North or South?
This might help a bit to answer the question that Frederick posed on the previous page. The short answer is, I think its very hard to stack Belo on G1, against a seasoned Russian vet. This is because 1942.2 is rather different than the Revised map or Spring 1942, where the importance of Ukraine on R1 was undeniable very hard to ignore.
In 1942.2 I wanted to start us off with that discussion of how to manage the Ukraine opener by Russia, first because its very familiar to players of the previous boards, so it’s one you are likely to see, especially when people first dive in to the new map, but that doesn’t mean I think its the strongest play the Russians can make.
In previous games, Moscow stood between Germany and Japan at the top of the board, which meant the only area of convergence for Axis was in the South, but in 1942.2 there is an option to converge in the North. I believe this is the stronger direction for Germany to go at the outset and probably long term, due to the way Archangel and China have been redesigned, and also due to the new production spread across the center. The starting factory in Karelia makes the North an attractive convergence area, whereas the the starting Factory in India can make the south a rather less attractive one.
German naval strength, and their Air and Armor advantage, makes stacking the North a bit simpler than stacking the South. The threat from an early UK landing up north is diminished, while the threat of UK involvement in the south is increased (on account of India.) This means that, once you’re clearly established in Karelia, its easier to lock down the middle and the south, than it is to lock the middle/south before you have control of Karelia. If you cede control of the North to win the South, (by allowing UK to build a fleet for example, and then letting them back you off Leningrad via Scandinavia or sz 5 drops, this can really start to undermine your strength at the center, and can jack up your pressure on Moscow. Karelia is easy to reinforce, but also flexible to pull out of and then deadzone from an adjacent space if needed, while still keeping your forces near the critical territory of Berlin. Caucasus on the other hand, is farther afield. It’s 2 moves from Berlin with your Armor, rather than just 1, and this can make your logistics tough in the long run.
Ukraine is generally seen as the gateway to Caucasus, meaning if you’re stacking this space, it should usually be with an aim to break the center, but the cost of tanks, the distance, the design of the med, the India factory, and other things all conspire to make Ukraine somewhat less powerful at the outset, at least from the perspective of the overall German game.
So this brings us back to the question of where the Russians attacked initially, and how to deal with that as Germany under normal circumstances? ie, how should you play it if Russia just goes all in on W. Russia, or if they attack Belo or Baltic states rather than Ukraine? Also, if the Russians are awarded a bid, and they use extra units to make their opening battles more potent, how do you deal with those extra Ruskies on the gamemap?
Here again its worth remembering that Germany is not alone. While they remain the lead player on the Axis team, this doesn’t mean they need to do 100% of the heavy lifting right at the outset. They have a little time to set things up and more often, its better to bide your time and wait for G2 or G3, when Japan will be in a better position to support your stacks, before you really start your advance against the Russians.
Even a couple Japanese aircraft, or a single successful SBR against Moscow, can be enough to secure your forward movement, whereas if you go it alone before Japan can assist, the Russians will often have a counter.
Not to turn this German opening guide into a Japanese opening guide, but just to point out that Japanese bombers can reach from Tokyo to Karelia in one move. A Japanese bomber based in Kwangtung can SBR Moscow and then land in Karelia. Fighters in Kwangtung can reach Ukraine in one move, but fighters based in Szechwan can reach all the way to Karelia or Belo!
This means that your options for a G2 push with Japanese air support are better than a G1 push solo, and your options for a G3 push with Japanese support are even better still.
So it’s worth considering, how many units do you really want to put at risk on the eastern front at the beginning? And is it worth launching forward on G1 to trade units and play the income game, if you can’t actually hold the territories against an all out Soviet counter attack? Those are rhetorical questions, the ready answer should be, only if you can destroy enough Russian TUV to really put a dent in the Soviet’s power projection (ie. to pick off heavy hitting units) otherwise you’re better off waiting until your German stack is unassailable!
It’s much easier to reinforce the North via Baltic States, and then move south from their on a slower but steadier push through Belo from there, once you have the extra production captured. It’s also a lot easier to cover Scandinavia and the sea zones around UK, without putting your aircraft out of position, if you choose a northern focus. If the German player recognizes this, it stands to reason the Allied player might recognize the same and adapt their opening to compensate.
Often that means a stronger Allied focus on Archangel (as an air landing spot) and as a way to threaten Karelia. Sometimes the Russians can even bounce out of W. Russia for one round, provided they have enough units in Archangel, Caucasus, and Moscow, to deadzone it. Frequently this will happen around G3, where the Russians pull out for 1 round to cover Arch, and let UK reclaim the territory for them, with US air to cover. So what does all that have to do with the German opening?
Well basically it means, that you can’t really count on controlling Belo at the outset as a fighter landing zone, and if you can’t land fighters there, this means it could be dangerous to stack. On the other hand, you might have some luck holding onto your 6th fighter, and Baltic States (even if it is captured on R1) can easily be reinforced. I’d suggest that this is your ideal route to push. Even if you lose Ukraine on R2, and even if for some reason you cannot manage to reclaim it on G2, this can still work to Germany’s advantage, provided your are pushing north consistently. The Luftwaffe is potent, especially when massed together, and even a single round’s purchase of a couple tanks in Berlin or Karelia, can give G the option to smash south rapidly, without giving up their position in the North.
I don’t have a whole lot of time today, but just wanted to dive in here for a minute to talk up the Northern route, because its a much stronger proposition in 1942.2 than it was in other games. Not only does Germany have an easier time setting up in this region, but Japan also has some cool options in 1942.2 that it didn’t have in previous games. Evenki can be especially significant (at the connection point to Singkiang) not just as a way to bleed the Russian purse, but as a staging ground that forces the Allies to sweat Archangel can openers. Often it makes sense for the Axis to press this northern advantage early as a way of drawing Allied forces off the south, only to rapidly redirect south at the last minute for a final push on the center.
This works for the British as well as the Russians. If for example, you are forcing the Allies to send British Air and ground forces northwards to protect the Russians, it becomes easier to swing south and take India or Suez on Amphibious.
This North/South tension, is novel and a new thing compared to earlier boards, so just wanted to mention it here again, and to say I think its easier to start North and then shift South, rather than doing things the other way round. ;)
So instead of thinking about a “worst case” Ukraine strafe. It might be more fruitful to examine a Russian opening more like this one. This sort of Triple Hit opening, is rather hard for Russia to pull off OOB, but it is possible, and even more likely, if they were awarded an extra infantry unit or two. Its possible to reconfigure this sort of opening to have even more power in W. Russia, or to make a purchase that projects even more power on R2. Even a small bid in this area can change a lot of things.
You can see that under these conditions, stacking Belo or Karelia on G1 is not very feasible. The Russian fighters in Archangel, mean that any naval expansion for Sea Lion is totally out of the question (since those fighters shut it down, 4 moves from London.) Caucasus is open for the income, but essentially impossible to hold through G2.
In this sort of situation, it would be advisable to hold your forces in reserve, trade light in the South, and keep your eye on the prize. Setting up to stack North in the following rounds. Note it may be possible, given a decent bid (with artillery say) for Russia to actually do a triple hit with Baltic States + Ukraine, instead of Belo, in which case the southern attack route becomes even more dangerous for G. And of course, there are ways to set up similar Russian openings that just stack huge in W. Russia, making it even harder to go forward on G1. Just something to keep in mind before you charge ahead with reckless abandon, whether you can actually gain enough in strategic position for the risk, to make the move worth it, or if the move might just result in a R2 reset of the whole front haha.
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