Rules question: Lone transport starts turn with enemy sub in the sea zone.

[JamesAleman]

Situation: I am [UK] in the southern Suez Canal [sz81] with a lone transport that landed units in Anglo Egypt Sudan the turn before. Italy produces a sub in sea zone 81.

I know unescorted transports get shot at once when moving “through” or “into” a sea zone with a sub.[[b]page 30 AAEurope, under the section “Doesn’t Block Enemy Movement:”. It does not appear to address transports “starting” in the sub zone.

However there is a practice of allowing ships to move out of an enemy sea zone. See page 13 AAEurope 1940 top right side of page under the section “Sea Units Starting in Hostile Sea Zones” second paragraph “If you are sharing a sea zone with surface warships (not submarines and/or transports)…” and it proceeds to tell you of restrictions. Since its not a sub, I am not restricted and thus my previous point is in fact pointless but is used to illustrate an assumed intention to permit you to move ships regardless of hostile intent and prevent units from being “trapped” or forced into a combat.

I assume I can pick up units from Anglo Egypt and move to sea zone 80 to drop off in Persia during non combat (without being fired upon). This may prove false. It is more likely that I might be able to “flee” first and then use the transport.(without being fired upon)

My question is:
   Does the sub, by virtue of being in the sea zone I start in, shoot at me regardless of my actions?
Or:
   Does it only shoot if I pick up before leaving?
Or:
   Does it not shoot, since I did not “enter” or move “through” its zone, I am simply “leaving” its zone?

Also, while I am thinking of it: [Was not an option in my game]
What if I had a surface warship that could move into that zone first during non combat for the purpose of escorting it out?

What if I did not move, but instead transported from Anglo Egypt to Trans Jordan during noncombat or combat?

My gut tells me that it gets to shoot. He did build it so I could not get away, since he was on a naval base…I just wanted to use it to redeploy assets, having landed and destroyed his offensive land units the previous turn.

I infer the “safe” thing to do was leave first (see if I am shot) then pick up units elsewhere, however I didn’t have units in the right spots for that.

What do you say Krieghund? [ Mr. [i]Keven Chapman: Credited on page 3 AAEurope 1940 under Rulebook Development:]

Note: I am not a lawyer, I’m trying to be precise and clear while citing rules to illustrate that I have read the rulebook first. I’m currently a local Truck Driver with lots of time to think while driving 12 hours a day.

[Krieghund]

The intent is that subs may fire upon unescorted transports whenever their sea zone is part of transports’ movement.  The transport in your example may avoid being fired upon in two ways.  The first is to not move at all.  (It may load units, but it may not unload them into another territory, as this would require moving within the sea zone.)  This is allowed because the sea zone is not hostile.  The second is to have a warship move into the sea zone and then accompany the transport for its entire move, either in combat or noncombat movement.

[xzorn]

If the warship only went as far as the sea zone with an enemy sub, would the transport be safe in subsequent moves through empty sea zones?

[Krieghund]

No.  The transport must be accompanied for its entire move in order to be “escorted”.