Port strikes

[Chaylaton]

Can Subs be port struck? Becuase I'm playing the Axis in my current game and the British have port struck me about 4 times already. So I'm trying to save what U boats I have since the Bismark and most of the rest of my surface fleet is on the scrap heap. The reason why I ask is I think in real life a sub pen in France, I think didn't fall until after VE day the allies just by passed it and left it under siege.

Chaylaton

[mmn]

Yes - you can port strike subs. Nevertheless if you base your subs in a major port then you, as the sub owner, decide if they are to be included in the combat. In a minor port the subs are automatically included.

regards,
Morten

[Mziln]

Where was your fleet where you could be port attacked 4 times?


11.2 Port attack

The attack

After any air-to-air combat (see 14.3), your opponent subjects the surviving bombers to anti-aircraft fire from the naval units in the port (see 11.5.9) and AA units (AsA option 3: see 22.4.2).

Then you attack the naval units with any of your bombers’ air-to-sea factors that survived anti-aircraft fire. You do this just like a naval air combat (see 11.5.9) with the exceptions that:

(a) SUBs in a minor port are automatically included (major ports are assumed to have bomb-proof pens and the owner may choose whether to include them in combat or not); and
(b) Each ‘A’ (abort) result allows you to turn a face-up target unit, face-down; and
(c) There is only 1 combat round in a port attack.

[composer99]

I can't imagine wanting to include my submarines in a port strike combat, since all it would do is increase the target profile with no gain in AA factors.

[Hortlund]

If you include them you can select them as targets. Might be more fun to lose a sub than a CV.

[Frederyck]

Yes, but the attacker gets first choice of target, so not only do you give her potentially a better result (more ships) you still won't save the juiciest target.

[composer99]

I'd consider including subs if it didn't increase the target profile and if I, when I got to pick hits, felt all my SCS were better than the subs on hand.
 
Maybe if I was the Japanese player I would do this. Not really anyone else (Germany and Italy's surface fleets are sunk ships sailing, and CW and USA have so many crappy old battleships to take hits).