Encirclement and supply

[Mike McCreery]

If a group of units is surrounded by at least 6 enemy units occupying the hexes around the surrounded hex, but the surrounded hex has no enemy units in it does the group of surrounded units still receive supply?

Can a unit trace supply through an enemy occupied hex?

[dr.hal]

I belive you need to determine the status/ownership of the 6 hexSIDES of the hex in question, if all are "owned" by the enemy, then no supplies can cross, so no resupply unless the hex generates its own.

[RangerJoe]

If a group of units is surrounded by at least 6 enemy units occupying the hexes around the surrounded hex, but the surrounded hex has no enemy units in it does the group of surrounded units still receive supply?

Can a unit trace supply through an enemy occupied hex?

No . . .
Unless there is an air lift or sea lift.

Hit "W" for hexside control. As long as you control the relevant hexsides, then the supplies can move through the hex.

[BBfanboy]

Short answer - no supply path can be traced to your troops through a hex occupied solely by the enemy. If you want overland supply your troops must come and break the siege by entering an enemy hex and breaking into your hex or having you break out to link up with them.

Those hex sides will show red on the outside and blue on the inside which can be confusing. There are two doors on every hexside that matter for troop movement in and out of the hex. The enemy has surrounded your troops but not come into your hex so you can leave by any of those hexsides- but will have to engage the enemy troops because they own the hexsides on their hex (you are coming from their outside door (blue) to their inside door (red). Since no supply can reach you, your troops will not be able to auto-retreat if defeated. You could march them back to your original hex (presumably while under attack) and the enemy can follow. If the enemy moved troops into the hex while you were fighting in theirs, it becomes theirs and you are trapped in the hex you attacked. So to have complete freedom of movement you need both inner an outer doors of the hexside to be friendly (blue). You can only cross an enemy held hexside (red) from the outside going into the hex the enemy is in.

To help complete the picture - if the enemy troops in those six hexes surrounding your decided to march directly into your hex, all hexsides would have both inner and outer 'doors' turn red and you would not be able to leave your hex nor receive any supply.

[Mike McCreery]

surrounded.png (467.64 KiB) Viewed 819 times

My opponent had the unfortunate situation when his troops in Loyang were driven out by a river attack and they moved into Chengchow. Tanks quickly surrounded the hex to the west and he was surrounded.

Given the troops withdrew into the hex I am guessing there is already a supply issue presenting itself.

Deciding whether to leave a garrison to pin the 24 units down in place or whether to directly attack the stack and eliminate all of them. If I do that then he gets all those units back in Chungking at 30% strength at no cost to him...

Just making sure that if I do something like that the supply will not get better unless he uses airdrops to increase the supply level. The only other supply is the LI at Chengchow which will provide 30 supplies per day until the resources dry up.

[Mike Solli]

Keep them surrounded and bomb the heck out of them by air. You'll know they are out of supply by the lack of AAA. Your bombers will gain a LOT of experience in ground attack. You can move them to reserve or front line units and replace them with rookies out of flight school (training units in Manchuoko) for more experience. Rinse and repeat.

[RangerJoe]

Keep them surrounded and bomb the heck out of them by air. You'll know they are out of supply by the lack of AAA. Your bombers will gain a LOT of experience in ground attack. You can move them to reserve or front line units and replace them with rookies out of flight school (training units in Manchuoko) for more experience. Rinse and repeat.

I agree. I thought that I had replied and that my reply had been posted before yours but somehow it did not post. Something to add here is that the best bombers for this may be the Idas because of their lower supply usage, followed by the Sonias.

What I will now include is something else. Move a strong stack in to close a hexside to the enemy or use multiple units from different hexsides but they must enter during the same turn. Then move weaker units in from the hexsides that cross water. Expect a shock attack if your units moving across a river have an assault value. HQs do not have an assault value. This prevents his units from moving out of that hex while other units moving in from outside the siege can break the siege while also allowing a retreat path. What you want is a POW camp where all of the hexsides are closed to the enemy so they can't leave. You can have your land units bombard so they can gain some experience but discontinue this when the enemy gets too weak.