Russia: Defending the far east

you have 3 territories that do not implicate the mongolian rule, so if the russians depart, you can always take those with extra transports without ever comitting to a major invasion

if the russians stay, or add a fighter, they can tie up some minor forces and, at a critical time, lure japan into a diversionary attack that keeps them up north.

eiher way, the money is down south, not up there.  Still, you can take it all, provided you dont dilute the japanese fleet or money push

In addition to Young Grasshopper’s point, you seem to be sending up outnumbered interceptors. Don’t do this. Leave them on the ground until you have probably more defenders than attackers. Defenders can be worthwhile on the ground in the sense of tying down the Luftwaffe though. If the odds are even, trading fighters for fighters is a negative for the defender in the event of a sea lion.

It may help with an all out KJF plan if Russia decides to ignore the German advance and become a thorn in Japan’s side.

It may allow for more US resources to be directed at Europe, but they may be too little too late if Moscow were to fall easily and/or earlier than it should to the Germans.

I’ve played it out a few times, with significant Russian intervention in China, but Russia gets zero economic benefit and places a lot of resources in China that have little impact mid-late game for a crippled or defeated Moscow.

As the highest quality play by Japan is minor IC on the mainland, Japan can send 3 Mech with aircraft flown over them to clear out small infringements of the Russians in China.

IF I were to create problems for Japan, on R1 I would:
Buy 1 Arm, 2 Mech, place them in Stalingrad.
Move 1 Arm, 1 Mech from Moscow to Stalingrad.
Keep the 1 Arm, 1 Mech that start in Stalingrad there.
Fly your 2 Ftr and 1 Tac to Stalingrad.
R2 move into China (Sikang)
UK2 DOW on Japan (if not already at war) move all ground units into Yunnan, which hopefully is a reinforcement, but it may be a liberation depending on how China does there.
R3, move those units from Sikang into Yunnan, reinforcing the Brits and probably halting a Japanese takeover of the Burma road there.

I’m not suggesting this strategy. But it WOULD create problems for a Japan player that does not build IC on the mainland.  Additionally, if UK has to DOW on Japan, this places the US out of the war for a while, which further hurts Moscow in the long run.

Of course, those fast moving units in Stalingrad can:
Be redirected to NW Persia on R2 if at war, and they are more than enough to claim Iraq and get some additional income for Moscow - so there IS flexibility.  
If Moscow is still waiting for war, those units can all move directly to Bryansk on R2 and be in position for a R3 Strafe anywhere in Russia that Germany ends up on G3.

Personally I’d suggest one of the two options directly above before intervening in China.  There is little economic benefit unless you are in a KJF Allied strategy where bogging the Japanese down in China creates immense economic problems.  In particular I wouldn’t want Russia playing a defensive strategy in China throwing its units to the wind.  I’d rather be able to blitz across Northern China, far away from any Japanese IC and/or reinforcements.

@iceage36:

Also i would say i lose about 6-8 original russian infantry who cant retreat back fast enough from the tanks…

I am sorry for being harsh. If he does not attack until G2, this number should always be 0. The only reason for it not to be is if you use a few inf to screen.

All you really have to do is to make your infstacks so big that his tanks are not strong enough to attack them. This is actually not that difficult to do against the force germany can have in russia on g3-g4.

I don’t know exactly what you are doing wrong, but I am pretty sure you are not conducting an effective retreat and not having enough art to present a real danger for a counterattack (which should stop the german for at least 1 turn.

Japan may be able to take any IC that the UK has/builds in Africa/Mideast.  A Japan that does a J4 along with sending its entire fleet into the Indian Ocean to take Egypt is tough to beat along with a successful German G1.

Turn 3 Alpha+2, Turn 2 OOB

To put it another way, once the battle is over, you no longer have the option of retreating.

I haven’t ever bought Navy as Russia…everything Russia needs to do can be done without a Navy. Given time I would pour some troops into China to slow Japan down. As for builds I build a mix of guys tanks and atrilley for the guys. And depending on the situation if Germany doesn’t attack turn 4 I would strongly consider attacking them.  Also I put my guys and aterilly on the border with Germany and put my tanks one back so that I can move them up with the attack if I get to attack first but also so I don’t lose them if Germany attacks first. Honestly every turn that Germany doesn’t attack is a gift to Russia because it allows them to build up more forces which makes them tougher to take.