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How much space can this cover?
The trenches and bunkers must be deployed in coherency with themselves, meaning no trench more than 5cm from another trench. This means that the maximum width of a single Krieg trenchwork is 80cm + 15 gaps of 5cm = 155cm. To this is added 4 bunkers (40cm) plus a maximum of 4 gaps of 5cm (20cm). The maximum total width of the entire defence is now 215cm (slightly wider than the table).
Yes, this is possible. As noted, utility is another matter.
Personally, I don't have an issue with gaps in the trenches. As Spectrar just pointed out, parallel lines of trenches are an obvious deployment option that makes perfect sense, as do "sally port" gaps in the line for counter attackers (like Krieg Death Riders, which are Mounted). In addition to planned gaps, there may be places where the trenches are substandard, collapsed or breached, or just couldn't be dug for whatever reason (like hitting bedrock).
Gaps will make it easier to blast a hole through the ZoC. A 5cm gap means that just one unit gone opens up a hole in the line that the enemy can drive through. And, of course, Infiltrators and units taking Withdrawal moves can rush through gaps regardless of ZoC.
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How many units can gain cover?
The Krieg list specifies the trenches fit one infantry per 5cm and 3 in the bunkers, so 16+12=28 will go into the trenchworks themselves.
Agreed.
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In addition, according to the FAQ 'For infantry, they can gain cover from simply touching an AV, so it makes sense that would be the standard for claiming other cover. As long as they touch the terrain, they can claim the benefits.'
This means that each 5cm coherency gap between trenches can have an infantry stand in it touching a trench, and the trench will give it a cover save. I'd probably consider one in the trench, one in the gap and one behind the trench. This potentially gives cover to 2 stands for each of the 16 trenches plus 15 stands in the gaps between trenches, plus 3 stands for each of the 4 bunkers plus 4 stands for the gaps between bunkers, or a grand total of 62 infantry stands.
As far as claiming it, I agree touch is all that's required.
However, as Zombo notes, the trench rules state how many units may claim them per linear distance - a maximum of 1 unit per 4cm. That limit applies regardless of how you go about claiming it. In it, touching in front, behind, to the side, it doesn't matter. Only one unit may claim it per 4cm of trench.
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How useful is that?
In game, it's probably not very useful to spread out as much as I described above. You'll get clipped at one end of your line and slaughtered in a very thematic Krieg fashion.
What could be useful however is to realise that with the trench coherency rules it is possible to deploy trenches in much more imaginative ways than just a big line. For example a single large trenchwork with bunkers and some trenches in the front, two trenches (20cm including the gaps) at one end at 90 degrees and a second lines running parrallel to the first (like pi π) can easily give cover to two large infantry platoons that are not intermingled.
Another example is that some areas can have no gaps between trenches at all (to ensure difficult terrain for enemy vehicles) and others can be widely spaced (to increase coverage or to allow your own vehicles passage).
Another is deployment in a curve around a corner when setting up to refuse a flank, with dense bunkers near the centre of the board and spaced trenches near the board edge.
As you note, the best deployments are not linear but defense in depth and castle-type setups. When we were testing Krieg, my IG opponent liked to set up a Silo on the Blitz, build a box of trenches around it, and stick fire support in bunkers in the middle. It made quite a tough porcupine.
Another option is to link up with buildings or heavy rubble, so you effectively have extra "lightweight bunkers" from the strong terrain features.
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Trenches vs Vehicles
If a vehicle attacks a unit in a trench in CC it has to take a dangerous terrain test but if it contacts a part of the stand that is not within cover (ie the infantry in gaps between the trenches) it would not
If the the stand is within a bunker, building or other feature impassable to the vehicle, the vehicle would not be able to enter CC at all.
Sounds right.*Edit: Would be correct if bunkers were impassable.
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Apart from other uses to ensure combat with vehicles is firefight rather than cc, it's worth keeping in mind that if they are narrow 4 bunkers with no gaps between them may be able to completely wall-in an objective against the fastest moving elements of some armies.
I don't think the bunkers are big enough to block out a 15cm radius around an objective to prevent all claiming/contesting. Even normal (non-Scout) ZoC would have a hard time fencing an objective off completely.
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I know there are other factual errors (eg, I know vehicles can enter Bunkers with a dangerous terrain test...
Bunkers count as fortifications (1.8.4) and are impassable to vehicles.* Only fortifications that specifically allow vehicles, like gun emplacements, are accessible to vehicles.
* Edit: Whoops. The Bunker rules in Swordwind explicitly state Bunkers are Dangerous Terrain. Personally, I find it odd that a fortification as strong as a building allows a vehicle to enter it, but that's how it's written. Just keep in mind that scenarios may differ on that.
