Can you bring a plane to a sea zone where you are conducting an amphibious assault as protection from a scramble even if there are no warships present?
Playing a game with Ike and I’m invading Norway and he has one plane to scramble. I want to bring a bomber to the sea zone in case he decides to come up. His argument is you cannot bring the bomber to just hang out if there is no battle taking place.
Hope that makes sense.
You absolutely can.
The poorly worded, but relevant text that indicates this can be found on page 13 of the Europe Rulebook. I’ve edited and emphasized it slightly for better parsing.
Near the top right, 2nd paragaph
You can move units…to hostile spaces during [the Combat Move] phase. However, units can’t end their movement in friendly spaces during the Combat Move phase except in four instances.
(in the second instance bullet paragraph:) …A sea zone into which defending air units may be scrambled in reaction to am amphibious assault may be treated in the same way as a hostile sea zone…
It’s also worth noting that you MUST send the bomber if you want it to participate in the potential fight BEFORE the opponent declares whether he or she is scrambling. You declare all your attacking and potentially attacking movements first. If the opponent decides to have a fight in what would have otherwise been a peaceful sea zone, it is too late for you to send more units to that battle.
I found another place in the rulebook that specifically touches on this. This is from the Amphibious Assaults section (pg 14). First whole paragraph on top right of that page.
Moving transports and their cargo into a sea zone from which you plan to make an amphibious assault counts as a combat move, even if there are no defending surface warships there…This is also true of any units that will support the assault. Further, if enemy air units could potentially be scrambled to defend the sea zone, additional units may be moved into the sea zone to combat them in case they are indeed scrambled.
That last bit is poorly worded and a little ambiguous though on when you send them. Better English would be “if enemy air units could potentially be scrambled to defend the sea zone, you may send additional units to that sea zone to combat them in advance of the enemy’s decision to scramble.”
The Scramble section of the rulebook (pg 16) clearly states the order of declarations, at least.
One last thing:
I read that you’re doing this in Norway. A fighter can only scramble from a territory with an active Air Base in it. If you’re in Sea Zone 112 and the fighter is scrambling from West Germany, that’s great. But if you meant it’s scrambling from Norway, just be sure there’s an Air Base there.
If he didn’t build one, you might find landing via Sea Zone 125 and avoiding a potential scramble to be a good choice.
Great information, thanks! He is scrambling from West Germany, yes.
Hi,
I have a similar Scrambling question situation.
Using OOB G40 rules, reading Europe book, it says on pg 16 top that friendly fighters/TAC can scramble too if located on the island to help your friendly defence at that SZ. Got it, understand loud and clear.
Question is though friends…
If you scramble a SZ from that island, how can you use them to fly to a friendly SZ on an friendly AC or friendly territory during an enemy amphibious assault situation? surly if the sea battle is won by the enemy, then the enemy won the sea and air strikes before commencing onto land battle ( if any ). Trying to wrap a game play around this ruling in the book.
BH
Braveheart, I’m sorry, but I’m not sure I understand your question.
I’m not sure this answers it, but:
Surviving scrambled aircraft must land on the territory they scrambled from after the resolution of all combats for the turn (they can’t fight in two battles). You can’t use the scrambling mechanic to move your aircraft to another territory or aircraft carrier.
Unless-
After winning the sea battle that your scrambled fighters fought in, the enemy ground troops still captured the territory they scrambled from. In that case, their normal landing zone is no longer available. They may now move one space in an attempt to find a friendly territory or carrier to land on.
Does that help?
Are you talking about an airbase on an island or a coastal territory?
If you are talking about a coastal territory, AND that territory is also being attacked by land units from an adjacent territory, then it is possible for the airbase to be taken and the scramble aircraft to survive. In that case, the scramble aircraft would need to find another landing space within ONE (1) space, a friendly territory or carrier, or they are destroyed.
However, if you are talking about an island, it would be impossible for the scramble planes to survive yet still lose the airbase because the entire attacking force would be amphibious and the landing could not take place until that sea zone has been made friendly. In that case, the scramble planes would already be destroyed by the attacking force.
Thanks knp. Very well said.
Thanks for your answers they both helped!
Yes, I was referring to leaving from an island.
