PG-HQ Forums - Panzer Grenadier Rules

Crossfire PingPong -- 2 Questions

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 04:14:01 -0500

Consider the attached Eastern Front situation....a KV1 has wandered itself into the fire area of 3 different German AT units.(Image attached)
(To be fair ... they would have not all been visible in limiting terrain using our Double Blind...so...there is that...)
The German participants in our little vignette:
A-- a 222 recon AC with a 0AT at 4hexes...
B-- a 37mm AT gun with a 2AT at the same 4hexes
C-- a PzIIIG with a 3AT at it's 5hexes....

Clearly to get any kind of good odds on the KV1 Crossfire is highly recommended....
Since all the units are separated, they cannot activate at one time---thus it's going to take 3 activations....
Say it's beginning of the Turn and MIRACulously the Germans roll and get 3 activations--...so...the shooting begins...

A takes a shot--- and that would be a -5....now...
...FIRST QUESTION.... Confirm, even though there is NO CHANCE of a hit--it can take a shot--setting up the first Crossfire shot?
C then takes a shot... it would be a 3+2=5AT on the KV1 at this point.....Assume it is not successful with either shot....Desperation rises in the German camp...
SECOND QUESTION....
At this point with the 3rd Activation--- B would like to shoot---is it a 2AT or a 4AT??
4AT because the KV1 was attacked by C...and considering ONLY that, the 37mm would get Crossfire...
or
2AT because the first shot in this turn's ambush came from A, and it went through the same hexside that B would as well????....

Thinking about this, and wanting to progress the game, we agreed that the "Tank would react to face the first fire...thus only C gets crossfire, B is confronted with the
Full armor of 5, not a reduced inferior side or rear"....thus the tank platoon is NOT spinning around to face each shot--it responds to the first shot, and that sets the Crossfire for
That turn...Thus the B unit fires at only 2AT...

HOW do those who care decide this? Does this align with how others have/would resolve it, did we miss something or has anyone some other rationale to offer giving B a 4AT?

*One might make the case that given it's a platoon, some vehicles would turn to face the C threat
--thus exposing their soft behinds to the vagrancies of B...(as yet unknown perhaps...)...

CrossFirePingPongEdited.png (Size: 1.08 MB / Downloads: 126)

Japanese navy leaders, major's rank?

Sat, 26 Sep 2026 12:24:41 -0500

I've looked at all the scenario books from Guadalcanal to the 2nd edition of Saipan, even the addons, and cannot find an answer. What is the equivalent rank to a major in the Japanese navy? Comparing the standard ranks list, placing it along side the Romanians, because they have an "ensign" rank in their army, I get this:
Standard Romanian Navy
Colonel Colonel (Captain)
Lt. Colonel Lt Colonel
Major Major Commander
Captain Capitan Lt. Commander
Lieutenant Locotenent Lieutenant
(none) Plutonier Ensign
Sergeant

Alternately it might be this:
Standard Romanian Navy
Colonel Colonel (Captain)
Lt. Colonel Lt Colonel Commander
Major Major Lt. Commander
Captain Capitan
Lieutenant Locotenent Lieutenant
(none) Plutonier Ensign
Sergeant

It kind of makes a difference with rule 6.73 and when a Lt. Commander gets whacked. I understand it as navy captains command ships while commanders nominally command "boats", destroyers, frigates and similar. Lt. Commanders would therefore command small boats, like PT boats, sub-chasers and so on.

So where do commanders and lt. commanders fit in the game? I would like to know by Friday, before I get on killed.

Aircraft

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 08:19:16 -0500

I just had aircraft arrive on a Random event.

One attacked and one missed.

The rule says 'Each aircraft may attack one hex per turn' - whioch implies they attack on multiple turns
but in VASSAL< when i click 'clear markers' they all disappear - which rather implies they attact once then go away..

can someone clarify?

British OB

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 08:50:20 -0500

In Both Beyond Normandy and Panzer Lehr, the British OB will say X 8 6 pdr Or X 8 Firefly (and a few others where this is relevant
But in the Beyond Normandy British OB on Vassal, you always have an option to take a solid shot version, or a superior HVAP option.
Both modules have very similar Soecial Rules sections, but this difference is not discussed in either.

Instinctivyl i felt that in late 1944, HVAP would be available - but then it occurred to me that why have the solid shot in the Vassal counter mix at all?

Similarly - the scenarios will say 1 8 Achilles, but the counter mix has Achilles 3 inch and Achilles 17 pdr options

So, how to decide?

Lone leader casualty corner case

Sun, 26 Jul 2026 19:11:59 -0500

There is a lone leader in a hex with an AFV unit. Perhaps multiple AFVs and/or leaders, doesn't matter. The leader(s) are on the ground, not riding the AFVs. An artillery strike occurs with an X result. Rule 6.71 says, "If one or more leaders are in a hex with no other units, one leader is eliminated per step loss scored on the hex by bombardment or direct fire." Is the leader eliminated by the X?

The implication of the rule is that other units in the hex with a leader take casualties, and the leader might be hit, rule 6.7, but AFVs are immune to such casualties. If the leader isn't eliminated, that would make walking around with some rinky-dink tankette really good protection.

This issue isn't one of mine, but brought up by another trouble maker.

Transporting leaders

Sat, 25 Jul 2026 21:25:31 -0500

The last sentence of rule 6.3 says, " A leader may move with any unit he activates, and can ride on a non-transport unit that has a higher movement allowance than he does (such as a motorcycle unit)."

Would that mean that a leader stacked with an armored car or tank (with tank leader) could active with the AC or tank and move with them.
The clause separation in the sentence suggests they can, the wording leaves it open that they cannot.

Based on the clause separation and rule 6.84, I think they can. This would then bring up another question, are they riding in the vehicle?
Historically forward observers assigned to armored and recon units rode in the vehicle. Does that then create an load/unload issue?

Off Board Artillery

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 05:23:36 -0500

I keep reading rule 9.2, and i keep getting 'each increment may fire once PER turn'

So, if a scenario says a side gets 6*16 ... they may fire 6 increments each turn. not 6 increments total?

i keep thinking the rule is clear - so this may be a dim witted question
but i felt i had to check as its a lot of OBA rounds in a 36 turn scenario!

Already fired and then defending in an assault

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:18:55 -0500

so a German activated - and fired at an adjacent stack. disrupoted on targer NE on the other
German is marked moved/fired
US then activates and assaults the hex

I realise the rule says a unit defending in an assualt does not activate and is NOT marked with a fired/moved
but if the already fired do they get to fire again in the assualt?

In this instance its a German HMG
cant they use full fire when defending? and first fire (as dug in?0 or do the HMG restrictions apply when they are the assault defender?

Dug-In - in Assault clarification

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:01:01 -0500

in 12.41 it refers to 'negative column modifiers for dug-in units' . . .

But on the Assault Chart - it only gives negative modifiers for 'entrenchment' - there is no specific reference to 'dug-in'

the only benefit i can find for dug-in is First Fire

is there a column modifer too?

Woods/Light Woods

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 05:31:13 -0500

Is there a pictorial of terrain anywhere?

I am playing Intro 1 in invasion 1944

and I am not sure if i am dealing with woods or light woods or some combination of both on board 106?

MTC units and Recon Capabilities

Wed, 24 Jun 2026 00:17:09 -0500

So--
MTC has some issues that need agreement between players ... like Dismount....
AK/DR allow it, specifically....
But today...it's about Recon Capabilities (8.23)....

In FitS the Game Rules specifically state that MTC units in these scenarios have 8.23 capabilities....
BUT, all the FitS scenarios(for Germans) with MTC (I think there are 5) 4 have 3 MTC, 1 has 1MTC....
These look like elements of a Recon Battalion (armored cars)--so one might expect they have special training.

In Eastern Front---there are almost no scenarios with MTC -- (Can anyone locate? 3% apparently have MTC...)
The EF Game Rules DO NOT call out MTCs to have 8.23 recon capabilities.

Any other Rules call out MTC having this capabilities?
In some other Games (Peace in our Times) there are full Battalions (9 -12 MTC) and there are not 8.23 call outs.

In General--for non FitS Game--has anyone seen anything that says the MTC have ability (in scenario rules for example)?
I'm thinking about how to deal with it in General across custom scenarios AND perhaps back-fill Games which don't call
it out--but clearly are dealing with Recon units...

Anyone have any thoughts about allowing this/or ONLY in FitS?... and no other Nations? even in later war were so trained?

Height of Bocage/Hedges/Hedgerows final ruling

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 12:39:43 -0500

The height of Bocage/Hedges/Hedgerows, hereafter called "hedges," was not explicitly stated in the rules and there has been many threads about this issue. So I asked Mike Benninghof for an official ruling on this and also asked that it be consistent across the series for simplicity sake. Although he realizes that in real life many of these hedges are not 20 meters tall, the game effect is that they need to be, so his answer is a "design-for-effect" answer and that, for game purposes, they are 20 meters tall. he also notes that the notes for the original design intent of the game series was that the hedges are to be 20 meters tall.

Can we add this to the annotated rules?

Here is the email exchange:

My email asking the question:

Hi Dr. Mike:

I hope all is well with you. I'm about to play a Beyond Normandy scenario against someone, and the heights of the hedges always seem to perplex us as it is not stated anywhere as to what it is. We are assuming that the height is 20 meters just like woods. Leonard posted the attached document some years ago that shows that Bocage hedges in Normandy 44 are 20 meters tall. Where that came from, I don't know.

Can we get an official ruling on this? I recommend that they be 20 meters tall across all the games as it makes it simple to remember.

Thanks,

Fred

His response:

Good to hear from you, hadn't in a while.

I didn't design those rules or the games that include them. The bocage walls themselves are not anything close to 20 meters high. But that's not the same as their game effect.

Digging out Knipple's original draft, it's written to imply that your 20-meter suggestion was the intent (the game design pre-dates the current rules mechanism). Go with that.

On-board arty/mort fire

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 16:31:15 -0500

It says that off board Arty can only fire three units at a hex. Can on board Arty/Mort fire more than three, with an appropriate leader? (You would think by now I would have run across that particular situation before..... But NO!)

GG

Budapest

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 11:02:30 -0500

I just read the bit about "city fighting" in the AP "promissory propaganda" daily sheet that comes out. Now THAT just might be a worthy battle scenario to look into. We'll see how the designer handled it.

GG

The river rule, once more.

Mon, 06 Apr 2026 18:39:36 -0500

I'm not certain but it seems to me that there is a "standard" MP expenditure that mech and inf must expend to cross (exit) a river (with or without Eng unit) depending on the river. I absolutely cannot find that (those) number(s) anywhere. I have seen them mentioned in some scenarios I have played but not all of them. Is there a "fall back" (Standard) set of numbers? If there is please relay them to me as I am pulling out my hair trying to find it. (If it even exists!!!!)

GG