(Allied OB) Shouldn't the note following the Mar II 44 transfer to ETO of the 2 SAS Para Cmdo II refer to the 2 SAS?

JMA Reply: Yes.

(Axis OB) The 505 Pz II "returns" to the West in Jun I 44, but is not mentioned previously.

JMA Reply: It should be an "Arrive" instead of a "Return." (The Axis OB originally included April through June 1943, but these months were dropped in favor of the July 1943 start up. The 505th is in the West in April 1943 and goes east before the July 43 start-hence it is actually returning in June 44 in the context of the wider OB. This listing inadvertently didn't get changed for the SF-only context.)

The 384 Inf XX is listed as `forming" in Oct II 43, but it is initially in the West on Jul I 43, and historically it went to the East Front about Oct II 43.

JMA Reply: The Oct II 43 West listing is missing a line. It should read:
West, Forming:
lx 14-10 PzG XX 17 GvB (SS) Withdraw to East:
lx 5-7-6 Inf XX 384

(Luftwaffe Alarm, Axis OB) Exactly how does this work?

JMA Reply: It works per Rule 26B, with the number of air units and air replacement points as listed on the Invasion Reaction lines of the Greater Germany Strategic Air OB. The Luftwaffe alarm, however, does not count against the fivetimes-per-year limit for calling up the strategic air assets.

(UIC) Is there any game significance to Alarm units, as opposed to infantry, or is this purely for historical information?

JMA Reply: Purely historical information.

(Rule 11) Does this rule apply to NGS, in that the TFs must physically occupy the hex containing the units to be supported?

JMA Reply: Yes. Rule 33A defines NGS and explicitly says it uses Rule 11 for the purposes of support.

(Rule 14B) Since each point of NGS is treated as a 1/4 RE field artillery unit, does this mean that NGS is limited by the number of REs participating in the combat?

Example: A British TF is supporting a single British 3-8 Infantry Brigade. Four of the sixteen strength points may be added to the combat due to the one RE non-artillery unit participating, and the remaining twelve strength points are in excess and thus have a total strength of one. Thus the total combat strength of this force is eight. Is this correct?

JMA Reply: Yes. Rule 33A defines NGS and explicitly says it uses Rule 14B for the purposes of artillery.

(Rule 15C1) May French divisions use French Metropolitan breakdown counters, regardless of which French `force" they actually belong to (Colonial 8-8 Inf XX breaks down into Metropolitan regiments and a Metropolitan HQ)? This does have play significance, as the Afrique and Colonial forces did participate in AIL

JMA Reply: Yes, any French division may use the French Metro breakdown counters.

Am I correct, then, that the replacement points needed to replace "Metropolitan" breakdowns are governed by the parent unit, and not by the breakdown counter itself?

JMA Reply: Yes. Using Metropolitan breakdown counters is for convenience and does not actually change which French force the broken-down unit belongs to.

(Rule 24E) If an Allied airborne HQ is air transported to an airbase in its airborne mode, without heavy equipment, may it form its division if all other components are in the hex? Can it provide support to all units in the hex?

JMA Reply: Yes. A sentence is missing from Rule 24E. The rule is repeated below, with the missing sentence added (it's the underlined one).

E. Allied Airborne HQs

The HQ of an Allied airborne division has two sides: an airborne HQ side and a parachute HQ side:

• The airborne HQ can be carried in a regular transport mission, as a 1-RE unit without heavy equipment. It is not air droppable.
• The parachute HQ can be dropped in an air drop mission, as a 1-RE unit without heavy equipment. This HQ is marked with the self-supported dot, which indicates that it may only provide support to 1 RE of units. It cannot provide support at all if disrupted.
  The Allied player may not use a parachute HQ to assemble a broken down airborne division: only the airborne HQ side may he used to reassemble the division.

A player may freely convert the HQ between its parachute and airborne sides during his initial phase, provided the HQ can trace a supply line to a regular source of supply.

(Rules 30A2, 30A3, and 30A4) If a port has maximum damage (e.g., a standard port with 8 hits) or is destroyed per Rule 30A3, does it still qualify for purposes of Rules 34E3 (sweeping mines) and 34F (danger zones)? 

JMA Reply: Neither 34E3 nor 34F require that the port be functioning, so a bombed-out or destroyed port does still count for purposes of danger zones and sweeping mines.

(Rule 33B) If the CD strength in a hex is greater than level 4 (e.g., a port fortification in a major port on the Atlantic Ocean, for a level of 5) does that imply that the CD strength of the hex can never be totally suppressed?

JMA Reply: Yes, per the fourth paragraph of Rule 33B: "For every hit of damage up to 4 hits, the coast defenses in a hex are reduced by 1 level. Hits of damage in excess of 4 in a hex have no effect."

In case you're wondering about this, it is my belief, based on analysis of historical actions against coastal defenses, that it is virtually impossible to knock out the entire coastal defense ability of a massive coast defense complex. The 4-hit limit builds this consideration into the game.

(Rule 34A3) Please refer to the definition in Special Naval Rules, 34A3, Protected Waters. Is the title "protected waters" on the weather table identical to the definition referenced?

JMA Reply: Alas, "protected waters" on the weather table is different from the "protected waters" of Rule 34A3, and neither has any bearing on the other. Protected waters per the weather table refers to those sea zones that are greatly bound by land masses and not exposed to the full force of the open ocean-the sea conditions there tend not to be as bad as those in the more exposed zones, hence the modifier.

Protected waters per 34A3 refers to the ability of coastal shipping to elude enemy interdiction: many cargo ships can operate in shallower waters than can major warships, the cargo ships can use the topography of the coastline to their advantage (quickly ducking into estuaries and small inlets to hide, for example), enemy warships are reluctant to venture into enemy shallow coastal waters due to mines and coast defenses, etc.

The two situations are obviously different. The fact that they have the same name escaped me when I was finishing the rules; had I noticed I would have named them differently (probably calling one of them "sheltered waters" and the other "protected waters"). Sorry for the confusion.

So, there are never rough waters in the Med in the summer?

JMA Reply: That is correct, from Apr II through Oct I.

(Rule 37B2) The counters for Port Fortifications do have attack strengths, but this rule says they have an attack strength of 0, and further that they may not attack May they participate in attacks? JMA Reply: They may NOT attack.

(Rule 37D) It is indicated here that to be eligible for a surprise attack, an OSS Commando must have either (It) or (Ger) as part of its unit identification. However, the OSS 2677 Mtn III is listed on the special forces summary as being capable of surprise attacks vs. Italians, even though it does not have (It) as a part of its unit identification. Which is correct? (If the chart, why? The 2677 OSS spent most of its time at Bari, and was mainly a headquarters, coordinating resupply and support efforts for the OSS Balkan partisan operations.)

JMA Reply: The counter is correct; delete the "Mountain" line from the "OSS Special Forces" section of the special forces summary.

(Rule 37E) Can the Axis place any units he pleases into a garrison? If so, these would be "hidden units" the Axis player could pop up in any city within the district. For example, the Axis player, anticipating an Allied descent on the Netherlands, might like to place a couple of SS Pz cadres into garrison while building up, so that they can appear at cities in the district when activated, like, say, Arnhem? A liberal interpretation here would also allow the "hiding" of forces in the border WKs for the WACHT AM RHEIN offensive; not as good as a surprise turn, but something, at least, to model the shock and confusion of these units appearing before the Allied line in an unexpected place. This would actually give them more "mobility" than other units, given probable Allied air harassment on a wide scale.

JMA Reply: When this rule states that units can "return" to garrison, this precludes placing other units INTO garrison, if they were not originally part of the garrison. Units which were released from garrison when the garrison was activated per Rule 37E may return to garrison. (As usual, you can ignore specific unit IDs.) Units also enter garrison per OB requirements. No other units may enter garrison.

(Rule 42) Net Naval Losses: Does this include landing craft and/or naval transport losses, or just TF and CG losses?

JMA Reply: Rule 42 says "all naval strength points currently sunk or having a hit of damage" and "all" does mean "all." You count the sunk/damaged strength of all naval units: TFs, CGs, NTs, and LCs (including LCs damaged per Rule 34G).

(Rule 43C2) The overstacking rule states a retreating unit must stop and establish an overstack if retreating into a hex already stacked to the limit. Does this apply to German c/m units when using their special retreat ability (9F1), or units that retreat through ZOCs and have cadres-i.e., does this rule limit all retreats to one hex; no exceptions?

JMA Reply: Yes.