I wrote this a few months back. I’ll dust it off. Please try it and report back.
1. First purchase is a Carrier and 2 Transports. For me, this has next to nothing to do with Sealion, and everything to do with versatility/flexibility/ability to seize and hold the initiative. This purchase forces Britain to spend all IPCs in London, getting them off to a slower start in Africa vs. Italy. A few pieces in Africa can mean everything. Secondly, the Carrier gives you an immediate lockdown fleet when combined with your airbase in West Germany. You now have a foundation for a long-term shield against Britain and the US.
2. Neutral choices: Step into Finland with 3 Infantry, Step into Bulgaria with 2 Infantry, and crush Yugoslavia with 8 Infantry, 2 Artillery, and 3 Armor. The rest of your mobile forces hit France G1. This sets you up for Greece on G2 quite nicely. It also buys you the max free Infantry you can get on G1… yeah, it’s nice for Italy to have some free Infantry + economy, but I prefer (personally) to have the bulk of the forces go to one major power… on offense a single power is best to have a majority… on defense, multinational is just fine. The Axis is all about offense, or the game is already over.
3. Starting on the 1st turn, begin moving units into Norway with the single Transport you have… on G2 land 6 more with the 3 Transports you now have. On G3 land 6 more… you get the idea. Move your Infantry and Artillery only… mobile forces have a different purpose. The Allied player who had to prepare for a potential Sealion is now watching as a heavy dose of Infantry and Artillery begins pooling in Finland.
4. Purchases on G2, G3, G4 etc. should reflect your purpose - to overwhelm and crush Russia. This isn’t done with expensive units, but with Infantry, Artillery, Armor, and Mech Infantry, Air, and Navy… in descending order of amount purchased. For example, if I have 60 IPCs with Germany, you’ll see 10 Infantry, an Artillery, an Armor, a Mech Infantry, a Fighter, and a Sub. Sometimes the Sub will be an extra Armor, or the Mech an extra Artillery, or vice versa. Have patience with your purchases - resist the urge to stray and buy bombers or battleships or other nonsense. The payoff will come… Russia can’t compete with the unending brutality of waves of Infantry, backed by superior (and growing) armor and air. As the turns move forward, slowly choke back on the Infantry, and add more mobile forces through the midgame turns… the front has moved, and you have to maintain the ability to move with it. Still, I’d personally have a hard time ever buying less than 6-8 Infantry in a turn, no matter what. Beware the desire to spend a round buying all mobile forces. Never run out of a continuous flow of Infantry!
5. Begin to defend your coast before the Allied navies claim Gibraltar/North Africa, which they will. I begin placing 1 or 2 Infantry a round in Normandy on G3, and I make a commitment that doesn’t stop until I get to 10-12 Infantry. Combined with the threat of the Luftwaffe, it forms a formidable defense and can counter any attack made on Southern France. I move 4 of my AA guns to the coastline to give a headstart on holding my flank, as when the US shows up it will be with a healthy dose of airpower. The Allied player will quickly look for other places to go.
6. So now you have a self-sustaining Kriegsmarine staged in SZ112(adding a unit per turn), with an airbase backing it up (and adding a fighter per turn). You’re preparing to defend your coastline in Normandy. This is your Spiked Shield. This shield can be used to harass the UK all you want, but remember that it’s purpose is defending your Western flank.
7. Let’s talk about the Armored Fist. You’ve been landing 6 units per turn in Norway on G2 and G3, you landed 2 on G1 and had 7 Infantry in Finland on G1… you’re now looking at forces in the north of 21(!) land units to begin G4… not bad. 15 of these are prepared to assault on G4. Every other land unit not playing defense in Normandy can now be used on the front with Russia. On G4 not only will you have a huge force of Infantry/Artillery preparing to take the Karelia/Vyborg region, you’ll also have plenty of Infantry massed along the Polish/Hungarian/Romanian border, and more importantly, your mechanized forces will be prepared to apply pressure wherever you choose, based on how the Russian player has chosen to array their forces. My favorite is a pincer - the northern forces hit Karelia or Vyborg (or both), and my mobile forces (now numbering approximately 10-12 Armor and 5-6 Mech) move with accompanying Infantry/Artillery into the Baltic States. The nail in the coffin is the original 3 Transports… they bring a combo of 6 Infantry/Artillery any place you need - Vyborg, Novgorod, or the Baltic States - any combo you choose, or all to one of them if needed. My guess is that based on the way the Russian player sees you stage on G3, they’ll be in no mood to contest Novgorod… how could they?
8. Contingency plans - let’s say the Russian player sells out completely to save Novgorod… well, now your mobile forces (16-18 units and counting!) make a mess of the Ukraine area. With the pressure of Infantry, Artillery, Mobile forces, and a large Luftwaffe, Russia is forced to choose to lose one IC or the other. Because the Ukraine opens up Stalingrad and the Caucasus region, a smart Russian player will choose the lesser of the two evils and will heavily defend the South and let the North go.
9. I can’t say this enough - when your German economy gets to 55-60, do yourself a favor and make a commitment to 10 Infantry a round in the later stages (G7 and later). Otherwise, you’ll find yourself in a state of Infantry exhaustion. When that happens, you begin to lose the initiative. A bad idea. Keep the boots marching to the front.
10. A helpful hint - Fighters are best in the West, and Tactical Bombers are best in the East. Fighters are a good defense for your Spiked Shield, and Tac Bombers pair wonderfully with Armor for added offensive punch.
11. A quick note on Italy. As a general rule, small amounts of Italian forces (1-2 units of any type also continuously moving toward the front) can punch holes in Russia’s front. Large German forces reinforce the territory, including air power if you choose. This accomplishes three vital things: 1. It preserves precious Italian units - they continuously get reinforced by large German stacks. 2. It slowly increases Italy’s economy - the land they gain is held, bit by bit. 3. It preserves Germany’s Infantry - even though they get less of a share of economy on the front, they lose less Infantry in a trade war with Russia. By the time you get close to Moscow, if you’ve attacked and reinforced skillfully, you might find that most German Infantry you started with still exist - this is the counter to your concern that Russia has a large stack… because so do you.
12. A quick note on Japan. Declare war on Russia on J1, and use minimal forces to take Soviet Far East, Siberia, and Sakha. It doesn’t seem like much, but over time it is a slow drain on Russia and a small bump in economy for japan. Mostly you do it to give a small dose of help to Germany and Italy. If Russia uses their far eastern forces to deal with you - all the better. You’ve just slowed them down from making it back to help defend Moscow. You win either way.
Note that this is not a quick knockout method. This is designed to slowly strangle Russia’s economy, and show up on their doorstep with enough forces to finish the job. Expect Moscow to fall somewhere in turns 11-14… take your time and enjoy the ride. Germany is an absolute beast if you rely on basics.
Be extra happy if your Russian opponent buys aircraft - they’ll wish they hadn’t. Against masses of land forces, they become expensive casualties only.
Have fun!
