Scrambling, then territory getting taken.

Pacific 1940 - 2nd Edition Page 15

Scrambling is a special movement that the defender can make at the end of this phase. It must be done after all of the attacker’s combat movements have been completed and all attacks have been declared. The attacker may not change any combat movements or attacks after the defender has scrambled.

A quick reaction team of no more than 3 defending fighters and/or tactical bombers (strategic bombers can’t scramble) located on each island or coastal territory that has an operative air base can be scrambled to defend against attacks in the sea zones adjacent to those territories. These air units can be scrambled to help friendly units in adjacent sea zones that have
come under attack. They can also be scrambled to resist amphibious assaults from adjacent sea zones, whether or not the territory being assaulted is the territory containing the air base. They may defend against the enemy ships conducting the amphibious assault even if friendly ships are not present.

In situations where a sea zone is adjacent to more than one territory containing an air base, sea zone 6 and Japan and Korea (assuming one has been built there) for example, each of the territories can scramble up to 3 fighters and/or tactical bombers. In situations where a territory containing an air base is adjacent to more than one sea zone Alaska (assuming one has been
built there) and sea zones 1 and 2 for example, the territory may still only scramble up to 3 fighters and/or tactical bombers, but they may be split between the sea zones in any combination.

OK thanks

@Rammstein:

Does this mean that ANZAC can “take” the territory with Fighters? Or it can simply land them there for defense and the territory remains Dutch? For that matter, must UK and ANZAC be at war with Japan in order to “take” the Dutch territories at all?

They must use land units to take the territory and they don’t have to be at war to do so

Thanks for the quick response Kreighund. :D

This was very enjoyable to read.

I say let planes scramble from any airbases anywhere anytime, even land lock airbases.  The defending player still has to make the same choices of where to use his planes to benefit him the most.  Capping it at 6 would be easy to accept and figure out.  Just so long as you make it 1 plane for 1 point of damage on the airbase, so like 5 damage points on an airbase limits it to 1 airplane that can scramble.  You could make exceptions for airbases on capital cities or even for VCs in general, like unlimited scrambling.

Sure, my opponents did in our first game: I was the Japan.

I attacked the US navy at Hawaii with my huge Imperial Navy: obviously I destroyed all while they don’t scrambled any fighter nor tactical bomber. At his turn, the US player counter-attacked my ships, destroying all them… We closed the game and immediately started a second one: there’s no fun in playing Pacific without ships! :D

Interesting to see how it affects the Atlantic war; I’ve always believed there should be a “killing zone” in mid-ocean which is out of range for land-based aircraft, but will the sea be wide enough?