Tanks and Mortars....Assault

[cjsiam]

So....T34s go into the trees after the Mortars....the T34s get demoralized (there was some bombardment)....

The T34s roll for recovery.....
They fail.....

Do they have to leave?  The Mortars do not have ability to hurt them (no AT) and they are in woods....
I'm a bit unsure as to what forces them to depart the hex---as it is there would be no free-shot (mortars don't get
  to free shot---their Assault DF is 1...for defense)...but do they have to flee?

I'm troubled---this happened a while ago in a game (to my dismay) --- and the latest assault question makes me want to clear this.
thanks!
cj

[plloyd1010]

If the tanks are in an assault hex, yes. They must exit, and are subject to the free shot. (What? 2-3 points.)
If not in an assault hex, no. (Though I think they should.)

[cjsiam]

If the tanks are in an assault hex, yes. They must exit, and are subject to the free shot. (What? 2-3 points.)
If not in an assault hex, no. (Though I think they should.)

What would the free shot be?
The rules say that a Gun without DF has a 1 for defensive fire in Assault--- but mortars do not have an ATTACK DF for assault...
so--what would the factors be?

12.42 Minimum StrengthEach combat unit that has no direct fire factor (such as limbered artillery or mortars, but not unarmed transports) has an assault combat strength of 1.

12.12 Exiting a Hex
If, during a given action segment, ALL of a player's combat units exit an assault hex (leaving no combat units to guard their retreat), then ALL the exiting units (not just the last unit to leave) may be assaulted by the enemy units in the assault hex using the Assault Table. This is a "free shot." The units attacking the exiting units do not have to activate, don't have a Moved/Fired marker placed on them when they fire, and can fire even if they have a Moved/Fired marker on them already. The firing units attack all the exiting units as a group with one dice roll, and no negative column modifiers apply (positive column modifiers apply normally). The exiting units may not fire.

So one would have to interpret that the "1" assault combat strength of the mortar is enough to provide a free shot---it is not restricted?....

So that would mean it(the mortar platoon) could INITIATE combat against said demoralized tanks
with a "1" (and officer+and in Woods without infantry+enemy demoralized) on the "9" column?
REEEAAALLLLYYY?....what are they doing -- throwing the mortar shells at the tanks...sigh

....this troubles me....

[plloyd1010]

12.42 Minimum Strength
Each combat unit that has no direct fire factor (such as limbered artillery or mortars, but not unarmed transports) has an assault combat strength of 1.

Nothing about the minimum combat strength point being  defensive only.

[saracv3]

I just had a situation in PoCr similar to CJ’s. A lone German mortar rolled disruption on two full strength good order Greek infantry platoons with 10-1-1 Lt. The Greek stack moved in for an easy kill, but this German 81mm didn’t budge. It’s 8/7 morale against the Greek’s 7/6 was key.

When the German’s time for activation came, he did nothing. He didn’t move because of the threat of the Free Shot; he couldn’t Direct Fire due to Assault Hex restrictions and he couldn’t Assault because he had no leader. Without the leader he couldn’t go through with an Assault attack. He could have attempted to move out of the hex because he was moving away from the enemy.

Am I correct here?

[plloyd1010]

Not entirely.

Without the leader he couldn’t go through with an Assault attack.

Units in an assault hex may assault on their own. It is entering an assault hex that requires the leader. So the mortar could assault, with a strength of 1.

[saracv3]

But a column shift of ‘ +1 for the higher German morale (Greek leader has no influence.) The Germans would use the 3 column on the Assault Table.

[plloyd1010]

The point being that the mortar crew could assault without a leader.

[cjsiam]

The point being that the mortar crew could assault without a leader.

And given the nature of this game in my experience 2 and 12s happen...I had an AT Rifle drop a step on a Pz35t with boxcars....what was needed...and it was rolled...fugging amazing...sigh....so, not to discount what those vicious Mortar shell droppers can do!!!
cj