"More Rapid Fire! V2 Questions - Transports, etc." Topic

In general the rules are pretty straight forward, but this area is pretty confusing to me. It seems quite obvious from the example OBs at the start of the rules that transports, trucks or even armored half-tracks with VMGs (e.g. Sdkfz 251/1) do not contribute to a battalion's initial morale total figures.

When troops dismount from a truck, or a towed gun unlimbers, what do you do with soft transports? Take them off, or leave them on the table (I've played games that do either). If you leave them on the table, presumably they can be shot at (rules 8.29-8.30, 8.51 or 8.83-8.84) and destroyed. If destroyed do they count against the battalions morale, and if so how many figures?

Are half-tracks different? The chrisleachs_clarifications1 file says "Truck or carrier-mounted infantry battalions are treated in exactly the same way." OK… For the Sdkfz 251/1 in the 2019-05-02-germanvg file, there is an * next to VMG which I think indicates "Can only fire this weapon when carrying an infantry base." That makes perfect sense. If all its infantry dismounts, if knocked out, does it count against the battalions morale? And if so how many figures does it count? 3 since it's an AFV? What about U.S. half-tracks that have an HMG (at least in the rulebook)? The infantry didn't typically dismount the .50cal and take it with them…

Finally (for now) how do you handle what I'll call an SFV (Soft Fighting Vehicle)? Examples include a U.S. Jeep (HMG) or a German FlaK vehicle like a Sdkfz 10/4 SP 20mm AA or a Sdkfz 7/1 SP quad 20mm AA halftrack. The examples of the U.S. Recon Troop in the rules indicate neither the unarmed Jeep nor the Jeep (HMG) contribute to the troop's initial morale total figures, but presumably a knocked out Jeep would be similar to a truck, above? What about a German battalion with a soft FlaK vehicle? How is it handled as far as initial morale, and if knocked out?

Thanks…

Nope, we don't count softskins or halftracks. To move or shoot, they must be manned. If you destroy them and the troops, then the troops count for morale.

For vehicles with heavier weapons, we count them as 3 for morale purposes…

Joe Collins

Thanks for the response Joe. It wasn't what I expected. I thought the answer, at least for trucks, and certainly for half-tracks, was going to be "don't count for you, but do count against".

The rules for knocking out soft vehicles say things like (8.29 or 8.83) "If a soft-skin vehicle sustains two casualties 'worth' of damage from firing in one turn the vehicle is destroyed and the driver lost." To me that says they have a [an intrinsic] driver, so they could move without leaving infantry/gun crew figures in it. For that matter, rule 8.32 says "…AFVs have a nominal crew of three. If all three crew members of an open-topped AFV are lost it cannot take any further part in the game (and counts as destroyed for morale tests)." To me that says the half-tracks can move and shoot – an exception being those vehicles that have the note "Can only fire this weapon when carrying an infantry base" (i.e. like the Sdkfz 251/1, where the dismounted infantry takes the MG with them) can't shoot with just their crew.

When you say "For vehicles with heavier weapons, we count them as 3 for morale purposes…", I assume that means both for the initial total and against? That would make the most sense to me.

Dave

RF has evolved and every new scenario book sees special rules added and some of these apply to general play. In the latest Normandy Battlegroups book half-tracks do not need a figure left in the vehicle to allow it to use its MG. Now, what you find as acceptable for the use of empty transports is really up to the group -- every rule set I have used tends to be rather silent on this matter. Silly aggressive moves or suicidal 'recon' is not in the spirit of any doctrine and transport vehicles should drop and move to cover. APCs could remain with the dismounted troops to give some support fire, but that would be as much as reasonable.