A division was ordered to attack a enemy formation but as it was approaching its target part of the frontage was attacked by Cossacks. Combat was resolved and the some units of the Cossacks were now 225 yards in front of some of the divisions infantry. We interpreted the rules to say the units with Cossacks to their front had to attack them while the other units had to continue towards the units that they had been ordered to attack. Is this correct?
Also could the force commander have moved to join the unit and change the target to the Cossack formation or could the formation commander have tried to change the objective to the Cossack formation in the command phase?
-Yahoo Group, 5/3/16
I believe the answer lies within 3.6.1 Attack [A]:
The attack [A] directive indicates that a Formation will close to contact with any enemy whose frontage intervenes between its own frontage and its Force’s objective. The Formation must move towards the Force’s objective at a rate no slower than the full movement rate of its slowest Unit.
This dictates that the Formation must close with the cossacks because the cossacks intervene between their frontage and their objective. It also indicates that the Formation is not required to move towards its objective any faster than its slowest Unit. The slowest Unit will be the Unit which halts when it contacts the cossacks, therefore, the other Units *may* but are *not required* to advance past the cossacks.
The Force Commander could have rolled during the Leader Action step of the Command Phase to “Change Own Objective” which would change the objective of the entire Force but per the above clarification, to close with the cossacks, I don’t believe this would be necessary.
-David
