How to kill uber Axis tanks?

[Mike Abberton]

I have always used the Armour Facing rule because i thought it was more realistic, is that an incorrect assumption then?

To me, the realism of the armor facing rule depends a great deal on the individual situation of the target tank platoon. In a mid to long range duel on one primary axis, it is fairly realistic, since the targetted platoon would most likely be aligned toward the firer with only the frontal aspect towards the attacker.

As the range drops or where there are attackers on a wide front (or widely spaced separate positions), then the armor rule breaks down as Huib says, since the platoon's individual tanks would likely be facing in different directions or have their turrets turned, etc. This is particularly true with Panthers which have very thick frontal armor, but are relatively vulnerable from the sides. The side turret armor on a Panther is relatively thin (40 mm), although it is sloped.

I'd like an armor facing rule that severely restricted the front armor arc (something like 15% coverage at a range of 10 hexes or so), and an elimination of the rear arc (to fix the retreat bug). The non-frontal arc would have the same value as the default overall armor rating now. This gives the heavily frontal armored AFVs an advantage at longer ranges but makes it easier to manuever for a good shot at medium and short ranges.