- [9.0]? ATTACK DESIGNATION
The destruction of enemy units is accomplished in one of two ways: Barrage or Ground Assault. Both are part of the combat process and occur during the Combat Phase. Rules sections 10.0 and 11.0 explain the Ground Assault procedure. Barrages are explained in the Artillery rules section (12.0).
At the beginning of the Combat Phase, in the Attack Designation Segment, the active side designates which friendly units will attack adjacent enemy units. Some situations require the active side to make Mandatory Attacks, while others permit the choice of making Discretionary Attacks.
- [9.1.0]? Designating Attacking Units
During the Attack Designation Step the active side designates which eligible friendly units will attack. Because units in PA Mode are required to attack, they don't need another marker designation (the PA marker serves this purpose). Attacking units that are not in PA Mode are marked with the "Ace of Spades" marker (when used to designate attacks, this marker is called an Attack marker) or oriented in a direction different from other units on the map. The attacking player is not yet required to identify the specific enemy-occupied hex that friendly units will attack until resolution of that attack begins. Note that a unit that is not required to attack that is not marked with an "Attack marker" may not attack during the Ground Assault Segment.
Play Note: Players may be forced to place an Attack marker upon a unit even though intending not to attack with that unit during the upcoming GA segment. Such a unit may be given a ?Retreat marker during the GA Segment - see 11.1.2.
- [9.1.1]? Mandatory Attacks
Active units not in covering terrain (i.e., in Open terrain) hexes that are adjacent to enemy units are required to attack and must be marked with an Attack marker. If such a unit is not in PA Mode place an Ace of Spades marker on it. An adjacent enemy-occupied hex does not require an active unit to attack if the two hexes are separated by any kind of river (the presence of bridges or fords has no effect), or if all of the enemy units in the adjacent hex are in Exploit Mode.
Design Note: The intent here is that units that are not attacking cannot just remain in the combat area as idle spectators-unless there is Covering Terrain. The influence of enemy mortars, MGs?, and counterattacks is the driving force for Mandatory combat in Open terrain.
Q. Does each and every enemy hex adjacent to an active unit not in covering terrain need to be attacked? For example, can the 1/310 and 3/310 attack Kesternich in Sc. 1 without having to attack Stranch and Huppenbroich?
A. Yes, each and every enemy occupied hex adjacent to an active unit that is not in covering terran must be attacked (that is what barrages are good for-possibly retreating or eliminating units on the flank of an attacking force. I considered an optional rule that allowed active units to ignore enemy occupied hexes that were marked with an arty shift marker. i.e., if during the artillery barrage segment, the active player inflicted an artillery shift on an enemy stack of units, he could ignore those units in the upcoming ground assault segment. Feel free to play with this option; however, understant that it also does tilt play balance in favor of the attacking side.
- [9.1.1a]? Covering vs. Open Terrain
Covering Terrain is any hex containing at least one of the following: location, village, town, city, woods, forest, fieldworks or fortification. Open Terrain is any hex that is not Covering Terrain. In addition, whenever an active unit is Attack Designated it is considered to have left cover and is treated like it is in Open Terrain for purposes of 9.1.1 (and 12.0 Barrage). This may create more Mandatory Attack requirements against other adjacent enemy units.
Example: A stack of active friendly units is in covering terrain and is adjacent to two enemy-occupied hexes. If it were to be designated to attack one of the stacks, the other would also have to be attacked (by it or another friendly unit). This means that a line of contiguous defending hexes can be much harder to assault.
The act of launching an attack has negated the covering terrain in the active player's hex, and the attacker is now treated as though he were in open terrain. Other enemy-occupied hexes must now also be attacked, which in game terms, may become soak-off attacks.
Design Note: Covering Terrain confers many advantages to the attacker. It allows non-attacking units the ability to remain close to the attacked hexes without being exposed to the same deadly defending artillery fire as the attacking units. Also, the units are not forced to retreat from a hex even if the attack fails badly. Use covering terrain wisely.
- [9.1.2]? Discretionary Attacks
Active units that are not required to attack (9.1.1) may voluntarily attack. This is termed a Discretionary Attack. When designating units for Discretionary Attacks, not all units in a stack must be so designated. A player may choose one, some or all units comprising the stack. Note that a Discretionary Attack may lead to the creation of other Mandatory Attack situations.
Important: Only the unit(s) designated for attack is considered to be in Open terrain if the hex contains Covering Terrain.
- [9.1.3]? Attack Prohibitions
- If a hex contains terrain that is prohibited to a unit during movement, that unit cannot attack that hex. Artillery and HQ units may not attack and therefore cannot be designated as attacking units.
- [9.2.0]? Unit Participation in Ground Assaults
- A hex may be attacked from any of the six adjacent hexes as long as the terrain permits. All units in a defending hex can only be attacked as part of the same Ground Assault; they can't be attacked individually. When a stack of units is attacked the defender cannot withhold any eligible units from the defense of that hex. All units in that hex are affected by the combat results of an attack against them.
- [9.2.1]? Multi-Unit and Multi-Hex Ground Assaults
- Active units in two or more hexes may participate in the same attack only if they are all adjacent to the defending hex and in PA Mode. Multiple hexes may be attacked as part of a single Ground Assault if all the attacking units are adjacent to all of the defending hexes. If the defending hexes contain more than one terrain type, the terrain most favorable to the defender is used.
- [9.2.2]? Unit Stacks and the Attacker
Attack designated units in the same hex aren't required to participate in the same attack if all attack requirements are met. Units in the same hex may attack different hexes from one another. Active units that don't participate in a Ground Assault are not affected by the results of that attack, unless they retreated into the affected hex in the same Combat phase.
Play Note: There are many possible attack combinations, if it is not expressly prohibited it is allowed.
- [9.2.3]? One Attack/Defense per Ground Assault Segment
- No unit may participate in more than one Ground Assault per segment. If a non-active unit retreats into a hex that is subsequently attacked in the same phase, it contributes nothing to that defense though it is affected by any result inflicted on the defenders. (Reminder: you can use a ?Retreat marker to keep track of retreated units in this case.)
- [9.2.4]? Constricted Terrain and Attack Limits
An attack into a constricted terrain hex is limited to two units (1 battalion max) from each adjacent hex.
Design Note: The uneven nature of some terrain and the steepness of slopes, gullies or ravines, make deployment and attack into such terrain very difficult, if not impossible.
Play Note: Remember not all units in a stack must be Attack Designated.
Constricted Terrain and Combat Stacking:
Stacks in A1 and A2 are in PA mode, so they may both attack D1. But D1 is in Constricted Terrain, so only one battalion and one other unit may attack from each adjacent hex. A2 contains just that (due to the constricted terrain hex it occupies), while A1 contains two battalions and one other unit. Only one battalion and one other non-battalion unit may attack from A1.
