A unit moves on the board by spending its movement points. A unit can only use its movement points if it is activated with an Advance, Fire and Movement, or Assault action.
A unit may not move into or through a hex containing an enemy unit. (Exceptions include tanks’ “Overrun” special ability and assault attacks.)
The movement values of figures within a squad are not cumulative. For example, a squad consisting of 4 regular infantry (each with a movement value of 4) has only 4 movement points.
When moving the active unit, it is simply moved from hex to hex until the active player is either satisfied with the movement, or until all of its movement points are spent. The number of movement points expended when entering any given hex is dependent on the terrain of the hex.
Certain types of terrain cost more movement points to enter than other types. See pages 45-47 for specific information on each terrain type, their movement costs, and effects. Terrain movement costs and effects are also summarized on the back of the Scenario Guide.
Movement points may also be spent for purposes besides moving from hex to hex, such as entering or exiting a vehicle or fortification, as described later in these rules. A unit may only spend movement points during Advance, Fire and Movement, or Assault actions.
Half Hexes
Around the outside frame of the game board, every other hex will be a “half hex.” These hexes are not part of the game, and cannot be entered or counted for any reason.
Moving and Opportunity Fire
Immediately after the active unit moves into any hex, before it may do anything else, it is subject to Op Fire attacks by enemy units in Op Fire mode.
If the opponent decides to engage in Op Fire, the Op Fire attack is immediately resolved.
- If the active unit becomes pinned, disrupted, or damaged as a result of the Op Fire attack, it is immediately fatigued: The unit’s activation ends and the unit must remain in the hex in which it incurred the attack, regardless of how many movement points it had remaining (it may not attack after being fatigued).
Exception: Being only lightly damaged by enemy Op Fire does not cause a heavy vehicle to become fatigued. - If the attack scores no hits, or if a squad takes casualties as the result of a normal attack, the active unit may continue moving.
It is possible for a unit to be the target of Op Fire multiple times during the same movement, but not more than once per hex.
For example, a squad may be subject to opportunity fire, take casualties, and then be subject to Op Fire again (by new enemy units in Op Fire mode) upon moving into the next hex.
Movement EXAMPLES
This diagram illustrates several examples of movement. All squads depicted consist of regular infantry figures.
- This unit is activated with a Fire and Movement action (and so receives a –1 movement point penalty). It moves 2 hexes down the hill (downhill movement costs 1 movement point per hex) and spends its last movement point to enter an entrenchment. Finally, the squad attacks the German squad (at half firepower, since it is taking a Fire and Movement action). The unit is then fatigued.
- This squad is activated with an Advance action. As explained on page 46, it may not move up the hill along the red arrow, because of the cliff hex side (the destination hex is 2 levels higher than the unit’s current level). The unit instead moves uphill to the level 1 hill hex (at a cost of 2 movement points), then to the adjacent level 1 hex (at a cost of 1 movement point, since the unit is moving from a hex of similar level), and finally, spending its remaining movement point, moves downhill to the clear hex. The unit is then fatigued.
- This squad is activated with an Advance action. It receives +1 movement since it contains an officer. The squad moves through 2 woods hexes (at a cost of 2 movement points each), and uses its remaining movement point to move into clear terrain. The unit is then fatigued.
Immobile Units
A unit that is pinned, disrupted, or heavily damaged cannot be moved on the board. Such a unit must remain in its current hex until the condition or damage token is removed. (See the “Vehicle Damage” and “Squad Conditions” sidebars on pages 28 and 29 for more information.)
Transporting Squads in Vehicles
Although squads will mostly be moving across the board by using their own movement points, there are circumstances where faster, or safer, movement of those squads may be desired.
Squads may be transported across the board on vehicles with the Transport trait.
The number of squads an eligible vehicle can carry is determined by the number in parenthesis after the Transport trait in that vehicle’s special ability area on the player reference sheet.
For example, the German Opel Blitz truck has Transport (2), which indicates that it can transport two squads.
Entering and Exiting Transport Vehicles
To track which vehicles are carrying which squads, you will need to use the transport markers and their corresponding offboard indicator tokens.
A squad may enter a vehicle in its same hex by spending 2 movement points. When a squad enters a vehicle, place a transport marker below the transport vehicle with its numbered side faceup. Then find the corresponding off-board indicator token, place it in your play area, and place the active squad by that token. This indicates that the squad is now inside the vehicle assigned that number. See the “Transporting Squads” diagram for an illustrated example of this.
Immediately after a squad enters a vehicle, it is fatigued and its action is complete.
To exit a vehicle, an active squad must spend 2 movement points (regardless of the terrain that the vehicle and squad are in). Place the squad on the board in the same hex as the vehicle.
If the exiting squad was the only/last squad inside the vehicle, remove the transport marker from the board, as it is no longer needed.
The following points summarize the rules that govern squads in transport vehicles:
- It costs a squad 2 movement points to enter or exit a vehicle. The vehicle must be located in the same hex as the entering squad.
- As soon as a squad enters a transport vehicle (but not when it exits), it becomes fatigued.
- Exiting a vehicle may trigger enemy Op Fire, as if the squad just moved into the hex.
- Fresh squads inside a vehicle may be activated by any action type, but cannot fire or resolve special abilities while inside the transport.
- Squads inside a vehicle cannot be targeted for an attack (including area attacks); only the vehicle itself can be targeted.
- If a vehicle is destroyed, all squads transported by that vehicle are also destroyed. Squads inside a vehicle are not affected by their vehicle being (or becoming) lightly or heavily damaged.
- Vehicles do not benefit from any movement bonuses, cover bonuses, or special abilities of the squads inside them. For example, a transport vehicle does not receive a +1 movement bonus for transporting a squad containing an officer.
- A transport vehicle and all the squads it carries, count as only one unit for the purpose of stacking limits. A squad may not exit a vehicle if by doing so it would exceed the stacking limit of the hex.
- During game setup, if a player is granted one or more transport vehicles, he may deploy squads in these vehicles (at no action or movement cost), by simply using the transport markers and offboard indicator tokens as described above.
Transporting Squads
- Entering a Transport: The American player takes an Advance action to move this squad into an adjacent hex (costing 1 movement point), and then into the truck marked with the “4” transport marker (costing 2 movement points) joining another squad already being transported by the truck. The American player places the active unit by the “4” off-board indicator in his play area. The squad is then fatigued.
- Moving a Transport: The American player now activates the truck with an Advance action, and moves it 12 hexes along the contiguous road (the “Effective Road Movement” special ability of trucks allows it to spend only 1/3 of a movement point when entering a road hex contiguous to a prior road hex). Note that the “4” transport marker follows the truck as it moves. The truck is then fatigued.
- Moving a Transport: The half-track with the “5” transport marker is transporting a squad of infantry. The half-track is activated with an Advance action, and moves 4 hexes before it decides to stop moving by the nearby road. It is then fatigued.
- Exiting a Transport: Later, the squad within the “5” half-track is activated with an Advance action. The squad spends 2 movement points to exit the vehicle. The player retrieves the squad from his “5” off board indicator token and places the squad in the half-track’s hex. The player also removes the “5” transport marker from the board, as the halftrack is now empty. The squad then spends its remaining 2 movement points to move north along the road. It is then fatigued.