Question: Air-Naval Combat

[OlivieroRuggieri]

I need a clarification (I already know that the question will be stupid for most people): in an air-naval battle, does the presence of a destroyer make it possible for the planes to hit the submarines for the entire duration of the combat or until the destroyer participates in the combat? I’ll give a practical example to try to be clearer: 3 German submarines and an Italian one are attacked by 1 English submarine, 1 destroyer, 2 fighters and 1 bomber. Given the presence of the English destroyer AT THE BEGINNING OF THE COMBAT, the Axis submarines cannot submerge, they have no surprise attack and CAN BE targeted by English planes (if I understood the rules correctly). The English score 2 hits in the first round of combat and the Axis submarines 3. My doubt is: will the losses for the English be 3? That is, will the third hit of the German submarine hit an English plane or will it be lost? Continuing with the question: if the English (with 2 or 3 hits suffered and in any case WITHOUT HAVING the destroyer) can continue to attack the German submarines (without, I believe, being hit in turn, as happened in the first edition of A&A) or does the sinking of the destroyer restore the rule according to which submarines and air units cannot hit each other? I hope I was clear.

[Witt]

@OlivieroRuggieri Buon giorno.
The Submarines can never hit a plane .

If the Axis get more than two hits , like in your example , the excess hits would be lost. The Subs can only hit ships and the U.K. has just two.
The combat would end , after R1, and the loss of the U.K. Destroyer .
Spero che tu mi abbia capito.
Dove sei in Italia? Io sono in Inghilterra da 55 anni , ma nato a Firenze
Leo.

[OlivieroRuggieri]

@Witt thanks for the explanation and the answer; the doubt (but it was only to be sure) is that the presence of the destroyer (to allow the planes to hit the subs) was necessary ONLY in the first round of combat and the planes could continue to hit the subs even after the sinking of the destroyer because this mechanism had been triggered at the BEGINNING of combat. However, the situation that was created in the first edition of A&A would have occurred where the planes could hit the subs with impunity without fearing any response from them (a problem that I believe has been largely overcome in subsequent editions of A&A). However, I am from Ragusa, Sicily, I am 53 years old and I am a teacher.

[Witt]

@OlivieroRuggieri I saw that you were a teacher from an earlier post and sort of my age (56).
Non sapevo dove, pero’.
Good game , vero? I have been playing with my 9 year old (and the odd adult ).

[OlivieroRuggieri]

@Witt Yes, if you read my previous post (but I also posted one today where I report yesterday’s game), you know what I think: I am an International Chess Master and strategy games have always been my passion; I played the very first edition of A&A many years ago (and for many years), then I gave up because I had no one to play with. Now I have bought practically everything that has come out (Europe and Pacific 40 SE, Anniversary, WWI and Nord Africa. My son (20 years old) is also passionate about wargames and so we often play together and with some of his friends). We started with Nord Africa (and I think we will continue to play it for a while because I really like how it is made), even if we will start Europe 40 soon.

[Witt]

You and I are lucky men , having a son who will play with us . Knowing and loving history , is very important to me.

[OlivieroRuggieri]

@Witt I am a history enthusiast (like all wargamers I think) and I have taught it for many years.