@knp7765:
…s for the real punch. By the end of the game – Round 8 when Germany captured Washington – Germany had a fleet of 20 bombers.
The best way to do it, especially in the large battles, is to try and have as many infantry as the enemy you are attacking. Odds are, their infantry won’t get that many hits so they never get to your bombers. Meanwhile, your bomber stack tears them up.
Looking forward to trying this out in our next G40 game.
You let the cat out of the bag for me here…with my strategy Washington and Ontario are viable victory city targets if allies go all in on Moscow, London, and Egypt. There are two locations on the map, that when properly coordinated with each of the 3 axis players permits a rapid late game conquest of America. I am being cryptic because I wanted to use it against a forum player before releasing it to the public but now I feel rushed: Erie is the most underused territory for going after America.
Lets just say in one round after Italy captures one of two key locations (Erie or Scottland), I can get my German bombers to a Japanese landing strip (Alaska) in North America by first moving to this location (Erie) that is out of range, but made to be in range with a follow up Italian air base (z119,z123,z122,z121,Alberta,British Columbia,Alaska). This means the USA has 1 turn warning, when the German bombers land (if they predict the airbase) and no warning since only Anzac and France go between Italy and Germany if they don’t catch the significance of these two sites. (Hint: The weaker of the two choices is Scotland but it has an airbase which could warn USA since they see Japans conquest).
Note: Japan’s throw away transport is not threatening to USA if they take Alaska for instance and USA follows before Italy makes its move, so their build is locked in.
Now from Alaska (Japan builds an air base after Germany lands) you can strafe all USA territories using surplus bombers to apply damage to each factory if Japan’s main force follows up with a larger landing in British Columbia (from z6-Japan) this is easy and it secures the landing of EUSA bombers. Alternative, a second Italian transport takes West Indies, after Germany lands in Alaska to provide range for the EUSA bombing/strafing.
If you wipe all USA units off of the Land in North America with German and Japanese bombers, the Japanese tank landed in Alaska moves to Alberta, you strafe the land again, and it blitzes Ontario( a victory city ) to Washington (another victory city and probably number 8 or 9 in axis hands)….Two turns after landing in Alaska with Germany, I have plundered Washington with one throw away Japanese transport, an infantry (which takes WUSA two turns later if walking, the next turn if the transport lives.), an armor, and 2 air bases.
Imagine a bomber strategy, that requires 2 airbases, 1 transport, and 1 armor to plunder Washington in 2 turns, sacrificing German and Japanese air units (that land on top of the German bombers to defend them from USA strafes) to clear the 30 units USA could build in its 3 factories. Once Japan’s tank takes Alberta, you land your slow German and Japanese air units to protect it from a US carrier strafe.
The only counter is for America to have a strafe of Alaska ready when Japan lands the tank. This sub-strategy can happen at any time during the game…good job bombers.
Are there easier ways to get German bombers to USA, yes…Iceland, West India, you name it, but Erie is the most “eerie” because it might go completely unnoticed unless your opponent reads my posts. Unless forwarned or extremely paranoid I challenge any veteran that sees Germany landing its bombers in Erie as a threat to Washington the following turn. All they will have seen was the Japanese Alaska take…Italy goes after their turn. So when Germany lands USA now has one turn to fly its air back to USA and build all land units or they are doomed…if the axis draw the USA navy to Australia, or South Pacific, only thier previous naval build will be in range to try to help…A single Japanese transport kept/produced in z6 keeps this threat real at all times. An Italian transport kept at Gibraltar (East side) (or an Italian troop loaded onto a German z112/z113 transport) should now open everyone’s eyes. You have been warned.
Don’t like beating around the bush, are the allies going Europe first…Ok Japan stage a large invasion of Alaska, I’ll sacrifice my German capital and send my bombers to Alaska, together we will use brute force to curb stomp Washington the turn after USA enters the Mediterranean. I don’t need Erie as West German bombers can land in Japanese occupied Alberta/Panama/ in a pinch. You see, Operation: Hollywood is not dead, just reborn in the sky…Operation: Dark Skies :evil:
