What to do with Italy

That is indeed the strategy, and it relies on the allies having pretty bad luck to smash up those stacks without losing 50% of your starting planes.

Germany can replace the planes, but not at the same time as it builds mechs, armor stax
Japan has even more planes, but it needs even more than Germany does because without them, its a paper tiger.

The problem with doing these stub attacks is if you lose more than 50% of your starting air power before turn 5, you will not be able to force your victory cities and strategic objectives.  The consequences are felt several turns later (7,8), when you cant smash stax because you lost your mobile strikeforce.

@taamvan:

1.  buy infantry.   Help Germany defend.  Defend yourself so Germany doesn’t have to.   Warding the allies off the Atlantic wall is very easy if you don’t waste Italy’s troops or money.
2.  buy mechs and tanks.  Have them follow Germany into Russia.  At a key moment, Italy will be able to rush forwards and kill the screen protecting a key Russian counterattack force, which Germany can then blitzkrieg through.
3.  fly your bomber all the way from Romania to china.   from China, have it land on Japan.   Use this and/or German bombers to kill the screens that the US is using to protect their key offensive fleet.
4.  don’t worry about Africa.   Even with your full navy, it is very difficult to either leave the med or defend it against a determined attack.   Even with your full African army, you will need very strong support to defeat the UK, unless they make a stupid mistake
5.  if you intend to take the extra assets for Italy (southern france, Bulgaria, etc.) do it with a plan in mind.  It is much easier for Germany to use this money to strong effect.   
6.  take Gibraltar, but you’re not going to hold it.  You may need it as a base for either Germany or Italy, or just to slow the allies down/get your bonus.   Use a destroyer or a cruiser to block the allies entry into the med from SZ92
7. don’t lose your airforce.  it can go all sorts of different directions to follow up on Germany.  It can hang in western Germany and do Italian sea lion.  It can attack Russia with your mobile force
8.  you can attack UK with Italy.   It helps if you have 2 or more transports;  Sea Lion is far more effective if you attack with 2 (or even 3 lol) Axis powers one after another.   It may still not be a winner, but it makes it far easier for Germany to win even if you lose everything with Italy.
9.  Africa is a distraction.  Egypt is a distraction.   Your bonuses are not keepable and are largely, distractions.  Don’t mess with 1 IPC territories.  win the game.   
10.  Syria and Bryansk/Belarus are better goals than any NO or abstract victory (high income alone).

Thanks for this sound advice!

In the games a played it seemed that Japan could help the European Axis more by getting in positon to have enough victory cities on their side of the map than really pushing towards Russia.  If Japan pushes to Russia then USA is free to keep spending in Europe.  Maybe I will give this a try though with the newer edition of rules.

@Cow:

and let me guess axis won right? exactly italy makes 40 that is game.

Yep.  Italy really carried the game. They also got heavy bombers and they just started unloading on the UK London side. The UK spent most of the game fixing stuff that that Italy had bombed the turn before. Then they crossed over and did it to India and that allowed Japan an easy time taking it.

If Germany goes Sea Lion, Italy will thrive. If Germany goes Barbarossa, Italy will most likely slowly halt.

One needs to be prepared for every outcome.  That’s all I am saying.

Do You want your German tanks to take France on round 1 and then grab Western Ukraine 5 spaces away by round 3? Then read on.
_* Warning the author of this article and the websites it is on do not claim responsibility for games lost due to following the advise below.

Reader discretion is advised._

Take France, on round 2 attack Yugoslavia with 1 Romanian infantry, 2 other infantry/mechs, and 4 armor in France (sending 5 risks winning). Attack one combat round, retreat to Romania with 4 surviving tanks and maybe a Mech depending on if Yugoslavia hit 2 or 3 times. Then attack W. Ukraine (assumes you declared war round 1 or 2 and captured Bessarabia or E. Poland.

Next:

Can you grab S. France, Greece, Iraq, and Egypt all at the same time on round 2 with Italy (gaining a National Objective) and proceed to Caucasus round 4? I can, see below.

(The allies can stop this with effort and foresight)

I1: attack Yugoslavia for 1 combat round with all N. Italy land units and 1 Albanian infantry, retreat at least 2 artillery and 1 armor to Albania. Move other Albanian infantry into Bulgaria to gain 4 infantry. Transport 1 armor from Albania and 1 South Italy infantry to trans-Jordan (if it is not empty stop reading, I am your opponent). Attack Alexandria with all the Tobruk land units. Move the 1 S. Italy troop and 2 fighters to N. Italy and build 1 artillery and 2 infantry there.

G2: land your W. Germany staged airforce 3 air units (if you built 3 planes G1) to Trans-Jordan after sending the 8 air units staged in North Italy to attack Egypt and land in Trans-Jordan. Maybe send 2 tanks from France into S. France if France placed 2 infantry and 1 artillery there, retreat when you hit once. Only do this if you don’t like attacking 3 units with Italy’s force shown below.

I2: Attack S. France with N. Italy land units and 1 fighter. Attack Greece with Albanian and Bulgarian land units plus a fighter unless you want 2 fighters on S. France. Capture empty Egypt or fight any units built there on UK2 with Alexandra force (move the mechs/tanks to transjordan non combat). Move Transjordan infantry and tank into Iraq. Secure your first National Objective!

G3: Land some air units in Iraq if UK has transports that can hit, Maybe clear Persia of any UK units there and land some air units in Egypt to secure it.

I3: Take N. Persia and move tanks/mech from transjordan into either Syria, Persia, or N. Persia as needed.

G3: Use air force in area to clear Caucasus if heavily defended. Then Italy can handle any reinforcements. Works well if you declared war turn 1 and are in Russia drawing them North.

I4: Take Caucasus with up to 4 infantry 2 armor, 2 Mechs and 2-3 fighters.

Yes, I kill most of the RN. except sz 111. 2 subs on 109, 2 subs 2 ftr, 2 tac. on sz 110. 1 sub,1 cruiser, 1 ftr, 1 tac on 112. Norway ftr in France. All air can land in N. Italy. Bomber and Battleship on Russian fleet.

sz 111 is left untouched. 1 Battleship and 1 Cruiser along with sz 106 and 91 also untouched.

Not saying this wins the game, just a way to help Italy.