Slitherine

Just want to make sure I got this right
Rear support can be given to a unit as a whole so if you are in extended line and you have a friendly unit which is only behind 1/2 of the extended line both halves still gain rear support. Just want to make sure as the Frenchies latest tactic is to place a stupid river and if I have to put up with it might as well extend out and defend the silly thing as it makes my hoardish Austrians a very tight fit on the table

ehehehe

...and...it was a very intelligent river...lots of 'schools' of fish

Take roads ...so you will have nice bridges ...

That's how I read it.

Alas bridges don't make for a wider deployment area. Using 1805 army so 3 commands max. Very lumbering very hard to deploy. Took roads last time, didn't help much as the French ignored them and forded the river where they wanted, bloody superior Hussars with officers

I wonder how long it would take my glorious dismounted dragoons to cross??

(Probably 2 day!!!)

good idea, send them across next time and keep the Hussar uniforms dry

Getting back to the original question the whole unit gets rear support regardless, correct?

That's how I read it. Extended line only counts as 2 units for firing.

Rear support can be given to a unit as a whole so if you are in extended line and you have a friendly unit which is only behind 1/2 of the extended line both halves still gain rear support.

Extended line only counts as 2 units for firing - There is no benefit from rear support for firing.
Rear support is counted as normal for combat and CTs - since in those cases an extended line only counts as one unit.

True enough about it fighting in combat as a single entity, guess my old brain is getting addled

You also need to remember that the unit giving rear support must be able to reach the unit it is supporting in a single move (P57).
Therefore, a reformed unit in line must be within 2MU of the rear of the unit it is supporting.