This question is applicable to Global 1940 and Pacific 1940. I’m posting in the Global forum because it has marginally wider readership.
Here is the national objective in question:
“When Japan Is Not at War with the United States
10 IPCs if Japan is not at war with the United States, has not attacked French Indo-China, and has not made an unprovoked delcaration of war against United Kingdom/ANZAC.”
Now, hypothetically, assume that French Indo-China is still owned by France but the UK is at war with Japan, and further assuming that UK forces are in French Indo-China (let’s say the UK went transport killing early and landed aircraft in FIC, so Japan has not made an unprovokded declaration of war).
Obviously if Japan captures FIC with ground troops it has attacked the territory. However, is Japan considered to have attacked FIC if it sends in only air units to deal with the UK troops present in the territory? For example, the UK kills two Japanese transports in the adjacent sea zone, landing the fighter in FIC. Japan responds by sending aircraft in to kill the UK fighter. There are no French units present in the territory.
My interpretation is that this constitutes an attack. My reasoning that this is an attack comes from the definition on page 14 of the Pacific 1940 Second Edition rules, in the sidebar entitled “Powers Not at War with One Another”:
“Combat: A power can’t attack a territory controlled by or containing units belonging to a power with which it is not at war.”
If I were the UK player in question, I might land my fighter there knowing it would cost Japan 10 IPCs to kill it based on my interpretation. However, that’s 10IPC’s for Japan, and I can see a clever Japanese player arguing that he did not attack the territory because no ground forces were involved and no French units were lost in the attack.
If you see this differently, I would be interested in seeing why you interpret this differently.
Marsh
P.S. On a separate interesting note, it appears that Japan can be at war with France but as long as it hasn’t attacked FIC that it can still collect 10IPCs from the United States. Japan’s national objective says nothing about being at peace with France!
