Repel the Americans…how?!!!

It is really hard to fight the Americans, so all I can recommend is damaging their factories with bombers and once you capture London or at least take out the British navy send what you can to attack them, but all I can really say is stack up on strategic bombers do as much bombing raids as possible on Central and Eastern US to keep them down. Also after you take London start landing like 1 or 2 infantry in Ottawa and start pissing them off. Then if they cover both send your navy at one of their docking’s and if they put it all in front of Canada go after the US mainland even if you know you’ll lose you’ll really frustrate them, while you can fight the Russians.

Also just try to end it quickly, don’t waste time, if you can win before they’re at their full power well that’s good.

Bombing USA?? From where?

I mean bomb them after you’re at war with them. Just take Greenland and build an airbase. You can just build a bigger navy.

@Spitfire38:

This campaign involves completely ignoring Russia… you can’t carry on a major US assault and commit to Operation Barbarossa IMHO

Well you would build a navy anyways to fight the British, and if you can ever get London, which if your well concentrated you can and still fight the French. Then use their income and split it up and be really quick against Russia.

I know it seems like a long shot, but the US is really hard to fight.

Good Luck Next Game!

I admire the sense of initiative, but sounds like a very expensive joke (bases, bombers, …) although Greenland does take the focus off Gibraltar, which could work for a while.

Personally, if i was Germany and wanted to actively disturb the USA i think i’d go for subs: relatively cheap, can raid convoys and makes movement for US ships more difficult. Also controls any fresh British fleet Might win a few turns.

Edit: now that i think of it, if Germany takes Iceland and builds a naval base there, any subs from 123 can reach up til 101. (But can also be reached by destroyers from 101, the blade cuts 2 ways :)

Beating the Americans is all about cheap tricks.  And one thing…. Gibraltar.  Remember you have 4 turns to prepare whatever defense style you like, to prevent them from landing there, to recapture it if they do, or preemptively attack / disable, their naval elements G4.

I’ve been playing alot of Europe - stand alone lately, F2f games.  I can usually stiff the Americans until turn 6, sometimes until turn 9, from getting access to Gibraltar.  Even Longer from getting into the Med.  Long enough to make Italy a miniature monster…  Eastern Front is all about the stalemate - until you get the upper hand.

Keep a few things in mind…

1- US Fighters/Tac’s can’t attack Gibraltar, from the home territory / seazone.  Any large amount of
Bombards can be prevented by the scramble of a single plane.

2- In a pinch effort, 2 destroyers can be sacrifieced by either axis power to deny ANY type of US landing  (Who isn’t willing to pay $16 to prevent the American Entrance into the Mediterranean by a turn?)

3- a SBR by Italy, OR Germany on Gibrlatar, on the naval facility can really screw with the Americans - they often don’t see this and lose this move 3 ability, after the facility is taken.  As it’s a British Facility, and the brits can’t repair it until AFTER the American Move.

4- American starting ground forces are infantry and Mechanized…. alot of rolls at 1…  And thier income is only 35 at the start… they don’t build up much before Turn 4, atleast nothing you can’t match with Germany AND Italy.

5- Being PREPARED to take back Gibraltar from inside the med, against the American ground forces SENT there is one of the BEST ways to screw the Americans  Say they land 8 men in Gib,  As long as you kill their forces and taken Gib back with your own ground troops, air power and navy, thier navy (minus subs) Can’t get through - OR Return home.

6- A destroyer off the east coast of Gibraltar can block American advances for ANOTHER turn,

7- Killing American Grounds units, is FAR more important than their naval elements for the most part.  It’s becuase it’s the ground units that take territories.

8- Keep a CLOSE eye on American naval builds…. lots of Subs in a navy, can be SUBVERTED by JUST attacking with air,  or attacking without a destroyer.  Nothing better than scooting around all that fodder, and wasting capital ships.

9-  American Aircraft Carriers, in large clusters (2 to 4) are susceptible to dual attack.  Italy goes in first, naturally America Tips.  Then Italy pulls out??  wtf, all the American planes have to land on a local territory 1 space away, and then you come with the Germans…

10- Navies are WAY better on defence… especially with the new scrambling rules,  it’s not that hard to get 2 acc’s and a dst out of germany, by G3,  and into Gibraltar by G4.  Do you know how difficult it is for the Americans to take Gibraltar, against 1 bat, 1 cru, 1 or 2 dst, 2 acc’s and 7 mixed axis planes?  Not to mention sub hits if they are available?  Difficult…

11-  Make the Americans pay DOUBLE the IPC cost, JUST to take the territory, by killing THAT many more units that go there… and you neutralize thier intrusive income.  The more desperate they become - as the game moves forward, the more outlandish and expensively silly their attacks become.

The list goes on and on and on… cheap trick, after dirty move…

All in all it requires small scale Sub and Aircraft builds by the axis,  which help them with interdiction, AND all thier fronts (Air is always good that way).  Hold on to Gibraltar as LONG as possible.  Know when to stand and fight, no when to run, Commit Ground Units to Gibraltar, and Italian and German planes. If you have to, but be willing to pull them out for a counter attack if you know they are going to die.

Do your DAMNDEST, to keep all of your starting planes ALIVE.

Just do whatever the hell you can do to screw them around,  and on the flip side, grow your income as quickly as possible to match there own…

A side note aswell… subs from Gibraltar can head south to Africa, you can hit the allies for as Many IPC’s down there as you can from England.  And even with the Capture of Gibraltar, Axis subs in the med can still come through to hit the yanks with air support.

Hope that helps… got to jet.

1.  Not alot of information is presented in your example :s  If it was JUST cruisers, I might trade 10 ipc planes, for 12 ipc cruisers, and the transports after they die  - OF MORE IMPORTANCE however, is killing his ground units in normandy,  he would have to take 2 turns to return the transports he used, to America, to bring more forces….  costly in time.

• Also, don’t leave static defenses…  10 guys in Normandy that get wasted by air and bombards, is a bad move.  BUT, If you sit in paris, give it to him for free, and counter attack… you get to waste HIS 10 men that he lands instead.

2.  Subs can pass through the straight of Gibraltar, even if it is enemy occupied - yes, this is in the rules.

3.  Yes this allows for a successful Russian Campaign - That is methodical, deliberate, and monitored.  A successful Russian campaign is best accomplished by matching dollar for dollar - OR BETTER, the amount of units heading east vs what Russia is sending at you.  Try to threaten the north via ships in the baltic, whilst pushing heavy south  (Romanian / Ukraining IC’s).  Italian Air cover will provide you with some interesting oppurtunities, if you read under the global section my “Axis Arrow Head” speech.

4.  Lastly, remember, it’s not really just Germany that wins you the game… Italy NEEDS to be successful, and specifically, successful against the british… you need to hammer the Brits for their IPC’s, take them, and focus on Italian NO’s + the middle east.  Usa is just to be delayed…

Question: If Germany takes London on turn 3 and the Italians strategic bomb the naval base in Gibralter and render it useless how can it ever be rebuilt? Assume America lands a force there. Can the USA rebuild the naval base even though it belongs to Britain? Or, does London have to be retaken and only the Brits can rebuild the base?

mjtlaw

@Gargantua:

5- Being PREPARED to take back Gibraltar from inside the med, against the American ground forces SENT there is one of the BEST ways to screw the Americans  Say they land 8 men in Gib,  As long as you kill their forces and taken Gib back with your own ground troops, air power and navy, thier navy (minus subs AND PLANES) Can’t get through - OR Return home.

6 Transports in SZ 101
6 Transports in SZ 88 or 86
6 Transports in SZ 91

Take Gibraltar each round, deplete the Italian treasury while you build up submarines and planes to attack SZ 92.

Just a thought!  I don’t have to return home as I have a transport train set up securing the central atlantic.

Keep in mind, Strategic Bombers from S. America can hit SZ 92 as well!  Those territories between Brazil and Venezuela make perfect airstrips.

Commander Jennifer yet again proves my point.

What better way to repel, and slow down the americans, than to make them  build 18 fully loaded transports, and airstrips,

In fact…  18 trn * 7 = 126.  + 1 ab = 141.  un its for say… atleast 10 of those transports is another 70.  211 IPC’s.

US 1 = 35
US 2 = 35
US 3 = 50
US 4 = 50
US 5 = 50

210

So in short, if you were playing against the strategy Jennifer is proposing, you would face nothing but the cruiser america starts with, 1 fgt 1 tac 1 bmb -  the fgt tac of course, would have no local landing zones unless there was a US 5 DELAYED attacked.  The US couldn’t land in round 4, but only if you didn’t have 3 fgts on Gibraltar.  At which time, you would likely nuke 18 transports.

Transport chains - Don’t “Secure” Anything!

Case closed.

I am not advocating you buy 18 transports as soon as you can!  I’m saying I usually end up wtih 18 of them which I can use to train troops all the way to Egypt if I have too.