what are your buys looking like for ANZAC?
I been taking the 18 russians and 2 aa guns back to bury and leaving 2 inf in amur. then round 2 after japan moved out, I bring em back to amur and round 3 i push manchuria.
Japan usually just goes through with what he is doing and takes calcutta down and keeps the burma road shutdown. Afterwhich usa has to step up naval buys in pacific to prevent the VC victory. In which case the ruskies are just being annoying, but not really amounting to much else.
So what is a good amount of transports for USA to have in the pacific?
What naval pieces in pacific is USA typically buying rounds 1-3 and 4-5? Japan seems to have a set strategy in pacific and don’t see much deviation. So I am curious what USA/ANZAC is settling to do.
Lots of options for the Allies.
Most stem around Japan’s moves which varies accordingly to the Axis strategy as a whole.
The consensus for US purchases vary a lot and REALLY diverge after US1 / US2.
A good strategy is generally for the allies to go about sinking Jap ships at all costs as it is more difficult for Japan to replace them than the US so you can see a trade off of US for Japanese ships.
Its particularly difficult for the US to outright play a Kill Japan First strategy, in fact I don’t think I have ever seen one put to discussion that has merit. At best the US gets lucky and has a TT with a ground unit on Hawaii and Japan leaves Tokyo unguarded for the US to take.
Anzac can play many roles, it can reinforce any US advances in the Pacific with straight TT / Inf purchases that will land on successful US holdings. It could play a screening aka “blocking” role that keeps the Jap fleets away from the US via DD purchases. It could also go the way of augmenting the US fleet with ships of its own. Lastly it can play a Mop-up role following US - Japanese conflicts with Anzac’s own aircraft.
India is tough because Japan goes for its throat. A determined Japanese Kill India First aka India Crush is hard to stop, but Japan generally ends up trading aircraft for Calcutta. What Japan does after that is highly situational depending on the Axis position in Europe. India at worst is playing turtle on Calcutta waiting on an India Crush. At best is ignored by Japan and starts advancing first in DEI acquisitions and then later on mainland China. Calcutta could also, if ignored by Japan, start sending units towards Africa or the Russian Caucasus. In the mid-game, India can assist China in taking and holding the Burma Road in Yunnan - but you don’t really want to do that until after Japan attacks or risk the US being unable to attack Japanese ships until US4 at the earliest.
I just assumed japan goes strait for calcutta with transport buys early on to nab the cash islands and hammer out india no problem by moving a big stack into burma.
Seems to be a strat that generally works without a hitch, but requires the bulk of japan to be on the bottom half of the board, so russians moving in to manchuria once japan has commited…seems to keep china going after calcutta has fallen.
I guess containing japan after calcutta is gone is difficult.
I take it investing more into pacific early in the game than later is the way to go so you can take advantage of board position. so I am guessing subs/dds off hollywood while it is a minor. may as well buy the cannon fodder first.
A lot of people seem to like the US1 purchase being 2 CV and 1 BB for W.USA.
US2 varies too much to discuss all the options. Some people put 3 bombers on W.USA for example. Others may spend on an Atlantic fleet on US2.
I like to do things differently, but I put a premium on getting US forces into the Med as early as possible.
In example 2 TT 1 CR in E.USA for US1/US2.
I will also put 1 CV 1 Ftr in W.USA on US1 and US2 and then merge up the the two CV on US3 with the 2 Ftr from Hawaii to fill up the CV with Ftrs.
At the end of US2 I’ve equaled the Japanese Carrier’s in the Pacific and staged 4 TT and 3 CR in the Atlantic.
Depending on if Japan attacks on J2 which is very popular, I’ll have plenty more to spend on US3 to beef up either side of the map.
However, I also rely on the Allied fleets to reinforce both sides of the map for the US. I give Italy the Med early and rely on that UK fleet to move around the Horn of Africa and arrive in SZ91 around the same time the US TT’s can move past SZ102.
I run the UK ships from India to Aznac and the BB too. If India crush is happening, moving 1 Inf off India to get 4 IPC from a DEI just exposes the ships to a J2 attack and I only net a 1 IPC gain if I lose the TT and the Inf gets trapped on the DEI.
I run the UK ships from India to Aznac and the BB too. If India crush is happening, moving 1 Inf off India to get 4 IPC from a DEI just exposes the ships to a J2 attack and I only net a 1 IPC gain if I lose the TT and the Inf gets trapped on the DEI.
That’s a good point I hadn’t thought of. Also, if India takes those DEI islands, that could just be more money plundered by Japan once they do sack Calcutta.
I run the UK ships from India to Aznac and the BB too.� If India crush is happening, moving 1 Inf off India to get 4 IPC from a DEI just exposes the ships to a J2 attack and I only net a 1 IPC gain if I lose the TT and the Inf gets trapped on the DEI.
That’s a good point I hadn’t thought of. Also, if India takes those DEI islands, that could just be more money plundered by Japan once they do sack Calcutta.
Exactly. I still haven’t decided the best use for that Indian TT. I have a couple theories.
The first includes grabbing an Inf from Malaya and dropping it on Java. Those units can’t get back to Calcutta in time anyways. You end up trading a TT to get 4 IPC which equates to an extra Inf on Calcutta on UK2. Side benefit of Japan having to actually attack Java or Sumatra so it isn’t a “Free” take.
Second includes running that TT to SZ80 and dropping that Inf from W.India off in Persia a round early. You can add 2 Inf to Egypt on UK2 this way. If you snag the Inf and AA from Malta on UK1 you’ve added 3 Inf, 1 AA to Egypt by the end of UK2 and that TT that starts in the Med can make its way around the Horn of Africa to pick up units in Brazil on the way to SZ91
Lastly includes running that TT with the Indian fleet to SZ54 with the DD, CR and BB. I don’t recommend bringing any units on that TT, but Anzac can put Inf on it at a later date to take or retake a DEI as UK goes before Anzac in the turns.
Anzac runs its TT DD and CR to SZ54 with an Inf and Art to drop at DNG. Also flies its 3 Ftr there too.
End of Allied1 includes 2 DD, 2 CR, 1 BB in SZ54. 1 Inf 1 Art 3 Ftr on DNG.
US1 includes a NB build on Johnston Island and the US fleet from Hawaii and W.USA stage there. The Flip Ftr to Guam, the SS and DD off Flip run to Queensland. Land the C.USA bomber on Hawaii. Fly the 2 Hawaiian Ftr to Wake (if there’s no jap fleet with TT in striking distance). Move the Hawaiian DD to Midway to block a J2 TT move onto Hawaii for nearly free.
If J2 attacks the Allied fleet off DNG, the US2 has the following to counter attack it with:
2 SS 2 DD 2 CR 1 BB 1 CV 4 Ftr 1 Tac 1 Bomber. Two of those Ftr are tentative depending on where Japan has positioned its Caroline fleet. You don’t want that Caroline fleet hitting up Wake on J2 reinforced by J1 TT purchases to cut down 2 Ftr of yours. It may be worth the risk to put them in position anyways.
Note the Bomber can reach SZ54 and land on either DNG (if Japan didn’t take it from Anzac on J2) or New Guinea.
All in all, its a great trap for a portion of the Japanese fleet, and if Japan sees it coming and goes straight after DNG with its entire fleet, you bought Calcutta 2 more rounds of purchases and probably denied Japan from taking it while it still loses ships over a generally useless strategic location for Japan.
If left alone, Anzac 1 was no purchase so A2 includes an AB on DNG with a sizable Allied fleet chilling in SZ54. With J2 in position to do an India Crush after J2, the US can still stage its fleet there. Presuming Japan DOW on J2, the fleet now benefits from multiple scrambling Ftr (preferably US so Anzac Ftr can reinforce any US landings) if J3 turns from the India Crush.
All this just from the US1 buying a NB and CV and 2 TT for E.USA. US2 has plenty of options, 3 Bombers sounds really nice if DNG was left uncontested. US3 stages them at Wake and they are in range of supporting an allied counter attack on a Jap fleet that went to DNG on J4. By liberating Kwang, the US can stage an impressive counter on the Jap fleet off DNG and probably sink or cripple just about everything.
I usually build some subs, DD’s, Cruisers and fighters as ANZAC.
As the US, I go more European, but I build some subs, carriers and fighters, and transports.
I am more pacific.
I just buy enough to keep italy contained / pose a threat and protect uk’s boats so he can drop his full income in men every round.
so typically pacific i buy 1 sub 2 dd when not at war. then later it goes up.
“So what is a good amount of transports for USA to have in the pacific?”
I would let UK/ANZAC deal with that. As the USA I just want to do everything I can to get rid of the Japanese navy as soon as possible. So the transports the USA starts with are all i need to pick off an island here or there.
Personally, I would say 3 transports in the Pacific for USA should be plenty. You definitely want to focus on warships to take on and eliminate the Jap Navy, but having a few troops backed up by BB/CA bombards and carrier aircraft would be nice to take someplace like Iwo Jima or even Korea if the opportunity presents itself. Either one of those would make a good base for your bombers to SBR Japan’s facilities back into the stone age while you send some subs to convoy raid them into the poorhouse.
Mission 1: Sink Jap Fleet
Mission 2: SBR and Convoy them to the stone age
Mission 3: Hope you get enough into Europe to change the Axis fortune there.
