26. WIRE

26.1 Wire is a Fortification counter. It can be placed only at the start of a scenario in amounts specified by that scenario. Wire cannot be moved, and does not affect normal stacking limits. Only one Wire counter is allowed per Location. Wire can be set up in any terrain except buildings, rubble, sewers, marsh, or Water Obstacles (unless frozen). Wire cannot be placed at Crest level in a Depression; i.e., a Crest unit is not considered to be on a Wire counter even though it may be placed physically upon it.

26.2 Wire is not an obstacle or LOS Hindrance.

26.3 Wire has no TEM; the TEM of a Wire Location is that of the other terrain in the Location.

26.31 Any Infantry unit on a Wire counter must add +1 to any attack (including CC) it makes (+1 To Hit DRM for ordnance). Infantry on Wire must deduct one from any CC attack against it.

26.32 LOCATION: A unit on a Wire counter and one beneath a Wire counter in the same hex are in the same Location [EXC: Wire on and beneath a bridge]. A leader on Wire can still direct and rally a unit beneath the Wire and vice versa.

26.4 There is no additional cost for Infantry to enter a Wire Location beyond the normal COT of that Location. However, when entering a Wire Location (regardless of phase), they are placed on top of the Wire counter (even if disembarking from a vehicle) and must remain there until they expend sufficient additional MF to move beneath the Wire [EXC: Units returned to a Wire Location after attempted entry of a concealed enemy's Location; A12.15]. Infantry may move/rout beneath a Wire counter only during their MPh/RtPh (including the same MPh/RtPh they moved on top of it if able to do so), even if they remain in the same Location and only move/rout (Low Crawl) beneath the Wire counter.

To move/rout beneath a Wire counter, each unit must make a dr (Δ) and expend that number of MF to be placed beneath the Wire counter in the same Location. Any remaining MF may be used to move/rout elsewhere normally. Once beneath the Wire counter, a unit may move/rout unhindered, even in the direction from which it originally entered the Location. MF expended in an attempt to get beneath the Wire qualify that unit for the FFMO DRM (if in an otherwise Open Ground hex) and for the -1 First Fire DRM for FFNAM if it expends all of its MF in entering that Location/attempting to get beneath the Wire. A unit on a Wire counter may declare Assault Movement in its attempt to get beneath the Wire (and even move on to another Location) but if it uses all of its MF in doing so, the Assault Movement status is voided. The DEFENDER is entitled to see the Wire Exit dr before declaring any First Fire against the unit.

Any unit whose Wire Exit dr is > its MF capability uses only its remaining MF, is hung up on top of the Wire, and cannot leave during that MPh/RtPh. A unit must declare movement with a leader before making its Wire Exit dr if it wishes to use the MF bonus thus derived to get off the Wire. However, a unit which started the turn on a Wire counter may decide after its Wire Exit dr whether or not to leave any excess PP on top of the Wire in order to move beneath it (although units pushing a Gun may never push it through Wire; C10.3). A SW/Gun on a Wire counter cannot be Recovered by a unit beneath the Wire (and vice versa). A unit may not use a Minimum Move to get beneath Wire, nor do so in the APh.

As long as Infantry remain on top of a Wire counter, they cannot enter or create an entrenchment, Recover/Transfer a SW/Gun beneath that Wire counter, or enter a pillbox/Vehicle counter also in that hex. However, they may engage in CC with units beneath the Wire (albeit at a disadvantage; see 26.31), including units inside an entrenchment or pillbox. Q&A

26.41 ROUT: Routing units must pay Wire movement costs during rout in the same manner [EXC: if they surrender; A20.21]; if a Wire counter prevents a broken unit from routing away from an ADJACENT armed, unbroken, Known enemy unit (A10.5), it is eliminated or subject to surrender. A broken unit in Open Ground that is within the Normal Range of a Known enemy unit or ADJACENT to a Known armed and unbroken enemy unit, and that declares Low Crawl but fails to pass his Wire exit dr with enough MF to rout into an allowable rout hex (A10.5), is eliminated for Failure to Rout.

26.42 Cavalry, motorcycles, or horse-drawn vehicles may not enter a Wire Location.

26.43 VEHICLES: Vehicles are never placed beneath Wire, but still affect units above and beneath a Wire counter normally insofar as TEM and LOS Hindrance are concerned. Armored Cars, trucks, and halftracks may enter a Wire Location at a cost of four MP plus the COT of the Location and must check for Bog (D8.21). Fully-tracked vehicles may enter a Wire Location at a cost of two MP plus the COT of the Location and must check for Bog (see also 26.53).

26.44 BYPASS: Non-vehicular Bypass of any hexside that is part of a hex containing Wire is not allowed. VBM is allowed but still requires expenditure of the Wire MP penalty and a Bog Check, although these penalties apply only once per hex (in the first hexside Bypassed) - not per hexside traversed.

26.45 DC: Infantry on top of a Wire counter may not Place, Throw, or Set a DC.

26.46 DOUBLE TIME (CX): Infantry may not use Double Time during a turn in which they attempt to move beneath Wire.

26.5 CLEARANCE: Wire can be removed by Infantry using the normal Clearance rules (24.73) or by the following special methods.

26.51 DC: A Placed DC can double as a bangalore torpedo and be used to remove a Wire counter with an Original KIA result on the IFT (i.e., an Original DR ≤ 5). The Placing unit cannot be in the same Location with the Wire to remove it [EXC: Japanese; A23.61]. The MF cost of Placing a DC in a Wire Location equals the MF cost of the Location the Wire is in; there is no additional MF cost due to the Wire. A Set DC will eliminate Wire with a Final KIA result (A23.7).

26.52 FFE: Concentrated aerial or artillery bombardment could occasionally clear Wire. A Wire counter within the Blast Area of any HE Concentration FFE or Aerial bomb may be removed as a result of its resolution in that Location. There are no modifiers of any kind for purposes of Wire removal; the Wire counter is removed only if a KIA result is obtained with the Original DR. The attack is then resolved with the same Original DR and any applicable DRM vs all other vulnerable targets.

26.53 FULLY-TRACKED VEHICLES: Whenever a fully-tracked vehicle passes a Bog check in a Wire hex, it removes that Wire counter from the hex if the colored dr of the Bog DR is a 1.