Belle Alliance

A unit that has not received orders for attack, or which is MD or FD, may not carry out attack, but may move only to melee zone contact. The same applies where an attack has not been announced, unless the opponent requires that the attack is carried out.

When announcing an attack information must be given about the order sheet contents relative to the target, to whether the charge is used, and to whether the attack is directed against the position of a unit, ref. 1.1.2 and 4.1.2.

A unit reaches the point of melee zone contact with an opponent when the melee zone of the unit touches the opponent. This will cause the unit to stop for the rest of the movement phase, unless the opponent is forced back, ref. 4.2.0.

When a unit reaches the point of melee zone contact with an opponent, which the unit may attack during the present bound, this will also cause the opponent to stop for the rest of the movement phase. This does not apply when the attacker invokes a right to cancel the attack at the point of melee zone contact, ref. 4.1.2.

When an attacking unit is attacked in the flank or rear, its own attack is cancelled and the unit is considered as a defender, even if it has reached the point of melee zone contact with an opponent and has caused that opponent to stop. The same applies to infantry when attacked by cavalry.

A unit may move through the melee zone of an opponent, as long as the melee zone of the unit does not touch the opponent. When a unit is positioned within the melee zone of an opponent, and the opponent announces an attack, the units are considered as being on the point of melee zone contact.

During the melee phase, all attacks are carried out simultaneously, even though units may have reached the point of melee zone contact at different times during the movement phase. The same applies to continued attacks, ref. 4.1.4.

When several units simultaneously attack the same target, this is considered as a common target for the attackers, ref. 4.1.5. The same applies to the attacked units when a unit attacks several targets simultaneously.

A unit that has participated in melee, will receive a negative factor for having been an attacker or defender, that is applied for the remaining part of the present bound and the entire next bound, ref. table 8. This also applies when the melee is cancelled because the opponent becomes MD or FD for any reason during the fire phase while the units are at the point of melee zone contact.

A unit that inflicts FD on an opponent in melee, will receive a positive factor that is applied for the remaining part of the present and the entire next bound, ref. table 8. This also applies when the melee is cancelled because the opponent becomes FD for any reason during the fire phase while the units are at the point of melee zone contact.

When the contrary is not indicated and announced, an attack is deemed to be directed against the unit itself and not against its position. The same applies when the position of a unit cannot be determined.

When an attack is directed against a unit itself, and that unit moves during the bound, the attacker must adapt its own movement in an attempt to follow the target. When this is not possible, the attacker may choose to stop its own movement, and it must do so before the extended front of the attacker passes beyond the unit that was the target of the attack.

When an attacker reaches the point of melee zone contact of another unit before reaching the target, the attack instead is directed against this unit, unless the unit is forced back, ref. 4.2.0. An attacker may choose to cancel the attack, when it arrives at the point of melee zone contact with another unit that is not forced back.

When an attack is directed against the position of a unit, and this position is vacated at the time the attacker reaches the position, the attacker must stop in that position. However, the attacker may carry out an attack against another unit, when the attacker in the position arrives at the point of melee zone contact with this unit.

An attack directed against another unit than the announced target, is to be considered as an attack against the actual unit and not against its position.

Apart from the above, the target of an attack may not be changed, even where it turns out that the attacker cannot reach the point of melee zone contact or for other reasons cannot attack a target during the bound.

The adjusted melee roll of dice for each party is compared, and the looser is the unit with the lowest result. The difference between the results decides the effect relative to moral for the looser, ref. table 11.

All attacks, neighbour units, and support units in relation to a target must be established before the melee roll of dice is carried out, ref. 4.1.6 and 4.1.7.

The position of figures at the point of melee zone contact decides whether a defender is deemed to be in cover. This requires the figures to be in base contact with the cover and the cover to be placed between the attacker and the defender, or for woods and buildings that the figures are placed within the cover.

When a unit has fired during the bound, it receives a negative factor in melee. This applies even when only a part of a unit has fired.

All figures in a unit are counted for the resolution of melee. However, special requirements apply to skirmish lines, ref. 4.3.0.

The adjusted melee roll of dice for each unit also decides the result relative to loss and possible surrender of prisoners for the opponent, ref. table 12. Prisoners are surrendered only when the opponent becomes FD. Prisoners are removed from the wargames terrain.

Only the figures of a unit, which may constitute units of melee are counted when calculating loss and prisoners. All figures in the two front ranks are counted, except for flank attacks where the two outer files are counted, and for rear attacks where the two rear ranks are counted. For artillery, all figures are counted, whereas special requirements apply to skirmish lines, ref. 4.3.0.

Units of melee require the same number of figures as units of fire, except that units of melee for artillery are calculated as for infantry, ref. 3.1.1.

Even when units remain at the point of melee zone contact after an attack, any subsequent attack carried between these units will be considered as a new and separate attack.

During continued advance, the unit may move half a bound of march at the latest rate of march that was applied during the movement phase, ref. 2.3.1. The unit may carry out change of direction only once and only by wheeling within a limit of 20 degrees, ref. 2.4.3.

However, when an attack was carried out against the position of an opponent, the attacker must stop the continued advance in that position.

The attacker may use continued advance for a continued attack when the opponent becomes FD as a result of melee, or for any other reason during the fire phase while the attacker is at the point of melee zone contact.

The continued attack will constitute a new attack and may be directed against the original target or any other opponent, within the movement limitations for continued advance. The result of the continued attack will not lead to any further continued advance or continued attack.

Decisions on continued advance and continued attack must be made immediately after all other attacks have been carried out, including retreat, rout and spread of rout, ref. table 1. The decisions must be entered on an order sheet in the same manner as orders, but ordering rolls are not required, ref. 1.1.3. Continued attacks must be announced at the beginning of the sub-phase for continued movement.

During urban combat, continued advance may be used also for the occupation of buildings, ref. 6.1.2.

The attacked unit will receive the result relative to morale that is the best achieved by the attackers. When several attackers inflict the same result relative to morale, the target may choose from which of these units to calculate retreat or rout, ref. 5.3.1 and 5.4.1.

The result relative to loss for the attacked unit is calculated individually for each attack, but the total loss is cumulated before rounding off is carried out, ref. table 12.

The total result relative to loss inflicted on the opponents by the attacked unit is calculated based on the attack where the attacked unit has the best conditions. The result relative to loss is distributed among the opponents, but any prisoners are taken only from the opponents that become FD.

When a unit attacks several targets simultaneously, it is the attacked units that correspondingly carry out individual rolls of dice.

A neighbour unit must be in a closed formation and must have at least half as many figures able to be counted for the resolution of melee as the attacker, ref. 4.1.3. It may only be a neighbour unit for one unit during each of the sub-phases for melee. A positive factor may be received only for one neighbour unit.

Units in MD or FD may not be neighbour units. A neighbour unit must be of the same arm as the unit that it is to be a neighbour unit for. A unit, which is a defender, may not be a neighbour unit for an attacker. A mother unit or soutien may not be a neighbour unit for its skirmish line.

A neighbour unit will receive the same result relative to moral and be deemed to have been an attacker in the same manner as the attacker, ref. 4.1.1. It will run out of supplies on the same roll of dice as the attacker, ref. 5.5.3. It will receive same the positive factor for inflicting FD on the opponent, and it may carry out continued advance and continued attack, ref. 4.1.4.

When a unit attacks several units at the same time, the opponent may likewise chose that some of the defenders shall be considered as neighbour units. However, a unit that is attacked in the flank or rear may not be a neighbour unit, ref. 4.1.8.

A unit may be the support unit for only one unit in each of the sub-phases for melee, and only one positive factor may be received for support.

A support unit must be in closed order and have at least half as many figures as the supported unit.

Artillery and units in MD or FD may not be support units. Infantry may not support cavalry. A mother unit or soutien may not be a support unit relative to its skirmish line. A unit that is engaged in melee, including a neighbour unit, may not at the same time be a support unit.

The support unit may participate in the continued advance of the supported unit, but it may not itself carry out a continued attack, ref. 4.1.4.

An attack is considered as a rear attack if it is not a flank attack, but a line may be drawn perpendicular to the front of the of the attacker which impacts on the rear of the opponent.

Overreaching is achieved when an attack is not a flank or rear attack, but the attacker has at least 3 figures that are entirely or partially behind the extended front or rear of the opponent, provided that a line may be drawn perpendicular to the front of the attacker, which impacts on the flank of the opponent.

A defender may likewise overreach an attacker.

When attacking with or against a soutien, no regard is placed on the position of the skirmish line when deciding whether the conditions for flank, rear or overreaching attacks are complied with.

When attacking with or against a soutien, the position of any skirmish line is disregarded in relation to determining uphill attacks, ref. 1.3.3.