Submarine clarification

@krieghund @Nerddog

For any strange reason the link provided in the first thread of the stickied topic
https://www.axisandallies.org/forums/topic/18542/1942-2-rulebook-available-for-download

namely:
http://media.wizards.com/2015/downloads/ah/AA_1942_2nd_Edition_FAQ.pdf

still links to the FAQ document (PDF) of November 24, 2014, that AFAIK is the latest one that ever had been published.

However as this link probably will become invalid anytime, it is still a good idea to publish this sheet here.

The point of the Russians in A&A is to get the German player to say “any more victories like this and we’ll lose the war!”

Exactly…  Each round of combat occurs at the same time.  So, surprise strikes happen on the same turn.  Attacking/Defending rolls are a single turn.  Surprise attack/defend are simultaneous.  Unless there is a destroyer present which negates the surprise for the opposite side.  Note that the destroyer must be on the attacking side to make a difference.  A defending destroyer can be any allied ownership.  The defender gets the benefit of the doubt in this situation.  As the rules state for attackers, only those units owned by the attacker participate in the battle however all defending units participate regardless of ownership unless explicitly stated and this only applies to submarines that can submerge.

Please see

@Rulebook:

…
Attacking or defending submarines that choose to submerge are immediately removed from the battle strip and returned to the
game board in the contested sea zone, removing them from the remaining battle sequences.

Note: Decisions on whether attacking and defending submarines will fire or submerge must be made before any dice are rolled
by either side. The attacking player decides first.
…

and

@Rulebook:

…
Once all attacking and defending submarines that conducted a Surprise Strike have fired, the casualties they have generated
are removed from the game and this step is over for this round of combat. As long as there are attacking and/or defending
submarines and no opposing destroyers, this step is repeated during each round of combat. Any hits made during this step that
do not destroy units (such as battleships) remain in effect until the end of the combat.
…

Please ask if anything remains unclear.

@Swift:

So a sub can suprise strike, submerge, then other sea units fire, then defending units fire (excluding submarines), then remove casualties, then press attack, then same sub suprise strikes and submerges, then attacking sea units fire… and so on until defeat or retreat of attacker?

No, a sub can either surprise strike or submerge. If it submerges it will be out for the rest of the battle.
If it decides to surprise strike in the first round of combat and survives this round of combat, it can decide
to submerge or to attack again in the next round of combat.

HTH :-)

Thanks for the responses and welcome, guys!  I love the game and am glad to be here.

“…transporters can not offload after retreating…” thanks that clarifies the situation.

Yes, it applies in 1914 as well.  Except, of course, for the bit about combat movement restrictions, as there is only one movement phase in that game.

A sub can choose to attack an enemy sub yes, but……

The enemy sub can choose to:

Submerge thus ending the combat and living to fight another day or… Fight, both subs get a first shot I believe and could destroy each other.  Perhaps the sub is performing convoy escort duty for transports and decided to fight to protect the transports.

Of course the presence of destroyers on either side will modify this sequence.