Air vs Naval Combat (i.e.: Pearl Harbor)

[Wolf]

So,

I feel very comfortable with the Combat system, for the most part.  It is fun and fast, and leads to a lot of "nail biting".

I understand how aircraft are used in combination with ground combat, with a round of Air-to-Air combat prior to arranging units on the Ground Battle Chart.

I feel pretty confidant about naval battles, as well.

What I am NOT 100% about is Carrier Battle, where a raid is launched from an adjacent sea zone, like the Pearl Harbor raid.

Is it limited to a single attack round, instead of the normal 4?  I read where as long as there are combat ships still in contact with each other, nothing REQUIRES someone to retreat from the battle.  But that is just it.  This is NOT a battle.  It is an Air Raid.  There are NO ships in contact.

At this point, I would interpret the rules to state that only a single round of Air Raid is permitted, but I would like your interpretation of this, as well.

[Mark]

So, air only attacks are treated just like other battles - they can last up to four rounds.  But, after every round, the attacker, followed by the defender have the option to retreat all, some or none of their units.  So, after the first round of Pearl Harbor, the US can elect to retreat out of port ending the battle.

Note that in naval battles, one side may elect to retreat their ships after a round of battle, leaving their planes only to continue the fight - this can lead to sometimes difficult decisions for the attacker (since he has the option first to retreat all, some or none of his units before the defender).

Mark