Scorched Earth

Please show an example for tracing a supply line involving several truck-elements.

See the diagram on the right. The 0 = Overland, T = Truck, and R = Road elements leading to the railhead.

Partisans are placed within their "recruitment areas" per rule 40C. Does the Finnish recruitment area lie within the 1941 Finnish border, the 1939 Finnish border, or some combination of the two depending upon which intervening hexes have been reclaimed by the Finns through rule 32B during the course of the game? (Rule 40C)

The 1941 Finnish border.

Can you deploy Leningrad MD units in Hango? (Rule 36)

Leningrad MD units listed under the heading "Non-divisional units" may be deployed with the 8th Rifle X in Hango.

A ruling awhile back stated the capture of major hex cities on the June II move counted toward a reduction in Russian rail cap. How is this calculated since the Russian rail cap is already halved to 45? (Rule 31G)

Example: Axis capture Riga and Lwow on their two Jun II turns. In the Soviet Jun II turn Russian rail cap would be 43 (45 - 2 = 43). The rule doesn't say the Soviet rail capacity is halved, it says it is 45 RPs.

Since major hex cities are considered dot cities on Jun II, would the two-hit maximum for the rail marshalling yard strategic bombing mission be reduced to one that turn? (Rule 20F1d and 31G)

On Jun II 41, major cities are only treated as dot cities for "combat and overrun purposes," and only while Soviet-owned. (When the Germans own them, they are treated as major cities for purposes of any Soviet counterattack.) Don't drag this into other sections of the rules, such as bombing rail marshalling yards.

After the special air phase, is the return of aircraft to bases simultaneous? (Rule 31F2)

During the air return step of the special air phase in the sur prise attack turn the Soviets deploy their air units first, and then the Germans.

Can German transports overfly Russia en route to Finland during the surprise air phase? Can German air units which fly bombing missions in the USSR return to a base in Finland? (Rule 32B)

In both cases, the answer is yes. Note that the restriction in rule 32B states that German air units may not "enter or attack into the Soviet Union from Finland while Finland is neutral." However, 32B does not prohibit units which have entered and/or attacked the USSR from elsewhere from returning to bases in Finland in the air return step.

Can a German air unit fly a transfer mission to hex 6A:1220 during the regular Jun II 41 turn? (Rule 32B)

Again, this is fine. Rule 32B says German forces may enter and move inside Finland before Jul I 41.

Can a German air unit based in 6A:1122 fly a bombing mission in the USSR during the regular Jun II 41 turn? (Rule 32B)

Yes, but it may not overfly any hex of Finland to reach its target hex. This means it must fly out into the Barents Sea and enter the USSR from there. As noted above, however, during the air return step the unit can overfly Finland when returning to base, and even land there if desired.

When conducting an amphibious landing in a hex containing only a 0-strength enemy unit, is the operation considered an overrun or does the attacker have to wait for the combat phase to roll for combat at 9-1 odds? (Rule 13, 9G, and 28C2)

A unit conducting an amphibious landing which lands in a hex containing only a 0-strength enemy unit may not overrun that unit, but must attack it in the following combat phase. No die roll is necessary as the 0-strength unit is automatically eliminated per rule 9G. Note that a similar case arises when a para unit with an attack strength lands in a hex containing only an enemy position AA unit. Also note that attacking the 0-strength unit consumes the entire attack ability of the amphibious or para unit for that combat phase!

Starting in April 1942 the Russian is able to begin disbanding rifle brigades. Do 1-8 NKVD Security troops fall under this heading? Or can the Security troops be cashed in at a value of 2 RPs under Rule 34F3?

When the Soviet OB states on the Apr 1 42 turn that the Russian player may disband rifle brigades, this applies to only those units with the rifle unit symbol (.) which are brigades. Hence the NKVD security brigades can not be disbanded at this time (or ever).

Note that you can disband Guards and naval rifle brigades, as these are merely rifle brigades in different colors. You could not, however, disband a mountain rifle brigade, as, it is a different unit type.

In reference to trying to cash in security troops under rule 34F3, this won't work either. The rules are specific that only NKVD rifle XXs (on or after Jul I 42) and NKVD border regiments (on or after Aug I 41) may be disbanded. There is never any mention of being able to disband the NKVD security or political troops units.

Can disrupted paratroopers reduce Soviet rail cap or capture Soviet forts or fortresses? (Rule 25A)

A disrupted airborne unit does not gain ownership of the hex it occupies, and by extension, neither does it gain ownership of any features or items in that hex. Therefore, a disrupted Axis airborne unit would not reduce Soviet rail capacity upon landing in a Soviet major city hex, nor would it capture a dot city, reference city, point city, fort, fortified hexside, fortress (including Westwall, Ouvrage and Gibraltar), airfield, transportation line, bridge, factory, port, RE of supply, resource point, or capital in its hex until such time as the unit became undisrupted.

Despite their limitations, disrupted units are still enemy units occupying a hex, and,this counts for something. For instance, if disrupted on a roll of 1 or 0, the unit can still attack at half strength. So even though such a disrupted enemy airborne unit does not own anything, it can still attack and (potentially) eliminate a port fortification or fortified area, which for combat purposes are treated as units. And of course it can attack other enemy units as well. It would also destroy or capture a supply counter, as the WitD rules state units need only enter, not own, their hex to accomplish this.

A disrupted airborne unit also prevents enemy units from enter- ing its hex until and unless overrun, or removed through combat. Example: A German airborne unit lands in Belomorsk (6A:3818) and becomes disrupted. It does not control the hex, the reference city, the port, the airbase, the bridge, the road or the railroad in the hex. Nonetheless, Soviet units can not land in the port, fly into the airbase, or rail through the hex until the airborne unit is rooted out, due to the restriction in rule 6 which states "in general, a unit may not enter a hex occupied by an enemy unit."

Meanwhile, however, a Soviet air unit could use the airbase there and supply could be traced through the hex.

One final consideration: Suppose the hex occupied by a disrupted Axis airborne unit is a Soviet major city hex. The Soviets may not place any reinforcements or replacements in that city during their initial phase, but would include the city's Inf RPs when calculating their replacements for the MD that turn. If a specific unit were supposed to appear in the city (e.g., the 2nd Ivanovo Militia Division on the Nov II 41 turn), its appearance would be delayed until the next turn.

Conceptually, the airborne unit has troops running around disrupting everything, but does not have the cohesion to exercise control over the situation.

Grand Europa

In an exchange that rounds, up to destroy all non-0-strength units, do the 0-strength units die too? I'm thinking particularly oi the 0-8 Italian light tanks. Do they vaporize? (Rule 9C)

Let's use some examples. In both EX and HX results, the side with the lower printed combat strength (or the defender if both sides are equal in printed strength) is eliminated, and this would include any 0-strength units. The other player must then eliminate units so that his total printed strength loss is equal to that of the enemy in the case of EX, or equal to half that of the enemy in an HX.

There is no necessity for the "victorious" player to lose any of his zero strength units under either result! So in a battle where an Italian 3-6 and two 0-8 tankettes attack a British 2-8 supported infantry brigade at 1.5:1 (+1) and an EX is rolled, there would be no need for the Italian to lose his 0-8 light tank battalions. There are exceptional cases, though: Suppose an Italian 3-4-6 artillery regiment and the two tankettes attacked the same supported British 2-8 infantry brigade at 1.5:1 (+3) and an HX were rolled. Now all the Italian units would be lost!

The reason for this is the Italians used 112 or more AECA to modify the attack, and so must incur required armor losses per rule 32B. At least half of all losses to the Italian in this HX must be taken from units capable of at least 112 AECA. Thus the two 0-8s would be lost first, before any other units. Since this wouldn't satisfy "paying" for the HX, the 3-4-6 would be lost also.

When a battalion enters a hex it doesn't gain PERMANENT ownership of the hex. However, I assume the battalion's TEMPORARY ownership is enough to eliminate forts, rail cap, and reduce fortresses? (Rule 3F)

Rule 3F states that a battalion owns a hex as long as it occupies the hex. The fort and fortress rules use the word "capture" rather than "ownership."

I think that gaining temporary ownership of a hex per 3F is sufficient to satisfy "capture." The wording of the rail capacity reduction is even clearer, defining "capture" as "gains ownership of." Again, I think temporary ownership meets this requirement.

War in the Desert

Can the Axis use the supply terminals of Vichy Levant, Iraq, or Iran if it gains control of them? For "all" purposes? If yes, then do you have to ship RP's and replacement pool units to the terminals to replace a destroyed unit there? (Refer back to Ben Knight's answer in TEN #8, recommending this as how the British should deal with cross-pool situations.) (Rule 12B2)

Yes, the Axis can use the supply terminals of allies (Levant, Iraq, Iran) if the current game situation has given them control of those forces. This use would be "for all purposes." Since the Axis have only one replacement pool there is no requirement for them to deal with any "cross-pool" situations. IF you can ship or fly in ground RPs and get them to these terminals, they can be used to replace available units in the Axis replacement pool. However, note that all replaced Axis air units have to start in Europe per rule 29B1 and are placed on the board in the same fashion as air reinforcements.

Can the Axis open a supply terminal in the eastern Mediterranean? (Rule 12B2)

First, let's define "eastern Mediterranean." The definition given in rule 26B2 relates to Allied on-map shipping capabilities and defines the eastern Med as that portion of the Mediterranean east of the line Tripoli-Valletta inclusive. This differs from rule 26C2 which relates to the effect of Allied naval superiority on Axis shipping and defines the eastern Mediterranean as that part of the Mediterranean on map 19. The major ports in this region (using both definitions) are Tripoli, Valletta, Benghazi and Alexandria. The Axis may open any of these ports as supply terminals if they are friendly-controlled per rule 12B2.

Note, however, that because of rule 26B2 the Axis would not be able to ship anything to Alexandria before Jun 1 47, even if it did open a supply terminal there. It is also of interest to note that the Axis can open Valletta as a supply terminal after they capture it, while the Allies are prohibited by rule 12B2 from ever doing so.

Do delayed Axis reinforcements count against the on-map shipping capability the turn they arrive? Do Axis reinforcements that were turned back the prior turn by naval interference count against on-map shipping capability when they arrive again in the next turn?

In both cases, no. In fact, John Astell suggests this modification: Any Axis troops which start the turn in Europe (as defined in rule 26C1) and use naval transport to Africa do not count against the Axis on-map shipping capability that turn.