Yup, another bug

[joshuamnave]

Might be related to the aligning Australia bug. This save game is during the ground strike phase. Germany and Italy are at war with France. Italy is not at war with the UK. In Jan/Feb, Germany conquered Belgium, which had been aligned with the UK. Now Germany is groundstriking a French unit in what used to be Belgium. Italy is trying to escort the German bomber, but is unable to because the game thinks it's a neutral country hex.

In this save file, the German groundstrikes have been launched, and it's Italy's phase. Try to use the Italian fighter to escort the German bomber NW of the Ardennes Forest.

[Centuur]

Not a bug. Although Belgium has been conquered, hexes which were occupied with Allied forces in Belgium remain controlled by the Commonwealth during conquest.

Since Italy is neutral, it can't fly any aircraft into hexes controlled by the CW.

You have to be at war with the controller of the hex to attack a hex (or move units into...).

[joshuamnave]

RAC 19.3
"You can enter hexes controlled by a minor country if: It is conquered by you or another active major power on your side".

Belgium was conquered on the previous turn, so it has been conquered. The hex is now controlled by France. I see nothing in the conquest rules or the minor country rules that would indicate that after conquest, hexes occupied by and controlled by France remain under CW control, or that Italy can't move into a country that was once controlled (but no longer is) by a country with whom Italy is not at war.

[joshuamnave]

To clarify - no allied unit, French or British, occupied that hex prior to conquest. When Belgium was conquered, that hex became German controlled. Then France moved into it. The control flag indicates it's a French hex as well.

[Centuur]

If the hex was uncontested (that is in a ZOC of an Allied unit only) during conquest, control of the hex doesn't change...

From RAW:

Now change the control of the conquered home country. Every one of
its hexes occupied by a land or aircraft unit (most combat factors if
more than one), or in the uncontested (by any other major power) ZoC
of a land unit, becomes controlled by that unit’s controlling major
power; unless already controlled by another major power on the same
side. All other hexes in the home country become controlled by the
conquering major power. All other territory the conquered major
power or minor country controls remains under its control.

If you check the flags, the hex is clearly shown as a CW hex...

So the fact that the Italians can't fly the plane isn't a bug. However, there may be a bug during conquest here (but that depends on the situation at that particular moment).

[joshuamnave]

On my copy, it showed as a French flag. But reloading the game might have changed that. But that aside, there were Germans in Brussels at the time of Conquest, and the hex was vacant, so it should have become German controlled. When the French walked in, it should have become French controlled.

[paulderynck]

The only way it could have become CW controlled would have been if CW units were in those hexes (at least the two adjacent to Brussels and also with no Germans in Antwerp) when the conquest was resolved, because I doubt that it would have been due to CW ZOC on them combined with no Germans in Brussels at that point.

"All other hexes in the home country become controlled by the conquering major power."

If the game thinks the hexes are CW controlled when they weren't, then that is what the bug is, because the rule is as Centuur said, from Multiple States of War: "A unit may not enter or attack a hex (or units therein) controlled by a major power on the other side that it isn't at war with." Which makes those hexes invulnerable from Italian involvement."

[paulderynck]

Got a save from just prior to conquest of Belgium, by any chance?

[joshuamnave]

nope

[Shannon V. OKeets]

ORIGINAL: paulderynck

The only way it could have become CW controlled would have been if CW units were in those hexes (at least the two adjacent to Brussels and also with no Germans in Antwerp) when the conquest was resolved, because I doubt that it would have been due to CW ZOC on them combined with no Germans in Brussels at that point.

"All other hexes in the home country become controlled by the conquering major power."

If the game thinks the hexes are CW controlled when they weren't, then that is what the bug is, because the rule is as Centuur said, from Multiple States of War: "A unit may not enter or attack a hex (or units therein) controlled by a major power on the other side that it isn't at war with." Which makes those hexes invulnerable from Italian involvement."

Not as I read the conquest rules (RAC page 110).

The hexes in Belgium not controlled by the Axis at the time of conquest would have been controlled by the Commonwealth, since Belgium was aligned to the Commonwealth (I'm ignoring the case where the Axis captured a hex and then the French recaptured it). If a French unit were sitting in the hex next to Brussels, then the hex would have remained in the control of the Commonwealth. But for the situation as shown in post #5 above to have happened, the French (or the Commonwealth) would have had to have had a land or air unit in each of the 4 hexes now shown as belonging to the Commonwealth.

[Shannon V. OKeets]

My current take on this is what Centaur said in post #2: it is not a bug.

[paulderynck]

Now change the control of the conquered home country. Every one of its hexes occupied by a land or aircraft unit (most combat factors if more than one), or in the uncontested (by any other major power) ZoC of a land unit, becomes controlled by that unit’s controlling major power; unless already controlled by another major power on the same side. All other hexes in the home country become controlled by the conquering major power. All other territory the conquered major power or minor country controls remains under its control.

As per above when Belgium is conquered, the only hexes that would not change to German control would be those occupied by an Allied unit or those on which:
a) the only ZOC is from an Allied unit, combined with: b) the hex was not already taken by the Axis.

Given the size of Belgium and where the German units would likely be when conquest occurs, this almost always defaults to only those hexes occupied by Allied units - otherwise they are German-controlled.

If it could be proven that the hexes in question were not occupied when Belgium was conquered, and also were in German ZOCs, then it is a Conquest hex control bug.

This is hard to do without a saved game from just prior to the conquest.