@JamesAleman:
Just curious, reading page 9 AAE40 rulebook. If Italy declares war on USSR, it appears USSR can declare war on Germany. Is that how you read it?
Page 10 is clear about the US being able to declare war “on any and all axis powers.” (after it is declared on by one axis) but page 9 is ambiguous about USSR. After all, USSR would not need to declare against Italy since it is already at war in the above question.
The reason I asked, I was curious about Italy declaring war, then before USSR’s turn, Germany moves into a “friendly” Italian controlled territory within USSR while not being at war with them. It does not matter if USSR is able to declare war, however, if it is not able to declare against Germany, would it be able to counter attack a zone with German units? Would it simply ignore the German units and share the zone with them?
Just something to think about.
You got the wording for the US conditions wrong (might be a typo): “it may declare war on any or all Axis powers.”
The USSR conditions say: “the SU may not declare war on any Axis power before its 4th turn unless an Axis power declares war on it first”. Or, if you rewrite it: if an Axis power declares war on the USSR before its 4th turn, the USSR may declare war on any Axis power.
On the situation you mentioned above, of Italy declaring war and taking an Russian territory with German units moving there, the USSR cannot attack that territory without a DoW made against Germany. The reason is on page 15 (on the black box regarding neutral powers): “A power can’t attack a territory controlled by or containing units belonging to a power with which it is not at war”.