Fighter vs AAA

[Limo]

What happens if a fighter attacks a territory containing only AAA?

According to the “No Combat Value” and “Air Defense” AAA characteristics, it seems that the AAA can’t fire at the fighter and should be automatically destroyed.

In fact, “Air Defense” states: An AAA unit can fire at an air unit only when that unit attacks land and/or air units in the territory containing that AAA unit. AAA units fire only once, before the first round of combat.

Is this correct?

[wheatbeer]

An anti-air gun is a land unit itself, so it should fire.

I believe that line was included to clarify that anti-air guns don’t fire at enemy planes whose flight paths pass through their territory but only in the territory that the plane is attacking.

[knp7765]

Yes, I agree, the AA gun would take a shot at the fighter. However, if it misses, what happens to the AA gun? The rules state that when enemy ground forces move into a territory containing only AA gun(s), the AA gun(s) are automatically destroyed. I don’t believe it says what happens if only air units attack.
Does the fighter automatically destroy the AA gun(s)?
Or does the fighter have to keep rolling dice until it gets a 3?

[Limo]

@wheatbeer:

An anti-air gun is a land unit itself, so it should fire.

I believe that line was included to clarify that anti-air guns don’t fire at enemy planes whose flight paths pass through their territory but only in the territory that the plane is attacking.

This reading seems right and it is rational that even an isolated AAA could fire to air threats, but the rule (as it is written) is questionable.
Since my group is playing a tournament, we would like (if possible) an official opinion.

[Limo]

@knp7765:

Does the fighter automatically destroy the AA gun(s)?
Or does the fighter have to keep rolling dice until it gets a 3?

According to the “No Combat Value” characteristic, the AAA is automatically destroyed (it doesn’t matter if the attacking unit is a ground or air unit):
If a territory containing AAA units and no combat units is attacked, the AAA units are automatically destroyed.

[wheatbeer]

@Limo:

This reading seems right and it is rational that even an isolated AAA could fire to air threats, but the rule (as it is written) is questionable.
Since my group is playing a tournament, we would like (if possible) an official opinion.

The “No Combat Value” description also says that AAA can defend alone … but I see how the line about automatically destroyed creates ambiguity.

The most authoritative answer would come from Krieghund, I’d post in the G40 FAQ thread to get an answer from him in case this thread title doesn’t catch his eye.

[baron Münchhausen]

@knp7765:

Yes, I agree, the AA gun would take a shot at the fighter. However, if it misses, what happens to the AA gun? The rules state that when enemy ground forces move into a territory containing only AA gun(s), the AA gun(s) are automatically destroyed. I don’t believe it says what happens if only air units attack.
Does the fighter automatically destroy the AA gun(s)?
Or does the fighter have to keep rolling dice until it gets a 3?

There is no real difference since the AAA gun cannot take any other shots at planes after the preemptive strike. You can wait until it rolls “3” or less (a few rolls at most), or just say auto-die.

Probably the same general principle applied with Transport apply here: to save time, it is an auto-die.

[baron Münchhausen]

I think the real tactics should be to never throw any aircraft at a lonely AAA.
A single ground unit is enough to destroy it.

When you can only reach that territory by air, and you want to destroy it, then just send 1 plane is enough. Unless, of course, the AAA roll “1”, then this AAA unit will survive.

Thanks for your question, it just showed me the OOB AAA unit have an additionnal complexity which doesn’t have any other regular ground combat unit.

This happen because the OOB AAA unit is an hybrid between the old classic capturable AA gun and a regular unit which can take hit.

[General Haig]

This has been interesting not that I know anything. If one looks at the unit profile section (pg. 29 Europe '40se) for AAA shows that the AAA fire happens immediately before normal combat. Then under the no combat value section it explains that if there are no combat units with it and it is attacked then it is automatically destroyed. AAA fires before the general combat steps. That’s my vote.

[Krieghund]

The AAA fires first.  If any attacking planes remain after that, the AAA is automatically destroyed.

[Limo]

Thanks!  :-)