While working on Tractics for over a year now, I have 890 emails on corrections, changes, and updates. From those and several phone calls, I get educated:
Note: Vehicle MG fire is less effective. It helps that a Coaxial MG is hooked into the tank gunner’s sight. Lots of ammo on board, but harder to load the weapon due to the interior cramping access to the gun. Germans used MG34 on AFV because the barrel could be removed from behind the gun. Can’t on an MG42. Loading and changing barrels both more difficult. USA M4 bow MG gunner didn’t have a gun-sight but had to fire using the tracers to control aim. On the coax, they get the benefit of using the gun sights, so although an LMG, you use the MMG range just like a tripod MG34. But the ammunition load is that of an LMG. A single belt or a drum magazine. The maximum would be an ammo box with about three linked belts in it. The loader loaded the weapon and cleared jams. He also has to load the main gun and move ammunition from bins to ready racks.
You also can’t see much in a tank, although this varied by tanks. I understand the German Panzers were weak in this, with the gunner in a Panther, for example, only able to see through his gun-sight. In an infantry machinegun crew, you have a dedicated loader, the gunner, a spotter (not always), and usually added ammunition bearers. About a full squad in reality compared to our gamer’s cut down crews. My US Army model crews are full strength but not in any other army. Reduced RoF for no dedicated loader and difficulty in loading plus restricted ready ammunition. MMG range for a fixed mount zeroed to the gun-sight (again, not all tanks but here the Germans had a built-in ranging sight in their gun-sights,) so greater accuracy equals greater range.
PS We are making progress on Tractics. I had hoped to have it ready to sell by the end of March, and here it is, March 31. Per my last blog post, we are working on the new vehicles that we have added. We are up to 226 (original Tractics had 95). So there's proofreading on those. Plus, having a printed proof book to get and comb through. So often, one cannot see a typo until it's in print. Fortunately, it's much easier and less expensive to get a perfect proof copy now.
