14. RADIOLESS AFV

[One of the reasons that French and early Russian armor was no match for the less numerous German panzers was the formers' lack of wireless equipment, which greatly hampered them in maneuver.]

14.1 AFV RADIO: All AFV are assumed to have an inherent radio unless they contain a ® on their reverse side. An AFV cannot use a radio counter to nullify its lack of an Inherent radio, nor can an AFV radio be used to call in OBA or otherwise spot for Indirect Fire [EXC: OP tank; H1.46].

14.2 PLATOON MOVEMENT: Radioless AFV must move in platoons or pay penalties as per 14.23. Two or three AFV may create a platoon during setup, at the start of their MPh or when leaving a Convoy (E11.252), provided each AFV fulfills the requirements of 14.21. Once a platoon is formed, a member of the platoon can only cease using Platoon Movement per 14.22-.23.

14.21 MECHANICS OF MOVEMENT: A platoon uses Impulse Movement (14.3) and may not attempt ESB or make a Minimum Move. At the end of each Impulse (but not during the Impulse) and when called for by other rules, each AFV in the platoon must:

If ≥ one AFV in the same platoon is subject to Bog/Mechanical-Reliability/Stall DR, only one DR per condition is made for the platoon at the end of the Impulse, before any attacks (14.32). If Bog/Immobilization occurs, Random Selection is then used - but only among the AFV that would normally have been Bogged/Immobilized by that Final DR (with different DRM potentially applying to different AFV). If Stall occurs, all AFV in that platoon are immediately considered Stopped; make one Delay DR (regardless of how many AFV Stalled) and the Start MP plus Delay DR is the Impulse MP cost. Q&A

14.211 MOTION ATTEMPT: If a platoon wishes to make a Motion attempt during the enemy MPh (2.401), the enemy unit triggering that attempt need have expended MF/MP in the LOS of only one AFV in that platoon; one Motion Attempt dr suffices for the entire platoon, but it is subject to a drm equal to the number of AFV in that platoon.

14.212 OFFBOARD MOVEMENT: A platoon may have partly entered or exited the playing area at the end of an Impulse (even the last Impulse of their MPh, unless disallowed by A2.5) if they meet all Platoon Movement requirements (for the purposes of 14.21, LOS may be traced to/from an offboard unit). An offboard radioless AFV must use Platoon Movement if possible.

EX: A radioless Russian T26S M37 (with 11 MP) and two radioless T26 M33 (with 12 MP), whose ID letters are A, B and C are Stopped in hexes 3Y5, Z5, and AA6 respectively. All have AA4 within their VCA, and they wish to exit the playing area via EE1 using Platoon Movement. As their first Impulse all three tanks expend one MP to Start, before making one Mechanical Reliability DR (2.51) which they pass; this allows all three tanks to continue movement. The MP expenditures for the first Impulse are shown in blue. Next, tank A expends one MP to enter Z4 and tank B does likewise to enter AA5. Tank C can expend two MP - either to enter AA5 or to Bypass to vertex BB5-BB4-AA5 - but if it does, then all three tanks will have spent two MP during this Impulse (14.31) - so it instead remains in AA6 doing nothing. Tank C is considered to have expended one MP in this Impulse, but is not a Moving Target (since it did not enter a new hex). The moves and MP expenditures for the second Impulse are shown in red with Impulse MP expenditures due solely to being part of the platoon shown in parentheses. Next, tanks B and C enter hexes BB4 and AA5 respectively while tank A changes VCA to AA4-AA5 (shown in blue). Since each tank paid one MP to do so, the platoon thus expends one MP for this Impulse, for a total expenditure of three MP so far in the MPh. On the fourth Impulse, tank B continues to move by expending five MP to enter CC4 (shown in red) while tank C enters BB4 and tank A enters AA5. This Impulse costs each tank of the platoon five MP for a total of 8 so far. Further movement in the desired direction (into DD3, CC4 and BB4 for tanks B, C, A respectively) would force all tanks to expend five MP, thus exceeding the platoon's 11 MP allotment. So the last Impulse only consists of tank A changing VCA to AA4-BB4, expending one MP (shown in blue), for a total of nine MP expended so far in the MPh. The tanks could expend their tenth MP to Stop, but choose to remain in Motion.

In their next MPh tank B enters DD3, tank C enters CC4, and tank A enters BB4; thus the platoon (and each tank) expends five MP in its first Impulse (shown in red). In the next Impulse tanks B, C and A enter EE3, DD3 and CC4 respectively - costing the platoon (and each tank) another five MP, for a total of ten MP expended so far in the MPh (shown in blue). A hidden AT Gun in FF3 (with CA EE3-EE4) now fires at tank B but misses, so tank B (and thus the entire platoon) expends one MP to Stop in order to return fire. Regardless of the outcome, the platoon's MPh is now ended because any further movement will exceed tank A's 11 MP allotment. The one MP expenditure for Stopping is not shown in the illustration.

14.22 GAPS: If an AFV is destroyed, Recalled, uses non-platoon movement (14.23) or becomes Immobile, it is no longer considered part of the platoon. A radioless AFV that suffers Recall is thereafter treated as if radio-equipped. If the remaining two AFV of a former three-AFV platoon do not fulfill the requirements of 14.21, they must move to do so at the end of the first impulse in their current hexes). If they haven't done so by the end of their MPh or this happens during any other phase, they immediately cease using Platoon Movement. If only one AFV is remaining, it is free from platoon restrictions for the remainder of its current MPh. Q&A

EX: Continuing the previous example (and assuming that all three tanks and the AT Gun still survive unscathed), in the platoon's next MPh all three tanks expend a Start MP and pass a Platoon Mechanical Reliability DR (shown in blue). The AT Gun now Defensive First Fires at tank B (and retains ROF), but fails to affect the tank. The AT Gun could not fire again even if it had LOS to the other two AFV, since they expended their 1 MP simultaneously. Next, tank C continues by spending five MP to enter DD2, while tanks B and A enter EE2 and CC3 respectively. The platoon has thus expended five MP in its second Impulse (shown in red). The AT Gun fires at tank C and now destroys it (leaving a wreck in DD2), but fails to maintain its ROF. Tank A and B must now move adjacent and in LOS in the first Impulse one of them enters a new hex (or spend the rest of their MPh in their current hexes - in which case the platoon will be disbanded). To accomplish this, tank B expends one MP to change its VCA to DD1-EE1 while tank A does nothing (shown in yellow), then tank B enters DD1 and tank A enters CC2 expending one MP (shown in green), before tank B change its VCA to DD0-EE1, while tank A does nothing (again shown in blue). The platoon has now expended nine MP in its MPh. In the next Impulse (shown in red) tanks B and A use their tenth MP to enter EE1 and DD1 respectively. No First Fire ensues, so using their 11th MP (shown in yellow), tank B can exit while tank A enters EE1, where it must end its MPh in Motion. Since a platoon is a single entity, in its next MPh tank A must exit via the same hex exited by tank B or via a hex adjacent to it. Of course, tank A could instead leave the platoon and move normally if it first passes a NTC in this next MPh (14.23), but if it fails the NTC it would have to end its MPh in its present hex. If the AT Gun had destroyed tank B as well as tank C, then tank A would be free to continue its MPh from CC3. In its next MPh it would have to pass a non

14.23 NON-PLATOON MOVEMENT: Radioless AFV need not set up in platoons, but if at the start of its MPh such an onboard Mobile AFV is alone (i.e., not adjacent in platoon fashion - for any reason) or wishes to break off from its platoon (this is the only time it can do so voluntarily), it must pass a NTC in order to move during that MPh. If it fails the NTC it may not move during that MPh (even as part of a platoon). If in Motion at the start of its MPh, a lone radioless AFV must Stop (and end its MPh) in its present hex by expending one MP during that MPh if it fails the NTC. A lone radioless AFV need not pass a NTC before attempting a Motion dr (2.401), but must always add a +1 drm to that dr. Lone radioless AFV may form/join platoons with other radioless AFV (up to a maximum of three per platoon) once they are in the necessary adjacent hexes. An AFV with radio can become part of a radioless AFV platoon, but is subject to all platoon movement penalties [EXC: the AFV with radio can depart from the platoon at the beginning of its MPh without first passing a NTC]. Two or three radio-equipped AFV may move as a platoon if they declare their intention at the start of their MPh, but once they declare that option they are under the same restrictions as radioless AFV until the start of their next MPh. Q&A

14.3 IMPULSE MOVEMENT: Impulse Movement is a form of movement where units in different Locations coordinate their movement. This represents situations such as Human Wave (A25.23) or Platoon Movement (14.2). During Impulse Movement, all participating units move as a stack as per A4.2, even if moving in multiple Locations. A leader using Impulse Movement only affects other participating units in his current Location, not units in other Locations of this "multi-Location stack" [EXC: MF bonus for a leader participating in a Column; E11.52].

14.31 IMPULSE: When using Impulse Movement, the MPh of all participating units is broken into a number of Impulses. During each Impulse each participating unit may perform a maximum of one MF/MP expenditure (EX: moving to a new Location; changing VCA one hexside; using VBM along one hexside; exiting a Foxhole; using Infantry bypass along 1-4 hexsides). Actions that cost no MF/MP (EX: dropping a SW; changing CE/BU status) may be performed as normal during each Impulse. An Impulse ends when every participating unit has completed its single MF/MP expenditure, or the player declares the Impulse to be over. Units using Impulse Movement do not need to predesignate their actions, as in normal stacked movement (A4.2).

The MF/MP cost of an Impulse is equal to the most MF/MP spent by any unit during that Impulse, and all the units are considered to have spent this number of MF/MP during that Impulse (even if they didn't perform an MF/MP expenditure). This even allows a Non-Stopped vehicle to spend MP doing nothing if other units expend MP during that Impulse. No unit may expend MF/MP unless all units participating in that Impulse have enough remaining MF/MP, so all the participants must end their MPh if one of the units lacks necessary MF/MP [EXC: wounded SMC; A25.232].

14.32 FIRST FIRE: All rules for Defensive/Bounding First Fire treat all units moving during an Impulse as a single stack. Hence, Defensive/Bounding First Fire may only be declared at the end of each Impulse [EXC: before the first Impulse; C5.33]. The same restriction applies to other actions by the DEFENDER (EX: Motion Attempt, Vehicular Smoke Dispensers).

14.33 ARMORED ASSAULT: Impulse Movement and Armored Assault (9.31) may be combined with certain restrictions. The only forms of Impulse Movement that can be combined with Armored Assault are Human Wave (A25.23) (including Banzai Charge [G1.5], but not Cavalry Wave) and Platoon Movement (14.2).

When combining Impulse Movement and Armored Assault, all units must use Impulse Movement - even if some units normally would not (e.g., a single AFV, a single Infantry stack). There will be two simultaneous Impulses, one for vehicles and one for Infantry. The MF and MP cost are calculated independently per 14.31 for each of the two Impulses, possibly with zero MF/MP cost for one of the two Impulses. For the purpose of follow-up attacks, each Defensive First Fire attack constitutes one allowed attack against all units in both groups.

EX: Two AFV moving as a platoon expend 2 MP in an impulse while the squad Armored Assaulting with the second AFV spends 1 MF. A Gun attacks and eliminates the first AFV on the first MP and attacks the second AFV on the second MP. This second shot cannot affect the squad, which spent only 1MF.

14.331 BREAKING OFF: When one or more units cease using Armored Assault, those units must postpone their MPh while the remaining units finish their MPh, before the postponed units finish theirs - or vice versa [EXC: platoon (or HW units) no longer using Armored Assault continue to move simultaneously until all units of their platoon (or Human Wave) have ceased using Armored Assault].

14.332 HUMAN WAVE: Units participating in a Human Wave may use Armored Assault to move with one single AFV, or with some or all AFV of one platoon. Only the HW Units that began their MPh beneath an AFV and have moved in a combined stack with it receive the Armored Assault benefits.

14.333 PLATOON: When using Platoon Movement, the platoon may use Armored Assault to move with one individual Infantry stack, or with HW units per 14.332.