Allies are in a tight spot, need advice

[alecbgreen]

Hey guys, first post here. I am Allies, my buddy had a GREAT first turn and Ive been on life support ever since. I dont remember which turn we are in (6?) but I have been clawing my way back and things are ALMOST even. Here is a summary of how things stand:

He (AXIS) has the edge in IPCS (R=21, UK=22, US=34, GER=46, JAP=43).

Key points:

Germany controls all of Africa, Brazil & Cuba. Fighting UK & Russians in Eastern Europe. 1 trn, 1 arm, 1 ss, 1 bb in SZ19 off Cuba.
Japan (nominally) controls Pacific Islands but has no navy and is facing invading US navy. Controls India, China & Eastern Asia. 8 tanks in Persia, Kazakhstan & Sinkiang getting ready to invade Moscow.
Russia is… alive. More on that later.
UK has small fleet (1 SS, 1 empty AC, 2 trn, 2 dd) in SZ30 to the west of Aus. IC in Norway. Stack of tanks + misc forces in Eastern Europe. IC in AUS w. bomber, 2 arm, 1 inf.
US lost Brazil & Cuba. Minimal defense in EUS. 1 BB & 1 trn in WUS, 2 inf & 1 art on wake. 2 AC with 4 ftr, 3 trn, 3 inf & 1 arm off caroline & solomons. Getting ready to mop up pac islands. 1 bomber in AUS.

Here is a pic (no comp version, running a mac).

Ill post this then discuss the strategy I have in mind.

[alecbgreen]

Here is my strategy for the Allies.

US - take Pac islands, defend EUS from lone german tank on trn, cede brazil as to expensive to retake (german navy is patrolling atlantic). Keep eye for undefended Japan. Build troops in WUS and ferry into Pacific or into eastern russia.
UK - take Pac islands, possiblly invade FRINDO or India if unguarded.

Pic is attached.

The real dilemma is how to handle the conflict in Europe. Here are the options Im mulling.

RUSSIANS
Attack Belo from Karelia with 2 art, 2 inf vs 1 inf. move remainder (3 inf, 1 arm into eastern europe to prepare for german counterattack). Pretty sure on this one.

OPTION1 - attack kazak (2 jap inf, 3 arm) with 3 arm (1 novo, 2 cauc) and misc inf ( up to 3 from moscow, 7 in cauc). PRO - put Japs on their heels (axis player is easily shaken) and to put buffer b.w moscow. CON - caucuses virtually unguarded, open to german & jap counterattack.
OPTION2 - attack Ukraine (5 germ arm) with caucases (7 inf, 2 arm, 1 arm from karelia). PRO - shake germans CON - nearly unguarded caucuses, large germain air (4 ftr, 1 bmb) in persia. Not keen on this
OPTION3 - dig in, no attacks other than belo. Purchase 4 inf for cauc, 5 inf for moscow.

BRITISH
Invade East Indies w 1 inf, 2 arm, bmb from AUS. Sure of this one. Build 1 inf 1 arm in Aus for next turn invasion. Move 2 arm in Norway down into Eastern Europe.

OPTION1 - Attack Ukr w/ UK forces in EEruope (6 arm, 2 art) and 1 arm from cauc. leave ftr in cauc. PRO - take pressure off cauc, kill german tanks, gain IPC. CON - lose pressure on Berlin, open Karelia to counterattack.
OPTION2 - blitz EE contents (6 arm) into cauc, pull 2 art back into Karelia, surrendur EE.  PRO - Rus inf soaks casualties if Germans attack, lose few/no tanks. CON - staying on defensive, take pressure off Berlin.
OPTION3 - move two arm from norway, 1 art from karelia into EE. Dig in. Leave UK ftr & arm in Cauc for defense. PRO - keep pressure on Berlin, no split forces CON - Will be wiped out if Ukr & Berlin attacks.

Any ideas? My head is spinning! I will take more pics or give a territory-by-territory description of forces if that will help. Thanks!!!

Alec

[alecbgreen]

[Zhukov44]

I think you probably want a USA factory in East Indies, so I’d think about taking E. Indies with the USA.

Uk is probably way short on cash, and you want to keep using that Norway factory.  So with UK, I’d just use the factories you have–get maximum use out of Norway (inf or tnks) and make sure you have enough units in UK to resist invasion, plus a fig if you can afford it.  I notice there is a factory in India, so it ought to be a top priority to take that, then you can build UK units there before the Jap turn, and that might disrupt the Jap rush on Moscow and gain valuable IPCs.

If you can take India, then you could also potentially follow up with another USA IC in French Indochina.  However, if he’s playing defensive, the first thing you want are USA ICs in East Indies and Borneo, which can pump out the land units and transports you will need to take South Asia.  So take at least 2 of E. Indies, Phill, and Borneo with the USA and build factories on them, and take other islands (I assume UK has a tranny near Aussie) with Uk to shore up Uk’s income.  Once UK captures India, it won’t need any more factories.

Re. your immediate situation re. Russia…I don’t think I can give any definitive advice without more precise information on what is where–I can’t tell from the pics how many tanks Germany has on Berlin for example.  You are in serious danger from the Japs in any case.

[alecbgreen]

@Zhukov44:

With Russia, you have to be wary of the 1-2 punch, so you want to remain strong defensively.  I can’t tell if you can hold Cauc much longer–if you can try to if not pull back and build up Moscow.  Re. Ukraine, if possible try an attk/retreat (ie attack with a force that will kill an average 3 tanks and then retreat back to Cauc).  Taking Kazach looks like a must too.

I dont think I have the capabilities to wipe out UKR and KAZAK on R1. I can bring 7 inf & 2 arm to bear on Ukr (vs 5 Germ arm) from Cauc. Or I can bring 7 inf & 2 arm from Cauc, 3 inf from Mosc & 1 inf 1 arm from Novo onto Kazak (3 jap arm, 2 inf). If I do this, Germany will roll over the 4 inf i put back into cauc.

How about this - bring most (but not all) units against Kazak for 1 turn and hope I dont wipe them all out. Retreat all back into Cauc, place all reinforcements into Moscow and hope Japs dont have enough to wipe it out. Germans will attack cauc (maybe…) with 5 tanks in Ukr & 4 ftr 1 bmb in Persia. Caucuses will most likely fall unless I get good AA rolls. Man this is a quite a bind Im in…

[Zhukov44]

Yeah sry I edited the post while you were replying.  Like I said I really can’t tell.  If you could wipe out Ukraine, you could also use the tank in Karelia to block Balkans and that would keep Germany limited to Balkans/EE for a turn.  That might be worthwhile IF there aren’t enough Jap tanks to storm Moscow…  But to really analyze it I need to know exactly how many units each power has in Europe and whose turn it is.  For example, maybe that UK tank stack in EE can be saved (useful for later) but I’d need to know what’s in Berlin.  More importantly, how many Jap tanks in Persia?  One can’t tell from the pics–so if you want solid advice you’re gonna have to list the units in every territory.

In any case it’s not wise to try to hold both Cauc and Russia.  If you are going to try an attk/retreat on Kazach, retreat to Russia, then reinforce with whatever Uk units that can make it (not many unfortunately).  Most likely, you will want to place 1 unit in Cauc and the rest in Moscow.

Sorry very hard to analyze it without the board in front of me.

[alecbgreen]

thanks for taking the time to think it over and reply! Here are the territories & numbers:

GERMAN CONTROLLED
WE: 5 inf
Ger: 2 inf, 8 arm
SE: open
Bal: 1 art
Ukr: 5 arm
Belo: 1 inf

BRITISH CONTROLLED
UK: 2 art, 2 inf
Nor: IC, AA, 2 arm
EE: 6 arm, 3 art

RUSSIAN CONTROLLED:
Karelia: 5 inf, 1 arm, 2 art, UK art
Arch: open
Moscow: 3 inf
Cauc: 7 inf, 2 arm, 1 UK arm, 1 UK ftr
Novo: 1 inf, 1 arm
ENO: open

JAPANESE CONTROLLED:
Persia: 3 arm, 4 ger ftr, 1 ger bmr
Kazak: 2 inf, 3 arm
Sinkiang: 2 arm
India: 3 inf
China: open
Yakut: 1 inf

Im down to 2 options: Russians buy 2 arm, 2 art, 3 inf (=27 IPCs, all my cash) put, all in Moscow. Attack: take Belo w. 2 art 2 inf from Karelia. Move remaining 3 inf into EE. Blitz Karelia tank into Moscow. Attack Kazak (3 arm, 2 jap inf) with 3 inf from Mosc, 1 inf 1 arm from Novo, 2 arm from Cauc. Do 1 round, retreat to Mosc. Leave 7 inf in Cauc + 1 UK arm & ftr. Place all purchased units in Moscow. Possibly lose caucases. Ready for counterattack next turn. Hope Jap armor cant take moscow.

OPTION 2 - Purchase 9 inf.  Attack Belo as above. Attack Kazak (2 jap inf, 3 arm) with all availible units - 7 inf 2 arm from Cauc, 3 inf from Mos, 1 inf 1 arm from Novo. Try to take. Put 2 purchased inf in cauc, 7 in mosc. Germans counterattack Cauc but open to counter from UK tanks in EE.

What do you think?

[77stranger77]

Kazakh and Ukraine are both good exchanges for the Allies but you can’t do both. I wish you still had the Russian fighters, then this would be so much easier for you!

I’m working under the assumption that this is the beginning of a round so it’s Russia’s turn next right?

I think that with the Japanese navy gone, the US can get the islands and build factories to retake Asia. This seems far fetched until you’ve seen it happen. Honestly, even if you lose Russia, if America has island complexes, the game is NOT over. I’ve taken Moscow(Germany surviving with 20 tanks and the UK was weak in Europe at that point) and lost to America when Japan lost it’s navy, islands, and eventually all of Asia.

I think your best move short term is to go heavily into Kazakh, unfortunately at the expense of the tank and fighter on Caucuses, and to take Belorussia building something like 6 inf, 1 art, 1 tank. Sending vast quantities of units to their deaths in Eastern Europe is not going to work so I don’t know what the best option is for your Karelia units, maybe a retreat to West Russia. The UK’s influence in Europe needs to be more than 3 units/turn at Norway but it may be too late for that. Aim to hold out for a long time as Russia, taking as many tanks as you can down with you. America’s advantage against Japan should be big enough for an Allied victory. Maybe instead of the British attacking East Indies, you should position them to start liberating Africa with those units. Germany shouldn’t be allowed to hold Africa nearly that long.

Helpful at all?

[Zhukov44]

Ok I’m still not clear if there’s an extra inf on West Russia or not (or whether that is part of another count).  Also I see one Jap bomber (that can reach Moscow)….are there other Jap planes in range?

Assuming there is the extra inf in WR (and if not you can either take it from the Moscow stack or from the Ukraine battle…odds are still in your favor either way), here’s how I’d play it

Russia buys 5 inf 3 art
Attk Ukraine with 6 inf 2 arm from cauc plus 1 arm from Kar
Don’t attack Belo or Kazach
Move 5 inf 2 art to EE
Move 2 inf from WR and Cauc to Moscow
Novo units also to Moscow
Place everything in Moscow, leave aa gun in Cauc

You are 95% to win in Ukr, 88% with just 5 inf.  You should move the Brit tank and fighter to Moscow as well after–that gives you 98% to survive against 8 arm, 2 inf, 1 bmb.

Meanwhile this makes the Eastern Europe attack unappetizing and costly for Germany–you don’t want to give up that expensive British gear without a stiff fight.  Germs could choose to forego and hit Ukraine–that doesn’t matter, if he doesn’t hit EE you can counter Ukraine with the UK units.  Either way he has to fly over an aa…and basically his odds of winning the EE battle if he sends everything are far less without those Ukraine tanks.

When the UK turn comes, move the Cauc units to Moscow (attack something with the fig and the art if possible).  If the EE units are alive move them to Ukraine and the tanks to West Russia, while attacking Balkans and Belo and Ukraine if Germs retakes.  You don’t want to be stacking Eastern Europe, you want to help Moscow hold on until your Pacific offensive regains the economic edge for you.  2 Nor tanks to West Russia.

This way you have seriously slowed down Germany.  If Germs puts everything into attacking Eastern he might kill alot but probably won’t take it, and whatever remains can hit Balkans and/or retreat.

Fleetwood is right that your chief priority is hold Russia until the Pacific offensive bails you out buy crushing Japan.

I changed my mind… take East Indies with UK :mrgreen:, this sets u up to land India or Afr.  Build gear for Nor and Aussie.  Take Borneo and Phill with the USA (or Japan if its open)…which leaves them in position to hit India and/or French Indochina the following turn.  Buy transports (at least 2) and inf/tanks with the USA.  With Russia, if the EE units survived, leave 1 inf in EE and pull everything back to Ukr…if Japan captures Cauc with its units you can do a 1-2 attack on them with Russia and whatever UK has left.  If Japan stages in Kazach its a bit harder…you might want to wait another turn before attacking…its ok as long as you retake Cauc and protect Moscow.

Fleetwood’s advice is sound and might be a bit safer, but I think this way limits the damage Axis can do to you the most and protects Moscow adequately.  Axis won’t have any attacks except an overly risky attack on Moscow and the expensive battle for Eastern Europe.

Anyway interesting map, interesting problem.

[alecbgreen]

Dan & Zhukov, thanks for the good advice. I attacked Kazak with all Moscow, a few tanks, a few inf from cauc. Beat him back! I reinforced cauc and held him off for a turn. I was DECIMATED in EE. My whole stack of 5 arm, 5 inf, 4 art was annihilated, killed only one attacker. (He hit with all 9 attack die!!). Even so, things are looking up. We played several more rounds. Wiped out undefended german luftwaffe (6 ftrs, 1 bmr). UK controls Africa, no Axis in sight. Uk also has East Indies, US has Borneo, New Guinea, Solomons, Carolines & Wake. Jap still has Phil & Okinawa. Things are looking very dicey for Russia as Japan has come in force with close to a dozen tanks within striking distance of moscow who has only 3 inf, 2 us ftrs, 1 UK bmr. The Japs have also built a massive air force, with 6+ ftrs & 1 bmb in India (doing this from memory). Fortunately Japan was afraid of Allied invasion of east Asia so has left many troops behind. America has shifted all resources to the Atlantic to try and wipe out Germany who is spread quite thin. Left the carriers w/ 4 ftrs in Pac to defend island gains. Put 4 US ftrs in cauc, 2 ftrs in mosc to bolster russians. Have multiple bombers on UK & Mosc. Money situation has greatly improved. US @ 42, UK @ over 30, Russians around 20. Things are looking up, but still not in a real position of strength. Ill get a more detailed description up here later today. Thanks again for your help.

[eatenbyagrue]

In the future, naybe try not to land in EE if it is deadzoned.  Just take it with minimal forces and stack Karelia if you can hold that.

With what you have in the Pacific, I think you have a real shot at winning.  Japan seems like they will never get a navy to compete, so they won’t be able to ferry troops over.  And if you take out the Indian complex, he is going to have a real issue, having to build even more complexes, and the prime sports, i.e. near the coast, are all in danger from the USA.