11.16.5 Resolving attacks
Results
(replaces subsection)
Cross-reference the (modified) roll with the final odds column. For odds less than 1-2, use the 1-2 column. For final odds or more than 7-1 (blitzkrieg) or 10-1 (assault) use the right-most column.
The result is expressed as 'X/Y'. If X is a number, destroy that number of attacking land units. If Y is a number, destroy that number of defending land units. The owning player always chooses losses in a land combat, subject to casualty points and special unit losses.
Most land units have 1 casualty point and thus satisfy a '1' result for units lost in a land combat. However, divisions (including all guns) have only 0.5 casualty points, and may only satisfy half a loss. If you have only one divsion in the combat and lose it, then one of your other corps involved in the combat will have to become a kampfgruppe as well (see below), unless of course only that division (and no other unit) was involved in the combat, in which case it is simply destroyed.
If the attacker chooses the combat table and chooses Blitzkrieg, then the first unit destroyed must be one of the units which contributed to his ARM value. In an attack involving an invasion, the first attacking unit destroyed must be a MAR if one was used, or any other invading unit if not. In an attack involving a paradrop, the first unit lost must be a PARA. If an ENG divsion uses any of its abilities in an attack, then the first unit lost must be the ENG. If more than one of these conditions apply, the defender can choose which unit type takes the first casualty. The attacker selects the specific unit of that type and all units thereafter. (Note: in all cases, a division destroyed satisfies the required loss, though it will not satisfy a '1' result completely, of course, and some other unit will also have to be destroyed or become a kampfgruppe, see below.)
Example: two INF divisions are invading a hex in conjunction with an overland attack by a MECH unit and other supporting units. The attacker can call blitz and does so. The attackers suffer a '1' result. The defender can require that the first loss be either an ARM or MECH unit due to the blitz, or be an invading unit due to the invasion. He specifies an ARM or MECH, and the MECH unit must be destroyed.
Kampfgruppe
(new subsection after Results)
A kampfgruppe may be formed in two ways. Any corps-sized white print land unit (except HQ-A, HQ-I, and MIL) taken as a casualty if the unit is in supply, has a legal retreat route, is not a defending unit when a shatter result is called for, becomes a kampfgruppe. Additionally, any corps-sized unit (except HQ-A, HQ-I, and MIL) which is used to satisfy 0.5 of a casualty (due to a division or gun taking up 0.5 of the result) also becomes a kampfgruppe as long as the unit was in supply, had a legal retreat route, and was not a defending unit when a shatter result occurred. The unit which becomes a kampfgruppe is destroyed, but instead of returning it to your force pool, place it in the repair pool.
During the next production phase, players remove all of their land units from the repair pool. These kampfgruppe units can immediately be used to help build either a unit of the same type or an INF or MIL unit. The cost and time to build a unit with a kampfgruppe is halved, rounding up any half build points or turns. Put the white print kampfgruppe unit back into the force pool before randomly selecting the unit to be built.
Example: continuing the above example, suppose the MECH unit was white print, and was destroyed while in supply with a legal retreat route. Place the MECH in the repair pool. In the subsequent production phase, the owning player could build a new MECH unit at cost of 3 build points and 2 turns time, thanks to the kampfgruppe MECH. Alternately, the kampfgruppe MECH could be used to reduce an INF to 2 bps and 1 turn, or a MIL to 1 bp and 1 turn.
Background/Purpose: The required armor loss simulates the high attrition rate these units took when leading the attack (ie, calling blitz). Likewise for marine and paratroop units (as well as combat engineers). The kampfgruppe rule from LOC2 had some adherents, but others disliked it due to shortage of division counters to replace lost corps with. This revision takes a leaf from PiF and pilots: a unit lost (like an airplane whose pilot lived) can in the right circumstances become the cadre through which to construct a replacement unit.