Soldiers and Their Pets

I like to collect unusual war pictures and troops with animal mascots are interesting.  Here is a WWII German with a medium size dog.

Here are a couple Germans with a squirrel.  I give troops with an animal mascot a morale bonus. 

Tank cupola and a bunny.   Troops feel better when the have a little fuzzy friend with them.

This German has a fox and a bird!  A contradictory pair.

It's surprising that troops have such unusual pets; here a German with a small monkey.

This dog loves riding in the halftrack!

Infantry Weapons Rules

AUTOMATIC/EXPLOSIVE/INCENDIARY WEAPONS CHART

Type                                                    Number of Templates/Area

Shotgun                                                1

Machine Pistol                                      1

Sub-Machine Gun                                 1

Assault Rifle                                         1

Automatic Rifle                                     1

Gatling Gun .50 cal hand cranked          2

Automatic Assault Rifle                         2

Heavy Machine Gun (.50 cal)                2

Tripod Machine Gun (.30 cal)                3

Bipod Machine Gun (.30 cal)                 2

Hand Grenade                                      40mm diameter

Grenade Launcher                                40mm diameter

Flame Thrower                                     cone shaped template

            Any targets within a template must be separately ranged and dice rolled for each target to determine if the target was hit.  The firer has the option with multiple template weapons to fire lengthwise or depth wise, but the template must point towards the machine gun.

  

Infantry Template Construction          

Leaf template is a Vesica piscis shaped design.  Draw a circle 4 1/8 inches in diameter.  Draw an X, with its center at the center of the circle.  Using one of the lines of the X as a base, from the center of the circle, draw two more lines.  Draw one at an angle of 135 degrees, the second line at an angle of 45 degrees.  Where the lines intersect the circle that marks the template ends.  Using another 4 1/8 inch diameter circle, connect the lower half ends.

  

Infantry Weapons Firing at Vehicles

            Any weapon assigned a template also has a chance to destroy or disable some types of vehicles.  Only one vehicle may be in the target zone, even if more than one fits within the template.  The firing infantry weapon must first hit the vehicle.  If the vehicle is hit, check the damage die for the location and result of the hit.

VEHICLE DAMAGE

1          Crew                Crew killed

2          Engine              Engine destroyed, vehicle cannot move

3          Engine              Engine destroyed, vehicle cannot move

4          Fuel                  Vehicle catches fire

5          Cargo               Cargo or passengers destroyed

6          Suspension       Wheels destroyed, vehicle cannot move

Crew served direct fire infantry weapons such as, ATGM, machine guns, automatic grenade launchers, Gatling gun, must have a full crew in order to fire with the full number of template leafs.  Anytime the firer of a man portable weapon is killed his weapon is also destroyed.

If any other member of the crew is killed the number of templates is reduced by one template for each dead crewmember.  Survivors from weapons of the same type may unite to operate the weapon again if one is a loader and the other is a firer.

            A .30 caliber machine gun with just a gunner gets one leaf template.  A bipod mounted .30 caliber machine gun gets two leaf templates and has a crew of two.  A tank mounted .30 machine gun counts as a bipod machine gun but only needs a crew of one.  A tripod mounted .30 caliber machine gun gets three leaf templates and has a crew of three, gunner, loader and commander.    A tripod-mounted machine gun may fire indirect fire if it has a full crew of four, gunner, loader, commander and spotter, it will use three leaf templates.

            A tripod mounted .50 caliber machine gun gets two leaf templates and has a crew of three, gunner, loader and commander.  If they use a fourth crewman, a spotter they may firre indirect.  If there is no loader the machine gun only gets one template.  Firing indirect fire will use two templates.

            A tripod machine gun may fire at a tank.  A #1 hit is the turret machine gun.  If it gets a #2 hit on the turret it is an optics damage that will cause the tank to fire at -35%.  A #3 hit is the hull machine gun.  A #4 hit on the upper hull it is a driver’s vision slot and the tank is limited to no more than 50m per turn unless the driver looks out the hull hatch.  A result of #5 or #6 on the hit location die does nothing.

Machine Fire at Tanks

1          Turret machine gun

2          Turret main gun optics

3          Hull machine gun

4          Hull driver’s optics

5          No effect

6          No effect

            To fire a machine gun in the indirect mode the crew must include three men, gunner, loader and spotter.  In the artillery spotting round phase place two machine gun spotting rounds- one real and one dummy- just like with the artillery spotting rounds only with just one dummy.  Place the templates in the direction the firer wants the rounds to land.  Templates must be side by side.  Roll an arrow die for direction and a six sided die for distance; a “hit” result is a hit.

            Infantrymen cannot fire weapons other than their own.  A rifleman cannot begin firing the machine gun because when the firer is killed the machine gun is considered destroyed also.  Weapons also cannot be captured and turned against the player who lost them.  This is because the weapon is destroyed when the operator is hit, unless the weapon would not be harmed by the attack.  A chemical weapon landing on a machine gun would not damage the weapon.

            Troops killed by chemical weapons, or stabbed would not have their weapons destroyed.  A tank crew that was machine gunned while outside their hatches would not result in the destruction of the tank.

            Figures equipped with secondary weapons such as grenades, LAW rockets, pistols, are assumed to have an unlimited supply of ammunition.  These weapons are not transferable to any other infantrymen.  Only one weapon may be fired per turn. For example, an assault rifle equipped with a grenade launcher may fire either the rifle or the grenade launcher but not both in one turn.  An infantrymen may fire his rifle or throw a grenade, but cannot do both.

Infantry Fire Rules

VI. INFANTRY WEAPONS FIRE/ATGM LAUNCH

            The side that moves first will designate fire second.  The side that moves second will designate fire first.  Infantry weapons may only be fired at targets that can be "seen" by the firer.  Ranges to targets are not measured before designation.  If the weapon is later found to be out of range, the weapon missed.

            All infantry weapons fire/ATGM targets must be designated at the beginning of this phase.  If multiple weapons are directed at the same target and the first weapon fired destroys that target, all other weapons are considered to have also fired at that same target and those weapons have no additional effect and may not designate any other targets this turn.

            Infantry will usually shoot at the nearest appropriate target.  This would be targets that are in the open or targets that pose the greatest threat personally.

            Infantrymen are assumed to have taken advantage of any hard cover available, regardless of whatever the pose of the figure.  A standing figure placed behind a low wall is assumed to be kneeling behind the wall.  A kneeling figure, which moved at crawling speed, is assumed to have been in a prone position.

            To fire an infantry weapon, measure the distance from the firer to the designated target.  Measure the distance from the top of the head of the firer to the top of the head of the target.  Find the percentage chance to hit for the weapon at the appropriate range.  Infantry who simply change direction without moving are considered stationary.

            To determine the results of infantry weapons fire, roll one six sided die, and one 20 sided die.  Roll both dice.  Consult the Percentage Chance to Hit.  If the number on the 20 sided die is equal to or less than the Percentage Chance to Hit for that infantry weapon, then the weapon hit the target.  Otherwise, the weapon missed.

            Troops with a sniper scope add 5% to hit.  Elite troops increase their chance to hit by 5% for each level of elite.  Elite troops that are three levels above the "target" troops fire first.  Only the survivors may return fire.  If the weapon hit the target, use the six sided die to determine the "Hit Location."

INFANTRY TARGET HIT LOCATIONS CHART

Die Roll                        Hit Location                  Effect

1                      Face or Head                Death

2                      Shoulders                     Death

3                      Chest                           Litter case

4                      Abdomen                      Litter case

5                      Upper Leg                    Walking wounded

6                      Lower Leg                    Walking wounded

            A hit in the 1 Head from the direct front is a Face hit.  Infantrymen equipped with body armor are modified +1 for hit location.  For example, a hit location roll of 4 would be modified to a 5.  Infantrymen equipped with a ballistic helmet are modified +1 for hit location; a result of a 7 is no effect on the soldier.  Ballistic helmet and body armor modifiers are cumulative.  Soft body armor only stops pistol and submachine gun rounds as well as shrapnel.  There is a +1 hit location modifier for artillery effects in the red zone.  Troops not wearing a steel or ballistic helmet get a -1 to their hit location.

            Dead infantrymen are removed from the board at the end of this phase.  Walking wounded may move up to 50m per turn, but may not fire their weapons if they move.  During the next turn, litter cases may be given assistance by non-injured infantrymen.

ANIMAL HIT LOCATION

Die Roll                        Hit Location      Effect

1                      Head                Death

2                      Shoulders         Charge, close combat, die

3                      Chest               Litter case

4                      Abdomen          Litter case

5                      Front legs         Walking wounded

6                      Rear legs         Walking wounded

            "Walking wounded" domestic animals can only move at a walk and cannot carry any loads or riders.  Owner may destroy “Litter case” animals.  Use the same Medical Treatment chart for humans to determine recovery from injuries.  If cavalry are on their mounts and the animal is killed, roll a six sided die to see if the rider is injured, with a DM of +1.

            A result of a 2 on the hit location die, the shoulders, results in the animal charging the attacker, because some animals are more dangerous when wounded, conducting a close combat and then dying.  The animal will die even if it wins the close combat.

            Infantrymen behind hard cover or less exposed positions are protected from small arms fire if the body location hit was covered.

HARD COVER or BODY POSITION      HIT LOCATIONS

Firing Port                                            1

Over a high wall                                                1,2

Prepared foxhole                                   1,2

Prone in the open                                  1,2

Low Wall                                              1,2,3

Hasty foxhole                                       1,2,3

Window                                                            1,2,3

Around a corner (right)                          2,4,6

Around a corner (left)                            1,3,5

Kneeling in the open                              1,2,3,4

Standing in the open                             1,2,3,4,5,6

            The hit location is modified +1 if the firer is above the target unless the target also has overhead protection.

            Automatic weapons and explosive/incendiary weapons may hit more than one target.  These weapons use a template, the size of which is determined by the rate of fire or area covered by the weapon.  These types of weapons may fire once at any target within the template.