Throughout World War II, men armed only with hand weapons were forced to engage tanks at point-blank range. The task is daunting. Tanks were designed to be impervious to rifle-caliber weapons and shrapnel. Nonetheless, brave men were repeatedly able to overcome AFVs. I recall a photo of a much-decorated instructor showing combat troops how he destroyed multiple tanks in close action. This article is a brief overview of the inherent tools that individuals used to defeat tanks and how they are reflected in ASL.
First, a quick overview of how tanks cope with attacking infantry. The whole business of melee is generally bad for tankers so they work to keep assaulting men at a distance. The tank’s superior mobility and ranged fire give it the edge here. Once infantry get close, then the tank’s foremost weakness is limited visibility. ASL reflects this by always giving the attacking infantry first “shot” in close combat (CC). If the tank survives this CC, it has weapons it can bring to bear at close range (and some it can’t). The main gun is worthless; once inside ten yards, you’d have to hit the target smack on with the round. Forget it. Bow-mounted weapons (MGs or otherwise) are almost equally valueless. Pivoting the tank is so cumbersome that any healthy man can dart away. This leaves you with the turret-mounted MGs (AA, front, rear, and/or independent), pistol ports, and close-defense weapons.
Turret-top AAMGs are a mixed blessing. They swivel rapidly and don’t require any movement of the tank or turret. However, everyone who has seen a John Wayne movie knows that the open turret is a natural target for every grenade in creation. ASL nicely reflects this by allowing AAMGs to be used in CC, but penalizing the OT or CE AFV. Generally speaking, we never use AAMGs unless there is a Hero riding the tank.
Coaxial, rear, and independent turret MGs are the mainstay of tank defense. Some of the early Soviet tanks have such potent MG fire that, if they survive the initial CC attack, the tank has a good chance of wiping out the infantry. Independent and rear turret MGs tended to disappear later in the war because the value of such guns was outweighed by the number of crewmen needed to man them. Tankers found it better just to keep their distance rather than carry extra MGs and crew.
A pistol port is just what it sounds like -- a small hole, usually with a sliding cover, that allows a crewman to fire a small-caliber weapon out of the tank. The accuracy of such fire leaves a lot to be desired. Pistol ports quickly faded from use, too, because they created weak spots in the armor.
Close defense weapons are modifications of smoke mortars that allow the weapon to fire a short-range grenade. The shrapnel could be lethal to anyone around the tank. The major drawback of this weapon was its lack of discrimination. Friendly, supporting infantry suffered as much as the enemy.
The best defense a tank has is supporting infantry. Friendly infantry make any attempt to clamber onto the tank very dangerous. ASL reflects this by modifying CC against a tank that has infantry in close support.
The last defense a tank has is simply to stay tough to hit. Staying In Motion reduces the effectiveness of the tank’s MGs but also makes it tougher to catch. This also shows up in the ASL modifiers.
Having reviewed the tank’s defenses, we turn to the attacking infantry. First, they must get into the hex with the tank. Before any assault by infantry can be made, they must summon up the moxie to go toe-to-toe with the steel monster. ASL requires, quite properly, a Task Check for a normal infantry unit (not SMC, Fanatic, or Berserk) to enter an AFV’s location. This is a big impediment to the potential attackers. Failure to pass the PAATC pins the infantry unit next to the enemy tank. Count on having half your infantry not pass the PAATC.
Once in the hex, the attacking infantry is pretty much compelled to use high explosives. Bottled gasoline (“Molotov cocktails”) set a tank alight but the inherent risk of carting around such fragile devices makes this a weapon of Home Guard units. Explosives can be mines, grenades, or even loose plastic explosive. The British issued cloth bags (the No. 82, of Gammon, grenade) equipped with an all-ways fuse. It could be used against tanks by stuffing it with plastic explosive. Every UK paratrooper was issued sticks of plastique, so the bags became a kind of freeform antitank grenade.
The best explosive against tanks is a shaped-charge device in which the shape of the explosive in the focuses the force of the detonation in one direction -- effective for blowing a hole through tough plate. Remember that once they're adjacent to the tank, attackers need not overcome the thick, frontal armor. Engine grills, drive wheels, and the lighter-armored flank and rear are all fair game.
Keeping the explosives in contact with the tank surface was another problem. The Germans were able to jam mines under the turrets of some early Russian tanks. The Germans also issued magnetic AT mines that combined the best aspects of shaped-charge weapons with a device that stuck to the target. The Japanese mounted explosives on a pole that was thrust against the side of a tank and detonated by the bearer -- very tough on the guy carrying the pole. Most of the time there are plenty of nooks to wedge the explosive into. ASL reflects this simply by allowing some assaults to fail.
The bottom line is that a single squad has three hurdles to cross. First is defensive fire from the vehicle and any nearby infantry. Second, with morale of 7, the attacking squad has a 58% chance of passing the PAATC. Then, assuming it enters the tank's hex, it has about a one-third chance of immobilizing or destroying the AFV. If you decide to assault a tank, the tank is going to get all the defensive fire it can muster, and then any surviving infantry squad has about a 1 in 6 chance of doing something nasty to the tank.
How can players improve these odds? What works best depends on the situation and the nationality. Here are some of our standard tricks.
When in doubt, take cover. When fighting tanks, some squads should gain Concealment and then stay concealed. This gives three benefits. First, the likelihood of Ambushing (Al 1.4) the tank is great; +3 drm is common for the tank and Concealed infantry has at least a -2 drm. If you do ambush the tank, that gives you an additional -1 DRM in CC. Failure to ambush still allows the infantry the first pop (Al 1.34). Second, defensive fire is halved against Concealed units, even in CC. Last, the tank is likely to concentrate its defensive fire against your leader. If three units are Concealed, picking out your leader(s) is tough. Don’t forget you can use Assault Movement and remain concealed, if in cover.
Assault with units most likely to win. Always use squads rather than HS; 8 morale over 7; assault engineers or fanatics if you got ‘em. A fanatic squad is exempt from PAATC, meaning their kill chances just doubled. Use more than one SMC whenever possible. You may not have a fanatic squad but you probably have two leaders. Using multiple SMC can be critical. A single leader has no better than one chance in 36 of affecting the tank. Two SMCs have a base chance of l in 12 and can apply a leadership modifier (Al 1.5 and Al 1.51). A -2 leader with a hero has a better than 40% chance of whacking the AFV with no PAATC!
Look for opportunities to use street-fighting even when there is no street. Every player commanding tanks works hard to avoid those neat traps where there is a road with buildings on both sides. Attempts to get around these pinch points often force the tank to use Vehicular Bypass Movement. Every AFV attacked in VBM is automatically subject to the penalties of street-fighting if attacked by infantry in the hex being bypassed (Al 1.8). Look closely at those edge hexes.
Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em. If you must run up to a tank, then do so with several squads. The tank commander will often allow the first squad to run up unmolested in order to fire at any leaders or Concealed units still held back. If you get a squad adjacent, try for smoke. Smoke not only impedes the tank’s defensive fire, it may allow Concealed units to move adjacent without losing Concealment. This tactic works especially well for units with a smoke dr of 2 or more.
Give them the wave. Human wave attacks for the Russians and Banzai charges for the Japanese are frequently overlooked as costly anachronisms. The 8MF is nice but, against AFVs, exemption from PAATCs is nicer (A25.23 1).
Use every weapon at your disposal. Rule Bl3.7 makes it clear that there is no reason not to declare ATMM use for every CC attack in which their use is allowed. I always shudder whenever I see German players forget to call for their use in late-war scenarios.
Last ditch. If it looks as if the attacker wants to slip off the map, the defender is well advised to sit on the exit hex. Dig foxholes in the open alongside obstacles near the exit edge. Better yet, if the exit is a road, plant yourself right on it. The gambit here is the forced Overrun. If the exit is a road, then the attacker must plan to spend 25% of his MP just to overrun you. If the overrun doesn’t affect you, then you get a reaction shot.
