When you take time to plot your unit's moves you will have precise control over where and how they move. So long as a unit is not blocked by an enemy move or any other obstacle, it will attempt to move during the next turn along the path you choose.
To plot a movement path for a unit to follow, just click on the unit and drag. The cursor will change to a transparent representation, or "Ghost", of the unit you clicked on. Red arrows will appear on each hex as you move the Ghost icon along the path you want the actual unit to follow. Gray arrows mean the unit will, under no circumstances, move to those hexes during the current turn. When you are done, release the mouse button. To add to a unit's existing path click and drag the unit's Ghost, not on the real unit.
To have an entire stack move the same path, hold down the Shift key while clicking on the top unit. The Delete key will remove the last plot and Command Delete will totally wipes out all orders or movement paths for the current hex.
Issuing Orders
Orders allow units to perform very specific functions in a simple and easy to control manner. Each order is represented by a unique icon. When you issue orders to Entrench, Alert, Join, Divide and Patrol, the order icon will appear directly on the unit carrying out the order. When you order a unit to follow a command that requires a target (Destination, Follow or Bombard), the order icon will appear over the target and a red line will connect it to the unit carrying out the order.
You can issue orders for a single unit or all the units in a stack using the Command-Click pop-up menu directly on the map, the Orders menu, or the command and hot keys. Dragging a path for a unit to follow is considered an order! You can issue only one order per turn to Ground and Naval units (i.e., you may NOT drag a path for a Naval or Ground unit and then issue a second order from the Order Menu all in one turn). You may, however, command an Air unit to move and issue any one additional order, except for Relocate.
Deleting
Use the Delete key to remove an order or to back up one hex as you plot a movement path. To clear a unit's orders or entire movement path, use the Clear Orders command in the Orders Pop-Up or Orders menu. Command Delete erases every order and movement path for an entire stack of units. Also, units delete their own orders if the enemy forces them to retreat during combat.
Sleep/Wake
If you issue orders to a unit but decide you want it to execute them at a later time, it executes them, you can put the unit to Sleep. Sleeping units won't execute any orders until you wake them up, but they will react normally if the enemy attacks them. You can also view and even edit units' orders while they are sleeping.
Use the Sleep command instead of deleting orders that could be useful in another turn. Or use the Sleep All command to help all of your units through tough conditions like the muddy season. You can, of course, wake units up individually after using the Sleep All command. Issue the Wake command when you want a unit to resume its orders (Wake All to wake all sleeping units).
Air Transport
You can use air transportation on its own to move ground units quickly over great distances or in conjunction with the Air Drop order for airborne assaults. You can move any type of ground unit by Air Transport, but the unit must start the turn on an active airbase. Likewise, Air Transports can land only on active Airbases.
Click on the unit and select the Air Transport order. The unit's icon will change to an Air Transport and the cost of transport will be deducted from your Reserve Funds. You can now move your transport to another Airbase or plot its move for an air drop. If the ground unit's icon doesn't change then you are either on an inactive Airbase or you do not have enough money to transport the unit.
Naval Transport
Like Air Transport, you can use Naval Transport to move land units more quickly over large distances. You might also opt to use Naval Transports for an amphibious assault, or if the enemy has cut your shore units off from the rest of your army. Regardless, units must be in a port city with a status of at least 30% at the beginning of the turn in order to be transported.
Click on the unit you want to transport, select the Naval Transport order. The unit's icon will change to a naval transport and the cost of transportation will be deducted from your Reserve funds. You can now move the unit, just as if it were a ground unit on land, into Shallow or Deep Sea hexes. If the ground unit's icon does not change then you either are not in an eligible port city or you do not have enough money to transport the unit.
Follow
When you order a unit to Follow, you are telling it to literally follow another unit's movement. If you order your unit to follow an enemy, your unit will attack once it catches up with it. If the target is friendly, the following unit will move in an attempt occupy the same hex as the target by the end of the turn.
To order a unit to follow, click on the unit and select the Follow command. Next, click directly on the target unit (if it is the first unit in a stack) or select it from the Option Pop-Up menu (if the unit is within the stack). A red line will join your unit to the unit you have ordered it to follow. Only stacking or movement restrictions can prevent one unit from following another.
Bombard
Artillery units are the only units that can bombard the enemy. But when they do, they beef up ground attacks significantly. Bombarding can increase the enemy's casualties and rob it of more Condition and Entrenchment value, especially if you order multiple Artillery units to bombard a single target hex. Artillery units can Bombard up to two hexes away but will inflict more damage if the target is only one hex away.
Click on an artillery unit, select the Bombard order and then click on an enemy hex within two hexes of your unit. A red line will connect your unit to a bullseye icon over the target hex. A Bombard order remains in effect until you cancel it or there are no more enemy units in the target hex.
Air Drop
Only Airborne Infantry and Mechanized Airborne units can perform air drops. Airborne landings are somewhat expensive and tricky to pull off but, if you execute them well they can devastate the enemy. Airborne units can cut off supply and retreat routes, block reinforcements from getting to the front, take a strategic hex, attack Airbases, and generally be a nuisance. They are, however, only lightly armed and have supplies for only four turns, so treat them well.
While in the air, airborne units are highly vulnerable to enemy air and flak attacks. Airborne units will suffer additional casualties when enemy units are bordering the drop hex. If an enemy unit is actually in the drop hex, your airborne unit will instantly do battle with it. If the enemy unit does not retreat, your airborne unit will be forced to land in an adjacent, unoccupied, hex. But if an alternate hex is not available then your airborne unit will be destroyed. So choose your drop hex wisely!
Arrange Air Transports for your Airborne Infantry or Mechanized Airborne and drag a path for your airborne unit to "fly". Select the Air Drop command when the Air Transport's Ghost is in the hex you wish to drop into.
Patrol
In order to offer your ground, air, and naval forces air cover you need to have Fighter and Fighter Bomber units on Patrol. Patrol fighters constantly fly around looking for enemy air units to attack. When an enemy unit enters your Patrol radius (4 hexes) some of your fighters will be in a position to intercept them. Keep fighter units as large as possible in order to engage the enemy with maximum force.
Each fighter unit can intercept only a limited number of times per turn. The enemy can overwhelm your Patrols by using more fighters against you than you have on Patrol. Once your protective air cover is compromised, the enemy is free to bomb at will.
When you click on a unit and issue the Patrol order, the Patrol icon will be placed on the unit and the area covered will be shaded. A unit will Patrol until it is destroyed or you cancel its order.
Relocate
The only way to move air units, including Air Transports, from one Airbase to another is to issue the Relocate order. You may Relocate air units to a friendly Airbase up to twice as far away as their attack range. Relocating will take an entire turn and the unit cannot do anything else until it has landed at the new base.
Click on the air unit, select Relocate, and click on the Airbase hex you want the unit to relocate to. The Relocate icon will appear on the target hex and a red line will connect it to the current unit. If your order a unit to relocate but it doesn't move, the destination airbase is too full or the Airbase is not active.
