Because the situation with Japanese comes up fairly often, with the Japanese declaring hand-to-hand in the second player turn of a CC action, and because I thought it was widely known and "obvious", I was more inclined to think you were asking the more subtle question. But on re-reading I thought it possible you were asking the more direct question. I read phrase "during Melee" two ways: while Melee was marked or in the middle of a CC resolution.
JR
Fair points. The Japanese were furthest from my mind when I posed the question.
I've been playing a fair amount of DASL lately, along with the occasional ETO scenario where J2.31 is invoked by SSR. I have yet to see anyone in our local ASL cabal take advantage of H-t-H CC while in Melee, especially when doing so would be advantageous. Before I sprung it on someone, I wanted to ensure that I wasn't misinterpreting the intent of the rule.
I suppose my question could have been avoided if I had reflected on the Japanese. But to be honest, until now I never drew a direct connection between the Japanese imperative to use H-t-H CC and J2.31. I guess I subconsciously treated
Japanese H-t-H CC as a unique attribute, in part because it is "automatic" rather than voluntary.
Perhaps J2.31 would be more clear if, like G1.64, it included CC/Melee in the text. For example: Hand-to-Hand CC can be declared only by the ATTACKER
in CC/Melee, and only if his involved unit(s) has not been Ambushed (
A11.4) this turn.."
G1.64 CC: Whenever ≥ one unbroken Japanese Infantry/Cavalry unit is the ATTACKER in CC/Melee or Ambushes the enemy in CC, that CC/Melee automatically becomes Hand-to-Hand (
J2.31) unless every such Japanese unit participating in it was Ambushed in that phase and/or is Withdrawing/ pinned.
Thanks for connecting the dots.