AT fire blocked?

[Bluebell88A]

In “Tactics in Panzer Grenadier: Airborne” by Doug McNair (June 2009):

“0945 The German Panzer platoon then moves [from hex 0606 on Map 13] to hex 0505 to put the town at 0604 between it and the US tanks in 0803. It would love to shoot at the US tanks, but can’t because of the German armoured car which is currently pinned down in the assault hex at 0705. The US tanks have no such restriction, so the German tank has to seek cover to keep from being a sitting duck.”

7.24 Blocked Fire states: “Units may not target direct fire at a hex containing friendly units, nor may they trace direct fire through a hex containing friendly non-armoured units (Exception: see 10.1). They MAY target bombardment fire at an assault hex. They may also target anti-tank fire at an assault hex IF there are no friendly vehicle units in that hex.”

In the AAR the AT fire is not targeted at the adjacent assault hex, but at a hex which is 2 hexes beyond it.

Am I missing something?

And if the German fire IS blocked by the German armoured car getting in the way, why isn’t the US fire coming the other way blocked too?

Tim

[Shad]

What else is in the assault hex besides the German armored car? If there isn't any American armor in the hex they can AT fire through it.

[Bluebell88A]

In the assault hex are an American leader and a Para platoon. The Germans have an HMG, armoured car and motorcycle units.

I can understand the reluctance of the German tanks to fire AT through a hex containing friendly armoured cars in case they hit one, but a similar risk of hitting the armoured cars exists for the Americans firing at the German tanks.

Maybe I'm just having a senior moment, but I can't see anywhere in the rules that specifically forbids a unit from firing AT through a hex containing friendly armoured units, or allows a unit to fire AT through a hex containing enemy armoured units.

Tim

[upintheattic]

In “Tactics in Panzer Grenadier: Airborne” by Doug McNair (June 2009):

“0945 The German Panzer platoon then moves [from hex 0606 on Map 13] to hex 0505 to put the town at 0604 between it and the US tanks in 0803. It would love to shoot at the US tanks, but can’t because of the German armoured car which is currently pinned down in the assault hex at 0705. The US tanks have no such restriction, so the German tank has to seek cover to keep from being a sitting duck.”

7.24 Blocked Fire states: “Units may not target direct fire at a hex containing friendly units, nor may they trace direct fire through a hex containing friendly non-armoured units (Exception: see 10.1). They MAY target bombardment fire at an assault hex. They may also target anti-tank fire at an assault hex IF there are no friendly vehicle units in that hex.”

In the AAR the AT fire is not targeted at the adjacent assault hex, but at a hex which is 2 hexes beyond it.

Am I missing something?

And if the German fire IS blocked by the German armoured car getting in the way, why isn’t the US fire coming the other way blocked too?

Tim

Oy, that article has caused untold confusion -- not because of what I wrote in it, but because Mike recycled it and posted it long after it wasn't current anymore. I wrote that article way back in 2006, back when PG 2nd Edition was in use. But then Mike recycled it as Daily Content in 2009 and put a 2009 date on it. By that time, 3rd Edition had long been in use, so all the rules commentary was no longer valid. Therefore, please consign that article to the dustbin of history (maybe Shad can put out an alert about that).

As for your basic question, AT fire is never blocked by other units (of any nationality) in intervening hexes in 3rd Edition PG.

-- Doug

[campsawyer]

I have updated the annotated rules with a clarification.

Blocked Fire

[Bluebell88A]

As for your basic question, AT fire is never blocked by other units (of any nationality) in intervening hexes in 3rd Edition PG.

-- Doug

Thanks for clearing that up for me!

Tim