I have a question regarding an interaction I had playing with friends the other day. The background is that we were in Round 4 and I (Japan) had just taken Alaska. I ended my turn with two carriers (3 fighters) and a transport off the coast of Alaska. America then took their turn and attacked my carriers with submarines. Luckily, both subs missed, and my carriers destroyed them, but if one or both of my carriers were sunk, what would have happened to my fighters?
The paragraphs from the rules we consulted were as follows:
“Air Units: An air unit must end its move in an eligible landing space. Bombers and fighters can land in any territory that was
friendly at the start of your turn.”
“Air units that cannot move to an eligible landing space by the end of the Noncombat Move phase are destroyed. This includes
stranded defending fighters (see above).”
“Neither bombers nor fighters can land in any territory that was hostile at the start of your turn, including any territory that was
just captured by you this turn.”
“Your air units cannot land in territories you just captured, whether they were involved in the combat or not.”
“A fighter based on a defending carrier must land on the same carrier if possible after the battle. If that carrier is destroyed in combat, it must try to land elsewhere. It must land on a different friendly carrier in the same sea zone, move 1 space to a friendly territory, island, or aircraft carrier, or be destroyed. This movement occurs during the Noncombat Move phase, before the acting player makes any noncombat movements.”
From the final paragraph, we were sure that it was a friendly territory and that the planes would move before America in America’s noncombat move phase. However, since it was a new turn (America), we were unsure if Alaska was still a territory I (Japan) had “just captured.” i.e. does “just captured” refer to the Round or the Turn?
@chickenwire said in Aircraft Landing After Carrier Destroyed Question:
Welcome to the forum.
For your scenario only this quote is relevant for defending Japan, as the other quotes address the active player (whose turn it currently is):
“A fighter based on a defending carrier must land on the same carrier if possible after the battle. If that carrier is destroyed in combat, it must try to land elsewhere. It must land on a different friendly carrier in the same sea zone, move 1 space to a friendly territory, island, or aircraft carrier, or be destroyed. This movement occurs during the Noncombat Move phase, before the acting player makes any noncombat movements.”
Now the Japanese fighters (on US NCM phase) can move to an at that time friendly territory/island.
