Possible bug with M26 Jackson B1 .50 Mount (and perhaps all other rearward facing mounts)

[Sublime]

if you set up a qb and order the TD to target light behind where the tank is facing the turret will turn 3/4s of the way rearward like its putting your area target in the MGs cone of fire.  However then the crew seems to stop, sometimes rotating back and forth a few degrees and unbuttoned (obviously) will not fire the MG not even if the target light is moved to 50m behind directly where the 50 cal on the mount is pointing unmanned.

These tanks are all not under any sort of enemy fire nor have they been at all.  The map is the city QB map - the smallest dimension sized one. I just wanted to quickly play around and see the Jumbo, Jackson, and now the Sturmtiger.

[MikeyD]

That inconvenient rear-facing AA machinegun mount on Shermans has been turned off since CMBN. I can't recall if that happened in Beta or in an early patch, but having the AI crew try to man, target and fire the mg was a horror show during gameplay. Contemporary reports stated repeatedly that the AA mg mount was useless in combat. BFC took 'em at their word.

[panzersaurkrautwerfer]

Apparently quite a few crews:

a. Simply did not mount the weapon at all, either leaving it behind at the assembly area, or clipped to the back of the tank.

b. Improvised forward facing mounts (namely welding available .50 or .30 cal tripods in front of the commander's station.

Tangent:

Perhaps there's room in the future for some of the more elaborate improvised armor/weapons setups on Shermans?  They seem particularly prone to modification, and there's a lot of documentation of armor plate scavenged from wrecked tanks, improvised .50 cal mounts (or .50 cals mounted in lieu of the .30 cal coax).  Seems like a shoe-in for the inevitable "To the Rhine!" expansion.  

[Vanir Ausf B]

The rear-facing .50 on the M36B1 is not turned off. However, the crew will only man it if the Target Light is placed almost directly behind the vehicle. But even then they will sometimes ignore it anyways for no apparent reason. It seems random. Also, when they do man the .50 the crew member who mans it warps all over the place, including outside the turret. Reported.

[Sublime]

Yes vanir guys im talking TD m36s not shermans. Second vanir is correct in so much as they dnt always fire even if the target light is right direvtly behind the vehicle. Tested by using my LoS from rear facing 50 cal to the spot exactly in front of it ( facing rear turret and tank ) would not man nor fire mg at 25 50 nor 75m.

[Sublime]

For shame mikey you of all ppl shud know i returned from a several year hiatus abt 6 mnths before BN appeared. Dont my divisive ( not my words ) and annoying nature of posts get your attention?

Seriously thx for reporting it Vanir. Pz Id argue before anything else that the next module icorporate the CW and Brit troops. Scheldt Estuary. Varsity.  Look i love improvised tanks too. But youre an armor guy. First I think (IMO of course than ATGs and their camo and dig in abilities should be looked at and MOUT. Something has to be done abt maybe givjng inf limited los around the corner and other stuff for MOUT to really work and this wil become crucial into the Reich and most of all Berlin, Stalingrad, Vienna, and Prague. And theoritically Berlin is closest.