Point-defence islands - Airbases and 'Neighbour' Islands

[EvilGardenGnome]

Okay, so I was playing AAP40 last night and I thought of a sneaky trick (it may have come up before). The only thing I’m wondering is about the rules involved.

Let’s say I build an airbase on Ceylon (it can be landed on as it is named, and nothing I’ve seen limits where airbases can be built) and support it with fighters.

Now, the Japanese float a fleet into the sea zone to assault India. As there is combat in the sea zone, and Ceylon is completely surrounded by that sea zone, can I scramble my planes?

As far as I saw doing a quick glance at the board this would also affect Hainan, Formosa, Okinawa and the Aleutian Islands. There may be some in the South Pacific but those are the major places to use this trick.

[BadSpeller]

@EvilGardenGnome:

Let’s say I build an airbase on Ceylon (it can be landed on as it is named, and nothing I’ve seen limits where airbases can be built) and support it with fighters.

That is a legal play.

I was wondering why Ceylon was there (with no IPC value). Good insight EGG.

It is tough to get ANZAC and/or US planes there, but it could be done. (Air base in Western Australia anyone? Or Island hopping?)

[EvilGardenGnome]

Thanks for the complement. I came up with it as I was trying to figure out ways to specialize each army and still maintain a decent defence. Also, it allows some breathing on the part of Japan as you don’t need to constantly patrol the Asian coastline. I mean, jumpin’s, they’ve enough planes to go around.

[Butcher]

I considered doing this in my game as Britain, but I opted for ground units to hold at Burma and try to help China out. Building an airbase would severly limit the number of ground units you can build, and Japan can just drive toward India by land with a factory in Kwantung, or a couple minor factories.

[EvilGardenGnome]

@Butcher:

I considered doing this in my game as Britain, but I opted for ground units to hold at Burma and try to help China out. Building an airbase would severly limit the number of ground units you can build, and Japan can just drive toward India by land with a factory in Kwantung, or a couple minor factories.

I’ve been thinking on this as well. I think that doing something like this really has to be reactionary rather than anticipatory.

[spectre_04]

I’ll have to agree with Achtung, its a good Idea, but would cost allot and you wouldn’t be able to defend it very well.  I tried to do the same thing by moving all the Brits to Java and built an airbase their and my opponent still took it in one turn!