16. Firing Against Armour

Only weapons that have the capability to penetrate armour can cause damage on AFVs and APCs. This includes Anti-Tank guns, dedicated infantry Anti-Tank weapons, artillery and guns mounted in armoured vehicles.

When activated, an Anti-Tank weapon fires one round. To fire at an armoured vehicle, the target must be in the firer's Arc of Fire. See Section 13.1, Frontal Arc of Fire and Section 15.1, Vehicle Arc of Fire.

Tanks and Anti-Tank Guns treat the entire table as Close Range. Portable Infantry Anti-Tank weapons have limited range and their chance of hitting reduces as the distance to the target increases. The range bands for each weapon are shown in the National Arsenal Tables.

This image shows where the vehicle is hit, depending on the direction of the shot: front, side or rear.

16.1 Firing Procedure

The firing procedure is a three-step process, as follows:

Step One: Roll to Hit

The player rolls 2D6 to attempt to hit the target, adjusting the total as follows:

AT Fire Adjustments
Target moved Flat Out in their last active phase-1
Firer moved in this Phase-1
Firer rotated turret out of Arc of Fire-1
Each Shock on firer-1
Target is Low Profile-1
Target is Small-1
Each additional range band (infantry)-1
Infantry and Support Units under Suppressing Fire-1
Commander activates gunner with two Orders+1
Hit with last round. Target and firer both stationary.+1

The adjusted roll must be equal to or greater than the number shown below to hit the target.

TargetTo Hit
In the Open5
View obscured
(approximately 1/3 cover)
7
View badly obscured
(approximately 2/3 cover)
9

If the firer rolls less than the number shown, the shot has missed and the following steps are ignored. If the firer hits, we check to see if the round has penetrated.

Step Two: Roll for Penetration

If the target is hit, the firer rolls the weapon's A.P. Strike Dice, as shown in the National Arsenals.

If the firer rolled a single 6 when rolling to hit, they have hit a weak spot on the target and add one additional A.P. Strike Dice. If both dice rolled to hit were a 6, they have hit a major weak spot on the target and add two additional A.P. Strike Dice.

The table below shows the score required for a Penetrating Hit, depending on the hit location.

Hit LocationPenetrating Hit
Front Armour5 or 6
Side Armour4 to 6
Rear or Top Armour3 to 6

The target vehicle now rolls their Armour Dice. Each 5 or 6 rolled is an Armour Save.

Compare the number of Penetrating Hits with the number of Armour Saves. If the number of Armour Saves is greater than the number of Penetrating hits, the shot has no effect. If the number of Penetrating Hits is equal to or greater than the number of Armour Saves, move to the Damage Procedure.

16.2 Effect of damage

Roll a D6 on the table on the next page for the relevant vehicle type and the number of net hits achieved for the outcome.

In action
A Panzer IVH can see down a road near the German border. A Sherman is advancing down the raised road making it a target "In the Open". The German rolls 2D6 and rolls 6 and 1, a total of 7 and more than the 5 required. A hit is achieved. But more than that, the 6 rolled means that the round has hit a weak spot on the Sherman's armour.

The Panzer IVH A.P. Strike is 9, but hitting the weak spot means that the German player rolls 10 strike dice. They roll 1,1,2,3,4,4,5,5,6,6, hitting with 5 or 6 as it is on the Sherman's frontal armour, so four hits.

The Sherman has 6 Armour Dice and rolls 1,2,3,4,5,6. They save on 5 or 6, so that's two saves. The Panzer has achieved two net hits, so the players will need to check to see what damage has been done.

Armoured Fighting Vehicle
Equal Hits & Saves
1 21 Shock. Reverse 1D6 immediately
3 4No effect
5 6Halt and engage firer in next Phase
+1 Net Hit
1 to 31 Shock.
41 Shock. Engine Damage
51 Shock. Hull MG Destroyed
61 Shock. Commander Stunned
+2 Net Hits
1 to 32 Shock.
42 Shock. Vehicle immobilised
52 Shock. Optics Damaged
62 Shock. Commander wounded
+3 Net Hits
1-4AFV Destroyed
5-6AFV Explodes

Armoured Personnel Carriers
Equal Hits & Saves
1 21 Shock. Reverse 1D6 immediately
3 4No effect
5 6Pedal to Metal
+1 Net Hit
1 to 31 Shock.
41 Shock. Engine Damage
51 Shock. MG Suppressed
61 Shock. Commander Stunned
+2 Net Hits
1 to 32 Shock.
42 Shock. Vehicle immobilised
52 Shock. Weapon Position Destroyed
62 Shock. Commander wounded
+3 Net Hits
1-4APC Destroyed
5-6APC Explodes

AFV Damage Defined
Shock One or two points of Shock are added. See Section 16.3, Shock on Vehicles. An AFV with four Shock will be abandoned and a Force Morale Test taken.
Reverse 1D6 Immediately The AFV rolls 1D6 and reverses that distance in inches, moving directly away from the enemy that fired on them, avoiding any obstacles. Any intervening infantry are moved 4" by the controlling player.
Halt & Engage the Firer In their next active Phase, the player must activate the AFV and fire on the enemy that caused this result or order the AFV on Overwatch if the firer can no longer be seen. This is a Compulsory Activation and done before other Command Dice are used. A Command Dice roll of 3 must be used to activate the AFV's Leader or a Command Dice roll of 1 used to activate the Gunner. If unable to activate, the AFV takes an additional point of Shock.

The AFV may not move in this Phase and must engage the enemy Unit that caused the result. Any additional Orders available may be used to rally Shock or activate other weapon positions.

Engine Damage This vehicle cannot move Flat Out for the remainder of the game. It cannot move and fire its main armament.
Hull MG Destroyed This position cannot fire again. This also applies to vehicles with a single top-mounted MG.
Commander Stunned Commander cannot activate in their next active Phase.
Vehicle Immobilised The vehicle cannot move for the rest of the game. A tank can continue to rotate its turret. Any subsequent Shock suffered is doubled.
Optics Damaged -2 to hit when firing AP shells with main Gun. -1 to hit when firing H.E. shells.
Commander Wounded The tank commander is wounded, reducing the number of Orders available when activated by one. Take a Force Morale Test for a Leader Wounded.
AFV Destroyed Vehicle is destroyed. Take a Force Morale Test for the loss of an AFV Support.
AFV Explodes Vehicle is destroyed and the Leader is killed. Any infantry Team within 4" take 1D6 hits. Roll for effect as though in the Open. Take a Force Morale Test for the loss of an AFV Support with a +1. Do not roll separately for loss of a Leader.

APC Damage defined
Shock One or two points of Shock are added. See Section 16.3, Shock on Vehicles. An APC with four Shock will be abandoned.
Reverse 1D6 Immediately The APC rolls 1D6 and reverses that in inches, moving directly away from the enemy that fired on them. Any intervening infantry are moved 4" by the controlling player.
Pedal to Metal Immediately drive straight ahead at Flat Out speed. This is a bonus move and does not require activation. Any obstacles will be avoided.
Engine Damage This vehicle cannot move Flat Out for the remainder of the game. It cannot move and fire any weapon.
MG Suppressed The vehicle may not fire any MGs in their next Phase of activation.
Commander Stunned Commander cannot activate in the next active Phase.
Vehicle Immobilised The vehicle cannot move for the rest of the game. Any passengers deploy immediately, within 4" of the centre of the APC.
Weapon Position Destroyed One MG position is destroyed. Where multiple MG positions are present, the firing player chooses which is destroyed.
Commander Wounded The Leader commanding the passengers is wounded, reducing the number of Orders available when activated by one. Take a Force Morale Test for a Leader Wounded.
APC Destroyed APC is destroyed. Passengers deploy immediately. Roll one hit on each passenger, including Leaders, as though in Hard Cover. Take a Force Morale Test for the loss of an APC Support.
APC Explodes APC is is destroyed. Passengers deploy immediately. Roll for one hit on each passenger, including Leaders, as though in Light Cover. Any other infantry Team within 4" take 1D6 hits, rolling for effect as though in the Open. Take a Force Morale Test for the loss of an APC Support.

16.3 Shock on Vehicles

Shock affects the ability of the crew to activate. When activating a crewed position in an AFV or APC with Shock, the player rolls a D6. If a crew position fails to activate, the Command Dice is still discarded.

Movement

If the driver activates, roll for movement as normal, but subtract 1" from the distance moved for each point of Shock.

Firing

An AFV firing A.P. against an armoured target applies a -1 on the roll to hit for each point of Shock.

An Armoured Vehicle firing machine guns or H.E. reduces the number of Firepower Dice by one for each point of Shock.

Abandoned Vehicles

An AFV or APC with Shock will be abandoned by its crew and passengers if Shock reaches four points. When an AFV or APC is abandoned, take a Force Morale Test as though it is knocked out. It cannot be re-crewed during the game.
In action
The Sherman from our last example has suffered two net Penetrating hits. The players check the Armoured Fighting Vehicle Table, rolling 1D6 and checking the "+2 Net Hits" result.

The Allied player rolls a 4. The Sherman takes two points of Shock and is now immobilised. A Pak 40 now fires and achieves one net hit. This would usually add one point of Shock, but as the Sherman is immobilised this is doubled. The crew of the Sherman, now bail out. They roll on the Bad Things Happen Table to see how their Force Morale is affected.

16.4 Infantry Anti-Tank Weapons

Infantry Anti-Tank weapons fall into two categories: specific Teams which are dedicated tank-killing Teams, such as the PIAT, Anti-Tank rifle or Panzerschreck Teams; or the Section weapons, such as the Panzerfaust or Hawkins Grenade which can be used by an infantry Section or Team.

16.4.1 Anti-Tank Weapon Teams

Anti-Tank weapon Teams are activated on a roll of 1 on the Command Dice or by a Leader using an Order. If stationary, they fire without penalty. They can move with 1D6 and fire with a -1 to hit.

Anti-Tank rifles have no ammunition restrictions. Other Infantry Anti–Tank weapons such as the Bazooka, PIAT or Panzerschreck, are heavy and cumbersome and have Limited Ammunition of three rounds.

Details of each weapon's A.P. Strike Dice and range bands can be found in the National Arsenals. Each Range Band increases the roll to hit needed by 1. Here is an example of a Panzerschreck.

Weapon0-18"18-24"24-36"H.E.
Panzerschreck1111114

The Panzerschreck will roll to hit, hitting on the same score as a gun firing A.P. up to 18", its first range bracket. At 18" to 24" they subtract 1 from their roll. Between 24" and 36" they subtract 2. The H.E. Firing Dice are used when firing against Infantry targets.

16.4.2 Section Anti-Tank Weapons

Section Anti-Tank weapons are disposable weapons which are lost once used. They can be used by any figure in the Section. The weapon does not need to be allocated to a particular figure until used.

A Section Anti-Tank weapon can be used against an enemy AFV or APC when a Leader issues an Order. Multiple weapons can be fired when multiple Orders are used.

Details of each weapon's A.P. Strike Dice and range bands can be found in the National Arsenals.

16.4.3 Firing Infantry Anti-Tank Weapons

Infantry Anti-Tank weapons use the same firing process described in Section 16.1, Firing Procedure.

16.4.4 Anti-Tank Grenades & Charges

Units can make an attack on an armoured vehicle within 12" of their location using a hand-held Anti-Tank weapon, grenade or mine, placing them on the armoured vehicle.

One figure makes an attack for each Order issued by a Leader, rolling for movement as normal to see if they reach the target vehicle. Where two or more figures make an attack, each one rolls individually for movement.

To make a successful attack, the figure must move into contact with the armoured vehicle. If the figure fails to reach the vehicle, the attack fails, the grenade or charge is lost, and they immediately return to their Unit.

If the vehicle is contacted, the attack is made successfully. The attacker rolls the A.P. Strike Dice shown on the following table. The Storm of Steel Bonus applies.

Anti tank Grenades & Charges
Universal
Petrol BombA.P. strike of 3
Germany
Teller mineA.P. strike of 5
Great Britain
No.75 Hawkins GrenadeA.P. strike of 3
No.83 Gammon BombA.P. strike of 4
Soviet Union
Soviet RPG 3 AT grenadeA.P. strike of 4
United States
No.75 Hawkins GrenadeA.P. strike of 3
No.83 Gammon BombA.P. strike of 4

The attack is made against the top armour of the armoured vehicle, a Penetrating Hit being achieved on a roll of 3 to 6.

The Defender rolls for the vehicle's Armour Dice, saving on a roll of 5 or 6. Compare Penetrating Hits with Armour Saves using the Anti-Tank rules in Section 16.1, Firing Procedure. At the end of the Phase, the attacking figure is returned to its Unit.

Figures lost making an attack in this way do not count as a Team lost and no Force Morale Roll is made unless they are the last figure remaining in a Team.

16.4.5 MGs Against Armoured Vehicles

Whilst small arms fire cannot physically harm an armoured vehicle, an LMG, MMG or HMG Team that is not Pinned or Broken can attempt to drive off enemy armour within Close Range by firing against the vehicles vision ports. When activated, the machine gun Team spends the whole Phase attempting this.

The firing Team has no A.P. Strike Dice and consequently automatically achieves zero penetrating hits. The target vehicle now rolls its Armour Dice as though being hit on its frontal armour, adding +1 to each dice if the weapon firing is under Suppressing Fire.

If the target vehicle makes no Armour Saves, roll a D6 on the relevant Vehicle Damage table using the Equal Hits & Saves results.

16.4.6 Hand Grenades Against APCs

Hand Grenades can be used to attack open-topped APCs by throwing or posting the grenade into the vehicle. See Section 13.5.1, Hand Grenades.

If successful, roll the Firepower Dice with an additional Firepower Dice for a confined space and any additional Dice for a "Bullseye!" See 13.5.1.1, Bullseye!. All hits are counted against the passengers with any 6's rolled causing one Shock on the vehicle. The vehicle rolls no Armour Dice saving rolls.

16.4.7 Hand Grenades Against AFVs

Hand Grenades can be used to attack open-topped AFVs by throwing or posting the grenade into the vehicle. See Section 13.5.1, Hand Grenades.

If successful, roll the Firepower Dice with an additional Firepower Dice for a confined space and any additional Dice for a "Bullseye!" See 13.5.1.1, Bullseye! Any 6's rolled cause one Shock on the vehicle. The vehicle rolls no Armour Dice saving rolls.

16.4.8 Light Mortars and Rifle Grenades against Armour

Light mortars or rifle grenades firing against open topped armoured vehicles can only engage a target which is in their Line of Sight. They roll 2D6 and hit on a result of 12. If a hit is achieved, roll 6D6. Each 6 counts as one Penetrating Hit on the vehicle with the Storm of Steel Bonus. The AFV does not roll Armour saving throws.

16.4.9 Flamethrowers Against APCs

Flamethrowers firing at APCs roll their Firepower Dice. Any hits will be on the passengers who are treated as in Light Cover. Any Shock caused on passengers is doubled but .

Any 6's rolled cause a Penetrating Hit on the APC. No Storm of Steel Bonus applies. The APC rolls its Armour Dice to attempt to save these. Any net hits cause one point of Shock on the APC.

For the effect of Shock on vehicles, see Section 16.3, Shock on Vehicles.

16.4.10 Flamethrowers Against AFVs

Flamethrowers firing at AFVs roll their Firepower Dice. Any 6's rolled cause a Penetrating Hit. No Storm of Steel Bonus applies. The AFV rolls its Armour Dice to attempt to save these. Any net hits cause one point of Shock on the AFV.

For the effect of Shock on vehicles, see Section 16.3, Shock on Vehicles.

In action
A US Rifle Team is in the upper storey of a French farmhouse as a Flakpanzer moves down the road outside. They toss a grenade into the open top of the German vehicle, rolling a 3 and 6 to hit. The single 6 gives them an additional Firepower Dice.

With three Firepower Dice as standard, they add one dice for the confined space and one for the Bullseye, five Firepower Dice in total.

They roll 2, 3, 5, 6, 6, with the two 6's causing two Shock on the crew. A nasty surprise for the Germans.