Attacking defenseless transport = scramble?

Sure, why not?

There may not be a naval battle occurring immediately once the US Transport enters SZ6, since there are no Japanese combat ships in the water, however the Japanese Kamikazes and Fighters are protecting SZ6; thus they are able to act after the Combat Movement Phase is completed and before the Combat Phase begins.

Kamikazes cannot be used against transports or submarines so the transport may enter the “empty” SZ6 by itself in safety. However, upon entering SZ6 the Japanese Player now has the option to scramble to protect SZ6 and therefore the transports can now be attacked. There does not have to be a naval battle already in place for the planes to scramble; their scrambling itself creates the naval battle.

Axis and Allies Pacific 1940 Rulebook (2nd Edition)
Page 15 (Bold added by me)

Scrambling is a special movement that the defender can make at the end of this phase. It must be done after all of the attacker’s combat movements have been completed and all attacks have been declared. The attacker may not change any combat movements or attacks after the defender has scrambled.

A quick reaction team of no more than 3 defending fighters and/or tactical bombers (strategic bombers can’t scramble) located on each island or coastal territory that has an operative air base can be scrambled to defend against attacks in the sea zones adjacent to those territories. These air units can be scrambled to help friendly units in adjacent sea zones that have come under attack. They can also be scrambled to resist amphibious assaults from adjacent sea zones, whether or not the territory being assaulted is the territory containing the air base. They may defend against the enemy ships conducting the amphibious assault even if friendly ships are not present.

Here is a video on scrambling that might help you out, Savage;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xhUsMuySeQ

Agreed.  Since it was the attackers mistake, the defender should get to choose if they want to re-roll the battle or just remove the bomber mid-combat and keep going.

I’d probly let them bring the bomber somewhere else if there were other attacks not yet rolled though.  I wouldn’t allow them to go back and re-roll another battle with the bomber included though, that ship sailed.

good idea… but the rules are 1 inf, 1 anything else.

@Gargantua:

There are no cats in America…

Steven Spielberg’s “once upon a time in America” great movie!

The original strategy was no secret what Japan was doing.  It was hauling units back and dropping serious money on transports.  The idea was to get them next to W. USA/Panama or one space away so you could close the Canal and take W. USA before America could build enough to stop you.  Meanwhile, the Germans had to be in SZ 91 with some transports of its own, it was like 10 transports and units in Gibraltar./SZ 91 so they could attack E. USA or E. Canada.  That made it so America lost Panama and W. USA but could build enough to stop an E. USA attack but not enough toliberate W. USA and E. Canada.

It was almost unstoppable.  Or rather, I have never seen anyone stop it.  (Putting that disclaimer on so that Jimmy/Jim dont start threads about how to stop Operation American Eagle, etc.)

@barnee said in What Turn to Attack with Japan?:

@AndrewAAGamer

I always thought it was cow who originated it. Good to know. As in the real world, things do develop in parallel : )

I believe Cow is the one that exercised it / pushed it to the level of respect it deserves.

Thanks guys.