@simon33:
US CVs with British fighters onboard start in SZ113 which is hostile with a German DD. US flies in some planes and attacks the DD, Germans scramble.
US stops attacking after losing all its fighters, while Germany still has fighters left. What happens? My understanding is that the CVs can only retreat if they’ve jumped to SZ114 in the combat move otherwise their destroyed because they have no attack value. They can’t remain in SZ113 because its hostile.
You’re right. You can’t retreat unless you came from a different zone. When you find yourself in a hostile zone because the enemy built a ship into your zone and you attack it, you need to leave the zone and come back, if you can. You gain nothing from just staying there because you can’t move the ship in the noncombat phase anyway. Like you said, if you don’t move out and back in during the combat movement phase, then you have no retreat (unless you came in with another boat from another place, of course, which is impossible in your situation if there are no USA boats in 114 or 115 and the strait is closed off)
Someone is claiming that they can just remain in SZ113 in spite of losing the battle.
They’re wrong, but depending on the situation, it might be the sporting thing to do to let them retreat to 114 (assuming it is not hostile) but expect them to know the rule next time. Your call
But there is no way they can do a battle, not win, and stay in 113. Retreats are always to different zones/territories