Infantry freezing an AFV

[Pacman Ghost]

There are a lot of posts talking about how an AFV can freeze infantry, but does the reverse also apply?

A7.212 TARGET SELECTION LIMITS: A unit does not have the freedom to attack units in other Locations while its own Location is occupied by a Known enemy unit (even if disrupted) unless the only known enemy unit in its Location is an unarmed/unarmored vehicle. Whenever a unit is eligible for TPBF vs Known enemy units, it can attack only those units.

The index confirms that an AFV is a unit:

Unit = Any game piece or counter with its own MF/MP allotment and normally capable of movement without being portaged

So this does seem to say that a Tiger, manned by the cream of the German tank crews, cannot shoot at a swarm of Shermans, because there is a disrupted conscript half-squad trembling behind a shrub at the far side of its hex. This seems, um, wrong. The A7.212 example says that this is the case, but really? What's the motivation for this?

 

[Doug Leslie]

That is what the rules say. It is difficult to conceive how the scenario described by you could arise though. The only way that a disrupted unit could be in the same hex as a Tiger tank would be during the German MPh so if the Tiger wants to fire at a different unit (assuming that it is still allowed to do so), it just needs to move out of the hex. As for motivation, I am sure that there are many rules that don't make much sense when compared to reality most of which will have been pointed out on here at one point or another!

 

[Pacman Ghost]

It is difficult to conceive how the scenario described by you could arise though.

I may have been taking a little poetic license How about this: a tank overruns a 6+1 leader in the middle of the desert, ending its move there. The little bugger survives, the tank can no longer shoot out (including the next Player Turn, if the leader stays there). But if it's a 7-ton truck, it can.

It just seems so silly, I thought I must've been missing something :-/

 

[The Purist]

Well,... that 6+1 that survived may have a grenade bundle or two that he can use to make life miserable for said Tiger, so best zap him with bow and coax at TPBF and be done with it.

I would think the rule is there to force players to deal with the "immediate threat" rather than shoot at a tank on a hill 800 metres away. In real life that is what a crew would likely do, rather than risk a grenade in the engine compartment or down a hatch.

Removes some omnipotence from the player who otherwise can calculate the odds of a 6+1 in CC doing any damage and then dismiss it as unlikely. Cardboard doesn't bleed but the real world crew would not be so sanguine about the risk.

Just a thought.

 

[Carln0130]

I have used infantry to freeze armor so that my armor can get the drop on them. The trick is making sure you survive their first shot, as other than HW, Banzai and berserk, you aren't getting in there until the Advance Phase.

 

[klasmalmstrom]

HW/Banzai can be a great tool to tie-up/take-out a lone/unsupported enemy AFV.

 

[von Marwitz]

There are a lot of posts talking about how an AFV can freeze infantry, but does the reverse also apply?

Infantry can impose Target Selection Limits on a vehicle. However Infantry cannot bind an AFV in Melee.
So Infantry can 'freeze' the Fire of an AFV but not its Movement.

von Marwitz