The FAQ Thread

[Noneshallpass]

@insanehoshi said in The FAQ Thread:

I see no where in Table 9-9 where it says scrambling to intercept and defending a territory are mutually exclusive.

You can’t have your planes pulling double duty. The Strategic bombing run and combat in a zone all take place at the same Turn Phase. The Defender has to choose where to send his fighters.

Furthermore, I think that it has been well established that in this game, just because the rules do not explicitely say that you can’t do something, it does not mean that you can do it.

[GeneralHandGrenade]

Sea Zone 25 and Coastal Artillery at Narrow Crossings.
The seems to be a lot of confusion about Sea Zone 25 and the narrow crossings/coastal artillery adjacent to it.
Page 56, 12.9 Coastal Artillery
A) Defends against Amphibious Assaults across the land/sea border it is placed.
B) May shoot at any enemy surface ship passing through (up to a maximum of 3 shots per turn.
It has nothing to do with naval battles or blockades taking place in Sea Zone 25. It is all one sea zone.
Example - Germany is at war with both UK (ships entered in the south but didn’t pass through the narrow crossing) and US (ships entered in the north but didn’t pass through the narrow crossing). Germany enters Sea Zone 25 and conducts combat with both UK and US ships. Again, it is all one sea zone.
The only time the Coastal Artillery gets shots is if enemy ships pass through the sea zone (enters one side and exits other side of the sea zone, even if that is on a subsequent turn).

Can you lend lease to nation yours is at war with (if all other conditions are met)?
The Reference Sheets are very clear on who a nation can lend lease to and under what conditions. There are no restrictions as to whether or not you can lend lease to a nation you are at war with given the other conditions are met. If you are lend leasing to your enemy then you are probably playing the game wrong. Rarely would that be in your best interests.

The question on submarines blocking movement.
8.10 Screening Forces on page 37 lays out exactly how this is to be handled on the Combat Movement Phase.
9.8 Amphibious Assaults on page 40 states that submarines do not hinder amphibious assaults.
10.1 Non-Combat Movement on page 45. We omitted to state what happens on NCM. Submarines DO NOT block movement on NCM. Whether a sub has submerged or not is irrelevant.

Chinese Victory Points
Only territories that are worth IPP’s would prevent the opposite Chinese faction from counting VP’s. The same rule applies as with the other nations with subtracting points for those territories lost. Note-The 2 factions don’t count as foreign countries.

Attack on China
This has been added to the Errata. Some words were missing.

China Lend Lease
7.9 Lend Lease on page 32 states that Major Powers may lend lease to other Major Powers and Minor Powers. Although it has been omitted from the Chinese Reference Sheets, they do have the ability to lend lease when they evolve to a Major Power. Since it hasn’t been listed, I would say that there is no restriction on who and when they can lend lease. Things like this will be clarified further in V4.

Can a Fighter participate in 2 different combats in one turn?
Obviously not. The only way any unit can participate in 2 different battles is when they are blitzing.

When do aircraft count as being “On a carrier” when it comes to auto MAP and the optional Carrier planes retreat rule.
**I’ve already done a video to answer this question and it was answered at great length and in the simplest of terms so it can be easily understood.
When someone asks a question online because they don’t understand a phrase or the wording in the rulebook, it doesn’t do much good to simply quote what it says in the rulebook. A simple explanation and a demonstration is a great way to show someone the correct way to interpret a rule. At times when I do that I get a response like “but that’s not what it says in the rulebook”. No, it isn’t. You asked what it meant and I gave you the correct answer. In this case, quoting the rulebook wouldn’t answer the question.

1. There is no such thing as auto MAP.
2. The designers of the game don’t care about the optional rules as they are just suggestions given years ago. We should have deleted them and I can assure you most of them will not be in the next version of the rulebook. The ones only listed at near the end of the book are for all intents and purposes “house rules”. The ones you find in the sections of the book that pertain to the rules are legit and we will continue to interpret them.**

Here is the video that explains carriers;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AaJxeTalbs&t=799s

Can a fighter scramble to defend: the strategic bombing of a facility with AA, the strategic bombing of a facility without AA (railway), an unescorted convoy line, an escorted convoy line, an AWS convoy line?
A Fighter can scramble to defend a facility from strategic bombing. A convoy line is not a facility. Scrambling has nothing to do with convoy raiding.

Can Russia game its income by declaring war on Germany as soon as possible, and then declaring war on every single neutral around its home country to force them to become German owned and get like 8d12 income in July 1939?
Noneshallpass answered this question correctly.
The D12’s you refer to are Peacetime increases.There is no possible way they could be aligned to Germany, Italy, or Japan if you were not also at war with one of those nations. They would only be Controlled by if you were at peace.

I don’t think this is a sufficient answer. This interpretation means you can combat move a carrier 3 spaces away to a submarine (despite the carrier not being able to attack the sub, combat could occur and thus its combat movement), bring a plane, is that plane now “on a carrier” and thus on maritime air patrol? I don’t think its the intention to have carrier based aircraft be able to move 3-4 spaces on a carrier and attack submarines.
Please just watch the video. You are referring to regular naval combat. A plane and a carrier can only move 1 total space combined to be considered on MAP.

[Trig]

Anyone else think this should be stickied?

[insaneHoshi]

Good answers! Now for more pedantic questions I thought of:

• If the U.S.S.R. is attacked by Major Power it goes to full income. Does this refer to originally owned USSR land zones, or any owned land zone with or without USSR Units. In the Operation Frostbite YouTube game, the USSR player took Romania and Slovakia. The Germans counter attacked Slovakia, does the USSR player now have full income? One could say that since the USSR is now at war, they don’t get their peacetime increases, but how is that functionally different from say Germany declaring war first, but not attacking?
• On a similar note (and this is just me being dumb most likely) where does it say a nation goes to wartime income if attacked/DOW’d (Of course the USA goes to full income if japan declares war, I just cant see that anywhere).
• USSR’s Ice Free VP is as follows “Score 1 Victory Objective if the U.S.S.R. possess one of the following (a) a Major Naval Base with a sea zone # of 8 or greater or (b) Crimea and Istanbul.” While it is obvious that the intention is that any Black Sea Major Naval Base doesn’t count unless Istanbul is soviet occupied, however rules as written don’t actually seem to restrict this, as the Black Sea has sea zones of 31 and 32 and any naval base there would count (rules as written). Also this means both Leningrad and Vladivostok count towards this VP (despite them not exactly being Ice Free Ports; which is a bit weird in my eyes.).

[GeneralHandGrenade]

@insanehoshi said in The FAQ Thread:

If the U.S.S.R. is attacked by Major Power it goes to full income. Does this refer to originally owned USSR land zones, or any owned land zone with or without USSR Units. In the Operation Frostbite YouTube game, the USSR player took Romania and Slovakia. The Germans counter attacked Slovakia, does the USSR player now have full income? One could say that since the USSR is now at war, they don’t get their peacetime increases, but how is that functionally different from say Germany declaring war first, but not attacking?
Germany would have declared war on the USSR if they attacked any land zone owned by the USSR regardless of whether they had units there or not. There is no difference between a German attack on an enemy or Germany declaring war verbally on them.
On a similar note (and this is just me being dumb most likely) where does it say a nation goes to wartime income if attacked/DOW’d (Of course the USA goes to full income if japan declares war, I just cant see that anywhere).
You will find them on the National Reference Sheets under the Peacetime Income Increases section. Note that Russia and the Axis don’t have a wartime income. Russia goes to full income and the Axis start the game there at full income.
USSR’s Ice Free VP is as follows “Score 1 Victory Objective if the U.S.S.R. possess one of the following (a) a Major Naval Base with a sea zone # of 8 or greater or (b) Crimea and Istanbul.” While it is obvious that the intention is that any Black Sea Major Naval Base doesn’t count unless Istanbul is soviet occupied, however rules as written don’t actually seem to restrict this, as the Black Sea has sea zones of 31 and 32 and any naval base there would count (rules as written). Also this means both Leningrad and Vladivostok count towards this VP (despite them not exactly being Ice Free Ports; which is a bit weird in my eyes.).
The Victory Point is awarded as written. The name of the VP was never changed from V2. There will be a drastic change in the VP’s and how they are awarded in V4. It’s possible we might reveal them at the Spring Offensive this July in Prince George. If not then it will be in the fall on a YouTube game.

[Mark the Shark]

@insanehoshi in the scenario above Germany possessed both Hungary and Slovakia prior to the Soviet attack therefore the Soviets declared war on Germany first.

[insaneHoshi]

Some More:

• Can Fighters/Tactical Bombers land on friendly/aligned aircraft carriers. For example an ANZAC plane landing on an American Carrier? In the US turn if the carrier combat or non-combat moves, does the ANZAC plane come with it? Does it participate in any attacks?
• Assuming an evolved Chinese power, Does the USSR and CCP (or USA and KMT) share rail movement or no? Can the USSR rail 2 units in the USSR and then can CCP rail 2 units?
• A German submarine is in a sea zone with a British destroyer and an escort carrier with a fighter on board. On the British turn the fighter goes on MAP and attacks pairing with a destroyer. The submarine is hit and decides to defend, and it rolls a 1 and gets target selection. Can it target select the escort carrier?
• When are units subject to terrain rules that affect their movement. Lets assume three Land Zones: LZ1: Mountain, LZ2: no terrain, LZ3: no terrain. If a tank starts in LZ1 can it move to 2 and then 3? If a tank starts in LZ3 can it move to 2 and then 1?

[HBG GW Enthusiast]

@insanehoshi said in The FAQ Thread:

• A German submarine is in a sea zone with a British destroyer and an escort carrier with a fighter on board. On the British turn the fighter goes on MAP and attacks pairing with a destroyer. The submarine is hit and decides to defend, and it rolls a 1 and gets target selection. Can it target select the escort carrier?
  Yes! And if there is no friendly island, adjacent aligned land zone, or adjacent friendly carrier with extra available capacity, then that plane will also be destroyed.
• When are units subject to terrain rules that affect their movement. Lets assume three Land Zones: LZ1: Mountain, LZ2: no terrain, LZ3: no terrain. If a tank starts in LZ1 can it move to 2 and then 3? If a tank starts in LZ3 can it move to 2 and then 1?
  If a tank starts in LZ1, its movement is reduced to 1, so it can move to LZ2, and then it stops. If a tank starts in LZ3, it has a movement of 2. It spends 1 point of movement to enter LZ2. It spends a second point of movement to enter LZ3. Further, if a tank starts in LZ2 and then moves into LZ1, its movement is reduced to 1 and it has moved 1, so it can move no further.
  Some games have movement costs and you cannot enter if you do not have sufficient movement. Global War '36 reduces your movement after you have entered the terrain, like quicksand. You can go in, but it’s hard to get out. Starting in the desert? Hard to get out. Starting in clear terrain, moving through a clear terrain and then going into the jungle? Easy to get in.

[HBG GW Enthusiast]

@insanehoshi said in The FAQ Thread:

• Can Fighters/Tactical Bombers land on friendly/aligned aircraft carriers. For example an ANZAC plane landing on an American Carrier? In the US turn if the carrier combat or non-combat moves, does the ANZAC plane come with it? Does it participate in any attacks?
  Great question! I am not absolutely sure about this, but I suspect the ANZAC planes can land on the American Carrier, move with the CV, and fight with the Americans.
• Assuming an evolved Chinese power, Does the USSR and CCP (or USA and KMT) share rail movement or no? Can the USSR rail 2 units in the USSR and then can CCP rail 2 units?
  I imagine the answer will be that the USSR can rail the units on the CCP rail with the permission of the CCP (which is played by the USSR).

[CaptainNapalm]

@hbg-gw-enthusiast said in The FAQ Thread:

@insanehoshi said in The FAQ Thread:

• When are units subject to terrain rules that affect their movement. Lets assume three Land Zones: LZ1: Mountain, LZ2: no terrain, LZ3: no terrain. If a tank starts in LZ1 can it move to 2 and then 3? If a tank starts in LZ3 can it move to 2 and then 1?
  If a tank starts in LZ1, its movement is reduced to 1, so it can move to LZ2, and then it stops. If a tank starts in LZ3, it has a movement of 2. It spends 1 point of movement to enter LZ2. It spends a second point of movement to enter LZ3. Further, if a tank starts in LZ2 and then moves into LZ1, its movement is reduced to 1 and it has moved 1, so it can move no further.
  Some games have movement costs and you cannot enter if you do not have sufficient movement. Global War '36 reduces your movement after you have entered the terrain, like quicksand. You can go in, but it’s hard to get out. Starting in the desert? Hard to get out. Starting in clear terrain, moving through a clear terrain and then going into the jungle? Easy to get in.

I disagree. Units are subject to terrain rules when entering a territory, not leaving it. This would also make more sense logistically. It should be harder to attack into mountains and jungles, etc., that you don’t own, than it would be to leave them after you’ve conquered them.

Thus, a tank could leave a mountain territory, and move through two non-terrain territories, but it would not be able to move through a non-terrain INTO terrain, because moving into terrain makes you subject to terrain rules, and limits the tanks movement to one.

Unfortunately, the rules only talk about terrain rules during combat. I assume that is an oversight, but if it isn’t, I can see a reasonable argument that moving through terrain you already own would not restrict your movement.

[HBG GW Enthusiast]

@captainnapalm If a unit starts in the desert, it has its movement reduced to 1. Are you saying that when it moves into the clear terrain, you believe it gets its movement increased to 2? I’m trying to understand.

[CaptainNapalm]

@hbg-gw-enthusiast said in The FAQ Thread:

@captainnapalm If a unit starts in the desert, it has its movement reduced to 1. Are you saying that when it moves into the clear terrain, you believe it gets its movement increased to 2? I’m trying to understand.

I’m saying that a unit that starts in the desert DOES NOT have its movement reduced to 1. It only has it’s movement reduced when moving INTO terrain. Just like an attack. You are not subject to mountain rules when attacking OUT of mountains. You are subject to mountain rules when attacking INTO a mountainous territory. You do not suffer a river penalty when the river is in your territory, only when you are attacking INTO a territory that has a river to cross.

[HBG GW Enthusiast]

@captainnapalm I get it! Bolstering your perspective, units cannot blitz across an enemy mountain, jungle, desert, marsh border or into mountain, jungle, desert, marsh terrain.

We definitely need clarification on this one! You have persuaded me, CaptainNapalm.

[GeneralHandGrenade]

@insanehoshi said in The FAQ Thread:

Can Fighters/Tactical Bombers land on friendly/aligned aircraft carriers. For example an ANZAC plane landing on an American Carrier? In the US turn if the carrier combat or non-combat moves, does the ANZAC plane come with it? Does it participate in any attacks?

Yes you can land your fighters/tactical bombers on an aligned carrier. They will participate in defensive combat but will not be used on offence by the owner of the carrier. They will move with the carrier but will only be considered as cargo. They will fly and fight on offence only on their own turn. The rules regarding damaged carriers still apply to them.

Assuming an evolved Chinese power, Does the USSR and CCP (or USA and KMT) share rail movement or no? Can the USSR rail 2 units in the USSR and then can CCP rail 2 units?

The USSR and CCP are 2 different nations. The US and the KMT are 2 different nations. Their economies and per turn limits are separate from each other.

A German submarine is in a sea zone with a British destroyer and an escort carrier with a fighter on board. On the British turn the fighter goes on MAP and attacks pairing with a destroyer. The submarine is hit and decides to defend, and it rolls a 1 and gets target selection. Can it target select the escort carrier?

The rules for target selection are defined clearly on page 38 under the heading “All Rounds of Combat.” Since the submarine only scores hits on ships, it is up to the owner of the submarine to decide which ship they choose as a casualty.

When are units subject to terrain rules that affect their movement. Lets assume three Land Zones: LZ1: Mountain, LZ2: no terrain, LZ3: no terrain. If a tank starts in LZ1 can it move to 2 and then 3? If a tank starts in LZ3 can it move to 2 and then 1?

To simplify this for everyone, movement through terrain is best described this way; The territory you are standing in does not count when it comes to movement. Assume you are standing right at the border. The first territory you encounter determines what type of terrain you are moving in. If there are no terrain features you have to cross in the first territory you cross then you can move into a second territory if your unit has movement points left. Cavalry is the only unit that could move through a territory with terrain (mountain) and into a second territory.
On the other hand, there are restrictions involving blitzing. For instance, you cannot blitz out of a city. That means that if you moved into a city on combat movement phase and successfully conquered that territory, then you can’t subsequently move into a second enemy territory as a blitz.
You can’t blitz into a mountain territory or over a mountain border. That means that you can’t attack an enemy territory with no terrain on combat movement and then blitz into a second enemy mountain territory and conquer it. You could, however, move through a friendly territory with no terrain and then attack a mountain territory as that is not considered a blitz. The first territory you entered did not restrict your movement.

[HBG GW Enthusiast]

@generalhandgrenade said in The FAQ Thread:

To simplify this for everyone, movement through terrain is best described this way; The territory you are standing in does not count when it comes to movement. Assume you are standing right at the border. The first territory you encounter determines what type of terrain you are moving in. If there are no terrain features you have to cross in the first territory you cross then you can move into a second territory if your unit has movement points left. Cavalry is the only unit that could move through a territory with terrain (mountain) and into a second territory.
On the other hand, there are restrictions involving blitzing. For instance, you cannot blitz out of a city. That means that if you moved into a city on combat movement phase and successfully conquered that territory, then you can’t subsequently move into a second enemy territory as a blitz.
You can’t blitz into a mountain territory or over a mountain border. That means that you can’t attack an enemy territory with no terrain on combat movement and then blitz into a second enemy mountain territory and conquer it. You could, however, move through a friendly territory with no terrain and then attack a mountain territory as that is not considered a blitz. The first territory you entered did not restrict your movement.

Thanks so much, GHG! We really needed an answer for this one!

[Nicbot23]

If a nation begins moving a naval force intended for an amphibious assault while they’re at peace, is it automatically assumed to be a declaration of war for the purpose of determining peacetime income increases? For example, if a British landing force departs during the combat movement phase with the intention of landing units in Japan before either side has declared war, does this mean Japan is allowed intercept the invasion fleet without triggering USA’s 5 D12 worth of peacetime income increase? Or does Japan have to declare war first in order intercept and attack the British fleet? I don’t find it feasible that a nation can’t deal with an invasion headed their way without having to make the unprovoked declaration of war.

[HBG GW Enthusiast]

@nicbot23 said in The FAQ Thread:

If a nation begins moving a naval force intended for an amphibious assault while they’re at peace, is it automatically assumed to be a declaration of war for the purpose of determining peacetime income increases? For example, if a British landing force departs during the combat movement phase with the intention of landing units in Japan before either side has declared war, does this mean Japan is allowed intercept the invasion fleet without triggering USA’s 5 D12 worth of peacetime income increase? Or does Japan have to declare war first in order intercept and attack the British fleet? I don’t find it feasible that a nation can’t deal with an invasion headed their way without having to make the unprovoked declaration of war.

It’s my understanding that when ships enter a sea zone, the moving player must announce their intent. The amphibious assault fleet could be separated from a screening fleet. Because the moving player has to announce their intent first, it would seem they have to declare war during the combat movement phase when they move into the final sea zone if they will be attempting an amphibious assault. If the Japanese have a fleet in the same sea zone where the British are attacking, the British would be the ones declaring war and no 5D12 is invoked. The Japanese fleet would battle with the screening fleet and if it won, then the amphibious assault would be stopped. However, if the British move to a sea zone where the Japanese fleet is and do not announce they are performing an amphibious assault, but instead announce they are moving through that sea zone to an adjacent one [where the Japanese player is worried the British will invade], in order to interdict the British fleet before it moves to that next sea zone where it will possibly conduct an amphibious assault, the Japanese would have to declare war on the British to try and stop them before they leave. That would incur the 5D12 penalty. And the delicious thing is, the British player may have just been feinting!

[GeneralHandGrenade]

@nicbot23 said in The FAQ Thread:

If a nation begins moving a naval force intended for an amphibious assault while they’re at peace, is it automatically assumed to be a declaration of war for the purpose of determining peacetime income increases?

No. They are not required to declare war until they actually reach Japan and announce an attack in your example. They could make multiple moves and then declare war if they want to. The only thing you can’t do related to this is make a combat move through a canal if you are playing with this optional rule.

For example, if a British landing force departs during the combat movement phase with the intention of landing units in Japan before either side has declared war, does this mean Japan is allowed intercept the invasion fleet without triggering USA’s 5 D12 worth of peacetime income increase? Or does Japan have to declare war first in order intercept and attack the British fleet? I don’t find it feasible that a nation can’t deal with an invasion headed their way without having to make the unprovoked declaration of war.

No. Japan has to guess if it’s a combat move and decide if it wants to declare war before the move happens. Once they British player has moved past the Japanese ships it’s too late to stop them. The Japanese declaration will trigger the income increase. I have to think that the British player would only do this if the Americans were near their wartime income anyway or they may be committing suicide taking on the Japanese by themselves. Declaring war in this game is always a dicey prospect regardless of who and when it is. There are many consequences and that’s why the time to do it is more flexible than A&A.
It’s the choice that makes it interesting. Sea zones are thousands of square miles, how would Japan even know that the British are making a combat move when they are not at war with them? In the real world, it would only be a guess assuming their patrols observed them. Note that if there were surface war ships in the sea zone where the amphibious assault was taking place that the British would have to assault them with a screening force.

[Nicbot23]

@hbg-gw-enthusiast Thank you for clarifying, I can understand now that this scenario has been put into perspective! I have a few follow up questions:

1. Does the moving player’s intent need to be consistent throughout their entire movement phase (i.e. The British fleet moves into a sea zone containing Japanese ships, the screening force is required to conduct combat in order to proceed, then the amphibious assault occurs in the next sea zone), or can they move through a Japanese-occupied sea zone peacefully, only to change intent and immediately declare war and conduct combat in the next sea zone all within a single turn?

2. Does the make up of an amphibious force (deciding whether each ship is screening or bombarding) have to be established by the moving player upon departure, or are they allowed to make changes to their ship’s roles on their next turn if it takes more than one turn to reach their destination? And does a change in intent determine one’s ability to make that decision?

3. If a player makes any act provoking a declaration of war during their combat movement or conduct combat phase, are that player’s ships automatically forced into combat with enemy ships they share a sea zone with, or are they able to leave the zone without engaging in battle (as was the case in 1940 2nd edition)? Furthermore, if the player does decide to remain in the sea zone and conduct combat, are their ships not allowed to retreat since they started in the same zone that the battle is taking place?

[HBG GW Enthusiast]

@nicbot23 said in The FAQ Thread:
@hbg-gw-enthusiast Thank you for clarifying, I can understand now that this scenario has been put into perspective! I have a few follow up questions:

1. Does the moving player’s intent need to be consistent throughout their entire movement phase (i.e. The British fleet moves into a sea zone containing Japanese ships, the screening force is required to conduct combat in order to proceed, then the amphibious assault occurs in the next sea zone), or can they move through a Japanese-occupied sea zone peacefully, only to change intent and immediately declare war and conduct combat in the next sea zone all within a single turn?
   The moving player’s intent need only be declared upon entering a sea zone, sea zone by sea zone. The announcement is something like, “My fleet enters this sea zone and intends to keep moving to this next sea zone. Do you want to declare war before I leave?” Then say the British fleet reaches the final sea zone they want and they announce, “We now declare war on Japan and are going to try to perform an amphibious assault with these ships/units.” [If there are enemy naval units, then add, “These units are my screening force.”] So yes, they can move through a Japanese-occupied sea zone peacefully, only to immediately declare war and conduct combat in the next sea zone all within a single turn.

2. Does the make up of an amphibious force (deciding whether each ship is screening or bombarding) have to be established by the moving player upon departure, or are they allowed to make changes to their ship’s roles on their next turn if it takes more than one turn to reach their destination? And does a change in intent determine one’s ability to make that decision?
   If you read Page 37, Clarifying Ordering Effects, (a) “The attacking player must always announce his intention first. So when moving into a new zone the attacker announces [his intentions].” The time to announce your intention is upon entering a new zone. You don’t have to declare which ships are part of the screening force and which ships are part of the amphibious assault until you enter the final sea zone.

3. If a player makes any act provoking a declaration of war during their combat movement or conduct combat phase, are that player’s ships automatically forced into combat with enemy ships they share a sea zone with, or are they able to leave the zone without engaging in battle (as was the case in 1940 2nd edition)? Furthermore, if the player does decide to remain in the sea zone and conduct combat, are their ships not allowed to retreat since they started in the same zone that the battle is taking place?
   Ok, this is more tricky because you can declare war at any time. If war is declared at some phase that is not combat movement, for example, then you may have naval units sharing the same sea zone. Page 3, Sharing Sea Zones, “When naval unis of Major Powers that are not at war suddenly come to be at war…units do not participate in combat until one power makes a new combat move during the combat movement phase against the other units in that zone. Either side can move out of the zone freely without triggering an attack.” But if the declaration of war is occurring when you enter the sea zone during the combat movement phase and declare war [this is “one power makes a new combat move during the combat movement phase against the other units in that zone”], then it will lead to combat in the following combat phase. If you declared war during the combat phase (weird timing, but still legal/possible), then you’d have to wait until the next combat movement phase and the naval units would be allowed to leave without combat.
   Regarding retreats, the attacking player would be allowed to retreat to an adjacent sea zone that at least one attacking ship came from. So if the attacking player started the turn sharing a sea zone with enemy naval units, declared war and attacked the enemy naval units in that sea zone, then they could not retreat (in my opinion).