10. Animal-Pack
[Note: When used herein, the term "Gun" includes a dm 76-82mm MTR.]
10.1 Animal-Pack rules allow certain types of Guns (listed in 10.2 and 10.61) and SW (10.7) to be carried (not towed) by Horse counters that have been specially designated as having that capability. A Gun capable of being thusly carried is termed a Pack Gun. A Horse counter designated by a scenario (or by DYO purchase; 10.6) as being capable of carrying a Pack Gun is termed a Mule. A Pack Gun being carried by a Mule (i.e., one on such a Horse counter) is referred to as an Animal-Packed Gun or as being Animal-Packed; conversely, a Mule carrying a Pack Gun is said to be Animal-Packing it. The overall process of removing a Pack Gun from its Mule and setting it up on the ground is termed Unpacking; and the reverse of this process is called Packing. A Pack Gun may be Animal-Packed/
10.11 PACK-TI: Except as stated otherwise, being marked with an Animal-Pack counter (provided in WEST OF ALAMEIN) is equivalent to being TI (A4.8) and is referred to as being Pack-TI. Animal-Pack counters are not removed at the end of the CCPh. The only Personnel unit that may become Pack-TI is a non-PRC, Good Order crew counter of the same nationality as the Pack Gun it possesses. Such a crew may become Pack-TI only during RPh Step 1.13B at the start of a Game Turn. A Pack-TI crew may conduct any type of activity that is normally prohibited by TI status, but if it does - or if it becomes pinned or not in Good Order - it immediately loses its Pack-TI status unless stated otherwise (e.g., see 10.31-.33). A crew is subject to Hazardous Movement penalties while Pack-TI, regardless of phase. Each attack conducted by a Pack-TI crew is modified as Area Fire [EXC: TI DRM apply in CC]. A Pack-TI Pack-Gun/
10.2 ANIMAL-PACKING: Any 76-82mm MTR, as well as any other Gun allowed by an Ordnance Note (see also 10.61), may be Animal-Packed; however, the Gun must be dm/
10.21 STACKING: A crew possessing an Animal-Packed Gun is considered a squad for stacking purposes (A5.5).
10.3 (UN)PACKING: To (Un)Pack a Gun onto/
EX: A British Infantry crew and a 94mm INF Gun on a "squad" Mule occupy the same Open Ground Location at the start of the second Player Turn of Turn 1 in a day scenario. Their owner wishes to begin Unpacking the Gun, but he cannot at this time because it is not the initial RPh of the Game Turn. So at the start of Turn 2 in RPh Step 1.13B he places an Animal-Pack counter above the Gun, Mule and crew. Since the Gun's M# is 10, its Unpacking Period will comprise three entire Game Turns (12 - 10 [M#] + 1 [non-MTR] = 3); thus it will last (at least) through the end of Turn 4.
All successfully remain Pack-TI throughout Turn 2, but during the first Player Turn of Turn 3 the crew uses its Inherent FP to attack an enemy unit, using Defensive First Fire and then Subsequent First Fire. Its first attack is treated as Area Fire and removes its Pack-TI status for the remainder of Turn 3 (10.11), while its second attack is not Area Fire because it is no longer Pack-TI. Since the crew is no longer Pack-TI, Game Turn 3 cannot count as part of the Unpacking Period. Hence, if the crew becomes Pack-TI again as soon as it can (which would be in RPh Step 1.13B at the start of Turn 4), it will have to remain Pack-TI through the end of Turn 5.
10.31 If the crew is Pack-TI at the start of the Player-Turn RPh that follows the completion of half of the (Un)Packing Period, it (un)loads the Gun from/
EX: Continuing the above example, if the crew had not fired beforehand and thus not lost its Pack-TI status, it would have unloaded the Gun to beneath the Mule during RPh Step 1.13B of the second RPh of Turn 3, since half of the Unpacking Period would have been completed at the end of the first Player Turn in Turn 3 (3 [Unpacking Period Game Turns] * ½ = 1½ Game Turns). But since it did fire, it cannot unload the Gun from the Mule until the second RPh of Turn 4. Once the crew does unload it, the Gun will still not be able to fire or be moved, etc. because it will still be Pack-TI until its Unpacking Period is finished (10.11).
10.32 dm/
10.33 If a player Unpacking a Gun decides to Pack it back onto the Mule (or vice-versa) while all involved are Pack-TI, he states this intention in RPh Step 1.13B in the initial RPh of a Game Turn. The new (Un)Packing Period then begins, and lasts a number of complete Game Turns (as defined in 10.3) equal to the net number already spent (Un)Packing the Gun, but otherwise the same procedures are followed and cause no loss of Pack-TI status. [EXC: If the Gun was unloaded from its Mule involuntarily (i.e., via a 10.4 dr), the new Packing Period would be determined as per 10.3.]
10.4 VULNERABILITY: Whenever a Mule is eliminated/
| ANIMAL-PACK GUN VULNERABILITY TABLE | |
| Final dr | Result (only Low Ammo can apply if Gun is not loaded on Mule) |
| ≤ 2 | Gun is eliminated (or, if already unloaded, is marked with LowAmmo counter |
| 3 | Unload Gun in its Malfunctioned state and mark with Low Ammo counter.* |
| 4 | Unload Gun and mark with Low Ammo counter.* |
| 5 | Unload Gun in its Malfunctioned state.* |
| 6 | Unload Gun.* |
* Determine Gun's CA randomly. Gun and Mule (but not the crew) also become (or remain, along with the crew) Pack-TI [EXC: if Gun is unloaded into prohibited terrain (see 10.31), it is eliminated and Pack-TI status is NA].
drm
-1 If the attack eliminated the Mule.
10.41 All applicable results of the dr occur immediately, with no other penalty. If Low Ammo occurs, mark the Gun with a Low Ammo counter (which changes its current B# to an X# and creates a new B# one ≤ that new X#). If a Pack-TI Mule is eliminated/
EX: Continuing the above example, assume it is now Turn 5, the Gun was unloaded as per 10.31 in Open Ground during the second RPh of Turn 4, and it, the Mule and crew have remained Pack-TI. During this turn a fire attack causes Casualty Reduction to the Mule but does not eliminate the Gun. The subsequent dr (10.4) is an Original (and Final) 3, but since the Gun is unloaded it is immune to elimination/
EX: A moving "squad" Mule Animal-Packing a dm 81mm MTR (with a Manhandling # of 11 and a Breakdown # of 12) in Open Ground is Casualty Reduced by a Defensive First Fire attack, and the subsequent dr is an Original (and Final) 3. The dm Mortar counter is immediately unloaded to beneath the (now-"HS") Mule and is marked with both a Gun Malfunction and a Low Ammo counter. In addition, the Gun and Mule (but not the crew) are aIso marked with an Animal-Pack counter. Both the Gun and Mule must remain Pack-TI (and thus cannot be fired, moved or advanced) until they have gone through an entire one-Game-Turn Unpacking Period conducted as per 10.3 [EXC: the mortar could be moved again by going through a 10.3 Packing Period to place it back on another "squad" Mule in order to use Animal-Pack movement].
Should the "HS" Mule suffer Casualty Reduction again while still Pack-TI (note that the only way it can lose Pack-TI status is to complete an Unpacking Period; 10.11), it will be eliminated and the subsequent dr will receive the -1 drm. If this causes the Gun to suffer another Low Ammo result, it will be marked with a second Low Ammo counter and its Breakdown and Disablement numbers will become 10 and 11 respectively. Despite the now-total loss of the Mule, the mortar can still be Unpacked if it and the crew can complete a one-game-Turn Unpacking Period.
10.42 C11 (Guns as Targets) does not apply to a Gun being Animal-Packed, but does once the Gull has been unloaded. Any gunshield on a Pack Gun is considered non-existent while the Gun is Pack-TI/
10.5 COLUMN: A Mule may be part of a Column (E11.5).
10.6 DYO: A Horse/
10.61 GUNS: In addition to the Guns mentioned in 10.2, the German 105* MTR and 75* INF, the Russian 107* MTR and 76* INF, and the U.S. 75* ART may be used as Pack Guns by their respective nationalities.
10.7 SW: SW of all MMG, HMG, light mortar and 37mm INF types may be Animal-Packed, but must be dm if possible. For Animal-Pack rules purposes only, consider each such SW as equivalent to a Gun whose M# is "12". Animal-Pack rules apply in the normal manner, with the following differences. The SW may be (Un)Packed by any MMC that could operate it with neither Captured- nor Non-Qualified-Use penalties (A21.11-.13). A SW voluntarily unloaded into prohibited terrain (10.31) is not eliminated if its presence would otherwise be allowed there; if involuntarily unloaded (as per 10.4) into such terrain, it is eliminated as if unpossessed [EXC: if on a Bank counter; 10.31].
