Can you scramble from an airbase if there are only friendly transports in adjacent SZ?

Sure, why not?

There may not be a naval battle occurring immediately once the US Transport enters SZ6, since there are no Japanese combat ships in the water, however the Japanese Kamikazes and Fighters are protecting SZ6; thus they are able to act after the Combat Movement Phase is completed and before the Combat Phase begins.

Kamikazes cannot be used against transports or submarines so the transport may enter the “empty” SZ6 by itself in safety. However, upon entering SZ6 the Japanese Player now has the option to scramble to protect SZ6 and therefore the transports can now be attacked. There does not have to be a naval battle already in place for the planes to scramble; their scrambling itself creates the naval battle.

Axis and Allies Pacific 1940 Rulebook (2nd Edition)
Page 15 (Bold added by me)

Scrambling is a special movement that the defender can make at the end of this phase. It must be done after all of the attacker’s combat movements have been completed and all attacks have been declared. The attacker may not change any combat movements or attacks after the defender has scrambled.

A quick reaction team of no more than 3 defending fighters and/or tactical bombers (strategic bombers can’t scramble) located on each island or coastal territory that has an operative air base can be scrambled to defend against attacks in the sea zones adjacent to those territories. These air units can be scrambled to help friendly units in adjacent sea zones that have come under attack. They can also be scrambled to resist amphibious assaults from adjacent sea zones, whether or not the territory being assaulted is the territory containing the air base. They may defend against the enemy ships conducting the amphibious assault even if friendly ships are not present.

Option #3 is not legal.

You must unload any units loaded in combat movement in the combat movement phase.

I was debating what do with that last one. Keeping it sounds like a good play.

Also, assuming the cruiser initiates combat and the defending subs remain, don’t forget that the defending subs get to shoot first even though they are defending. That means the cruiser might not even get to shoot at all…

Marsh

@techroll42:

Actually, IIRC, there’s a helluva good reason: Mongolia. IIRC Mongolia doesn’t convert if USSR declares war.

Nope.  Only if Russia attacks a Japanese controlled territory bordering Mongolia before Japan does the same.  That means Manchuria almost specifically, but also addresses if Russia were to attempt to liberate Japanese held Chinese territories adjacent to Mongolia.  Note that Japan is free to attack chinese territories occupied by Russian soldiers and that will result in no penalty, as they are chinese (not russia) territories.

There’s absolutely nothing that penalizes either for a state of war between them.  It’s better for Japan if the US can’t land bombers in Russia and if the reds don’t reinforce china or india, but there’s NOTHING that prevents Russia from declaring war R1 and freeing movement for themselves (and their allies) on the pac board.

Soviet/Japanese Non Aggression Pact: Due to their mutual border conflct with Japan in 1939, the Soviet Union and Mongolia have a special relationship. If the Japanese attack any Soviet territory that is adjacent to any Mongolian territory, all Mongolian territories (Olgiy, Dzavhan, Tsagaan-Olom, Central Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, and Buyant-Uhaa) that are still neutral are placed under the control of the Soviet Union at the end of the Japanese Combat Move phase, in the same manner as though the Soviet Union had moved land units into a friendly neutral territory. These territories have Soviet control markers placed on them, and their standing army units are placed on the board and are controlled by the Soviet Union player from then on. This occurs regardless of the state of relations between the Soviet Union and Japan at the time of the attack, with one exception: If the Soviet Union attacks any Japanese-controlled territory bordering these Mongolian territories while Mongolia is still neutral, Mongolia will remain neutral and not ally itself with the Soviet Union. In addition, the Mongolian territories will never become pro-Axis unless one or more of them is attacked by the Soviet Union.

Attacking is different from declaring war.  Japan and Russia are free to declare war on each other without ever attacking each other at any time, over the entire length of the game.

To be able to land a plane in a territory, the territory has to be under controll by you or your allies at the begining of your turn.

@Variable:

Is this because the German transports are considered part of the attack (amphibious assault)?

Yes.  Transports that unload for an amphibious assault do so in the Combat movement phase (ending their movement for that turn), and so they are considered part of the combat force.

One needs to be prepared for every outcome.  That’s all I am saying.