressive Fire rule if necessary.

7.4.1 SUPPORT FIRE (Page 15)

• Support Units may only use the special rule in the second paragraph if they cannot see the target themselves (i.e. They are in a wood or behind an obstacle such as a hedge). The Support Units may not measure from the front of a unit they are contacting if the can see the target themselves (eg. They are in the open).

8.4.1 FORWARD OBSERVATION OFFICERS (Page 19)

• FOs from from Divisional Support Battalions/Batteries (representing a single man) do not Block line of fire for friendlies and do not count as platoons towards the capacity limit in town sectors. Full PLATOONS functioning as FOs do block line of fire for friendly troops, and do count as platoons towards the capacity limit in town sectors.
• In Close Combat (even in sectors) an FO must pair off against an opponent, if there are more troops on "his" side, and he suffers the fate of those troops in the combat. If forced to fight an enemy platoon alone he is automatically killed. FOs may never "fight".

8.5 SMOKE (Page 21)

• When laying Smoke, an "OPEN AREA" is anywhere, other than a Town Sector, to which the artillery FO has LOS - i.e. up to 18" in open ground if on the same height level.
• Even when batteries are deployed "on table" smoke markers must still be deployed parallel to the table edge(s).
• When stoking on subsequent turns, attempts may also be made to replace "puffs" that failed to appear initially.

8.7 PRE-PLANNED BOMBARDMENT (Page 21)

• 8.7.1 The effectiveness of the bombardment is based upon the number of firing BATTALIONS (vice batteries)...

CLOSE COMBAT SEQUENCING DURING MOVEMENT (Pages 24 - 25)

Can you close assault someone who has close assaulted another of your platoons? This assumes obviously you are moving second and reacting to initial close assaults.

• Yes.

If the answer is Yes, then if you have 3 guys defending a town sector and they get Close Assaulted by 6, and you move second can you send another 3 of your guys in to close assault the Close Assaulters??! (We currently have been assuming yes as this would simulate local counterattacks for which the Germans were famous).

• Yes. Just remember, when the dust clears, you may occupy with only 3.

RETREATING FROM A CLOSE COMBAT (Pages 24 - 25)

The Rules say "Straight Back", is this meant literally (i.e. Back the way you came), or does it mean back towards the baseline?

10.1 CLOSE COMBAT RESULTS with MULTIPLE PLATOONS (Pages 24-25)

• If a larger force is defeated, lose one platoon and the rest retreat. The choice of which Platoon is destroyed may be randomly determined or is up to the owning (losing) player.

10.2 SUPPRESSION & CLOSE COMBAT MODIFIERS (Page 25)

• Note that the -2 Suppression modifier is listed on the QRS but not in the rulebook. Remember that the -2 may apply against Platoons entering a Town Sector (but not the Outskirts) when Suppressed by enemy defending the Sector; see 11.4 DIRECT FIRE IN/AGAINST SECTORS.

11.6 SECTOR CLOSE COMBAT (Page 26)

Do defenders gain a bonus for Close assaults in Town Sectors?

• No. Nothing is mentioned because guys inside Sectors do not get any "plus" bonuses. This is because they get more than enough advantages as described in the rules; eg. defenders ignore target priority; they can suppress you upon entry and you have to fight suppressed, etc. Also you must move adjacent to a sector to know troops are in there!

11.7 OUTSKIRTS CLOSE COMBAT (Page 26)

Although there is nothing on the QRS you have, in the main text, referred to defenders of the Outskirts receiving a Close Assault bonus?

• Outskirts don't get the same advantages as Sectors do above. So they just get the +1 we describe in the rules text (page 26-27).

RETREATING AFTER A SUCCESSFUL CLOSE COMBAT BY 6 PLATOONS IN A TOWN SECTOR (Page 26)

If you win the C/A and you had 6 platoons enter the town sector, and 4 or more survive, do the surplus ones get to occupy outskirts, or choose where they retreat to?

• No. They must fall back in the original direction they came from. They only fall back the minimum distance necessary to meet the requirements of the sector capacity.

SOVIET TANK BRIGADES (Page T/O 35 - 40)

• As indicated in the Organizations, these are used either as an entire Brigades with a single Order, or may be used (usually from 1943 on as per Organizations) as inividual battalions each with a separate Order, or as entire Brigades as before.

SOVIET TANK/TD/SPG COMMANDERS (Page T/O 35 - 40)

• When a Command stand is not given in an organization for a regiment or battalion, and when such units are permitted to operate independently, use one of the vehicles as the "commander" for purposes of establishing radius and following the Command Arrow. Examples include Tank Destroyer and SPG Regiments from Corps Assets, and also later war tank battalions when permitted in the Organization notes.