This section describes rules for the most common and important combat weapons of World War II, including infantry small-arms, support weapons and artillery.
Each of the weapons used in Bolt Action has a profile that includes all the gaming information needed to play. For example, this is the profile for the most common weapon of the war, and the one that gives the name to the game itself, the bolt-action rifle:
| Type | Range | Shots | Pen | Special |
| Rifle | 24” | 1 | – | – |
Type: this is a generic description that includes many weapons with the same or similar characteristics. In the case of the rifle, this includes all bolt-action rifles, carbines, and semi-automatic or self-loading rifles such as the American M1 Garand.
Range: this is the maximum range in inches at which the weapon can be fired. This is not the maximum theoretical range of the weapon (which would be much longer in many cases) but rather an effective combat range reflecting practical ranges in battle situations.
Shots: this is the number of dice rolled when the weapon is fired. This does not directly represent the number of rounds a weapon can shoot in any fixed time. It is a measure of comparative effectiveness in our game, taking into account reloading times, ammunition conservation, and the need to constantly correct a weapon’s aim to keep it on target.
Pen: short for penetration bonus, this is a measure of how much punch the weapon’s shots deliver, its stopping power and ability to penetrate armour. This number is added to the roll to damage against all targets. If the weapon has the letters HE in this column rather than a number, this means it always fires high-explosive (HE) rounds. HE rounds have a penetration bonus based on the size of shell (see here).
Special: here we include any special rule that modifies the way a weapon works. A list of common special rules can be found after the weapons chart.
Rangers lead the way!
| WEAPONS CHART | ||||
| Small Arms | ||||
| Type | Range (") | Shots | Pen | Special Rules |
| Rifle | 24 | 1 | – | – |
| Pistol | 6 | 1 | – | Assault |
| Submachine gun (SMG) | 12 | 2 | – | Assault |
| Automatic rifle | 30 | 2 | – | – |
| Assault rifle | 18 | 2 | – | Assault |
| Light machine gun (LMG) | 36 | 4 | – | Team |
| Medium machine gun (MMG) | 36 | 5 | – | Team, Fixed |
| Heavy Weapons | ||||
| Type | Range (") | Shots | Pen | Special Rules |
| Heavy machine gun (HMG) | 36 | 3 | +1 | Team, Fixed |
| Light automatic cannon | 48 | 2 | +2 | Team, Fixed, HE (1”) |
| Heavy automatic cannon | 72 | 2 | +3 | Team, Fixed, HE (1”) |
| Anti-tank Rifle | 36 | 1 | +2 | Team |
| PIAT | 12 | 1 | +5 | Team, Shaped Charge |
| Bazooka | 24 | 1 | +5 | Team, Shaped Charge |
| Panzerschreck | 24 | 1 | +6 | Team, Shaped Charge |
| Panzerfaust | 12 | 1 | +6 | One-shot, Shaped Charge |
| Light AT gun | 48 | 1 | +4 | Team, Fixed, HE (1”) |
| Medium AT gun | 60 | 1 | +5 | Team, Fixed, HE (1”) |
| Heavy AT gun | 72 | 1 | +6 | Team, Fixed, HE (2”) |
| Super-heavy AT gun | 84 | 1 | +7 | Team, Fixed, HE (3”) |
| Flamethrower (infantry) | 6 | D6 | +3 | Team, Flamethrower |
| Flamethrower (vehicle) | 12 | D6+1 | +3 | Flamethrower |
| Light mortar | 12-24 | 1 | HE | Team, Indirect Fire, HE (1”) |
| Medium mortar | 12-60 | 1 | HE | Team, Fixed, Indirect Fire, HE (2”) |
| Heavy mortar | 12-72 | 1 | HE | Team, Fixed, Indirect Fire, HE (3”) |
| Light howitzer | 48 (or 24-60) | 1 | HE | Team, Fixed, Howitzer, HE (2”) |
| Medium howitzer | 60 (or 30-72) | 1 | HE | Team, Fixed, Howitzer, HE (3”) |
| Heavy howitzer | 72 (or 36-84) | 1 | HE | Team, Fixed, Howitzer, HE (4”) |
The weapons chart lists the different types of weapon as they are defined in Bolt Action. Thus we treat all rifles as the same, all pistols as the same, all light machine guns as the same, and so on. Where we wish to make a distinction between particular kinds of machine gun, or particular kinds of weapon of any type, we will introduce a special rule in the Army List. For example, the German MG42 machine gun is given more shots to represent its higher rate of fire compared to other weapons of this type.
Note that we do not include hand grenades amongst our list of weapons – this is because grenades are thrown only at very short ranges and are therefore included as part of the rules for close quarters fighting. It is assumed that all infantry carry the usual fragmentation grenades, and can be given anti-tank grenades in some cases.
Most of the categories will be obvious enough and require no explanation. Hopefully everyone knows what is meant by a rifle, a submachine gun, or a pistol. Other categories are very specific and refer to a particular weapon such as a panzerfaust or a PIAT, and therefore require no further explanation of how they are arrived at. However, most heavy weapons such as anti-tank guns, mortars and howitzers are rated as light, medium, heavy and so forth. A little explanation is required of how these categories have been determined.
Rifles. The rifle is the standard weapon of the World War II infantryman. Rifles can be either magazine-fed, bolt-action rifles such as the British Lee-Enfield .303 or self-loading rifles such as the American M1 Garand, German Gewehr 43, and Russian Tokarev SVT-40.
Pistols. Pistols are the standard side arm carried by officers as well as by vehicle crews and combatants otherwise unable to carry a rifle. These can be automatic weapons such as the American Colt and German Walther P38, or revolvers such as the British Webley.
Submachine Guns (SMG). Submachine guns were often carried by vehicle crews and junior officers, or by specially equipped units such as Commandos. Submachine guns fired pistol ammunition and therefore had a very limited range. The Russians equipped whole formations with these weapons, as they were very effective in the hands of inexperienced troops. Submachine guns were especially favoured for fighting in heavily built-up areas where a rifle’s greater range was of little consequence. Typical examples include the American Thompson, British Sten, German MP40 Schmeisser, and Russian PPD-40 and PPSh-41.
Automatic Rifle. This category is intended to cover the one-man Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) that equipped American infantry squads in lieu of a two-man light machine gun. It was a weapon of World War I vintage originally designed to allow advancing infantry to give covering fire as they approached the enemy.
Assault Rifle. This category covers the most advanced infantry arm of World War II – a weapon that could shoot with the power and accuracy of a rifle and the rate of fire of a submachine gun. Assault rifles only appeared in the hands of specialist troops until the end of the war. The German StG44 is the best-known example of an assault rifle from the period.
Light Machine Gun (LMG). This category covers all mobile, squad-based machine guns usually with a crew of two such as the British Bren and German MG42. These weapons shot rifle calibre bullets and provided infantry squads with their main source of firepower.
Medium Machine Gun (MMG). Medium machine guns covers rifle calibre machine guns on a heavy, tripod or similar fixed mount. These can include some weapons that are otherwise categorised as LMGs on bigger, more stable mounts, and usually including more crew to carry the extra ammunition and equipment. For example, the German MG42 was used in the LMG role on a light bipod mount, and in the MMG role on a tripod mount. However, in the British army the LMG role was fulfilled by the Bren whilst the MMG role was taken by the Vickers, which was a heavier, water-cooled, maxim-style machine gun with a weighty brass tripod.
Heavy Machine Gun (HMG). Heavy machine guns are basically large-calibre machine guns such as the American Browning .50 cal. These weapons fire big, powerful bullets and are usually considered too heavy to be carried by infantry. They are often found mounted onto vehicles for defence against aircraft.
US Army .50 Cal Heavy Machine Gun Team
Soviet troops hold the line, by Steve Noon © Osprey Publishing Ltd. Taken from Weapon 33: Soviet Submachine Guns of World War II
Automatic Cannons. Automatic cannons are rapid firing weapons that are typically found on very light tanks and armoured cars. They are also used extensively as anti-aircraft guns and examples include Bofors guns and the German Flak 38. These guns are divided into two categories in our game: light and heavy. Generally speaking, light automatic cannons are those with a calibre of 20mm or 25mm whilst heavy automatic cannons have a calibre of 37mm or 40mm.
Infantry Anti-tank Weapons. The anti-tank rifle, such as the British Boys, was in widespread use at the outbreak of World War II but proved largely ineffective against modern armoured vehicles, being insufficiently powerful to penetrate more than about 20mm of armour. It remained useful against armoured cars and lighter vehicles, as well as against emplaced infantry. The Russians persevered with a heavier calibre anti-tank rifle, producing the 14.5mm calibre PTRD-41 capable of piercing up to 40mm of armour at very short ranges. The remaining weapons of this category were designed to fire a shaped-charge or HEAT round (High Explosive Anti Tank). This was a development of the hand held anti-tank grenade by the American military, the original and best-known example being the bazooka. The Germans copied the design and produced their own version, which they called panzerschreck – or ‘tank terror’. The British developed their own design based on a spigot mortar; this was the Projector Infantry Anti Tank or PIAT. Whilst all of these weapons were similar in concept they varied sufficiently in effectiveness for us to give them distinct ranges and penetration values in our game. A further development was the one-shot disposable panzerfaust – ‘tank fist’ – that was issued to German troops in large numbers towards the end of the war. Captured panzerfaust were used by the Allies and especially by the Russians.
Anti-tank Guns (AT guns). All anti-tank guns are designed to fire a projectile with as high a velocity as possible over a flat trajectory – enabling them to strike enemy tanks over long distances. The effectiveness of an AT gun depends upon its calibre, the velocity of the weapon, and the type of shell used. AT guns with longer barrels are more effective because they fire shells at a higher velocity. Armour penetration is closely related to the kinetic energy delivered by a shell: this being equal to the mass of the shot (weight of shell) multiplied by the velocity squared. In addition, as the war progressed shells were developed that were more effective at penetrating armour either because of their shape, or because they incorporated a dense core – usually tungsten. For our purposes we rate AT guns as light, medium, heavy, or super-heavy depending upon their overall effectiveness. Although this is closely related to calibre, some very high velocity weapons punch ‘above their weight’, such as the British 17-pdr (calibre 76.2mm) and German 75mm L/70 as found in the Panther tank. The Army Lists explain which weapons fit into which categories, but as a general guide, light AT guns are those up to 50mm calibre, medium AT guns are those up to 75mm including weapons of 75mm of relatively low velocity, heavy AT guns are those of 75mm or greater including weapons of 75mm of relatively high velocity. Super-heavy AT guns are those of 75mm or greater with extremely high velocity or effectiveness, for example the German 88mm. Note that some weapons will fall into a higher or lower category because they were really less or more effective than their calibre alone suggests – and these are indicated in the Army Lists.
Flamethrowers. Flamethrowers were used by specialist troops and vehicles, like the Churchill Crocodile flamethrower tank, and were primarily employed for clearing fixed defences such as blockhouses and bunkers. They were much feared by ordinary soldiers – so much so that captured flamethrower operators were likely to find themselves shot out of hand.
Mortars. Mortars served as close support where artillery was either not available or was insufficiently mobile – mortar platoons formed part of infantry battalions, providing short-ranged artillery support exactly where it was needed. All mortars lob an explosive shell above and onto their target, with larger and more powerful mortars having a longer range and firing a correspondingly heavier shell. We distinguish between light, medium and heavy weapons. Light mortars are very small weapons with a short maximum range – usually about 500 yards. They are used right at the front to either shell enemies hiding in cover, to lay smoke or to fire illuminating flares at night. Typical light mortars include the British 2”, German 50mm and American 60mm mortars. Medium mortars are larger support weapons and typically have a calibre greater than 60mm – often 80mm. They have a much longer range – over 3,000 yards – and a heavier shell, but they are much harder to move about and tend to operate as light artillery pieces at longer range. Heavy mortars are those of even larger calibre – these are really long-range support weapons and not likely to find their way to the front unless overrun by advancing enemy. The German 120mm mortar was a weapon of this type – itself a copy of the Russian 120mm mortar – a weapon with a range of over 6,000 yards.
US troops assault a German bunker, by Peter Dennis © Osprey Publishing Ltd. Taken from Elite 160: World War II Infantry Assault Tactics
Howitzers. We have used the term howitzer to cover the kind of combined gun–howitzer artillery pieces that were the usual field artillery design during World War II. These guns could fire over open sights at an enemy or they could lob shells at distant targets with a high trajectory. There were many different designs and sizes of gun – and we shall not concern ourselves with the very largest weapons used for coastal defence and long-range bombardment. For our purposes it is sufficient to make three distinctions. Light howitzers are mobile field guns with a calibre below 100mm. This includes the British 25-pdr, the American 75mm pack howitzer, and various German 75mm field guns including those captured in some quantity from the French. Medium howitzers cover weapons under 150mm, such as the American 105mm gun, the British 4.5 inch, and Russian 122mm howitzer. Heavy artillery covers weapons of 150mm calibre and greater such as the German 150mm, Russian 152mm howitzer, and American 155mm Long Tom.
The following special rules are used to represent the different types of weapons, as indicated on the weapons chart. Note that some weapon systems feature two or more of the same weapon mounted together (such as two, three or four machine guns or automatic cannons in some anti-aircraft weapon systems). If a mount has two or more of the same weapon, they add their number of shots together and are all fired at the same target.
This weapon suffers no penalty ‘to hit’ when moving and shooting. In addition, infantry models armed with an assault weapon count as tough fighters (see here).
This weapon is too heavy and cumbersome to be moved easily, it probably has a substantial mount and the chances are that its ammunition is equally hard to lug about. These weapons are ideally fired from a stationary position once set up, and if moved about their effectiveness is reduced. The following exceptions apply to fixed weapons.
When ordered to Fire, fixed weapons can only target an enemy unit that lies at least partially within their front arc (i.e. within an angle of 45° to each side of their barrel as shown in Diagram 8). Targets outside of this arc cannot be shot at with a Fire order.
Both the German field gun and infantry squad are within the front arc of the machine gun and can be targeted with a Fire order. The officer is outside of the front arc and therefore cannot be targeted with a Fire order. The machine gun would need to be ordered to Advance to be repositioned.
US Airborne 75mm Pack Howitzer
When ordered to Advance, fixed weapons do not move from their position, but can instead be rotated on the spot to face any direction, and can then fire suffering the normal –1 to hit for ‘fire on the move’.
When ordered to Run, fixed weapons move the normal 12”.
Flamethrowers never suffer the to-hit penalties for cover and if the target is Down. This makes flamethrowers especially effective against troops in bunkers or behind cover, as well as troops lying flat on the ground, which is not a good defence against flaming liquids being sprayed on the area.
If you score a hit with a flamethrower the number of hits is multiplied into D6 (or D6+1 in the case of vehicle-mounted flamethrower). Roll for damage in the usual manner.
Flamethrowers always hit the top armour of vehicles – this represents the tendency of burning liquid to seep through hatches and other openings. Also, flamethrowers don’t rely on kinetic energy to penetrate a target’s armour, so they don’t suffer the –1 Pen penalty when firing at long range.
The gun shield rule does not apply when shooting at artillery targets with a flamethrower. The extra protection rule does not apply when shooting at targets inside buildings with a flamethrower. In both cases neither building nor gun shield offers any additional protection against a flamethrower.
Any unit hit by a flamethrower takes 1 pin marker because it has been hit, and a further D3 pin markers to account for the unbridled terror unleashed upon it, for a total of D3+1 pin markers on the target.
The target of a flamethrower must always check its morale once firing has been worked out and pin markers allocated as described above. Note that a morale check is required regardless of the number of casualties caused and even if no damage has been suffered at all. A unit failing this check is destroyed immediately – its morale completely shattered. Vehicles failing their morale in this way are abandoned and considered destroyed.
The unit is hit by a HE (3”) weapon
The player works out that the best place for the template is as shown, scoring three hits against the target.
After shooting with an infantry man-pack flamethrower, roll a D6. On a result of 1 the flamethrower has run out of fuel and is now useless. If this happens the entire flamethrower team is removed as if it had fallen casualty. Although this might seem harsh, it does reflect the extreme risks run by troops carrying flamethrowers and introduces a level of unpredictability that balances the weapon’s effectiveness.
After shooting with a vehicle-mounted flamethrower, roll a D6 (or a dice for each flamethrower if the vehicle has more than one). On a result of 1 that flamethrower has run out of fuel and is now useless. This does not otherwise affect the vehicle.
When rolling on the damage effects chart against a vehicle equipped with flamethrowers, add an extra +1 to the roll to represent the increased risk from carrying around so much volatile fuel for the flamethrower. See the rules for vehicles.
The HE rule refers to weapons that can fire a high explosive shot. Some weapons, for instance anti-tank guns, can fire either anti-tank shots (using the Pen value indicated) or HE shots. The player must declare which type of shot the weapon is firing as he declares the target. Some weapons can only fire HE shots and their Pen value is indicated as HE.
The number in bracket after the HE shows how powerful the shell is and therefore how large its explosion is going to be, rated from 1–4” in diameter (see the chart below). When firing an HE weapon, pick a target unit and roll to hit in the same way as for a normal shot.
If the target is hit by an HE shot, you then need to use the appropriate template to determine how many models in the unit have been hit. Templates are circles of either 1”, 2”, 3” or 4” diameter. First pick a point to place the centre of the template on. This can be anywhere on top of, or between the target unit’s models, so that the template covers as many models as possible in the target unit (including a point that is out of sight and/or range), but the template cannot clip any friendly models. The easiest way to do this is to photocopy and cut out one of the templates, but you can also simply measure the range of the explosion from a point of your choice (remember that in that case, you will be using the radius of the template, which is half the given diameter). We shall assume you are going to use a template. Note that if a weapon team or artillery unit has been mounted on a single collective base, you should imagine that each model has an individual 25mm round base when placing the template.
This artillery unit is hit by a HE (3”) weapon. If the crew models have no bases, imagine they are mounted on 25mm round bases when placing the template.
The unit suffers two hits.
Once the template is in position, count the number of models whose bases are under the template (even partially) – that is the number of hits caused on the target unit. It is of course possible, especially with large explosions, to clip models from other enemy units nearby. This is fine, but remember that you are trying to hit as many models as possible in the target unit and you cannot clip any friendly models – once these two conditions are met, however, other enemy units nearby are fair game, even units that are out of sight! Each unit hit suffers a number of hits equal to the number of its models that are under the template. Note that a 1” template placed between two models of the same unit that are just spaced out as much as much as possible can always hit two models at a minimum (unless of course the unit has gaping holes in it due to having lost models in that same turn!).
A unit shot at by HE can react by taking an immediate Down action in the usual manner. Once the unit has gone Down, roll to hit, place the template and determine the number of HE hits caused normally, but then halve that number, rounding up. This represents men who have ‘hit the dirt’ and who might be lucky enough to avoid the blast and flying shrapnel.
HE hits don’t cause a single pin marker on the target, but rather a variable number of pin markers. This represents the terrifying effect of artillery shells exploding on and near the unit. The number of pin markers caused is generated randomly by rolling a D2, D3 or D6 depending on the HE value of the shooter as shown on the chart below. For example, if hit by a shell with an HE value of 1” the target takes D2 pin markers – i.e. roll a die with scores of 1, 2 or 3 = 1 and scores of 4, 5 or 6 = 2.
Roll to damage as normal, starting from the target unit and then rolling for other units hit in any order you like. The penetration value of HE shells, which is applied on the roll to damage for all targets hit, also varies with the HE values – larger and more powerful shells having higher values. This is also shown on the chart below. However, HE shells don’t rely on the kinetic energy of the shell itself to penetrate a target’s armour, so they don’t suffer the –1 penetration penalty when hitting an armoured target at long range. Note that the models removed as casualties can come from anywhere in the unit, not just from the models within the explosion radius.
Finnish Sturmi StuG Assault Gun
Diagram 10: Multiple HE Templates
A light automatic cannon scores two HE (1”) hits against the unit. The two templates are placed and score three hits on the target.
| Diameter | Pen | Pin | Hits vs targets in buildings |
| 1” | +1 | D2 | D3 |
| 2” | +2 | D3 | D6 |
| 3” | +3 | D3 | 2D6 |
| 4” | +4 | D6 | 3D6 |
The last column of the chart is used for units hit by HE while occupying a building, as explained here. Note that books from the previous edition of Bolt Action use this last column to identify the type of HE shell – simply use the equivalent line in this chart, so for example HE (D6) uses the 2” template, and note that both HE (D2) and (D3) use the 1” template.
When a unit capable of shooting HE or anti-tank shots is given an Ambush order the player must specify the kind of round loaded. If this is forgotten then the default position is that anti-tank guns will load anti-tank rounds, whilst other guns will load HE rounds. The unit cannot change from one type of round to another until a further order is issued, though this could be another Ambush order if desired.
TOP SECRET
The US 75mm M2 and M3 tank guns – as fitted to M3 and M4 medium tanks – were general purpose weapons not designed as specialised anti-tank guns, unlike the German 75mm KwK 40 gun that equipped the Panzer IV. Although anti-tank performance was poor they had a good HE shell, making tanks equipped with these guns very effective against infantry targets.
For this reason we rate the US 75mm gun as a medium anti-tank gun but with the HE value of a light howitzer (2”). Although a different weapon, the British 75mm gun was similar in performance and was adapted to fire US ammunition, so we treat both guns as the same.
Multiple HE Hits
Some units or weapons are capable of firing a number of HE shots simultaneously – a good example is an automatic cannon shooting two small HE shells every time it’s fired. In these cases, roll all the dice to hit first, then for every hit scored place one template on the target unit as described above, except that the templates must be placed so that they are in contact with each other without overlapping (see Diagram 10). After placing the templates, work out which models are covered by the templates, keeping in mind that a model suffers a single hit even if covered by more than one template. One good way of thinking about this is to imagine that the templates form one odd-shaped new template that must be used along the same principles as a single larger round template.
Units hit by multiple HE hits like this only suffer a single batch of multiplied pin markers, not multiples of them! For example, they would suffer D2 pins even if hit by two or more HE hits from a single automatic cannon (and not D2 pins per hit!).
This weapon can either shoot directly at a target drawing its line of fire ‘over open sights’ in the normal way, or it can shoot indirect fire as described below. When firing over open sights it has no minimum range. When using indirect fire, a howitzer has a minimum range. This is shown in brackets on the weapon chart – for example, light howitzers have a minimum range of 0–24”. If a howitzer switches from indirect fire to direct fire and then returns to indirect fire, always against the same target, the zeroing-in sequence is reset.
The indirect fire special rule refers to weapons that shoots HE shells ‘indirectly’, which is to say they lob a shot high in the air to land on top of the target unit, for example a mortar rather than a rifle that shoots ‘directly’ at its target.
These indirect fire weapons cannot be fired at targets within their minimum range (see weapon profiles), measured from the centre of the weapon itself. If a target is found to be within this minimum range the shot misses automatically and is ignored.
The crew of an indirect firing weapon must still be able to see their target unit to shoot, unless a spotter is employed – see the spotter rule below. However, the crew can direct their fire against a target even if friends are in the way, as shots pass far over the heads of intervening friendly troops because of the high trajectory.
When firing HE shells using indirect fire, a 6 is required to hit, regardless of any modifier. In the following turn, if the shooter fires at the same target unit, and if the shooter has not moved from their position (i.e. it receives a Fire order), and if the target unit has not moved from their position (to count as ‘moved’, the entire unit must be at least 2” away from the area that it was covering before), a hit is scored on a 5+. This represents the shooter adjusting his aim by observing where shots are falling. If the shooter continues to fire under the same conditions explained above, a hit is scored on a 4+ in the next turn, then 3+ and finally 2+ in all subsequent turns. However, if a hit is scored in any turn, the shooter is zeroed in on the target and as long as it does not move, all further shots hit on 2+, even if the target unit is then lost from view (obscured by a moving vehicle, a spotter is killed, etc.).
Sherman M4A3 (76) Medium Tank with additional wooden armour
When fired against vehicles, hits from indirect fire weapons always strike the vulnerable top armour, counting the +1 penetration modifier to damage regardless of the actual position of the firer. If an open-topped armoured vehicle is hit by indirect fire add the +1 penetration modifier to the roll to damage, and also add +1 to the die roll on the damage results table (see here).
Weapons cannot be fired indirectly by a unit that was in Ambush that turn – indirect fire takes time.
Howitzers and mortars can also fire smoke shells to lay a smoke screen – see here for rules covering this.
If a unit includes both normal weapons and indirect firing weapons (such as one or more light mortars inside a unit of riflemen), any mortar in the squad can pick a target individually, regardless of what the rifles and other mortars in the squad are doing. Ranging in is kept track of separately for each mortar (you might have to write things down…).
TOP SECRET
Some indirect weapons teams can be provided with a spotter as indicated in the Army Lists section. A spotter is always a single model. The spotter is part of the mortar or artillery team but is always treated separately and is not one of the crew. He does not have to be placed with the weapon crew – his role is to lie in some forward position from where he can relay target coordinates to the crew, directing their fire using either a radio or fixed line. As the spotter forms part of the same unit as the weapon he is directing, no separate order die is provided for him (this also means that when you count the number of units in your army, the spotter and gun count as one). During a turn either the weapon crew can be given an order or the spotter can be given an order – but never both. Spotters can never assault or fire against enemy units. Note however that a spotter that does not have an order die next to it always counts as Down (as it would indeed lie flat on the ground for most of the time except when moving).
If an indirect fire weapon is fired by veteran or regular crew, and it has a spotter, then the crew are assumed to be able to see whatever the spotter can see. This can potentially enable a mortar or artillery piece to shoot at targets that lie on the other side of a hill, woods or in some other position that is invisible to the crew itself.
The spotter and the crew are treated entirely separately in other respects – as if they were two units – and the spotter is not taken into account when it comes to determining whether the weapons team or artillery piece is destroyed. Should his associated weapons team or artillery piece be destroyed then the spotter is also removed as a casualty – he abandons his post and makes his way back to his own lines without taking any further part in the battle. If the spotter is destroyed this makes no difference to the weapon team or artillery crew, other than that their aim can no longer be guided by the spotter. If an indirect fire has ranged in against a target and the spotter is killed, the weapon can continue to fire on the target, hitting on 2+. If the weapon had not ranged in yet, it cannot see the target and cannot shoot it any more – choose a different target.
This rule describes multi-barrelled rocket firing weapons such as the German Nebelwefer and Wurfrahmen, the Russian Katyusha and US Calliope. A multiple launcher counts as a heavy mortar, but its chance of hitting never gets any better than a 6 (no ranging in). However, every time you fire it, pick the first target unit as normal and then check which other enemy units are within 6” of the original template – these are also targets. If you find that there is a friendly unit within 6” of the original template, you cannot fire and the shot is wasted. Once the target units have been determined, check if any of these units are within the minimum range – these units are missed automatically. Then roll to hit for all remaining target units, one at a time in any order you prefer, hitting on 6. If you score one or more hits, work out the total of all of the hits inflicted by the salvo on target units, using the relevant templates, and then proceed to roll to damage. When being towed, multiple launchers count as light howitzers.
This is a disposable weapon that can be fired only once per game. For example, the panzerfaust is a rocket-propelled anti-tank grenade commonly used by late war German troops. Once fired replace the model with another model that does not carry the disposable weapon.
If a unit of infantry includes a proportion of men armed with one-shot weapons, then each of these models is allowed to direct its fire against a separate enemy unit, regardless of the target chosen by the other models in their unit. This enables a unit to split its fire between two or more different enemy units and is therefore an exception to the rule that normally prevents this. Note that you do not have to fire all of a unit’s one-shot weapons in the same turn; some can be kept for use in further turns.
Declare the targets for all weapons that are firing at a different target from the unit’s as you declare the unit’s target and before proceeding to roll for all of them separately.
The warhead of these rocket-propelled grenades can take out any tank it strikes head-on. These are very powerful weapons that don’t rely on velocity to penetrate armour, so they never suffer the –1 penetration modifier for firing at long range.
This special rule (often shortened to just ‘team’) indicates that the weapon requires two or more men to shoot at full effect. There are three types of team weapons – squad-based team weapons (team weapons imbedded inside infantry squads, like a squad LMG); support team weapons (which form an infantry unit of their own, such as a medium machine gun team or a bazooka team); and artillery team weapons. We will list here the generic rules that apply to all three, and then list the exceptions that apply to support team weapons and squad-based team weapons.
Team weapons normally have a crew of two, three or more members, comprising one man to fire the weapon and a number of loaders or other crewmen to help operate it, move it about, carry ammunition or act as lookouts. All the crew members are fully occupied whether carrying equipment, serving the weapon, or keeping watch. Note that although in reality crewmen often carried small-arms, and many crew models will undoubtedly do so, in the game crews of weapon teams never fire these weapons and are therefore not allocated personal armament in the army lists.
A team weapon shoots at full effectiveness so long as there are at least two men to serve it. A minimum of two crew is always needed to fire at full effect. If only one man remains to serve a team weapon then the weapon can still be fired but suffers a –1 ‘to hit’ penalty.
Remember that sometimes a team weapon and its crew might be mounted on a single base for ease of use. If the crew suffers casualties, simply place a die on the base and rotate it to show how many models have been killed.
Support Team Weapons
Support team weapons work as described above, with the following important exception.
When the model carrying/firing the support team weapon is killed, the entire team is considered to be out of action. All remaining crew models are removed as casualties and the unit is destroyed. This might seem harsh but it avoids worrying about ineffective odd men and is only fair in terms of the removal of order dice and awarding of victory points as described later. Perhaps these odd crewmen have panicked and fled or else they have been caught in a catastrophic ammunition explosion and killed – either way we abandon them to their fate.
Squad-Based Team Weapons
The most common team weapon carried by the typical infantry squad is the light machine gun. If a team weapon is included in an infantry squad then one of the other infantrymen in the squad becomes its second crewman, for example, a Bren gun team of firer and loader. Choose which model becomes the loader – you can pick any model in the squad except the NCO, and you must mark this model clearly, so that both you and the opponent can easily recognise it. Then keep the loader within an inch of the weapon-carrying model at all times. When the team weapon is fired, the loader cannot fire his own personal weapon – he is too busy crewing the team weapon. If an infantry squad’s team weapon is destroyed, the surviving loader simply reverts to an ordinary member of the squad. If the loader is killed or is not within an inch of the firer, the weapon suffers a –1 ‘to hit’ penalty as described above.
