Rules Clarification for Aircraft Carriers and Fighters


  • In my game with NoMercy… the following situation arose:

    NoMercy moved 3 fighters from Norway to seazone 12… with the plan to move his AC from SZ 5 to SZ 7 (between Spain and UK) to land the surviving fighters on.

    But all his fighters died…

    We would both like to know if since all 3 fighters died… does the AC still need to go to SZ 7 so that the fighters move isn’t considered “Kamikazi” or is it free to go on it’s merry way to SZ 3 with the rest of the navy since the fighters are destroyed anyway.

    I know that had the fighters lived… it would be illegal to sink them in the ocean and move the AC … but since they are dead the ruling is less clear.

    (the UK owns Algeria so they couldn’t have landed there).


  • That is a good question. We have never played that you have to move the AC to land fighters that aren’t there. It just doesn’t seem “fair.” The closest thing I can find in the rulebook is on page 27. “Your aircraft carrier can move to a sea zone where one of your fighters has ended its move (and in fact, it must do so) but cannot move any farther that turn.”

    That suggests to me that since the fighters did not end their move (so to speak) the obligation of moving the carrier is removed.

    I am no expert on the rules though.

    Wait I found it. It is on page 26!!! “you must follow through unless the fighter or the carrier is destroyed before then.”

  • 2007 AAR League

    Great question, I had to dig through the rules to find that one, frimmel is correct (pg 26 OOB=pg 19 LHTR v1.3-pdf). The rule also states that if the surviving fighters have another place to land (not applicable in your scenario) the carrier is not obligated to move to that seazone even if that was the declared intention.


  • That question arose in one of my early games with Tri.

    The general consensus that I have observed is that, you have to declare the move in order to allow for the FIGs to land.  But if the FIGs die, then the move is no longer necessary and can be changed.

    I have not seen any strong arguments that force the AC to make the move despite no FIGs to recover.  Not to say there are not any.  But I have never seen them.


  • @frimmel:

    Wait I found it. It is on page 26!!! “you must follow through unless the fighter or the carrier is destroyed before then.”

    That only makes sense.  The requirement to continue to the original sz is dismissed, as the fighters all were destroyed before the move.

    Good question 8-)


  • @Shining:

          NoMercy moved 3 fighters from Norway to seazone 12…. with the plan to move his AC from SZ 5 to SZ 7 (between Spain and UK) to land the surviving fighters on.

    Was there a potential landing spot for the 3rd Fighter, since only 2 could land on the AC?  You can’t commit three fighters to an attack and say “I know at least one will die, and the AC will pick up the one or two survivors”.  EVERY fighter commited to battle MUST have a potential landing spot.

  • 2007 AAR League

    Yes, the 3rd fighter which he forgot to mention where it came from, came from Africa (Libya I beleive now). my plan was to land that one in Western Europe.

    all the fighters had a place to move. so it was no problem.

Suggested Topics

Axis & Allies Boardgaming Custom Painted Miniatures

21

Online

17.0k

Users

39.2k

Topics

1.7m

Posts