Need Some Help Understanding the J3 India Crush

[Xayd74]

I apologize if this has already been covered.
My account is apparently not allowed to search any of the forums.
I sent a PM to a mod a few days ago, but no response just yet.
Google searches of this domain were not helpful.

I have read the J3 India Crush instructions for AAP, but not for AAP1940.
The AAP instructions can’t be right for this version since they suggest you can build 2 transports on J1 and use them to offload troops into India on J3.
They also suggest possibly using those troops in J4 for a crush, but that is pointless because all 4 ANZAC planes will be nestled comfortably in India by then. This crush has to happen before ANZAC can do that.

Ok, so let me tell you my two limiting factors that confuse me regarding how a J3 crush can work…

1/ You must defeat Shan State or Yunnan on J1 and KEEP IT so you can land your planes there. Up to 11 Fighters, 7 Tacticals and 4 Bombers at the most. On J1, you capture one of those properties, either of which can be done with ease. On J2 you maintain it, so you can land your planes there. On J3, the India crush occurs. If your planes aren’t in 1 of those 2 places, they cannot participate. I toyed with the idea of building an airbase somewhere, but I once again relearned that airbases are really only useful for scrambling. Giving a plane a +1 movement has proven to be 90% useless because it needs +2 to get back to where it came from. So airbases will not help at all with this tactic. Furthermore, it is easy for the UK to take Shan State back (with 2 men from Malaya and a wing of planes), and for China to take Yunnan back. My experience has shown me over and over that China should immediately abandon all of Asia in favor of Szechwan and Yunnan only. With that much support, China will have no problem preventing the Japanese ground planes from participating in a J3 India crush.

Now I can get 4 bombers, 3 tacticals and 3 fighters into the J3 crush by virtue of the aircraft carriers. But after testing the rolls, that is insufficient to get through India’s AA, 14 Infantry (typical if Allies are anticipating the crush), 1 artillery, 4 fighters and 1 tactical. Bear in mind, you will not get the opportunity to bombard either because the UK’s 3 warships will be parked in India’s SZ (again assuming the Allies anticipate the crush). I like to assume that they’re going to anticipate it if this is the only realistic tactic Japan can use for victory. In my games, Japan never wins without BS rolls.

2/ At best, I can get 1 tank, 1 artillery and 4 infantry into India for a J3 crush by virtue of the existing transports. There is no opportunity to build more transports and expect to land their troops in India by round 3. That’s precious few men to couple with 4 Bombers, 3 Fighters and 3 Tacticals. If you could get your other 18 planes in the fight, then you have no problems at all.

So I have to assume that I’m missing a wonder tactic, unaware of some special rule, or just don’t understand the Crush technique for Pacific 1940. For example, maybe you’re not expected to take over India on Round 3. Maybe it’s a 2step process completing in Round 4. But like I said, if you wait till round 4, 4 ANZAC fighters will have appeared in India, which messes the whole thing up. I am continually surprised by the offensive and defensive capabilities of the seemingly weak ANZAC.

The one good thing I’ve noticed is that this can all be done without a war declaration (by virtue of using Yunnan) until J3. So that’s cool. Thanks in advance for your input.

[calvinhobbesliker]

An airbase on Kwangsi allows ftrs and tacs there to hit India and land in Shan, Yunnan, or Ceyon. Airbases are not useless for +1. For example, If the US takes Iwo, bombers from WUS can hit Z6 and land on Iwo. This is impossible without an airbase. You’re assuming that planes always want to return to their starting position

[Xayd74]

If I was to use one my 6 available ground troops to capture Ceylon on round 2, is it still legal to offload the other one into India?

If you placed an airbase in Kwangsi or FIC on round2 and landed your planes there (with intent to land them in Yunnan/Shan State on round 3), then you would have two rounds to capture, lose and then stablely recapture Yunnan or Shan State.

That might be a possibility. I’ll have to test it, but it sounds promising. I’m guessing this is what everybody else is doing?
Can I assume that I’m correct about the maximum number of ground troops that can be placed in India on J3 (4x Inf, 1x Tank, 1x Art)?

[calvinhobbesliker]

@Xayd74:

If I was to use one my 6 available ground troops to capture Ceylon on round 2, is it still legal to offload the other one into India?

If you placed an airbase in Kwangsi or FIC on round2 and landed your planes there (with intent to land them in Yunnan/Shan State on round 3), then you would have two rounds to capture, lose and then stablely recapture Yunnan or Shan State.

That might be a possibility. I’ll have to test it, but it sounds promising. I’m guessing this is what everybody else is doing?
Can I assume that I’m correct about the maximum number of ground troops that can be placed in India on J3 (4x Inf, 1x Tank, 1x Art)?

Nope, both units on a trans must land in the same territory. Everyone who uses this strat is using it this way.

[Xayd74]

Of course I should just offload them both onto Ceylon, and then move them again on J3.

Making the assumption the UK fleet is in the India SZ on R2, I could have moved a loaded AC, Battleship, loaded Transport and Destroyer into that SZ (39). Further, a sizable SZ6 fleet could have moved to SZ (38) with it’s 4 Aircraft Carrier planes participating in the R2 SZ39 engagement. If India uses scrambling to assist its 3 ships and any ANY of those planes are lost, that would be spectacular for Japan.

If the UK fleet is in SZ41 on R2, the Ceylon technique won’t work, but that won’t have changed what I was doing in Asia, so I would simply switch to one of the other alternate landing sites for my planes. And this alternative opens up bombardment capability.

That sounds pretty disgusting.

[calvinhobbesliker]

@Xayd74:

Of course I should just offload them both onto Ceylon, and then move them again on J3.

Making the assumption the UK fleet is in the India SZ on R2, I could have moved a loaded AC, Battleship, loaded Transport and Destroyer into that SZ (39). Further, a sizable SZ6 fleet could have moved to SZ (38) with it’s 4 Aircraft Carrier planes participating in the R2 SZ39 engagement. If India uses scrambling to assist its 3 ships and any ANY of those planes are lost, that would be spectacular for Japan.

If the UK fleet is in SZ41 on R2, the Ceylon technique won’t work, but that won’t have changed what I was doing in Asia, so I would simply switch to one of the other alternate landing sites for my planes.

That sounds pretty disgusting.

Disgusting??

[Xayd74]

You know, the good kind of disgusting. Good for Japan anyway.

[Xayd74]

Ok, so it worked.

FIC turned out to be way more valuable than I ever thought. In fact, I concluded that building an Airbase, Naval Yard and Minor IC there is better than a major anywhere else, provided I keep funneling men down from Japan every turn. FIC is within 3 spaces of both Japan and India, and cannot be reached from Queensland in 1 turn. Further, having planes stationed there for both scrambling and general attacks is very very helpful.

The J3 India Crush plane landing site can reliably be either Ceylon or Shan State, depending on whether I’m blocked in the DEI. So I have a choice.

I played the Allies as well, knowingly engineering their response to prevent the Crush as I played it out. Based on this, I think I can reliably win with Japan now (barring BS rolls), so long as I follow a very strict set of guidelines and movements.

Now if this is the case, with only one reliable way for Japan to win against seasoned Allies, a way the Allies cant seem to prevent, doesn’t that make for a boring game?

[calvinhobbesliker]

@Xayd74:

Ok, so it worked.

FIC turned out to be way more valuable than I ever thought. In fact, I concluded that building an Airbase, Naval Yard and Minor IC there is better than a major anywhere else, provided I keep funneling men down from Japan every turn. FIC is within 3 spaces of both Japan and India, and cannot be reached from Queensland in 1 turn. Further, having planes stationed there for both scrambling and general attacks is very very helpful.

The J3 India Crush plane landing site can reliably be either Ceylon or Shan State, depending on whether I’m blocked in the DEI. So I have a choice.

I played the Allies as well, knowingly engineering their response to prevent the Crush as I played it out. Based on this, I think I can reliably win with Japan now (barring BS rolls), so long as I follow a very strict set of guidelines and movements.

Now if this is the case, with only one reliable way for Japan to win against seasoned Allies, a way the Allies cant seem to prevent, doesn’t that make for a boring game?

You can’t scramble from FIC, since it’s not an island.

There are other ways for Japan to win; look at kaufshtick’s strat.

When you concluded that japan can win with this strat, did you go to 6 VC’s? Becuase building an AB, NB, and MinIC costs 42, and that’s 42 ipc’s not spent on navy todeter the US and ANZAC, which by now should be going strong.

[Xayd74]

So you’re right. Scrambling is for islands only.

I don’t know the acronym VC. I see on the acronym thread there’s a CV for Cruisers. If memory serves, I had 4 cruisers and 2 BS for bombardment options. By Japan’s R3, the US and ANZAC fleets were, together, noteworthy, but not yet in position.

[special forces]

@Xayd74:

So you’re right. Scrambling is for islands only.

I don’t know the acronym VC. I see on the acronym thread there’s a CV for Cruisers. If memory serves, I had 4 cruisers and 2 BS for bombardment options. By Japan’s R3, the US and ANZAC fleets were, together, noteworthy, but not yet in position.

VC = Victory City