Formula for indirect fire vs unarmored vehicles

[Adam Parker]

17.4 states that mortars and OBA affect vehicles "the same as small arms fire". But the rule goes on to say that the formula for mortars and OBA vs armored vehicles is:

Attacker: HE Equivalent+1d6 vs
Defender: Lowest armor rating+terrain+1d6.
Resolve using the Direct Fire Table

The rule then states that the formula against unarmored vehicles is simply that it is attacked "as if it was unarmored".

Does this means that the formula vs unarmored vehicles is:

Attacker: HE Equivalent+1d6 vs
Defender: Terrain+1d6.
Resolve using the Direct Fire Table

or

Attacker: HE Equivalent+1d6+target movement+/-other DFT mods (no leadership or degrading terrain) vs
Defender: Terrain+1d6
Resolve using the DFT
(ie: the small arms vs unarmored vehicles formula modified with leadership and degrading terrain n/a).

This is an involved question but it should show how easy the mecahnics for play are once known.

Thanks very much on this one,
Adam.

[stanguay]

Adam

The rule state that a vehicle with an unarmored FACING is attacked as if it was unarmored (with no armor at all). This mean you would then conduct the attack as per 17.3 and that both open and buttoned unarmored vehicle could be affected. Open armored vehicles are attacked as per 17.2. Buttoned armored vehicles are not affected at all.

The formula in 17.3 is

Attacker: Unit FP +1d6+target movement+/-other DFT mods vs
Defender: Terrain+1d6
Resolve using the DFT
(ie: the small arms vs unarmored vehicles formula modified with leadership and degrading terrain n/a).

Note that the "HE equivalent" looks like an error to me, as morter don't have HE but FP rating.

The one thing I'm not sure is if attacker FP is modified as per the DFT DRM, as seem to be implied by 17.2 but not by 17.4. I would say yes.

[Adam Parker]

Hi Stephane, thing is 17.4 gives a totally different formula for armored targets than that in 17.2 which by logic should apply if 17.3 does to unarmored ones.

So that's why I think Mark may not mean that 17.3 applies to unarmored vehicles just the simple formula:

Attacker: HE Equivalent+1d6 vs
Defender: Terrain+1d6.
Resolve using the Direct Fire Table

ie: as for mortars vs armor but with no armor factor for the defender?

[stanguay]

Adam

The only thing that differ between 17.2 and 17.4 regarding attacks against armored target is the fact that, in 17.2, you modify the attacker FP by the modifiers of the DFT, while you don"t seem to have to do it under 17.4 I think this is just an oversight. 17.4 clearly says thatOnboard mortars amd off board indirect fire affects vehicle the same as small arms fire. Thus...

Armored target, see 17.2
Open top armored vehicle, see 17.2

Unarmored vehicle, see 17.3