- [17.0]? UNIT BREAKDOWN & BUILD-UP
- Most units may breakdown, or detach company-sized units. Units may also use the reverse process of breakdown to reform or reincorporate detached companies. Units may only breakdown or reform during a friendly movement phase, and it costs them one-half of their current Movement Allowance to do so. The Unit Breakdown Chart diagrams how parent units breakdown into companies, and vice versa.
- [17.1.0]? Unit Breakdown & Detachment
- Units can be broken down completely into smaller companies, or detach steps, each of which form one breakdown company unit.
- [17.1.1]? How to Breakdown Units
- To breakdown completely, the parent unit is removed from the map and placed on a sheet of paper that records which units are broken down. Breakdown companies of that unit type are then placed in the hex the parent unit occupied, check the Unit Breakdown Chart for that unit type. The number of companies placed should equal the number of strength steps the parent unit had when it was broken down. Units with a red triangle may never breakdown or reform. A unit may never breakdown in a way that increases the total number of factors of any combat factor.
- [17.1.2]? Detaching Company Breakdown Units
- A parent unit may also detach steps of strength in the form of breakdown companies. In this case, the parent unit remains on the map, but the number of steps it possesses is reduced for each company detached.
- [17.2.0]? Reforming Units
- Reforming a unit is the opposite of breaking down or detaching smaller companies.
- [17.2.1]? How to Reform Units
- To reform a completely broken down unit, all breakdown units must start the Movement phase in the same hex. Remove the breakdown units from the map and replace them with the parent unit. A reformed unit's step total is equal to the number of companies that were present when it reformed. When reforming a unit, players should try to use the same company units that were formed when a unit broke down. Notes should be taken down on paper to keep track of this.
- [17.2.2]? Re-Incorporating Companies
- Players may re-incorporate detached breakdown companies into the parent unit. Both units must occupy the same hex at the start of a movement phase. Remove the breakdown company from the map and increase the parent unit's strength by one step for each re-incorporated company.
[17.3.0]? Breakdown Special Rules
- [17.3.1]? Proficiency Ratings
Breakdown units all have a generic Proficiency Rating in order to reduce record keeping. German Leg units have an attack PR of five and a defense PR of six. German Mech companies have ratings one higher. US Leg companies have an attack and defense PR of six. All US Mech companies have attack ratings of six and defense ratings of seven.
Optional: allow German Infantry 2-2-0 companies a proficiency rating of 6 on attack and defense.
- [17.3.2]? Back-Printed Breakdown Units
- All company-size units are back-printed with another type of company-size unit. This is not a reduced strength side, but is an entirely different unit provided for breakdowns of other types of battalions.
- [17.3.3]? Hybrid Unit Breakdowns
- Some Mech units are Hybrid units containing a mixture of mechanized infantry and pure armor. On the counter each silhouette or unit type symbol represents one company of that type. Therefore Hybrid units break down into different types of breakdown units. See the Unit Breakdown Chart for Hybrid unit break down and restrictions.
- [17.3.4]? Reforming into T0&E Battalions
Some generic battalion-sized units have been provided for both sides. This is to allow players to break down some hybrid units into their separate armor and mechanized infantry companies and then recombine some of those units into pure mechanized infantry or armor battalions. All normal rules for breakdown and build-up are used when forming or disbanding these type of units.
Note that the battalion-sized panzer unit on the back of some reserve panzer units is not an at start unit. It exists so that players may form up a Panzer Battalion unit by breaking down panzer teams and using the breakdowns plus the reserve company to form a Panzer Battalion.
- [17.3.5]? Maintaining Unit Affiliation (Optional)
- Players may track the parent units that breakdown companies belong to and use the actual Proficiency Ratings of that unit. If a breakdown company for a parent unit is lost, the parent unit cannot totally reform until a replacement has been used to rebuild the lost company.
