"A9 tank MMGs" Topic

Can you fire all 3 MMGs on the A9 cruiser tank at the same time on the same target? (Assuming firing arc is ok) that would be 15 dice of whoop arse.

Or is there a rule limiting fire to 2 of the MMGs?

Can you fire all 3 MMGs on the A9 cruiser tank at the same time on the same target? (Assuming firing arc is ok) that would be 15 dice of whoop arse.

Or is there a rule limiting fire to 2 of the MMGs?

in reality they were often not fitted, lack of crew and too hot in the desert was 2 reasons.

You can loose the lot off

Blast away! A spray can or "hot" tin of whoop arse is a good thing.

A9s were pretty dreadful vehicles in a tank fight but they were designed to be able to mow down infantry or anti-tank opposition.

As shaun says they were often removed in the desert but in a climate controlled game room, whose to know.

I have to get a platoon of them !

Just beware of any opposition that has more than a tin hat and a bolt action rifle.

Big Red, the A9 was a cruiser tank and was therefore designed to take on enemy armour as opposed to an infantry tank, in British parlance.

Infantry tanks were also designed to fight enemy tanks, that was why they were armed with antitank guns.

I know, it is all terribly confusing!

You can in BA but in reality all these Mg turrets were pretty useless as anyone in them were pretty isolated manning the MG in a very thinly armoured, probably unpowered turret. Unless they tanks had good intercoms (unlikely in 1940s) you would be relying on them spotting their own targets. I think Crusader II was the only war time tank built with them and that normally was crewed by a sandbag or a very unpopular crewman.

I'm not an expert on early to mid-war British armour doctrine or design (or anything else for that matter) but didn't they almost completely separate tanks from infantry due to what was considered very different combat rolls?

The 2 pounder was a pretty good early war atg but it didn't use HE. Therefore tanks, even cruiser tanks, would need an ability to deal with infantry or anti-tank opposition. Also, due to a lack of funds I believe the Army intended to use tanks in a variety of rolls.

Eventually this separation of duties idea developed into two divergent designs: A11/A12 infantry tanks and A13 the first true "cruiser" tank.

In game terms it doesn't matter. Badly designed and inhospitable MG turrets get to fire just like other MGs. The Russian T-28 is another example of such a design.

BA counts two coax MGs as two separate MGs. Its not really 'accurate', but its a game.

"Eventually this separation of duties idea developed into two divergent designs: A11/A12 infantry tanks and A13 the first true "cruiser" tank."

The split originally happened in WW1 with 'heavy' tanks (Mark IV etc) and 'cavalry' tanks (Whippets).

David Fletchers excellent 'Mechanised Force' covers the development of British armour and doctrine in the 1920s and 30s, while 'The Great Tank Scandal' covers the early part of WW2.

The A9 can certainly lay down a welter of fire but only being armour 7 it is also vulnerable to a lot of weapons with even modest AP.