[ASLML] Re: CC Infiltration: Perry hath spoken...

[Peter Young]

> Top of the last turn, two Italian 136 half squads take turns double timing
to
> reach adjoining hexes next to an American 666 squad in a two hex 1-story
(by
> SSR) building. The second building hex had just been the scene of a
terrible
> melee with only a DC left in the hex. The American needs to maintain
control
> over the building or suffer immediate loss. The 666 fires at one of the
moving
> Ities at 12 flat (-1 non-assault, +1 woods), K/3 eliminates 136.
> The other CX 136 survives a 6 flat shot and out of desperation advances
into
> melee with the 666. It rolls snakes at 1-6 CC which creates a 7-0 leader
(+1
> Italian, +1 morale <= 6, -1 due to odds < 1-1) but didn't affect the 666
due to
> the CC's +1 for the 136's CX status.
> So, the Italians could refigure the odds at 1-4, casualty reduce the 666
to a
> 346 withdraw the 136 to the other building hex, leave the 7-0 behind in
melee
> to face a 3-1 CC attack. The 136 then plans to pickup the DC and throw it
on
> the 346 in final fire next turn, possibly helped if the 346's 3-1 CC
attack
> doesn't kill the 7-0 (8 wounds him).
>
> But alas, the point of the story, if the Ami 346 rolls his own snakes and
> generates an 8-1 leader, whether the 8-1 or 346 or both choose to withdraw
or
> not.
>
> A18.12 "Unless one or both sides Withdraw due to Infiltration (11.22),
both
> attacks are re-figured using both of the originally-rolled Original DRs
and the
> new leader's FP/Leadership just as if he had been there all along."
>
> Clearly, one or both sides have withdrawn and the original attacks cannot
be
> refigured using the original DRs as the 136 has withdrawn and likewise the
Ami
> 8-1 or 346 may also have withdrawn.
> Rich

I think you have it slightly wrong and I'll try to summarize the rules as I
understand them in answering. The key is that even with Infiltration
(rolling an original 2), CC is NOT considered sequential. As A11.22 states,
simultaneous CC is "momentarily suspended", thus allowing the ATTACKER the
opportunity to withdraw following its attack but before being attacked in
return, but this is not the same as saying the attack is "sequential". Thus
if the ATTACKER doesn't withdraw all of his units, any that stay behind are
still subject to the defender's ORIGINAL attack.

In your example, it's not that the Italians "could" refigure the odds, they
"do" refigure the odds because their attack still proceeds regardless of
whether they subsequently withdraw. Thus with the newly created 7-0, the
odds are refigured at 1:4 thereby casualty reducing the American squad as
you said. They then have the choice of withdrawing both the 1-3-6 squad and
the 7-0 (and avoiding the Ami return attack), withdrawing only one of them,
or leaving both behind. However, any units which stay behind would be
subject to the full 6 FP of the American unit in CC, since because the CC is
<not> sequential, the casualty reduction of the 6-6-6 does not take effect
until after the Ami attack is resolved. Thus if the 7-0 stays behind alone,
he is subject to a 6:1 attack in return. After resolution of the attack, the
6-6-6 would be casualty reduced, and the remaining half squad would then
remain in melee if the 7-0 somehow survived that attack.

I feel pretty comfortable with things up to there. The American unit (as a
6-6-6, NOT a 3-4-6) rolling snakes complicates things a bit. The American
attack probably should be refigured with the new leader, making the odds 7:1
which of course changes nothing in this case (still resolved at 6:1). The
question is whether the Italian attack should be refigured. In this case,
adding the American leader (in addition to the Italian leader) makes the
Italian attack 2:7 instead of 2:6. The odds wouldn't change (still 1:4), but
the result might, as the Casualty Reduction result could apply to the new
8-1 leader instead of the squad depending on Random Selection. However, the
"unless" clause in A18.12 implies that BOTH attacks are NOT in fact
refigured, since the Italian has (partially) withdrawn due to Infiltration.
I'd play it that the original Italian attack is not affected by the American
leader, the Ami squad is reduced, and the Americans attack back at 7:1 prior
to that squad being reduced (thus the American attack is the only one
affected by the newly created American leader). But I readily admit that
others may interpret it differently.

Peter Young
Yakima, WA
http://firstfire.blogspot.com