What is considered a "Tank" for Tank Riders

[Mark Prichard]

What is considered a “Tank” for the purposes of assigning Tank Riders to it as a transport. Most Soviet lists have numerous vehicles that are obviously not tanks but take up a “Tank” slot, such a katyusha, M17 Anti-aircraft vehicle or Tachanka (wagon with a machine gun). It also has numerous self-propelled guns that would probably easily be considered a “Tank” such as ISU-122 but others like the Zis-30 which is could be considered a tank by some and not a tank by others.

So can tank riders ride any vehicle that take up the tank slot or only certain vehicles? If it is only certain vehicles which ones?

[Eric T Holmes]

IMHO, a “Tank” for the purposes of the “Tank Rider” rule would be any open topped or fully enclosed, fully tracked AFV that a person could grab and lift themselves onto it. There must be room on that vehicle, for at least a half squad to safely ride. The key words here being, “fully tracked,” “grab and lift themselves onto,” and “safely ride.”

There are several historical pictures out on the internet, from different countries, showing infantry catching a ride on “tanks.” Lets face it, the “Tank Rider” rule, as written mentions only those Russian units that were for all intensive purposes trained at riding an AFV. I think it should be a generic rule, maybe with the added qualifier that the infantry unit starts the game on the tank, or that the tank should be stationary to catch a ride.

However, when you consider that a tank hunter team can assault a tank that is in an “Advance” order, the implication is that the team could hop onto the back of the beast and attempt to take it out. Really getting into a Hollywood scenario there.

YMMV

Eric

• This reply was modified 5 years, 2 months ago by Eric T Holmes.

[Mark Prichard]

Eric,

What you wrote makes sense and I was thinking something similar myself. I just wasn’t sure whether there was anything official.

Thanks,

Mark

[Nigel Heather]

IMHO it must be something that the riders can climb on and would be going to assault the enemy.

My assumption here is that the purpose is to get the riding infantry into the fight and be able to support the tanks rather than just getting from A to B.

So I would discount things like the katyusha, M17 Anti-aircraft vehicle or Tachanka because they wouldn’t be leading the assault. So I would rules those out.

To be honest, I’m not convinced by SPGs but could accept them.

Cheers,

Nigel

• This reply was modified 5 years, 2 months ago by Nigel Heather.

[Nat]

Not offical…. but can you put the WLGs tank rider models on the vehicle in question?

TBH.. i’d only do it with MBTs, and assault guns (which is nearly every Russian SPG :p)

[Richard]

A ‘Tank’ is anything with a damage value of 8+ or better.

This causes an oddity on occasion as there are a few wheeled ‘tanks’

[Nat]

It also means that actual tanks like the T-26 & T37 dont count as ‘Tanks’

[Author]

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