The Japan Playbook

Going through the med is just impossible in pretty much any game. Either Italy or Germany is going to sink that transport with planes.

So with that reasoning, you must hope for a J1 declaration of war on the US, and then you could do this:

US 1: Buy 5 fighters. Sail your single atlantic transport 1/4th toward Saudi (SZ 87)
US 2: Buy 5-6 bombers. Sail transport 2/4ths to Saudi (SZ 82 or 69). US 1 fighters to French West Africa.
US 3: Transport now 3/4ths to saudi (SZ 71). US 1 fighters to Egypt. US 2 bombers to French Equatorial Africa.
US 4: Go time.

Hit Saudi with your transport. Send in 5 fighters and 5-6 bombers from Africa, taking bomber losses.

US 5: Build factory (and an air base couldn’t hurt), land your planes on it or near it. If Iraq/Persia are still available, take those if possible.
US 6: First turn you can purchase units in Saudi Arabia. Buy factories in other middle east countries, if available.

This is about the time Moscow has gone to hell or the Germans are coming into the middle east. Not enough time to really get any ground units over there. But you could build fighters on US 3 and 4 that would arrive US 5 and 6 for a respectable plane stack. With a bit of UK help, probably enough to shut down any hope of Moscow or the middle east being seriously threatened. A huge problem with this is that you’d have +8 Germans or Italians coming from Turkey.

This is a 100% Atlantic buy for the first 2 turns turns and a significant drain for US 3, 4, and 5 as well. Very dangerous. Japan is going to go nuts because, remember, they J1’d you.

Seems like a crazy damn idea–one that is too crazy to work well, probably. Not only that, but it’s completely obvious what you’re up to. However, I think it’d be pretty easy to have UK prevent Japan from killing/blocking your transport J3. And if Japan invested too much in the Indian ocean to stop you for sure, then they’re ruining some of their J1 momentum, so maybe that’s not entirely awful.

edit-
I guess you could also send your pacific transports through the panama canal, building a naval base there. This would give you four more units in the middle east shortly after your first transport arrived.

Better alternative, with nearly the same effect:
Don’t do Saudi, just have UK save you Persia/Iraq. This saves you from having to violate neutrality, and both are reachable on the same turn as Saudi. If you do hit Saudi, do it the next turn, saving the neutrality violation for one round later.

@ItIsILeClerc:

What Barney said will probably work fine, since you seem to have a pretty solid plan.

I can give two answers to your questions though, but please keep in mind those things work for me, not necessarily for you too.

1. I never ignore the Siberians. I kill them, chase them down, or screen/defend against them, depending on what Russia did and what my own plans are. Since Russia moves before Japan, I adapt accordingly. Sometimes it’s even worth it to allow them 1 or 2 turns into Manchuria/Korea if you can kill them/force them to retreat later on anyway (no later than 3rd turn after), because this keeps them away from Moscow and ‘upsets’ Mongolia.
Good thing to know: Japan can take down China + India completely without the troops from Manchuria/Korea. IJAF has 21 airplanes and it’s OK to sacrifice ~4planes if this means killing the entire Chinese (or Indian) army.

2. Use them when you can ;-). Use them to deny USN shorebombardment or to strengthen the IJN if it comes under threat of an attack so stage it off Japan and/or Philippines.

I usually let russia go to korea, but make sure I can deadzone manchuria.  Especially good idea since korea is easily convoy raided.

@Omega1759:

@ErwinRommel:

You can try to “mirror” the ��� airforce and fleet (you need some amount of trannies) and park it at carolines. Dont build ground force with anzac, only fleet and air. Pick up every money island you can. Trade trannies with japan.

No ground at all with Anzac at all? It seems like a good idea to keep some ground to prevent a “shoot for the 6th victory city”, as well as troops to contest the islands.

The Anzac fleet is only useful for blockers / attrition battles / adding defensive punch to the US fleet. That is useful, but it is important to stay alive and contest the money Island.

All warships from America including loaded carriers and transports, all in Queens land. Get the Philippines back with enough to hold the sea zone. purchase lots of loaded transports for ANZAC and land them in the Philippines for support, along with all three starting ANZAC fighters for scramble opportunity.

Yeah, it would be. This is the last time we’re playing the old set. We start playing the 2nd Global next. I’m looking forward to a much weaker US and a much stronger Germany.

Waiting till J3 is a pain, but it allows me to get more into the battle.

you end up getting blocked though which is the problem. unless you move naval over the islands you are going to take and have the boats loaded on J2.

usa tends to get everything to queensland still even if you can sink it (tend to just block with a dd or two).

no real advantage money wise waiting for j3. you lose the 10 NO. to pick up 12-13 in islands and FIC. usually -7 or -11 for allies. so usa getting his NO for the other powers to be weaker is the tradeoff.

@barnee said in What Turn to Attack with Japan?:

@AndrewAAGamer

I always thought it was cow who originated it. Good to know. As in the real world, things do develop in parallel : )

I believe Cow is the one that exercised it / pushed it to the level of respect it deserves.

@BigBadBruce:

@Noll:

#ZehKaiser

what if after you move all your fleet in India’s seas, during J2, the american player moves all his fleet 1 sea zone from sz6?

I don’t see this as a real problem. USA can’t have an amphibious attack strong enough to take Japan. As for navy, I never (ever) saw a USA able to hold in z6 long… with Japan’s planes, I would just load 2 fresh carrier in z6 along with few DD (as ZEH said, kept behind) and additionnal 3 planes in Japan. It should do it to repel USA Navy.

Keeps them off india for a turn however, very helpful

A month or two ago I posted this strategy for Japan in AAR about taking the heat of Germany and taking the Mnr US VC in Nth America

@The:

A strategy employed to annoy the USA is to land units in Alaska and take the pressure of Germany so they can take Moscow. But why not take this one step further and focus on taking LA/San Fran?

This is an alternate Japanese strategy to that of the Moscow/Berlin race that is seen in most games. This could be taken over to global '40 but it would be a lot harder to preform. Also could be used for spring '42.

For this strategy to be implemented you will need to following things to have happened:

Allies play the standard KGF

No UK factory in india

No US factory in China/Sinkijiang

Here is the standard move for J1 on this strategy:

India capture with inf in FIC and Shanghai transport used to move inf from Shanghai to FIC and air support.
Move 2 inf from Japan to Shanghai with sz60 tran.
Build:
2 inf 6 Ipc
2 Art 8 ipc
2 Tran 16 ipc
total 30 ipc

Earned 33 Ipc

J2

Shanghai tran that will be close to FIC moved to sz 61 and move 2inf from Japan to Manchuria and move them into Shanghai.

You will have in:
Shanghai: 5 inf
Japan: 2inf, 3art,1 arm, 1 Bmr and maybe 1 fighter
India, FIC, Manchuria 2-3 inf and maybe 1 fighter in each

Build:
same as J1

Ipc earned 33 left over from buy 3 total 36

J3
Take china with air support 2-3 fighters and 5 inf in Shanghai
Only if no SU forces in it and 2-3 inf plus fighter in it.

Build
Same as J1

at the end of this turn you should have:
Japan: 4inf, 5art, 1arm
SZ60: 1bb, 6 tran

J4 this is the important turn

Invade Alaska with 3 tran carrying 1 inf + 1art each. Use your BB bombardment to kill the inf. If Alaska has to large a force in it use all 6 tran and take all units out of Japan or use your trans to shuck units onto the mainland and push for Moscow. You shoudn’t have to do this as Britain and the USA will be focussed on taking Berlin and preforming D-DAY.

After you have taken Alaska you will be earning 37 IPC per turn.
You have 36 IPC to spend

Buy
3 inf 9
2 art 8
2 tran 16
total 33

end turn IPC total 40

Japan: 4 INF, 4 ART, 1 ARM
SZ60: 5 tran
Alaska: 3 INF, 3 ART
SZ 63: 1 BB, 3 TRAN

J5

4 TRANS shuck 4 inf + art to Alaska
3 trans in sz63 return to sz 60

Build
4INF, 4 ART

12 ipc to do what you want with

earn the 37 plus what you didn’t spend

J6

same as J5 build and move 4art+inf to Alaska
Move 4 tran back to sz60 from 63

J7…
same as J6

when you have a big enough force probably J6 move units into Western Canada. Every NCM move units that landed in Alaska to WC and strike at LA and place build units into there and try and hold from the American counter. If succesful build up your force and strike at Washington. Even without taking Washington you will win as the US forces will be trying to take LA back from you and with Calcutta and LA under your control if you and Germany have lost no VC’s you have 8 if Germany take Lenningrad or Moscow you win if Playing LHTR. If not and going for 10 vc’s Germany should be able to take Moscow and win. If playing 12 you will attack Washington and Germany will attack London. You should still win with both of you sending forces through the former SU and through Africa to collect IPC for yourselves and take them from UK.

This seems easy in concept but is hard to pull off but if successful you will win easily. Because of its diffuclty to be successful players usually stay in Alaska/WC and threaten LA rather than attempt to take it.

I tried it in revised and pulled of the capture of LA but not Washington as Moscow had been weakened by a huge German force about 6 ing, 6 art, 30 arm against about 45 SU inf We also had leningrad and calcutta so we won with one to many VC’s (We played LHTR)The Uk and US 1-2 punch in France failed as the US had to try and retake two VC’s in one turn

I’m now going to try and attempt to convert this into a G40 strat while still taking China and Far eastern Russia.

We assume that Russia moves 18 inf into Bry

Also will only see pacific side of the board as what happens in Europe doesn’t affect it much except if US starts spending Money in the Pacific

J1 build
Mnr
2 tran
save 0

Attack
Hun and Yun with normal forces

Take Amu with forces in Korea and Man

Take Cha and Anh with forces in Jeh and Sha

Take FIC with forces in siam
Hun and Yun loses may be different to what I show. But thats ok as it doesn’t majorly affect the strat.

NCM
Fig For-Japan
Fig Okin-Japan
Inf Okin v/ tran Z20-19-20 -Ksi
DD,CV,Tact,Fig Z33-36
CC,DD,BB,SS Z19-36

Place
Mnr in Shanghai
2 tran Z6

Collect
33

Now some assumptions to be made
US retreats from Phil with fig to guam
2 inf v/tran to Z23
DD - Z23

It doesnt matter if US doesn’t retreat from Phil it will mean you will occur some loses though
Lets assume China takes back Yun and strengths its position

I have entered in some standard Brit and ANZAC moves.

J1 complete J2 coming soon
Jap KAF J1.AAM