Sd.Kfz. 10/4 with Flak 38: Redundant?

[Robert]

This is something that’s been quietly irritating me since I came across it a while ago when browsing AAA vehicles in the V2 ‘Armies of Germany’ book. In terms of stats, the Sd.Kfz. 10/4 with Flak 38 is the exact same vehicle as both the Opel Blitz and the Horch 1A Field Car with Flak 38 – soft-skins carrying a single Flak 38 on a platform mount – yet the half-track costs between four to six points more! There seems to be no real reason why anyone would pick the half-track over the Opel or Horch when it comes to flak, so what’s the deal here? Is this simple errata, or is there something I’m missing?

• This topic was modified 1 year, 11 months ago by Robert.
• This topic was modified 1 year, 11 months ago by Robert. Reason: Added tags. Whoops!

[Aidan Degg]

I don’t play Germany and am not as familiar with the stuff they have but is the Half-track soft-skinned? If it’s not then (relative to the other vehicles) for the cost of, like, a guy, that seems reasonable. If not then I don’t know. Maybe it’s available in some theatre selectors the others aren’t or something but it’s literally the same in every way then t would be odd to be costed the same. Can it tow other things the others can’t, or something?

[Mark Prichard]

I believe it is extra points because it is a half-track.  Half-tracks can go into and through rough terrain which may be an advantage in certain situations.

[Aidan Degg]

Ah yeah – that’d probably be it!

[Robert]

So I’ve just scoured the core rulebook for any mention of special rules for half-tracks, and according to Page 103, in the ‘Vehicles’ section:

“Half-tracked vehicles move at the same speed as tracked vehicles, but with the same manoeuvrability as wheeled vehicles.” Meaning they can only move up to 9″ but can also make two 90-degree turns or a full 180-degree turn when moving. Also, “half-tracked vehicles use the tracked vehicle column” on the movement on terrain table.

So, mystery solved, then. It’s still not much of a trade-off unless you and your opponent are gearing for a muddy Ostfront or rocky Italian front game, but it just about barely justifies the cost. Thanks, Mark!

And to answer your question, Aiden, it does specify that it is a soft-skin in the unit stats. Not all half-tracks were armoured up like Hanomags! It also apparently can’t tow anything, probably too busy lugging its own Flak gun around to faff with other people’s stuff.

[Aidan Degg]

Ah well, it’ll almost certainly be for it’s extra bit of utility in more difficult ground then.  How useful that is, of course, depends on the terrain, as you say.

[Ian]

The big advantage of a half-track over a wheeled vehicle is that they, just like a tank, ignore obstacles. So its not just mud etc but any terrain classed as an obstacle. This would include  hedgerows, fences, steams and the like. These would stop a fully wheeled vehicle and limit its movement on the table.

However the advantage of  being able to move over an obstacle is at the loss of speed, halftracks move 9″ and wheeled vehicles 12″

[Nat]

gah this is ww2 german equipment we’re talking about here… if theres not 4 different vehicles all doing the same thing is it even historical

:p

[Aidan Degg]

XD Hahaha!

[Author]

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