Air/Naval Combat Hit Allocation Examples

by Jay Meyers

This article explains how to apply the hit allocation rules (8.2F). The example of play describes a US raid on the Marshalls, subsequent Japanese reaction and an air/naval battle. The emphasis of the article is on the application of hits by both sides with special attention to rule 8.2F4. This rule will often cause new players confusion and it may not be obvious how to use this rule from a tactical standpoint. Different approaches to the tactics of the raid are shown in three scenarios.

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The US plays Typhoon Taskforce (2OC) as an event. SW HQ activates 6 units to raid Kwajalein which is occupied by the Junyo CVL and Tenyru CL. Japan intercepts successfully and the SS HQ activates 4 units: Shokaku CV, Soryu CV, Zuiho CVL and 23rd AF. The units move as shown below and all participate in the battle at Kwajalein.

Scenario 1

Combatloss1
US Raid and Japanese Reaction. Note that the position of the carriers is not critical as long as they are within their three-hex (Japan) or two-hex (US) air strike range of the battle hex, Kwajalein. They are spread out on the map for artistic and readability purposes only.

In order to illustrate how hits are allocated, I will focus on US hits vs. Japanese units assuming two outcomes: a '1' result without a critical hit and the critical hit result. The hit selections that I describe are not the only legal selections but they are what I consider the best options.

Here is a list of the hits by the US for a maximum result (not a critical hit). Numbers in parentheses are the cumulative number of hits.

83 US hits

The key rule in explaining this outcome is 8.2F4 which dictates that Air, CV, CVL and CVE units (hereafter referred to as air capable units) not in a hex with enemy naval units (essentially fighting at range) can only be hit if the opposing side has a matching air capable unit.

In this example, only three Japanese air-capable units outside the battle hex can receive hits because the US only has three air-capable units in the battle (the three CVs). However, all four units that Japan used to react are outside the battle and air-capable; thus one of these units is immune from being hit by the US. (Note: In fact because reaction units have to join a battle, only air-capable units can be outside of a battle hex after reaction movement and they must be in range of a battle so they can participate in it.)

The US chooses to flip the two CVs and the air unit, leaving the Zuhio CVL untouched. Even though the Junyo CVL is an air-capable unit, since it is in the battle hex, the restriction in 8.2F4 does not apply. Thus, the Junyo and Tenyru are also flipped. This leaves all the Japanese units flipped except for the Zuhio CVL.

8.2F2 and 8.2F3 dictate that all units must be flipped before any unit is eliminated. Since the Zuhio is not flipped the US is not able to use the remaining 33 hits.

Japan can now apply 8.2F7 (Japanese Naval Aircraft Range Advantage) and flip the Zuhio (or eliminate the Junyo) and recover the Shokaku back to full strength. Note that even though the Zuhio was not able to be hit by the US due to 8.2F4, Japan could still select it for the purposes of 8.2F7.

83 US hits with a Critical Hit Result

If the US gets a Critical Hit result, 8.2F4 still applies but 8.2F2 and 8.2F3 are circumvented allowing consecutive hits to be applied to any unit. Only 3 of the 4 air capable units outside the battle hex can be hit but they can receive two hits (i.e., they can be eliminated). As a result, almost all of the 83 hits can be used. Note that 8.2F7 does not apply when the US gets a Critical Hit.

Scenario 2

Before turning to a different and better Japanese reaction, let's first analyze Japan's options for hits. With a maximum of 60 hits, Japan can either flip the two 16-16 BBs and 2 CVs (or the 15-12 BB and 1 CV; either way 56 hits) or flip 3 CVs and 1 16-16 BB (52 hits). The US receives a lot of 16-16 BBs over the course of the game, and by the end of the war, it is not uncommon to have too many (i.e., more than you can activate in a given turn). Moreover, because of the need for air capable units in order to be able to use all your hits, carriers are very important. Even though carriers typically have lower combat values than BBs, the game models their impact very well (if somewhat subtly) with rule 8.2F4. When I first started playing, I would hit the BBs since it reduces the US attack strength by 8 (vs. 4 for hitting a CV). But now I've learned that it is best to go after CVs whenever possible (as the real combatants learned as well!). Thus, to maximize damage to the US carrier force, Japan only needs 52 hits (3 CVs + 1 BB).

With this in mind, a better Japanese reaction would be to activate the Junyo CVL (instead of the Zuhio CVL) and move it out of the battle hex, dropping the Japanese attack value to 52.

Combatloss2
Alternate (and better) Japanese Reaction.

For the non-critical hit maximum result, the US hits now look like this:

83 US hits

Rule 8.2F4 comes into play again as the US can only "hit" three of the four air-capable Japanese units not in the battle hex. Japan then applies 8.2F7, flipping the Junyo and recovering the Shokaku to full strength. Compared to Scenario 1, Japan saves a step loss. Japan also saves a step loss in the Critical Hit outcome:

83 US hits with a Critical Hit Result

Scenario 3

As the above examples demonstrate, 8.2F4 can be used to your advantage to minimize hits against your units. Without a critical hit, the US only used 42 or 50 of a possible 83 hits.

So is there a US counter to this? You bet. By leaving the old Mississippi BB home and sending an air unit (the LRB) instead, the US now has four air capable units. Japan can only react with four units, so at most, Japan will have four air capable units outside the battle hex. This means that the US will not be hindered by 8.2F4.

Combatloss3
Alternate (and better) US Offensive.

Even though the maximum number of hits is lower, the US can use more of them to do more damage in the non-critical hit outcome:

72 US hits

Japan can apply 8.2F7 to eliminate the Soryu and recover the reduced Shokaku for little gain (trading a 1 step 7-12 CV for a 1 step 9-12 CV). Compared to Scenario 2, Japan loses 3 more steps (7 to 4).

72 US hits with a Critical Hit Result

Seven steps are eliminated which is the same as in Scenario 2. With the additional hits in Scenario 2, the 23rd AF could be eliminated instead of the Junyo CVL, so at best the critical hit result is a push compared to Scenario 2.

However, if you assume that the US will maximize the number of step losses for a given number of hits, the Scenario 3 attack does more damage on average compared to the Scenario 2 attack (4.3 steps to 4.0 for a 1942 attack, 4.8 to 4.1 for 1943). This may not seem like a lot but over the course of a long game, the US needs to attrition a lot of Japanese air/naval steps and proper tactics will bring a divedend in the long run.

Conclusion

As you can hopefully see by this example, the game emphasizes the strategic importance of air capable units. Sending in a TF of big battleships can be dangerous against an all air capable reaction force. Instead, a mixture of force types (and the right mix at that) is best.