Below you will find the fourth in a series of designer’s notes articles from The Last Hundred Yards series designer Mike Denson. In this segment he will discuss armor in LHY. You can also find this article on his ConsimWorld Community page. Enjoy! -Rachel

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Armor

Based on my research, a veteran tanker has come to understand that the one firing first usually wins, that if you’re not firing you should be moving, and that it is always the one you didn’t see that kills you. It’s the tank commanders and their crews, more than their vehicles themselves, that determine success in armored combat. From a design perspective, armor is the single most difficult aspect of tactical combat to model. In most tactical games, designers tend to model the capability of the vehicle itself (e.g., armor penetration of the main gun, armor thickness, speed, etc.).

Although all these factors are important, they do not address the crucial aspects of the training, tactics, and experience of the tank commander and crew. The veteran tank commander and crew will almost always win out over the green, inexperienced crew, even with inferior equipment. This has been proven time and again on the Eastern Front and even against the US 1st Armored Division at Kasserine Pass. To reflect this, we model not only the technical capability of a tank, but more importantly the quality of the tank commander and crew. This is done by varying the fire and defensive values for each model of tank. For example, a typical Sherman M4A3’s fire value varies from 2 to 3, and its defensive value varies from 9 to 10. Although this may seem a modest gesture, it gives the veteran tank commander and crew in an inferior tank the ability to take on and defeat an inexperienced tank commander and crew in a superior vehicle. In LHY, we model not only the capabilities but also the limitations of armor, and their ability to react. Situational awareness during the chaos of combat situations, especially near or around a tank, was incredibly poor, leaving tanks extremely vulnerable to flanking fire or infantry assaults.

In the following accounts, it difficult to believe, amidst the chaos surrounding combat, that the crews of Wolfgang Faust’s Tiger or Vasilly Bryukhov’s T-34 would notice an enemy vehicle maneuvering into a position to their side or rear. Also, one can really appreciate the fear and caution of Lt. Danby as he maneuvers his Sherman through the streets of an enemy-occupied village in France even with infantry support.

The enemy was maintaining their onslaught and pressing forwards regardless of losses. Returning fire, my company was retreating deeper into the forest. A tank duel ensued under conditions of extremely limited visibility and maneuverability. Sometimes we were shooting at each other from point-blank range. Solid shells whizzed past, with shrapnel shells and aerial bombs exploding all around. Tanks, vehicles, the forest—everything was on fire. Control of the whole company became impossible, and combat took place in separate independent actions. Finding cover behind the trees, using glades, cuttings and clearings, the company held the enemy off with great effort.

Bryukhov, V. (2015) Red Army Tank Commander: At War in a T-34 on the Eastern Front. Pen and Sword Military.

Wilf, our gunner up in our turret, fired three times in ten seconds, with Stang our breech-man grunting as he reloaded with amazing speed each time. Our rounds deflected off the Stalin’s huge turret twice – and the third actually stuck in the armor plate, a slug of German steel jammed into a slab of Russian steel, its tracer still glowing red. Beyond the Stalin, I saw a Tiger roll into a depression in the ground, burning from the engine deck; and then another of our panzers standing still, with its hatches open and the crew climbing out with their uniforms on fire. Suddenly, my glass vision block shattered as we were hit on our front plate by the Stalin facing us. I heard another impact striking our turret, and a long groan from somebody up there, followed by a series of shouted commands from Helmann. Yet another impact came, low on our front hull, and the blow threw me back in my seat. My ears were ringing, and I could see nothing through the wrecked glass except the red sunset sky. Helmann kicks me in the back, the tip of his polished boot brought me to my senses. In the seat alongside me, Kurt was yelling, ‘Push out the glass, Faust’ while Helmann was screaming, ‘Faust, ram that Stalin. Ram it!’ In a daze, I unclamped the vision block from inside, raised the armored bracket and pushed the broken glass out onto the hull front. A blast of freezing air came in, bringing smoke and sprays of ice – and then a blast of metal fragments as another shell hit us, blowing scabs of armor plate off our front. With bits of metal in my face, I drove the Tiger straight at the Stalin, aiming hull-to-hull across the rolling ground. I could not understand why our gun was not firing – then I realized the terrible groan, which erupted when the Stalin’s shell hit us told me someone in the turret was badly wounded. With no gun, we could only use our sixty tons and our Maybach as a battering ram – it was either that or sit obediently and be shot to pieces.

Faust, W. (2015) Tiger Tracks – The Classic Panzer Memoir. Bayern Classic Publications.

Lt. Danby’s tank crept forward along the narrow main street, negotiating through the tricky sunlight patterns filtering through the gently rustling leaves of the trees overhead. Every ghostly flicker off a stone wall or glint behind a half-shuttered window mocked mortal danger. Danby’s tank idled frequently to not outpace the doughboys jockeying in fits and starts among the nearby buildings, and the M4A1’s motor growled as if annoyed. From the turret hatch, Danby watched and listened for any other Marders attempting escape through the crossroads. Inside, Cpl. Vargo kept the main gun ready with his hands resting on the traverse controls and his foot hovering near the fire switch. Pvt. Dishner sat cramped and sweating on the opposite side of the main gun, ready to recharge the barrel with a new round of AP or HE. The tank and infantry team progressed without incident past the Mourier blacksmith shop, the post office and Martel’s home. As they drew near the crossroads, however, a bitter chorus of German small arms fire crackled with sudden vitality, the bullets hissing and popping through the hot air. Some shots pinged off the tank hull while others screamed as they ricocheted in wild directions off the stone and asphalt. The Germans were not going to relinquish the crossroads without a fight. Concerned about being hit by a Panzerfaust, Danby ordered Tikkanen to halt the tank until the infantry could clear the immediate area. While sergeants barked orders and encouragement, the infantrymen shot forward, leapfrogging along the walls and doorways, and returning fire with their M-1 Garand and BARs. The advance fell far short of dislodging the determined German defenders, and a static firefight ensued.

Danby, J. (2008). Day of the Panzer: A Story of American Heroism and Sacrifice in Southern France. Casemate.

So how does LHY address these issues? It depends on the situation. For example, an enemy tank passes through an opening to your left 100 meters wide at 400 meters and disappears behind a building. Even if you did happen to see the enemy vehicle, your response and the effectiveness of any fire would be significantly reduced. Not only that but you might possibly give up your position with little to show for it. In another case, your stationary AFV is facing an enemy AFV to your front when a second enemy AFV discreetly maneuvers from behind a building 300 meters to your rear. Assuming you saw the second AFV maneuver, which is unlikely, in LHY you would have several options. You could:

1. Pivot and conduct reaction fire against the second enemy AFV behind you but in doing so expose yourself to a rear quadrant shot from the first enemy AFV,
2. Wait and conduct reaction fire against the enemy AFV to your front,
3. Conduct a maneuver reaction to seek a better position out of LOS of one or both enemy AFVs, or
4. Conduct a Shoot & Scoot against the second enemy AFV but possibly suffer a potential rear shot from the first AFV (although its firepower would be reduced because you would be a target in motion).

And yet in another case, an enemy AFV conducts an action 600 meters away on the other side of the map board and clearly out of LOS of your stationary AFV. Most likely you would not even know the enemy unit existed unless a friendly AFV had LOS to the enemy AFV and notified you by radio. In most tactical games you would be able to react anyway, with complete knowledge of the enemy unit’s maneuver, responding accordingly. But in LHY, because the enemy unit did not conduct the action in your LOS, your reaction for the game turn would be limited to going into motion in the hex you currently occupy. In a subsequent game turn, provided you were still in motion, you could then conduct a maneuver reaction, but your maneuver allowance would be reduced. Vehicles have multiple fire and maneuver actions they can use in different tactical situations. An AFV may conduct a Shoot & Scoot action, allowing a stationary AFV to fire and go into motion in its current or adjacent hex. If already in motion, an AFV may conduct a Halt & Fire action, allowing the AFV to stop and fire in the same action. These actions are especially handy when in LOS of a superior enemy AFV. When an AFV is at risk of enfilade (flank shot), it may conduct a reverse maneuver action and therefore possibly deny the enemy a flank or rear shot. AFVs can overrun enemy non-vehicular units in open terrain, which is particularly effective against withdrawing or retreating non-vehicular units. An AFV may also assault an enemy-occupied hex with or without supporting infantry. In addition, vehicles may conduct Transport actions, transporting non-vehicular units and towed guns.

In our next segment we will discuss the Mortars in LHY.

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Previous Articles:

The Last Hundred Yards Designer’s Notes: Intro & Time Lapse System

The Last Hundred Yards Designer’s Notes: Initiative & Activation Cycle

The Last Hundred Yards Designer’s Notes: Maneuver & Fire Mechanics