Hey Krieghound, thanks for the clarification!! I kinda suspected comabat was a must in that situation, and that was the allied players intent (he was USA). He wanted to force the germans hand so that the seazone would be clear for UK to utilize their shore bombardment capabilities without being negated by the lingering german fleet. I will pass along your wisdom, thanks again.
free 1d6 dmg to each IC in range is pretty good if you ask me. japan and usa need to do some shuffling if they get this, but everyone else gets to start shooting right away