Aircraft movement

[Leatherneckinlv]

I have a question that arose in game this weekend that I could not find the answer to in the rule book.

So hypothetical scenario:

US has an Aircraft Carrier in SZ 26 in the Hawaiian Islands loaded with a Tac Bomber and Fighter. The Japanese have a Destroyer blocker in SZ 32 which is 2 spaces away….(SZ 26 Loaded US Carrier, SZ 31 unoccupied sea zone and SZ 32 Japanese Destroyer). Aircraft launch, is the 1st movement in SZ 26,  second SZ 31, 3rd movement into SZ 32 and this makes it an illegal move due to not enough allotted movement of 4 for Aircraft or does it go to SZ 31 as movement 1, SZ 32(Attacks the blocker, then back to SZ 31 and back to SZ 26 and lands on the Aircraft Carrier as a legal move of 4 spaces for a fighter?

I have always played where launching from SZ 26 into SZ 26 as 1st movement, SZ 31 2nd movement which means the blocker is out of range of the fighters

[GeneralHandGrenade]

When you launch off your aircraft carrier into sz 26 you have not yet moved. At the beginning of your combat movement phase all of your planes are assumed to be in the air. Your movement into sz 31 is your first move.

[Leatherneckinlv]

I can’t recall where I saw it, but launching and retrieving were considered to be movements, Do you know where I can find this movement in the rule book?

[GeneralHandGrenade]

You will find it on page 29 of the Europe rulebook. Under the heading of “Air Units”, second paragraph.

[GeneralHandGrenade]

I explain everything you need to know about carriers and planes and how they work together beginning at 40:06 of this video. Take a few minutes to watch that and you won’t have to search the whole rulebook to find all of the rules regarding them in the many various places they are located.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHk90JKWvsc

[Leatherneckinlv]

Thanks General Handgrenade, I appreciate this …All these years of playing I have always played with launching and retrieving being a movement. We did know that the planes were not attached to the carriers…just the launching/retrieving we considered a movement. It has been so long since I read the rule book and played OOB rules. I know somewhere it says Carriers can not extend the range of an aircraft…so it’s kinda contradictory…Thanks for the help

[GeneralHandGrenade]

You’re welcome. I’m glad I could help. I know it’s a pain searching the rulebook so that’s why I decided to read the whole thing and make those series of videos for others.

[taamvan]

great answer GHG.

One nuance that is sometimes lost is that 1 carrier may not be able to potentially support 2 different planes, flying off in opposite directions.

If both planes do not have an alternate landing site,
and both would rely on the same carrier to recover them,
the fact that 1 plane or the other (or both) might die
doesn’t permit you to rely on that carrier,
if it would have to move to recover one of the planes in such a way that it could not then recover both.

If the carrier could stay where it is, or move and still recover both planes within 4 moves, the move is legal.  If 1 plane dies, you must noncom move the carrier (if necessary)  to receive the other.    If both planes die, you can noncom move wherever you like.

The thing you cannot do is combat move 2 planes that both rely on the same carrier in such a way that the carrier could not possibly recover both.  What actually occurs during combat doesn’t matter;  the move must be legal as of the finalization of combat moves.