A Bug?: Retreating from one SL 0 Hex to Another

[K.J.001]

In my mopping up operation aimed at eliminating the several out of supply Soviet Armies around Novgorod, my AI opponent retreated two of his Armies from a SL 0 hex to another without surrendering.

I am completely baffled. Is this a bug? Or am I missing something entirely?

p.s. I have just kept a separate copy of the game files for that particular turn.

[Von Cone-on]

Hi K.J.100
I think the surrender rule for supply 0 only applies in retreat from combat situations ie as long as out of supply units have sufficient readiness they can safely plot up to 2 hex's if they don't then they won't plot
Cheers Von Cone-on

[RickyB]

According to the manual, it is a bug. However, I believe the game has always been this way, and that the manual was wrong on it, as it is with so many other things.

[Von Cone-on]

"A unit will surrender if forced to retreat
from an SL 0 hex to another SL 0 hex or if
they are surrounded and have no retreat
path available."

"Mechanized units can
normally plot 5 hexes of movement; only 2
hexes can be plotted in the cases where the
Supply Level of the hex is 0, or the weather
is Rain or Blizzard ."

Maybe these quotes from the manual might help clear up the situation although I'm not sure which bit of the manual you are referring to Rick?? As you say the manual is quite often wrong or not specific enough.
Cheers Von Coneon

[RickyB]

Part 1, retreating from SL 0 to SL 0, which seems to match the original question to perfection. As far as I remember, it has always happened in every version, so I think the manual has always been wrong, rather than this being a bug. There are many things wrong in the manual, such as bombing "bridges" across rivers for example.

[K.J.001]

RickyB has just beaten me to the question.

Three out of supply Soviet Armies have already been eliminated and there are still eight more to go in the Soviet pocket around Novgorod before I start to dig in at the beginning of October for the 1941/2 Winter. The good news is that I have already captured Leningrad on 14 September even as I have been following the Finnish House Rule.

[K.J.001]

After several cups of coffee, I have just realized the profound implications of what was being discussed here. In this instance, there is no way of guaranteeing the surrender of enemy units apart from physically surrounding them with friendly ones.

The rule on shattering (i.e. retreating from a SL 1 or greater to 0 hex) is not sacrosanct either.