@oysteilo I think if America buys so many subs They pretty much playing right into German hands. I’ve done the mass sub buy before and it sounds good on paper and just never pans out. For 2 more IPCs you counter with a destroyer. A single destroyer nullifies your sub abilities. A full turn of subs and bombers? No ground troops? You just lost a turn. That’s the whole point. Make the USA dump all its monies into navies. Now eventually the USA with several turns of full buys in navies will overpower the German navy. But they have to significantly outpace the German navy because what you do when the USA is too powerful is pull back, but by that time Russia is pushed back to Moscow, Japan has secured India. The Axis have found economic advantage you the allies are yet to build boots on the ground.
Once you see those subs drop and move up you can build a few destroyers and start picking off subs with air support. What America needs is protection for its transports because one or two landings isn’t going to win the allies the game. It has to be a sustained allied beachhead to make way into Germany. A whole turn of subs aren’t going to protect your transports when they make their first landing. Pull your entire airforce back and deal with the American beachhead. Let Russia take their territory back piecemeal it’s going great to take 3 or 4 turns to push back into German territory.
It’s not unbeatable but this is in response to the UK moving all support to the middle of the board and not supporting the US beachhead. The strategy works when USA pretty much ignores Japan and goes all in to invade Germany. Thing is the USA has to do two things.
- Create a sustainable beachhead
- Protect its transports from German counterattack.
It is absolutely worth it for the German player to sacrifice everything to blow that escort out of the water. That puts the USA back like 3 turns. The idea is to protect mainland Europe or at least narrow the American options for attack routes.
The most cost effective route for America to go is to establish a continuous beachhead is in the English Channel, with air cover and additional naval support from GB. Alternate routes will cost more. More $ = more time, which is exactly what the Axis want. Anywhere else with continuous chain of invading ground troops will net you an additional set of 3-4 transports and a longer chain. If Italy is your route the following logistical problems present themselves.
- Transport chain is stretched and exposed
- You cannot ignore a large German fleet presence and will therefore have to divide your fleet to protect transports at both Gibraltar and the Italian coast.
- You’ll need to spend 30 IPCs a turn just to pump out Ground troops leaving 40 for everything else
Also remember Japan was just left to its own devices. By all means build a round of subs and bombers. That’s a whole turn of no more ground troops landing in europe. Happy day. So the thing is you have to contend with the Germany navy because if you go around it. It’ll go through your back door. If you contend with it you’ve got no support because UK is dumping all it’s resources in the Middle East. By now Japan is rocking half a dozen loaded carriers in the direction of the enemy of it’s choosing toting a 90+ IPC economy. It’s unstoppable at that point. If you haven’t made breakthrough into land in Europe by now you’re in rough shape.
I believe that this strategy is sound and relatively inexpensive way of keeping America off the land. I don’t think they can make the appropriate impact without UK assitance soon enough to stem the tide.
If Middle earth is the strategy that it’s amped up to be this is the counter. You put your money where the UK isn’t. The Atlantic and force the USA to build a stronger bridge. GHG has 3 carriers and 2 battleships to escort his troops. The rest is transports and troops. That’s enough when the German player has a merger naval presence. Not enough when the German navy is on par and the Luftwaffe is in waiting. Instead of spending your excess in ground troops to defend the land throw it into ships. That force the USA to spend more on ships that can’t take land. You’re essentially buying time for Japan.
See the problem with buying land troops in Europe is you have to defend like 10 possible beachheads. You’ll need to spread out like 50 infantry and spend 3 -4 turns making this impenetrable wall in France only to have the allies make landing in Italy or Norway, establish a base and then bomb the crap out of Germany.
If you put that money into the navy you don’t need ground forces in Europe in eccess. You protect your key zones only because the yanks might land without a fuss but they’ll be out of position and vulnerable. That escort force has to be large enough to absolutely withstand a German assault, not on par. It has to be twice as large. America doesn’t want to be chasing a navy around the board. America want to land marines. They can’t do that safely with a sizeable German navy on the board.
This is easily countered by UK investing it’s money in altantic to support, but then we’re back to the issue of Japan taking India too easily again. Around and around we go on this roller coaster.
TLDR: It’s not an absolute deadbreak strategy but if Middle Earth shifts favour into the allies hands I says this puts it back to par. May the better player win.
