Rule Question on Amphibious Assaults

[Axelrb]

I have a couple of questions I cant seem to find direct answers to.

1. Can Transports make a Amphibious Assault by themselves into a non-hostile zone?

2. This one goes with #1 if the Transports attempt and Amphibious Assaults alone can Fighters scramble to attack them before the Amphibious Assaults happens?

3. Can a sub choose to surface and intercept an Amphibious Assault or are they always ignored?

Thank you for your help.

[Witt]

1. Yes.
2. Yes. Each scrambling Fighter would get one roll of 4 to hit and sink one TT, with its cargo onboard. On the next turn the attacker could retreat any surviving Transports. (Or stay and try an be sunk again, naturally,)
3. A Sub is ignored, unless a Scramble happens, then it is in the fight.
You did realise, however, that a Sub forbids an amphibious assault, if the Transport(s) is not escorted?

[Witt]

I should have said that the amphibious assault can never take place, if the defender scrambles.

Also, cannot remember if the Sub is automatically in the naval battle, if a scramble takes place, or if the defender can choose not to fight (and defend at one), if no Destroyer is present, forcing it to surface.
Panther or Gamerman, please remind me of this.

[WILD BILL]

@wittmann:

I should have said that the amphibious assault can never take place, if the defender scrambles.

Also, cannot remember if the Sub is automatically in the naval battle, if a scramble takes place, or if the defender can choose not to fight (and defend at one), if no Destroyer is present, forcing it to surface.
Panther or Gamerman, please remind me of this.

The defenders sub would be in the battle if the defender scrambles.

[freh]

@Axelrb:

I have a couple of questions I cant seem to find direct answers to.

2. This one goes with #1 if the Transports attempt and Amphibious Assaults alone can Fighters scramble to attack them before the Amphibious Assaults happens?

The simple answer is yes, they can. I thought I had seen at some point a rule that said that this situation could not take place, but in reading the rules and the FAQ just now, I can’t find it.

I was trying to think of a scenario in which this would make sense, and the only one I can think of is where the attacker has an interest in diverting a defending air unit away from another battle that the fighter could otherwise participate in, for instance, a strategic bombing raid, or a sea battle, or even a land battle in that same territory where the odds are increased in favour of the attacker if the defending air unit does not participate.

Regarding Wittmann’s assertion that the defending transport could retreat if the defender does not score a hit with an air unit, I was initially skeptical but he’s right. This is addressed in the rules:

-  Attacking transports are not usually considered defenseless, since they generally have the option of retreating. If they can’t retreat, they are treated the same as defending transports.

In your question, there is no reason why the transport can’t retreat, so it isn’t considered defenseless (ie. automatically destroyed). I suppose you could have an odd scenario where an attacking transport could begin its move in the same SZ it tries to unload in, survives a round of combat, retreats, and remains in the same SZ.

[Axelrb]

Thanks for the information guys! This cleared up a lot!  :-D

[Panther]

@ShadowHAwk:

@wittmann:

1. Yes.
2. Yes. Each scrambling Fighter would get one roll of 4 to hit and sink one TT, with its cargo onboard. On the next turn the attacker could retreat any surviving Transports. (Or stay and try an be sunk again, naturally,)
3. A Sub is ignored, unless a Scramble happens, then it is in the fight.
You did realise, however, that a Sub forbids an amphibious assault, if the Transport(s) is not escorted?

Where is that rule in the book? I heared from it but in my game this weekend i could not find it.

Thought that transports can only ignore subs if they got a warship sailing with them.

See the rulebook:
@rulebook:

Transports
….
However, a transport is not allowed to offload land units for an amphibious assault in a sea zone containing 1 or more ignored enemy submarines unless at least 1 warship belonging to the attacking power is also present in the sea zone at the end of the Combat Move phase.

So the requirement of an escorting warship applies to the ability to unload troops (not to ignore a submarine).

HTH :-)