Transport loading and offloading

Noncombat unloading is not blocked and does not require an escort.

Kevin was succinct, but to elaborate if I understand properly:

Transports by themselves, never block enemy movements. This means yes, you can have one ship move into the transport sea zone during combat moves and send other ships through that zone to other zones during combat moves. Or you can ignore the transport and move through it during non combat moves.

Remember, killing a transport is a naval battle in that zone. This will prevent any coastal bombardments from that zone as a naval battle existed.

@johnathanpb:

To sum up then, although the sub is a combat vessel, it cannot control an occupied sea zone on its own.

Correct.  Subs alone may nearly always be ignored.  The only exception is that unaccompanied transports may not conduct an amphibious assault if there are enemy subs in the sea zone.

@johnathanpb:

A german destroyer in the water here, however, would need to be engaged as entering the sea zone would then be a combat move. Do I have this right?

Yes.

Welcome, Mike580!

No.  Transports have no combat value, so they never fire.

Exactly.  If the enemy units are all destroyed in the Conduct Combat phase, the sea zone will be friendly in the Noncombat Move phase.

It only applies to Russia and the US. Japan is at war.China is not part of the WESTERN Allies. Remember: the West consists of the Americas, Western Europe, South Africa, and ANZAC

Aircraft are trumping units in this game;  they are better than their cost, more flexible than any other unit (since they can be on land or sea).  They prevent the game from being like Risk; where only numbers matter and all the units are the same.

This is just like the sub rule, its to represent the overpowering advantage aircraft had and have over all other types of unit during that era.  Not sure what objection that raises, except that they are OverPowered.  Which is true in real life also, airpower is OP compared to its costs and that’s why they keep using it.

Traditionally, I just start converting Dutch island but because I have been playing against a Japanese player who tends to move his fleet south. I will take the transport and knock out Italy.