8. Gliders
8.1 USAGE: Gliders can be used in a scenario only if the weather is Clear, Mud, Mist, Gusty, or Snow (not Falling Snow). Wind Direction is established (B25.64) even if there is no wind. Glider capacity (D6.1) varies by nationality: German, 14PP (DFS 230; cannot carry a ⅝" counter); U.S., 19PP (Waco CG4A); British, 29 PP (Horsa II). U.S. and British gliders can also use their PP capacity to carry a vehicle/
8.11 DYO: German, U.S., and British glider BPV are 3, 4, and 6 respectively. Such purchases are made during the "Vehicles" segment of the DYO Purchase Sequence, and are recorded in the "Vehicles" section of the Purchase Roster. A U.S. player may also purchase British gliders, and a British player may likewise purchase U.S. gliders, but the player should keep a side record of which gliders are not of his OB's nationality. See Clarification.
8.12 PASSENGER STATUS: Glider Passengers do not take PTC, and are not subject to Pin/
8.2 AVENUE OF APPROACH: At the start of the MPh of the Player Turn in which they will land, all gliders are simultaneously placed on board; each in its Intended Landing Hex (hereafter referred to as ILH). No stacking of gliders is allowed at this point, although they may later involuntarily land in the same hex. All gliders landing during the scenario must land facing the current Wind Direction; therefore, each glider is placed so as to face that particular hexside of the ILH, thus defining the Hex Grain (not Alternate Hex Grain) approach of that ILH. This Avenue of Approach comprises the five hexes that directly precede the glider's ILH (i.e., the five hexes that lie directly astern of the glider) along the Hex Grain that glider is aligned with. This Hex Grain approach need not be the same as that of any Paratrooper Wings dropping on the same turn.
8.21 DEFENSIVE FIRST FIRE: Once all gliders are placed in their ILH, the DEFENDER may attack them with Light AA fire as per 7.5-.511 as each attempts to land, except as modified below. If the Final IFT DR equals the ★ Vehicle Kill Number, the glider has been Damaged, is marked with a Wound counter, and must take Evasive Action (8.221) after all Light AA fire vs it in its present hex is resolved. Attacks are not resolved vs the Passengers (including all SW/
8.211 EVASIVE ACTION: A glider takes Evasive Action only as a result of effective enemy Light AA fire, and must be moved randomly to a new ILH by making a Random Location DR measured from its present hex after resolving all Defensive First Fire vs it in that hex. Regardless of the number of times it is shot at in an ILH, a glider will make only one Evasive Action DR in each ILH. The Hex Grain of the glider's Avenue of Approach never changes. A glider can continue to be Defensive First Fired upon by the same or a different Light AA firer in its new ILH and forced to move to yet another ILH. Following the resolution of all Defensive First Fire vs an Aerial glider, that glider resolves its attempt to land in the ILH currently occupied.
8.22 LANDING: To land in its final ILH, each glider must make a Landing DR (Δ) and roll ≤ 1 on the Final colored dr. If it fails to land in its ILH, it will overshoot the ILH if the white dr is ≥ 4 or fall short of it if the white dr is ≤ 3. The glider misses its ILH long or short by one hex for every number > 1 on its Final Landing colored dr. The colored dr is subject to modification only as follows:
| Landing colored drm: | |
|---|---|
| -1 | Per each consecutive hex along the Avenue of Approach that is clear of an Obstacle whose topmost height is ≥ one level higher than the Base Level of the ILH. There can be no such Obstacle between the ILH and any of the non-Obstacle hexes for which a drm is claimed. Half-Level Obstacles and SMOKE do not apply. |
| +1 | Per each full level above the Base Level of the ILH of the highest Obstacle that is within the Avenue of Approach. |
8.221 OFFBOARD LANDING: Should an Aerial glider's ILH be so close to the edge of the playing area (or actually off the playing area) that it cannot trace five consecutive hexes back along the Hex Grain, the terrain on the edge of the playing board in the opposite direction is used in reverse order to represent the offboard terrain over which the glider made its approach or will land in.
EX: A gliders ILH is 4P10. with an Avenue of Approach of hypothetical "K13" to "O11". The terrain in the preceding five hexes of the offboard Avenue of Approach is equivalent to U8, T8, S9, R9, and Q10 in that order. If the glider were to land now it would be subject to a -3 drm to the colored dr (-4 [four consecutive hexes in the Avenue of Approach clear of Obstacles a level higher than the Base Level of the ILH] + 1 [Level 1 Obstacle in U8] = -3) Now assume that the glider is forced to take Evasive Action and rolls a 6 DR (4 on the colored dr), resulting in a change of two hexes in direction 4 to hypothetical offboard hex P12. P12 is equivalent to the terrain in P8 and its Avenue of Approach is equivalent to the terrain in U6, T6, 57, R7, and Q8 in that order. Its Landing DR is not subject to any colored drm (-1 [one hex clear of obstacle] + 1 [Level 1 Obstacle in R7] = 0).
8.23 CRASH dr: Upon landing, each glider is flipped to its landed (green) side and must immediately make a Final dr (Δ) ≤ 6 to avoid a crash. All modifiers are cumulative [EXC: the drm for vehicles, wrecks, and previously-landed gliders in the landing hex can never exceed + 1]. This dr is modified as follows:
| drm | Condition |
|---|---|
| + 1 | Not landing in final ILH; Glider is Damaged; night landing; landing during Gusts; landing in shellholes, trench, hedge, marsh, fordable river, Crest line, or Location that contains a vehicle/ |
| + 2 | landing in orchard, stone wall, graveyard, bocage, Depression, roadblock |
| + 3 | Landing in woods, building/ |
| + 4 | Landing in a Swamp |
* Bocage does not create a Blind Hex for purposes of this rule.
8.231 HEXSIDE drm: All Crash drm based on hexside terrain (i.e., hedges, cliffs, bocage, walls, roadblocks, Crest Lines) are applicable only if the glider crossed that hexside as it entered the landing hex.
8.232 A glider that lands in a Blaze or non-frozen, non-fordable Water Obstacle is eliminated with all its contents [EXC: if that Water Obstacle contains a bridge (not a foot bridge), the glider lands on it if the bridge parallels the Avenue of Approach]. A glider that lands in a minefield is subject to minefield attack as if it were an entering truck. The landing of a glider has no effect on other units/
8.24 CRASH EFFECT: A glider that crashes with a Final Crash dr of 7 is considered Damaged (8.41). If the Final Crash dr is ≥ 8, the glider and all its contents are eliminated and replaced by an unarmed truck wreck. Q&A
8.3 FINAL FIRE & GLIDER COVER: During his DFPh, the DEFENDER may fire any of his units that have a LOS to the landed glider and are capable of Final Fire vs it, using the ★ Vehicle Line as if it were a truck with a cs# of 7 (A7.308) [EXC: gliders do not burn, and an Immobilization result is considered a Damage result instead]; the ★ Aerial DRM does not apply. A landed glider has no TEM of its own but constitutes a LOS Hindrance even if Damaged; if eliminated, it is replaced by an unarmed truck wreck (which creates both a TEM and LOS Hindrance). See Clarification. Q&A
8.4 AFPh: During the ATTACKER's AFPh, the contents of a glider [EXC: vehicle/
8.41 DAMAGE: An already-Damaged Aerial glider that is Damaged again (even during landing) is eliminated with all aboard. All SW/ 8.5 RE-ENTRY: The contents of a glider that lands offboard may re-enter the gameboard as per 9.41. The contents of an offboard glider which remain out of play count towards Casualty Victory Conditions(A26.2) only if eliminated by the landing.
EX: The glider contains a 7-4-7, 8-1, and a dm MMG. It is shown in its lLH in 4C9, indicating an Avenue of Approach of D8-H6. The FlaK Gun in AA mode in H5, however, has Defensive First Fired at it with a 6 Original DR (1 colored dr to retain its Multiple ROF), resulting in a 7 Final DR (due to the glider's +1 Aerial DRM) on the 6 FP column of the IFT. As a consequence the glider must take Evasive Action (8.21) and rolls a 2 Random Location DR The glider is placed in a new ILH in C8. Because the glider is now in a new ILH, the FlaK Gun can use its retained ROF to fire on it again and this time rolls an Original 5 DR (retaining ROF again) which becomes a Final DR of 6, Damaging the glider and again forcing Evasive Action after all other Defensive First Fire vs it in that ILH is resolved. The new Random Location DR is 4 (2 on the colored dr), making E7 its new ILH. The glider draws no additional Defensive First Fire in E7 so it attempts to land there. The Original Landing DR (8.22) is 6 (4 on the colored dr). The colored dr is modified by -1 (-2 [for two consecutive hexes clear of an Obstacle between E7 and H5] and + 1 [level of closest Obstacle along the Avenue of Approach] = -1) resulting in a colored dr of 3. This, plus the white 2 dr causes the glider to land in G6 - two hexes short of its final ILH (E7). The Crash dr is modified by + 5 (+1 for being Damaged, plus + 1 for not landing in final lLH, plus + 3 for landing in a Blind Hex) so an Original Landing dr ≥ 2 will result in a crash. The glider rolls an Original 1, which is modified to a Final 6 Crash dr, resulting in its safe landing. The landed glider is not fired upon during Final Fire, so in its AFPh the 7-4-7 (determined by Random Selection) suffers Casualty Reduction The resulting 3-3-7 HS and leader each take a NMC. There would have been no LLMC to the broken HS had the leader been mortally wounded because he has no leadership characteristics until actually placed on the board in counter form in the AFPh.
