Keep in mind the main point to my post was not oriented towards the accuracy of non-turreted gun or whether turret traverse or vehicle pivot/turn could be performed within the length of the turn. The question revolves around what was the actual practice used.
Undoubtedly, there were advantages to turreted vehicles. One of those advantages was the ability to engage a target without having to turn the vehicle. In most cases, this would be the preferred option. Turrets from roughly 1942 on were roomier, making the reloading process easier, increasing the rate of fire; a significant advantage over non-turreted vehicles and nicely reflected within the game. Andy brought up a nice point. Tanks can still engage targets if they have suffered a mobility kill. And as previously mentioned, a turret allows engaging from a hull down position.
Back to the question at hand, "What was the actual practice when an enemy threat appeared in a rear quadrant?" Presumably, such events didn't occur often, but they undoubtedly did once in a while. During the war, turret traverse was performed one of three ways that I know of: hand crank, electric motor and hydraulics. The method employed, plus the gear ratio and in some cases engine speed, determines how quickly a turret can be turned. Here are some speed values I've found for a 360 degree traverse:
Tiger I - 25 to 60 seconds
Tiger II - 19 seconds
Panther A - 15 seconds
Panther D - 60 seconds
Panther G - 18 seconds
T34/76 M1941 - 14 seconds
Sherman (most models) - 15 seconds
M10 GMC - ~120 seconds (hand crank)
M-26 - 24 seconds
Matilda II - 14 seconds
Most of these are late war models with higher turret traverse speeds. Tanks such as all Pz.Kpfw III versions don't list turret traverse speeds as they are listed as "manual", i.e. hand crank. Traverse speed is going to depend on the person working the crank, but this method is going to be much slower than electric or hydraulic traverse. Many early war vehicles only used hand cranks to traverse the turrets.
I'm not debating whether a turret can be brought on target during the course of a turn. During a turn, one could probably exit the tank, check the oil level and get back in the tank if they wanted to do so. The debate is related to the actual practice used. If an enemy vehicle appears in a rear quadrant and they are capable of destroying your tank, what do you do? Even with the fastest traverse time listed, waiting roughly 5 seconds for your turret to traverse 120 degrees might be too long if the enemy already is aiming in your direction.
This is why I said it would require research. Possibly, the situation was addressed in period training or documentation. Maybe information is only available through anecdotes. To me, it would seem possible that you could pivot/turn the vehicle quicker in some or most cases than it takes to turn your turret. Current US doctrine with respect to tank orientation from FM 17-15:
Quote:
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Action drill with enemy contact. Following a contact report alerting the platoon that enemy contact involves antitank weapon systems, the platoon leader can direct an action drill to orient his platoon's frontal armor toward the antitank fire while moving to cover and concealment. If the platoon cannot reach a covered and concealed position or achieve weapon standoff, the platoon leader directs 36 through 3-38, illustrate examples of action drills in reaction to enemy contact.
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The word "can" in this situation is used because options are mission dependent. Under certain circumstances where you are advancing, you may not want to alter your axis of approach.
Anyhow, if changes to the op-fire routine are considered, some research will be required as a "one size fits all solution" isn't likely to be realistic.
Below are the sources I found referencing turret traverse speeds. They may or may not be accurate. I was able to confirm a 24 second traverse time for the Tiger I from video footage.
http://www.alanhamby.com/technical.shtml
http://www.wwiivehicles.com
http://afvdb.50megs.com/germany/pz5.html