Grand Europa

I'm not sure I quite understand the difference between the scramble and interception missions (Rules 20A and 2013). Can a scrambling fighter also intercept? Can a fighter intercept the mission force attacking its base hex? If the airbase from which an interceptor flies is bombed by the opposing player during the mission resolution step, can the interceptor return to that base in the interceptor return step?

A fighter may either scramble or intercept, but not both-each is a separate mission. The rules state that unless otherwise stated an air unit may only fly one mission per air phase. The scramble mission allows a fighter to avoid both air combat and being bombed on the ground; a scrambling fighter merely flies to another friendly airbase in a hex not under attack and lands there during the air return step.

If a fighter chooses to fly the interception mission, it may intercept enemy air units flying missions in its base hex, but it is not required to do so. Alternately, it may fly to any other hex within its interception range and intercept the enemy air units in that hex instead.

After an interception mission, the intercepting fighter may land in its original base hex if it desires, but is not required to do so; it may land at any friendly airbase within its interception range.

May an air transport stage to an airbase and then fly an extended range transport mission from the staging base? (Rules 20 D and E)

Yes, an air unit may initiate a non-transfer mission after flying a staging mission per Rule 20D2.

Rule 20E states that the "ground unit or resource point to be carried must start the air movement step at the airbase of the transport." Can an air transport stage to an airbase and pick up a ground unit there, or must the ground unit begin the air phase actually stacked with the air transport?

A ground unit to be carried must start the air movement step at the airbase from which the transport mission is initiated. In the example above, this would be the airbase staged to. Note that if a ground unit begins the air phase actually stacked with an air transport, the air transport may not carry the ground unit while flying a staging mission. This would be a transport mission, not a transfer mission.

Can a construction unit spend MPs to build a temporary airbase (or anything else in the same hex) while building a fort? A permanent airfield? (Rule 14A)

A construction unit can not perform any other construction while undertaking construction of a fort or permanent airfield. Such a unit can maintain an existing temporary airfield while such construction is being performed.

Balkan Front

(Rule 2913) 1 presume from my reading of this rule that motorized artillery units may be replaced using armor RPs.. Are non-motorized artillery units replaced using infantry or armor RPs?

Motorized artillery units are c/m units, and so would be replaced using armor RPs. Non-motorized artillery units may not be replaced. Note that there are numerous other non- motorized unit types which may also not be replaced: engineer, cavalry, and anti-aircraft to name a few.

Can combat/motorized units move through mountain hexes along roads during winter weather?

Yes, a unit moving along a road pays the MP cost of clear terrain; the actual terrain costs for hexes entered and hexsides crossed are ignored. Note: This would apply for retreats also.

Can combat/motorized units attack along roads into mountain hexes during winter weather?

No. For combat purposes, a transportation line does not negate the terrain effects of a hex or hexside it crosses. For example, a non-artillery unit attacking across a river hexside is still halved if the hexside is crossed by a transportation line. A mountain hex in winter weather is prohibited terrain for a c/m unit, and so it may not attack such a hex per Rule 913. Similarly, no unit may attack across a karst hexside even if the hexside is crossed by a transportation line.

What happens to a c/m unit occupying a non-road mountain hex when winter weather is rolled?

That depends on the adjacent hexes. It could move from the hex to an adjacent non-mountain hex normally; however, if all adjacent hexes are mountain hexes, the c/m unit would not be able to move until the weather improved. If forced to retreat, and the only available retreat route was into a mountain hex, the above c/m unit would be eliminated.

What is the significance of the "F" code on the Italian Z.50613 air unit counter?

The "F" stands for "float plane". GR/D did not feel this warranted inclusion in the BF rules. A rule governing this was given by John Astell in his TEM #17 Designer's Notes: Float Planes. The Italian Z.50613 air unit is a float plane, as indicated by the code "F" between its bombing and range ratings. The float plane cannot use regular airbases and never counts against their capacity. Instead, it uses friendly-owned ports as float plane airbases. The float plane capacity of a port is the same as the port's naval capacity. Example: A minor port has a float plane capacity of 2. Port bombing and port demolition affect the float plane capacity as well as the port capacity. In addition, a port bombing hit on a port affects float planes there, just as an airbase bombing hit affects air units at an airbase.

Scorched Earth

Supply Sources (Rule 12C1). When Arctic ports on the Baltic Sea freeze, are they still Axis supply sources?

Yes.

Rule 39F1 states that "a swamp is frozen ... similar to rivers or lakes." Since rivers and lakes never freeze in zone D, do swamps?

No.

When a spot check reveals that a player has more air units on the map than current GA, does the owning player have to immediately deactivate enough air units and place them in the remnants box to correct the situation?

Yes.

Since a newly replaced 3-6 Rifle XX can convert to a 4-6 Rifle XX, which can then convert to a 5-6 Gds Rifle XX all in the same initial phase, can the 5-6 Gds Rifle XX continue the process and in turn convert to a 12-8 Mechanized XXX that same phase?

Yes.

Is a 5-6 Gds Rifle XX which converts to a 12-8 Mech XXX placed in the replacement pool, or permanently removed due to the conversion? (Rule 34F6)

Permanently removed. This is a regular conversion, and not a conversion to Guards status (since the 5-6 Rifle XX is already a Guards unit). The conversion would be governed by the provisions of Rule 34131, and therefore the converted 5-6 Rifle XX could not be replaced.

May a unit use admin. movement into or through a hex adjacent to an enemy unit if that hex may not be entered by the enemy unit (for example, it is separated from the enemy unit by a sea hexside)?

No. Note, however, that you could admin. move next to a neutral unit, since it is not (yet?) an enemy unit.

Commentary:

An SE Soviet player recently reported that he was stearnrolling Finland in 1943 and Axis collapse was imminent. He was intent on forcing Finland to surrender and would refuse any offer of an armistice, being intent upon turning Finland into a giant aircraft and naval base.

As first suggested by Trey Nelson in TEM #25, 1 believe Scorched Earth should have a Soviet as well as a Finnish stop line. I strongly believe that the Western Allies would have pressured the Soviets politically to halt short of overrunning the entirety of Finland. Once the Soviets reach this stop line and accomplish certain objectives, the Finns should have to sue for an armistice, and the Soviets should have to accept it. I am soliciting player's opinions on where the Soviet stop line in Finland should be, with the idea that once reached, the Finns would have to sue for an armistice and the Soviets would have to accept it.

I also endorse Trey's suggestion that players substitute Danzig (which was inadvertently omitted from consideration when John Astell set the victory point levels) for Helsinki as a victory point city. This neatly solves the problem presented if the Soviets can no longer capture Helsinki due to the imposition of a stop line.