[81 mm]

As Yankeedog implies I'd say you're much better off buttoning that tank up by MG or small-arms fire. This can be done from pretty long ranges.

Save your small kaliber arty for infantry or use it to drop smoke.

[target reference points]

Target reference points also serve to hide (friendly) minefields from the newbie player, as I sadly experienced during my last PBEM.

That Pz IV crew must be pretty pissed that I ordered them to drive over my own AT mines. DOH! :-(

[Priest with reduced crew]

In my current CMAK game I've got a few sharpshooter scouts on both flanks of my opponents main attacking body, and they've managed to hit ONE crew member, on BOTH his Priest support guns. Yay.

I could clearly hear the "I'm hit!" in both occations and the tank immediately buttoned up. The first one paniced and backed away, while the other contiued forward as nothing had happened.

My question is: How will this affect a Priest's performance? And what can I deduce from the fact that one is backing up and another is charging?

I realise the effects will properbly vary in regards to which crew member I hit (I take it that it's possible to hit all crew since it's an open top tank?), and that the experience of the crew will also play in etc. but will there be other negative effects (reaction time / loading time etc.)?