Can Medic attendants shoot?

[richard zamudio]

I know that that the medic figure cannot fire (Geneva Convention), but what about his attendants ( up to 2)? Do they serve only as “meat shields” for the medic or can they serve other purposes? The rules (raw) don’t specifically address this point.

[Arty Gun]

It says the medic team consists of the medic and his orderlies. In the Geneva convention it says the medic unit cannot fire – “Medic units can’t fire any weapons or assault into close order tests as normal if they are pinned.”p. 83.
So to my way of reading it, they did cover this rule but in two sentences. The orderlies cannot shoot and just extend the range of the medics bubble and make the unit more survivable.

• This reply was modified 2 years ago by Arty Gun.

[Stuart Harrison]

As Arty Gun says, the rule applies to the medic unit as a whole, not just the medic model, so no model in the unit can fire.

[richard zamudio]

Thanks to all who responded so quickly!

[invisible officer]

The answers are 99% correct, 100% for the rules but the often written  Geneva Convention thing  is wrong.  In real world medics and hospitals are just limited to self defence and defence of the wounded.

So  a military doctor, being an officer, wore in many armies  a pistol (or even sword like British on parade) .  Hospitals had rifles and often even LMG.

Unarmed medics  is one of the WW II myths that most believe to be true.

[richard zamudio]

Mea culpa. Having never actually read the Geneva Convention, I was following the terminology in the Bolt Action rulebook. Perhaps the writers of the rules should have used more technically correct wording.

[L.T. Russell]

I was a Light Infantryman for 17 years, retiring in 2000.  Our medics always carried rifles, just like the rest of us.  IIRC, the only person unarmed was the Chaplain.  He did carry ammo for the MGs, though….

 

[Simon]

In the WW2 British Army Medical Orderlies were protected by the Geneva Convention and were permitted revolvers for self protection.  Stretcher bearers, however, were normal soldiers with extra duties; they had no protection from the Geneva Convention and carried their normal weapons.

[Author]

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