@Cmdr:
In my opinion, since the transports are legal enemy targets, you can retreat from them. Thought justifying this statement: You are allowed to automatically remove any unhit transports left when you attack them, but legally, you still have to roll the dice and score hits against them, just as you would when attacking any other ship. The only real difference is that transports cannot defend themselves, so throwing dice is an excersice in futility and transports must can only be chosen as casualties after all other valid units are already destroyed.
ok, I deleted my post as I bothered to actually look at the rule book - P 19 of AAE 1940 - side bar.
but for clarity, I’ll repost:
As an attacker, and if transports are the only legal remaining target, can you retreat from them? There is precedent in that an attacking carrier MUST retreat, but what about subs? And what is the timing for removing transports if they’re the only remaining legal target?
A thought experiment:
Britain attacks w/ a cruiser, 3 subs, and 1 fighter.
Germany defends with a carrier, 2 planes and 5 transports.
Britain scores hits 3 sub hits and 1 other hit. Germany immediately removes the CV, a tt, and a selects a plane to take the non sub hit (only legal target).
Germany rolls 2 defense hits from its planes. The UK loses the cruiser and a plane.
At the end of the first round of combat:
UK has 3 subs remaining.
Germany has a plane and 4 transports. Germany has a DD in range to counterattack that seazone on their turn.
A) Can the UK retreat, or are the 4 transports immediately removed (despite the combat round being over), locking the 3 UK subs in that seazone. Technically, the UK did not win the combat yet (a plane remains), and as all hits have been assigned, is not another round of combat is req’d to remove transports? Though at this point the UK can only hit tranports and Germany can no longer hit subs.
B) If the UK can retreat, can the UK instead choose to simply roll as normal for however many rounds, trying to snipe transports to the smallest surviving number, and THEN retreat?
C) If the UK is allowed to snipe a transport stack, can a completely defenseless transport stack be sniped at? Can you attack a transport stack with a single ship, roll combat after combat roll, eventually wittling down to 1 transport, and then retreat? Or are you compelled to stay in that seazone?