I’ve been toying with a strategy I may try sometime. Combine the Indian/Aussie fleets in sz30 plus an IC in S. Africa on UK1. The combined fleet is only within range of the Jap East Indies fleet, simulations give them only 15% chance of destroying the combined fleet, what’s left can limp over to S. Africa for reinforcement. With half the Jap fleet gone & a restored UK fleet/IC in the S. Indian Ocean I think this could create some real problems for Japan & Germany in Africa. Feel free to rip my strategy to shreds! :mrgreen:
You maintain control of S. Africa at what cost?
A 15 IPC factory, and further diversion of IPCs to reinforce S. Africa. Progress against Europe slows to a crawl. Your air spends time simply getting to Africa. Germany dominates north Africa, and late game Germany can abandon Africa safely, or Japan can come in and blow up the Indian fleet.
Until someone beats me using one several consecutive times, I will NEVER be a fan of a South African IC (or an Indian IC).
Britain has ONE job in this game… to keep enough pressure on Germany to keep Russia from falling. Period. IC’s and forces adjacent to Antarctica or Japan do not achieve this priority.
Anything else… and I mean ANYTHING else… a couple of sunk Jap ships, a couple of IPC’s briefly raided from Japan or SBR’d from them… or reinforcing US/USSR positions… is all gravy.
I count ALL UK forces outside of Canada and UK DEAD from the start, except for how they can be used to thwart Germany in Africa. So, any damage or defense I can do with them beyond achieving that goal is a bonus. (The obvious exception is the SZ59 TRN, that is UK’s one required and non-optional must-kill against Japan)
Good feedback, & I’m mulling it all over.
Some additional thoughts:
The overall Axis strategy has to be taking out Russia, Germany can’t do that alone they need Japan to pressure Russia from the East. A reconstituted UK fleet with support from a S. Africa IC threatens the Japenese southern attack corridor.
The conventional UK counter-attack in Egypt is only a delaying action in denying Germany control of Africa. An IC in S. Africa will force Germany to devote considerable resources to Africa if they really want to conquer it. Plus Africa constitutes 1/3 of UK’s starting IPC.
An IC in UOSA draws 15 IPC’s on UK1 from UK, then another X IPC a turn for 1 TRN plus land forces. That excludes any higher costs for capital ships. And UK can;t even build and fill a TRN with a build rate of TWO.
And while UK is pouring more than half of their income into Africa… Germany trashes UK’s main fleet, perhaps adding a TRN or 2 to scare the crap out of London, while using those TRNs to shuttle forces to Karelia to accelerate a northern strike on Moscow. This would also deny UK Norway revenue, further reducing UK’s income.
Germany at even just a base $40 (losing Africa but having Karelia) against Russia is a really bad idea for Russia.
As for slowing down Japan… forget the Southern route. Go via China/Sinkiang/Novo and you are immune from any potential threat from UOSA and scan create that back-pressure on Moscow needed to crack Moscow.
@ncscswitch:
An IC in UOSA draws 15 IPC’s on UK1 from UK, then another X IPC a turn for 1 TRN plus land forces. That excludes any higher costs for capital ships. And UK can;t even build and fill a TRN with a build rate of TWO.
And while UK is pouring more than half of their income into Africa… Germany trashes UK’s main fleet, perhaps adding a TRN or 2 to scare the crap out of London, while using those TRNs to shuttle forces to Karelia to accelerate a northern strike on Moscow. This would also deny UK Norway revenue, further reducing UK’s income.
Germany at even just a base $40 (losing Africa but having Karelia) against Russia is a really bad idea for Russia.
As for slowing down Japan… forget the Southern route. Go via China/Sinkiang/Novo and you are immune from any potential threat from UOSA and scan create that back-pressure on Moscow needed to crack Moscow.
Point taken, I wouldn’t consider this strategy without US support. I guess what I’m looking for is a viable KTB (Kill them Both) strategy. Can the US/UK divert 1/2 their incomes to the pacific without sacrificing Russia?
In a word…
No.
They either go 100% KJF and take the risk, or they go KGF.
You can SLOW Japan while going KGF, but more than that, you risk Russia in a big way.
The only viable KBF is, Kill one, then the other. :mrgreen:
Wouldnt
Sub vs Sub in Solomons
Tran + 2 Inf vs 1 Inf in New Guinee
2 Inf, 1 Tran, 1 DD, 1 CV, 1 FTR from India to Kwangtung vs 3 Inf, 1 Tran (Fighter hits land, not sea)
Work better?
You could land your fighter in China to aid in it’s defense. Move the AA from India out. Rebuild and move back into Asia with Brition later. Meanwhile the Japanese now have diminished troops in Asia and have to move some navy into western waters instead of towards America for a round.
"Sub vs Sub in Solomons
Tran + 2 Inf vs 1 Inf in New Guinee
2 Inf, 1 Tran, 1 DD, 1 CV, 1 FTR from India to Kwangtung vs 3 Inf, 1 Tran (Fighter hits land, not sea)
Work better?
You could land your fighter in China to aid in it’s defense. Move the AA from India out. Rebuild and move back into Asia with Brition later. Meanwhile the Japanese now have diminished troops in Asia and have to move some navy into western waters instead of towards America for a round."
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I wouldn’t.
1. The New Guinea attack is risky. A. You could lose. B. Your isolated transport would become useless (out of position to reach UK in time, vulnerable to Japan). C. You cannot retake Africa, so Germany will probably have two tanks to rip through Africa.
2. The attack into French Indochina is also risky. A. You could lose. B. Your fleet would be counterattacked by Japan; it would use a “build transports west of Japan” strategy.
3. Bolstering China with the Indian fighter is not much good; there are only two infantry helping protect it. Assume that you deplete Japan’s Kwangtung infantry, you still face a considerable attack
4. Where are you going to “move back into Asia” from? If you build an IC in South Africa or Egypt, you WILL lose it without a doubt around the third or fourth turn. Unless the Japan player is really bad.
Altogether, you have some very high-risk attacks that could end up as disasters, which only inconvenience Japan for a short time. You are correct in stating that the Japanese will have to divert attention from the US, but I think that the quick deterioration of Asia and Africa will hurt the Allies far more than the distraction of Japan will help the Allies.
I would love to have UK do that move as Japan… whole fleet where I can slaughter it on one swell foop, still plenty of force to take out Pearl, and able to build my initial TRNs in SZ60 instead of 61, allowing me to fill all 3 TRN’s to offload on J2 (using Oki and Wake INF to add to the 2 INF, 1 ART, 1 ARM remaining in Japan after J1 bridging…
And an IC in FIC with a grand total of 3 UK INF between me an Africa, or just 2 between me and Caucuses…
This is what I have been doing with the UK fleet. I use the plane to knock out the Jap trn, then send dest, AC and trany to the straights to take back egypt and sail into the med. Once I have the ac in the med I’ll drop a plane I sent into Russia last turn and make a defendable force down there. Now Germany has two fleets to worry abotu as well as a english transport in the med. They either end up ignoring it or sending the luftwaffe and the BB to take it out. Either way it’s doing a good job of making Germany do something other than take Africa or hit Russia.
How do you get the fleet into the Med if Germany’s closed the canal on G1?
Depends if they take egypt or not. If they do I take it back e1 then wait a round to go threw. If it looks like Germany will be going balls out for Africa then I’ll either shoot them around the horn, or get America involved. Bringing the British fleet into the Med and even later into the Atlantic has served me well when I could get it done.
Of course the Axis is getting cannier now and is starting to hit Trans Jordan as well, but I think a couple of Russians can keep that open by R2.
Be careful bleeding Russians south to Persia and other points in the middle east.
It may slow down Germany and Japan in their IPC grab, but at the risk of weakening offensive strikes on Ukraine, and defensive strength of Caucuses.
Yea, but one well placed Russian infantry in Persia can really be a pisser. Especially if you forget that Caucasus is attached and land a solitary bomber there. :P Seen that happen once or twice already! Stoopid Japs! hehe.
Persia connects to two Russian states, Cuacaus and Mykrackistan, or whatever, I just pull the guys out of the other country and attack Ukraine with my everyone who is close by. I can also move russians into China as well. Since Japan takes a bit to really get to much gear over into mainland aisa a couple of guys can stymy them pretty well.
Persia borders:
USSR-Caucasus (aka Stalingrad)
USSR-Kazahk SSR
UK-India
UK-Trans-Jordan
And it’s only worth 1! Hah! I’ve seen whole armies die for that 1 IPC piece o’ dung.
