Sea combat retreating option

[rjclayton]

Classic (not Revised) rules question:

This one always gets me:

Let’s say I am attacking a Baltic Fleet with UK air + boats.  UK wants to retreat back to NOR sz.  What happens to the fighters in the battle (assume no ACs).  Do they:
a) Have to retreat to NOR with the boats and then splash due to no ACs?
b) Have to retreat to NOR with the boats and then are able to land on any legal adjacent land (ie UK or WEU/FIN if Allies own them), or
c) Don’t retreat with the boats, and then get to move their normal Non Combat with whatever movement points are left.

Remember, Classic not Revised.

[Avin]

C. Same as a land retreat.

[rjclayton]

Is it in the manual?  If so what page?  Or was it later qualified on the Avalon Hill Website?  If so can you post a link?  I’ve been looking, but the only mention I could find anywhere was in the 2nd Edition manual on page 19 under subsection 8.  And for land combat on page 18 under subsection 6.A.

Nowhere can I find mention of fighters retreating differently than other land/naval units.  The way I’ve read the rules, fighters would have to retreat back to the same square as all the land/naval units.  Thanks.

[rjclayton]

SUD, thanks for the link.  I believe the following quote covers it:

Partial retreats are not allowed for air units. If other units in their attacking force retreat, they must also retreat. They do not, however, have to retreat BACK to one adjacent friendly territory, nor do they retreat at the same time as the other units! Retreating air units retreat only as many spaces as left in their flight range movement. Their retreat is considered the landing phase of their movement and must only be done in the non combat move phase of their turn. Also, retreating air units can NEVER land in a territory that has just been captured this includes “blitzed” territories.

Just reading this paragraph brought to mind another situation I hadn’t thought of:  In combat movement, I move use my entire 4 points of movement to move my 2 fighters into a sea combat, and move an AC there as well to make it a valid move.  But combat goes badly and I want to retreat.  If I retreat my AC, my fighters would splash because no move movement points left for the fighters?  This is different than defending fighters and AC, where defending fighters get 1 point of movement to land safely if their AC is sunk.  Would this be the correct interpretation of the rules for this situation?

Thanks Avin & SUD.

Rob

[Fletcher]

Wow, according to the way I read that clarification, the fighters would indeed splash.  Which I don’t think makes sense.  Assuming the CV had moved two spaces to enter the combat, retreating is essentially a 3rd movement and completely allowed by the rules.  I would have applied the same to the attacking fighters.  But that clarification seems to indicate otherwise with the line “Retreating air units retreat only as many spaces as left in their flight range movement”.

[rjclayton]

@Soon_U_Die:

For instance, imagine you want to attack a sub, and only a sub, one or two spaces away from your AC loaded with say one Ftr, except you also have a Ftr 4 spaces away from the sub location that you want to use and could land on your AC….IF it moved to the combat zone.  Since a sub cannot fire against aircraft, you do not want to place your AC in harms way by moving it on combat move and allow the sub a defensive shot against it.  Therefore, you commit only the Ftrs on combat move.  The AC only has to move on non-combat to retrieve the Ftrs.

The concern that I would have not committing my AC to the above combat, is what happens if both fighters miss?  The sub will withdraw, and could (if your opponent plays it right) block the AC’s non-combat movement to the seazone to retrieve the fighter with no movement.

But yeah, I understand your logic.

Thanks.

[daggaz]

No, you are wrong guys.  They would not splash.  All units (land sea or air) can always retreat one square, even if they are out of moves.  It is the bases for the leap-frog maneuver, where you can legally move a tank for example three times in one round.