In Addition to the attached changes to Rule 27, the following House rules were in play:

  • We discarded the USA organization problems, both the one-time DRM and the initial inability to assemble divisions
  • The contingents rule was also discarded such that combination stacks and air support were not limited by contingents.
  • On the other side, Dave notes cancelled transfers to the EAST even though he doesn’t control that theater, meaning the German forces remained a bit stronger in the West.

Rule 27 — Naval Rules Introduction

A. Ships.

There are four categories of ships:

  • Surface Force (SF):  SFtypes include BB (battleship), BC (battle-cruiser/modern battleship), CA (pair of heavy cruisers), CL (pair of  light cruisers), DD (4 to 6 destroyers).
  • Carrier Force (CF):  CF types include CV (fleet carrier) and CVE (pair of escort carriers).
  • Amphibious Force (AF):  AF types include LS (4 landing ships) and LC (20 to 30  LST, LCT, LCI).
  • Naval Transport (NT):  NTs are a mix of cargo ships and troopships.

1. Strength and AA.
Each ship has a strength on its counter.Strength are used for several purposes.

  • The strength of a SFis its naval combat strength, its naval gunfire support strength, and its damage strength.Each undamaged SF has a cargo capacity of 1 RE of non-c/m units without HE.
  • The strength of a CF is its damage strength.CF has no naval gunfire support strength, nor cargo capacity as indicated by the parentheses around its damage strength.
  • The 1 point strength of a AF is its damage strength and cargo capacity.AF may combine to carry larger items of cargo.Example: 2x LC may combine to carry a tank brigade.
  • The 1 point strength of a NT is its damage strength and cargo capacity.NT may combine to carry larger items of cargo.Example: 3x NT may combine to carry a division.

Naval units have AA strengths (rule 22A4) as printed on their counters.

2. Stacking.
There is no limit on the number of naval units that may stack in a hex.  There are limits on how many ships may enter medium and minor ports.

3. Damage.
Each naval combat hit or bombing hit on a SFor CF does 1 hit of damage to the ship’s strength.If a CA, CL, DD, or CVE take hits equal to at least half its strength flip it over to its half strength side.A half ship can combine with another half strength ship of the same type and same half strength and AA to make a full strength naval unit.When a SF or CF takes hits equal to its current strength it is sunk.Example:  If a 5-pt BB with 2 hits of damage takes 3 more hits, it is sunk.Each hit on an AF or NT sinks it.

Rule 20G2 describes how air groups achieve hits against naval units.When naval units take bombing hits distribute the hits as follows:

  • For each category of naval units present, allocate 1 hit to each category in the following order:  NT, AF, CF, SF.
  • For each category choose a ship at random and apply the hit against.
  • Continue repeating steps 1 and 2 until all hits have been allocated and applied.Example: A convoy of 8x NT is escorted by a CL and a DD receives 3 bombing hits.  The first hit is applied to a randomly selected NT, the second hit is applied to a randomly selected SFtype, and the third hit is applied to another randomly selected NT.

4. CF and Aircraft.
Only Code C air groups (rule 23F1) may base on a CF type. An undamaged CF has an airbase capacity equal to its damage strength; each damage hit reduces that capacity by 1.

B. Concepts.

1. Sea Zones.There are 3 separate sea zones on the maps: the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Red Sea.

2. Sea Box.All sea zones are overlaid with hexagonal sea boxes 5 hexes across.  Sea movement is measured by how many sea boxes a ship type may sail across in a naval step.

3. Task Force (TF).A TF is a collection of 1 or more friendly ships moving together.  Some rules require TFs to be known.  A TF is known to the enemy player if any of the following conditions apply, otherwise it is unknown.

  • If the TF is in the same hex from which it provided naval gunfire support in the immediately preceding combat phase.
  • If the TF is in the same hex from which it engaged coast defenses in naval combat in the current phase.

4. Cargo.Ships with a cargo capacity may transport ground units, resource points, supply points, and RPs.Cargo is carried based on its RE size; the RE size of cavalry and c/m units is doubled for naval transport purposes.

  • If the ship is sunk, any cargo it is carrying is eliminated.
  • If the ship has its cargo capacity reduced, cargo in excess of its remaining capacity is eliminated.  Example: An undamaged CA carrying an unsupported mountain regiment receives 1 damage hit, which then eliminates the mountain regiment.
  • If two or more ships combine to carry cargo and any are sunk; cargo in excess of the remaining capacity is eliminated.  Example: 3x NTs combine to carry a 5-6 Inf XX.  One NT is sunk and thus the division is reduced to a 2-6* cadre aboard one of the surviving NTs.

5. Water Route/Adjacent.
Ships must move along an water route and may not cross land at any time. A water route may contain all-water hexsides and partial-water hexsides.  To move from coastal hex to coastal hex there must be at least a partial-water hexside between the hexes.  Players must keep track of which side they entered a hex containing two coastal sides separated by land.  Example: A ship in hex 15B:2407 may enter hex 15B:2508 (a minor port on Crete), but may not continue into any sea hex on the south side of Crete.

For naval purposes, a hex is adjacent to another hex if there is an water route directly between the two hexes.

6. Naval Combat Zones.
Various SFtypes and all coast defenses (CD) have naval combat zones as follows:

  • CDs with a strength of 2 or more, BBs, and BCs types have a combat zone in the hex it occupies and all adjacent hexes, provided a water route can be traced between the hexes.
  • CDs with a strength of 1, CAs, CLs, and DDs have a combat zone in the hex it occupies.

Note that other types of ships never have a naval combat zone.  Naval combat zones are reduced by 1 at night (Rule 34A2) or during rough and stormy sea conditions (Rule 36C), but still exist in the hex the ship occupies.

C. Naval Activities.

Naval Activities occur in each player turn as follows:

1. Initial Phase.
The phasing player performs all naval reinforcement activities (Rule 35).

2. Movement Phase.
Naval movement is performed simultaneously with ground movement, but is divided up into 6naval steps, each 36 hours long.  A ships movement rate is how many sea-boxes it can move each naval step.

  • BC, CV, CA, CL, and DD types can move 12 sea-boxes per naval step [aprox. 24 knots cruising speed]
  • BB, and CVE types can move 9 sea-boxes per naval step [aprox. 18 knots cruising speed]
  • LS and NT types can move 6 sea-boxes per naval step [aprox. 12 knots]
  • LC types can move 3 sea-boxes per naval step [aprox. 6 knots]

Any sea-box movement left over at the end of a naval step is lost.  Certain naval activities such as embarking cargo, disembarking cargo, and replenishing use an entire naval step.  Ground units expend MPs if they are involved in naval activities.  Non-c/m units spend 1 MP for embarking, disembarking, and each naval step, or part thereof, spent on board a ship.  Example:  A non-c/m ground unit spends 2 MPs moving to a port, embarks on a NT (ground unit spends 1 MP, NT spends 1 naval step for the ground unit’s 2 MPs spent and 1 naval step for embarking it), moves 10 sea boxes to another port (ground unit spends 2 MPs, NT spends 2 naval steps), disembarks (ground unit spends 1 MP, NT spends 1 naval step), and then both the NT and ground unit may continue their movement if they have movement left.  C/m units spend 2 MPs for embarking, disembarking, and each naval step, or part thereof, spent on board a ship.

The non-phasing player may move ships in reaction movement (Rule 28B).  Naval combat is resolved as it occurs.  Both players may initiate air operations (per the air rules).

3. Combat Phase.
Both players may allocate naval gunfire support.

4. Exploitation Phase.
Naval movement is performed simultaneously with ground exploitation, but is divided up into 4naval steps, each 36 hours long.