Question:

When the results of a combat require you to take losses and one of the units involved is a division that can be broken down, are you allowed to “make change” by breaking down the unit and eliminating one or more component brigades?

For example, let’s say one side had ONLY a 7-8 infantry division in a particular battle, and the combat resolution required that side to lose 2 strength points. Can you break up the division into three 2-8 brigades and eliminate one, or are you forced to eliminate the entire division?

Answer:

No. See WD Rule 15.A. You can only break down a unit “at the start of a friendly movement phase”.

Since combat occurs during the Combat Phase, you can’t do something *only* allowed during a movement phase, during a combat phase. So you would have to lose the 7-8 Inf XX in your example, cadreing it to satisfy the loss requirements.

Note that when a rule specifies when something can happen, it can *only* happen when the rule says that it can. Any exceptions to this general case will be specified in the particular rule.

Source:

Posted by Rich Velay on the Yahoo Classic Europa mailing list on 23.01.2013 23:00