I previously covered Guns as Targets here on my blog. A reader suggested I should add an example covering a Gun in a Pillbox. After looking at the rules, I agree it is a good topic for a short article. If you haven’t already, you may want to have a quick look at my Infantry Target Type and Critical Hits article. It will make following along below a little easier. Let’s get started.
Refer to Figure 1. While I won’t specifically refer to this figure, I am speaking to this situation below. The Gun is actually IN the Pillbox and manned by a crew. I have pulled the Gun out out into the open and ignore the crew to eliminate stacking. Doing so makes it easier to see the meaningful units involved.
First, let’s refer to B30.5. An attack can negate both the Covered Arc (CA) and Non-Covered Arc (NCA) Defense Modifications when using AP, APCR, or APDS. To negate the Defense Modification of Pillbox, the Basic To Kill Number (TK#) for that ammunition type must be greater than twice the applicable Defense Modification. In such cases, the Gun is attacked with HE-Equivalency.
When applying the IFT result against a Gun, keep in mind a Direct Hit results from a Final KIA or K/# on the IFT. In these cases, the gunshield DRM is NA.
Area Target Type
When attacking a Gun, we can use Area Target Type (ATT) and Infantry Target Type (ITT). Examining ATT, it becomes apparent the attack is iffy at best. Hitting is not particularly hard, especially since Target Size (B30.32) and Concealment (B30.7) are NA. Remember, HIP is a form of concealment. Placing the Gun on the board isn’t necessary to negate the concealment benefit.
Once securing a hit with ATT, we cross reference the Gun diameter on IFT to find the initial HE firepower. We halve that for ATT. Roll the dice to obtain an Original DR. Add in the appropriate Defense Modification to get a Final DR. Cross reference the Final DR with the column on the IFT to get the result. I don’t know about you, but a 6 +5/+7 does not sound too threatening to me. Sure, a 1,1 scores a Critical Hit in either case, but it doesn’t get more comfy than this in ASL. A CH destroys the Gun and eliminates the manning Infantry, but otherwise, I am feeling pretty snug in my pillbox.
Infantry Target Type
Using ITT and HE isn’t much scarier. With a Modified To Hit Number (TH#) of 8, the Case Q modifiers are +5/+7. Even applying the best -2 Case N (Acquisition), the odds are against even hitting the Gun (8TH +3/+5). Once a hit is achieved, the IFT DR may be modified by any gunshield further increasing survivability. Unlike ATT, a 1,1 is only a possible CH. The Gun even avoids that on a subsequent dr of 5-6. If a CH is achieved, the Gun is destroyed and the manning Infantry are eliminated.
Infantry Target Type Using HE-Equivalency
But what about ITT using AP and HE-Equivalency? The 76L gun has an Basic TK# of 17, more than double both the CA and NCA Defense Modification. Again, Concealment and Target Size are NA when in a Pillbox. With a Basic TH# of 8, each of these two shots score a hit against the gun on an 8 or less. Shots from the NCA would not apply any gunshield DRM. As a 76mm Gun, its HE-Equivalency yields attacks on the 2 column. Against the gunshield DRM, that’s not too exciting but otherwise, it will put the Gun crew to the test. Any time your opponent is rolling Morale Checks is a step towards victory. This is already better than ATT and marginally worse than ITT using HE.
Where it gets really interesting is considering CHs. Recall, a Final TH DR less than half the modified TH# is a CH when firing ITT. Keep in mind, when using AP, TEM–including Emplacement TEM–does not apply (B30.35). Before any acquisition, an Original 3 is a CH as depicted. Any CH destroys the Gun and eliminates its manning Infantry. Throw in a -2 Acquisition and an Original 5 scores a CH. Throw in a -1 or -2 Point Blank Range DRM and an Original 6/7 scores a CH. At some point, the player might consider dropping the Gun to avoid instant elimination. A roll on the IFT is survivable. A CH while possessing a Gun is not.
Lastly, while a K/# on the IFT would normally Malfunction the Gun and eliminate the manning Infantry, the C11.6 Gun Destruction Table states the Gun is eliminated if AP is fired.
Special NCA Consideration
When resolving a CH through the NCA, the NCA TEM is considered to be zero (B30.113). As such, a CH through the NCA applies no negative TEM to the Original IFT DR. The TEM is inverted normally for a CH through the CA (C3.71).
Conclusion
Please let me know if you find this type of article useful. I believe it is much easier to add supplemental articles like this than to update the original article. It would be especially tricky updating the original given how many downloads of the PDFs there are. Please let me know if think of any additional examples missing from my previous articles. Thanks to Klas for suggesting this article. I hope I did it justice. — jim
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