                              Command : ASSAULT

 SYNTAX:
   [mc ##] Command : assault <SECT> <SHIPS> troops

The assault command allows you to seize land  sectors  using  military  aboard
your ships.  You specify a sector to assault, the list of ships from which the
assault team will be drawn, and the maximum number  of  troops  that  will  be
taken from any one ship.

If the target sector has miltary, then most ships will only be able to land  a
fraction  of  the available military on board.  This represents the use of the
collection of small boats found aboard large ships.  Certain  ships,  however,
are  built  to  assault  hostile sectors, and can land with up to their entire
complement of military.

All non-mountain sectors adjacent to water can be assaulted.  Ships contribut-
ing  troops  to the assault must all be in the same sector.  Ships in a harbor
may only assault the harbor itself.  Only ships which have mobility  can  con-
tribute  to  the  assault;  each  ship which contributes to an assault will be
charged mobility.

                              Command : ASSAULT

If the defending sector has guns, then both the troops and each  ship  contri-
buting  troops  to the assault will be attacked by defensive fire!  Because of
this, it is generally a good idea to soften up a prospective landing zone with
several  battleship  fire  missions before sending your troops ashore, because
enough guns defending a beach will stop an assault cold!

Sectors fight with their usual defensive strengths when being  assaulted.   In
addition,  because  of the difficulty of assaulting a hostile shore, attacking
military will be penalized a significant amount of military efficiency  before
the  actual  combat  takes  place.   Also, the troops take nothing ashore with
them; any guns, shells, or food supplies should be provided subsequent to  any
successful assault.

See also : ships(i), debark, embark, fire.

