Slitherine

Havent actually run into this one yet but it had popped into my mind recently so thought I would put it out there so if it does happen I have an answer.
If a Tercio has its side facing enemy artillery does it count as an enfilade?
My personal thoughts are no since you can't flank charge them, and you already get a + for arty shooting at them. They are pretty much a big bulky square formation so not sure it should get any worse for them.
Other opinions??

They are in enfiladed as they are shooting from the side.

However it's academic really as the artillery can only get one + POA for the target being either in 3 ranks,or being a tercio or being in enfilade. The artillery don't get an extra POA for each cause.

I would assume this POA is given to represent the artillery shooting at a dense target and each possible reason for the POA represents this.

Don

The way the definitions are worded I don't believe the tercio is enfiladed, but as Don says, it's academic.

P 172 "Enfilade: Artillery shooting at a target from a position where, if the artillery were battle troops in charge range, it could deliver a lethal flank charge."

P 79 "Early tercios never count as being charged in the flank or rear. Later tercios never count as being charged in flank."

If battle troops could not deliver a flank charge from that aspect, artillery could not be in a position to enfilade a tercio from the flank.

As you say, this is academic, however I would say you could deliver a flank charge on a Tercio, just not one that counts.
That the main intent of enfilade by artillery is the juicier target of a side on shot and the description given was just a way to work out if that shot was side on not whether the receiving unit counts as charged in the flank or not.

cheers
Jim

Mark's understanding is mine.

Mark, one minor point, while flank charges are usually lethal, I think the actual wording is "it could deliver a legal flank charge"...

Whilst this is all purely academic, I'm sure the intent is to illustrate that the artillery has a base behind the line of the front of the target unit and is therefore firing down the line of the densest part of the unit - not to illustrate that they could actually be charged in the flank. It would seem incongruous that shooting down the flank line of a standard P&S is more effective than shooting down the line of a tercio!!!

Don

quackstheking wrote:It would seem incongruous that shooting down the flank line of a standard P&S is more effective than shooting down the line of a tercio!!!

It would be if it was.