Of course the Soviet units die - they are cargo. Germany need not declare war on the USSR in order to attack UK ships. The Soviets take their chances when they board a ship that’s in danger of being sunk by an enemy.
The Russians can wail on the German carrier and displace the Italian fighters, and the Italian fighters (very oddly) will just fly around watching. Then they have one space to land, and in the Med they would usually have a safe place to land.
Ok, thanks zane and Gamerman, I guess it settles it. The planes certainly (I believe now) have to take off prior to combat, even though they do not take part in it. Great, now solve this one:
Japan attacks the Soviet Union early and they respond by sending off planes to a British carrier off the coast of India (the Brits are also at war with Japan one way or the other). They can get there in two turns. British captain then decides to steam towards Egypt, oblivious to the fact that the Euro Axis are still honoring the non-aggression deal with Stalin. The Brits are thus ferrying the Soviets who should not be there in the first place (totally neutral on that half of the world). If a Euro Axis power attacks that British convoy, the Soviets are in a quandary: if they take off (and it seems they must), they can never return, even if the carrier survives intact! “Frightfully sorry lads, your ticket expired half the way across from Bombay.” Their only hope is a slim chance of finding a piece of Russian soil (or a carrier!) nearby…
Is the British player even allowed to do this, take the Red air force to the no-hope zone, without their approval?