Winning melee shaken with extra casualties

[pease1]

Question: Unit A and Unit B enter a melee each one casualty from becoming shaken. Unit A scores 6 hits (none saved) and unit B scores 5 hits (none saved).

So unit A wins, and for sake of example let's say Unit B fails its break test at least enough to fall back and end the melee.

Unit A won, and is now in what we call 'Black Powder Jail' or 'Black Powder Hell' locally. It's shaken and has 4 extra hits, and the only way to recover is to take 4 turns of rallying with an officer, or have an enemy come and kick it's butt in a melee.

Are we missing something here? The situation seems 'weird' and I keep looking over the rule book and can't find a rule that handles this case. Even being able to voluntarily take a break test to remove the extra casualties would be better than doing nothing.

I would appreciate any help or advice anyone has to offer.

Thanks,
AJ

[Deadmanwade]

Once combat has been resolved you remove excess casualties down to the 'shaken' limit I believe. (I dont have the book in front of me to tell you the page number).

In your example, assuming units with a stamina of 3.
Combat begins, both A and B have 2 casualties.
Unit A causes 6, B causes 5
Before break tests, A has 7 casualties, B has 8.
Unit B takes a break test and falls back. Unit A holds its position.
Both units reduce their casualties down to 3.
So both units will still be shaken.

Thats how I have played it anyway.

[Big Al]

Deadman is right. It is on page 66. Another option that unit A has open to it is to move back into combat, which it can do even if shaken or disordered. It can make up to a full move and stay in contact with the retiring unit. However, I'm sure that you will realise that it would do so without support, so it might not be advisable, especially if it is shaken.