10. Supply
A unit or markers must be able to trace a supply line in order to conduct various game mechanics, as listed in their respective rules. A unit or marker that can trace a supply line to a supply source is considered supplied. If it cannot, it is considered unsupplied.
10.1 Supply Sources
The following are supply sources:
- A Home Country City is a supply source for any counter belonging to that Country.
- A Partisan Base marker is a supply source for any counter belonging to the Minor Country in which it is located.
Example: A Partisan Base marker in Yugoslavia would be a supply source for only Yugoslavian units.
- A Western Off-Map Box is a supply source for any Western counter.
- A Soviet Off-Map Box is a supply source for any Soviet counter.
Supply Sources Restriction: A City or Partisan Base cannot be used as a supply source if its hex contains an enemy unit, Airdrop, Detachment, or Logistics marker.
10.2 Supply Line
A supply line is traced from the hex containing the counter to a supply source. Do not count the hex containing the counter. A supply line can be traced out of a hex containing an enemy unit or marker.
If the unit occupies a hex or Off-Map Box containing a supply source, it is supplied – no need to trace a supply line.
A supply line is traced for each unit or marker at the moment supply is needed.
When a ground unit is selected to move in the Operational Movement Phase, a check is made to see if a supply line can be traced for it. If one cannot be traced, that unit cannot move at that particular moment. If at a later time in that same Movement Phase a supply line can be traced, the unit could move then.
Two Hex Free Trace: Up to the first two hexes of a supply line can be traced through any hex that is not otherwise prohibited by Supply Line Restrictions below.
Only the very first two hexes of a supply line can be traced across any kind of terrain. But once you start to trace supply via a Rail/Road network (see below), you can’t leave that network for a hex or two and still trace supply.
Road/Rail Trace: If a supply line reaches a hex (of the owning faction’s choice) containing a Road or Rail symbol, it can then be traced any distance along a series of connected Road/Rail symbols to a supply source. If Road or Rail symbols adjoin a Connected Strait, they are considered connected. However, the Supply Line can only be traced across one Connected Strait or stretch of contiguous Road hexes. Once a Supply Line crosses a Connected Strait or Road hex, it cannot later be traced across a second Connected Strait, or a Road hex separated by Rail hexes from the first Road hex.
Example: A German unit in e1919 could trace supply across two hexes to e2119 and then back along the Rail line through Ankara and across the Connected Strait at Istanbul and back to Germany. A German unit in e1819 would not be able to trace this path. It can reach the Road hex at e2019, but once it uses the Road it can’t use the Connected Strait.
An Italian unit in Damascus e1716 could not use the combination of Road and Rail hexes to trace overland supply back to Tobruk, as any path it could trace would involve two separate stretches of Road hexes, the first being the Road hexes near Haifa (e1615) or Jerusalem (e1515), the second being the stretch beginning at Sollum (e1307).
Naval Zone Trace: A supply line can be traced across a Naval Zone from an Open Port to Open Port within that Naval Zone. It can continue through any number of Naval Zones in this fashion. Each Naval Zone along the supply line must contain a friendly Supply Convoy marker in its Convoys Box. Note that several Naval Zones have inherent Western Supply Convoy markers.
Supply Line Combinations: A supply line can be traced any distance along any combination of connected Rail hexes, one stretch of contiguous Road hexes or a Connected Strait, across Naval Zones and/or between Off-Map Boxes.
Example: A US ground unit is in hex e1206. Because an Axis ground unit in Tobruk is exerting an EZOC into hex e1306, the Western faction traces its first hex of the supply line into is e1207. The second hex is traced into Sollum (e1307), which contains a Road symbol). From Sollum, the line is traced along connected Road and Rail hexes to the Open Port of Suez. From Suez, it’s traced across the Arabian Sea Naval Zone to the Middle East Box, a Western Supply Source. The German unit in Tobruk (e1406) traces supply across the Central Mediterranean Naval Zone (which contains an Axis Italian Supply Convoy marker) to the Open Port of Taranto, and finally along connected Rail hexes into Germany.
An Axis Sub Fleet is in the North Atlantic On Station Box. Since any Port in a Naval Zone containing an enemy Fleet unit cannot be an Open Port, the Western faction cannot trace a supply line across the North Atlantic Naval Zone.
Overland Supply: If a rule specifically states a unit or marker must trace an overland supply line, then no part of that supply line can be traced across a Naval Zone.
△ Central Asia Box: For purposes of tracing a supply line, hexes e2828 to e5127 along the eastern map edge are considered part of the Central Asia Box. A supply line traced into one of those hexes is considered to have been traced to the Central Asia Box.
Supply Line Restrictions:
- A supply line cannot be traced into an EZOC hex unless another friendly unit is in that hex.
- A supply line cannot be traced into a hex containing any enemy unit, Airdrop, Detachment, or Logistics marker.
- A supply line cannot be traced into a hex that contains an enemy Partisan Base marker and does not contain a friendly ground unit.
- A supply line cannot be traced into a hex containing a City and/or Port in an enemy Country (excluding Conquered Allied Countries) unless it is under friendly control.
- A supply line cannot be traced into a hex in a Neutral Minor Country (13.4).
- An Allied unit or marker with a Posture of War cannot trace a supply line into a PAC hex (13.6.1.1) or use a PAC Supply Convoy.
- A supply line cannot be traced across an All-Sea hexside unless the hexside is a Strait hexside or is part of a hex containing a Beachhead marker.
Note that you can trace supply through any hexside of a hex containing a Beachhead marker, not just the Beachhead Hexside.
10.3 Supply Effects
An HQ unit must be supplied and in its Home Country to be a Replacement Location (1.3.4).
A Western Logistics marker must be able to trace a supply line to be a Replacement Location.
△ An Axis or Soviet Logistics marker must be able to trace an overland supply line to be a Replacement Location.
A ground unit, Detachment marker, or Logistics marker must be supplied to serve as an Air Base or Naval Base in the Support Segment (2.2.3).
Units must be supplied to combine during the Organization Segment (2.3.1).
Unsupplied units can convert into a fortress or break down.
Only phasing supplied ground units can move in the Operational Movement Phase (3.1).
Unsupplied units can move during the Reserve Movement Phase (5).
An Airborne unit must be supplied to conduct an Airdrop (4.1.1) in the Blitz Combat Segment.
An attacking armor unit must be supplied to provide an Armor Shift in the Blitz Combat Segment (4.1.2).
An Airdrop marker must be able to trace a supply line to be replaced by a one-step infantry unit in the Airdrop Landing part of the Blitz Combat Segment (4.1.4).
An HQ unit must be supplied to provide Ranged Support (4.2.1.2) and/or an HQ Shift (4.2.3.5).
A marine unit must be supplied to reduce the number of shifts a defender receives for a Beachhead or Strait Hexside (4.2.3.6). A unit must be supplied to Advance After Combat (4.2.7) or conduct Exploitation (4.2.8).
Example: A British Surface Fleet is in the Western Mediterranean On Station Box, so no Axis Ports therein are Open Port. In his Support Segment, the Axis player places an Italian Supply Convoy marker in the Western Mediterranean Convoys Box. (He can do this because standard Italian Convoy Marker Placement requires a port in Italy or an Italian Dependent, not an Open Port.)
“Why bother?” you ask, since the Ports aren’t Open Port. Ah, but in the Western player’s upcoming turn, he will have to remove his Surface Fleet from the map. Unless he places a new Fleet unit in that Naval Zone, the Axis Ports will then be Open Port and the supply lines to Axis units in Africa will be running again for the upcoming Western Combat Segment.