The General Staff Archives

Europa Games and Military History

FAQ Tag: Air Mission (Page 2 of 2)

Rule 20G2b: How and when is GS commited to battle?

Question:
At what point is a phasing player using air for GS committed to battle? Here is example of a problem: A phasing player sends 30 air units for GS. The phasing player has 20 REs in hexes adjacent to the hex being attacked, but is not using all 20 REs in the battle of course the Allies don’t know that. After AA 20 air units are left. My question: Is the attacking player required to use 20 REs of ground units or can he use any number of units and ignore all the extra GS in the battle? If a battle is lost or if I wish to try and deceive my opponent can I use 1 unit and make a 1 to 4 odds attack?

Answer:
First of all, combat is not mandatory, so any number of air units could be flown on GS and this would not “force” an attack, in and of itself.

However, once the phasing player initiates combat resolution for a particular hex, then combat resolution must proceed.

Any units that fire AA are automatically included in the attack, since firing AA is, per earlier rulings on this, part of resolving combat. Beyond this, however, there are no requirements that anyone attack. So yes, if you decide to begin the combat resolution for a particular attack, you are free to declare that of the x number of units available to participate, only one will do so, and if so, then GS calculations are governed by what attacks, and not by what is available to attack.

To be quite clear, the number of air units flown on a mission such as DAS and/or GS has nothing to do with how many may participate; one is always able to fly as many air units as desired and possible, the limitations are only in effect once the combat is to be resolved. Even flying the GS mission doesn’t mandate combat, as the rules make plainly clear (last paragraph, 20G.2.b).

Source:
TEM 59/60

 

 

Source:
Errata published at http://www.hmsgrd.com/Files/Europa/Second Front/Second Front.pdf

Rule 20E: During the initial phase when phasing and non-phasing players fly their CAP missions, who flies first?

Question:
During the initial phase when phasing and non-phasing players fly their CAP missions, who flies first?

Answer:
Here’s how it works (text taken from WitD 16D):
One player, the initiating player, announces that he is initiating a specific air operation. Should both sides wish to initiate an air operation at the same time, the phasing player first initiates an air operation, and, when that operation is over, the non-phasing player then may initiate an air operation (he may decide not to do so – for example, the outcome of the phasing player’s air operation may have removed the reason for the nonphasing player to initiate an air operation). Continue to alternate air operations between the two sides until both sides no longer wish to initiate air operations at the same time.

Source:
TEM 59/60

Rule 20E: Assembling a Mission Force for CAP

Question:
Flying a CAP mission or any mission in general may contain as many planes as the player wants as long as they are all flying to the same target hex, correct??

Answer:
Yes. But remember that not all the friendly air units in a particular hex need be part of the same mission force and that depending upon player choice, not all air units present need to participate in any one mission. For example, imagine a hex with 10 phasing fighters on CAP. The phasing player now flies a bombing mission to the hex with two bombers. The phasing player may switch any, all, or none of his CAP air units to escorts for that air mission. Note that this occurs before the nonphasing player flies any patrol attack or interception missions against the bombing mission.

Source:
TEM 59/60

 

Rule 20E: Patrol Attack against CAP

Question:
During movement phase a friendly plane flying CAP (since the initial phase) could patrol intercept an enemy plane that has just (during the movement phase) flown a CAP mission into the same hex as the friendly CAP mission. Is this correct?

Answer:
Yes. The plane(s) on CAP may (but are not required to) react to any enemy mission force that enters their hex, including an enemy CAP mission. Note that in your example any of the friendly air units that do patrol or intercept have then finished their mission and return to base. The enemy air units that survive this encounter remain in the hex to perform their CAP mission (that is, the friendly air units have completed their mission but the enemy air units have not).

Source:
TEM 59/60

Rule 20E: In what sequence can air missions be initated?

Question:
The initial phase step 11 has three activities that occur: 1) Cap, 2) harassment and 3) assign naval patrol. Since both sides can do some or all of the above in which order should one do it? The problem we’re having is that one side might want to see CAP before assigning Naval Patrol.

Answer:
If both players want to fly missions at the same time, roll a die, on a 1-3 the Allied player initiates, on 4-6 the Axis player. Alternate missions from that point on until one side can’t or doesn’t want to initiate a mission. Note that since a player could initiate a one air unit mission, thus forcing the other player to initiate a mission, it may well be impossible to “see CAP” before assigning certain missions. [TEM 59/60]

Source:
TEM 59/60

Newer posts »

© 2026 The General Staff Archives

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑