German opening move part 1

sid guttridge wrote:Hi Phylo,

Yes. Finland was not part of the Percentages Agreement. This easy to check.

I have never heard that Helsinki and Vienna were ever considered together. Their situations were very different. Berlin and Vienna, yes. Have you a source?

Cheers,

Sid.

I have always had great success with a “standard” opening move for Russia.  Buy 8 infantry.  Take all land forces that can reach, plus the Russia fighter and take Manchuria.  Unless you are totally blasted on dice, you will take this territory with 1 or 2 land pieces remaining, and the fighter to retreat to Yakut (which is protected by 2 infantry moving up from Evenk in non-combat phase).  The Eastern Europe attack also serves to really screw up the Germans, forcing them to re-take territory in Europe rather than expanding.  Hit Eastern with the fighter, all Karelia infantry, and all available tanks.  You will succeed in this battle, though all of your tanks get blown away on Germany’s next move.  Retreat your fighter back to Karelia.  Use your fleet to attack the sub and transport.  I have tried variants of naval usage, including a lot of attempts at using Russia’s navy to help protect the initial British fleet.  It never works (the German attack is mostly air power, so you only add a little cannon fodder and a 1 defense).  So instead go on the attack and remove the transport threat from Karelia, as well as sinking a pesky sub to free up your UK air force for other purposes.  Remaining non-comabt moves, shift 3 infantry from Caucuses to Karelia, shift 2 infantry from Russia to Karelia and the other 2 Russian infantry to Novosibirsk (to be moved forward to Yakut to replace the Evenk infantry now there that will be used next round on a second Manchuria assault, or to move into Sinkiang if Japan focuses on southeast Asia.  Finish off placing 6 infatry in Karelia and 2 in Russia.  If you are well supported by the UK building up offensive forces and attacking Norway then other targets of opportunity as they arise, Russia can continue to “mixed build” sending 2 infantry East each turn with the balance facing Germany.  Using this strategy, if Russia can alway remain at 24 IPC or higher (they will have 30 at the end of turn 1), the Axis can’t win (unless USA and UK are simply totally inept).

I have to concur with the others who have posted.  A combined transport and infantry build for Japan on turn 1 is the way to go.  If Russia took Manchuria on round 1, and if the UK executed the “Kwangtung Maneuver”, the only place left for Japan to build is Southeast Asia.  While initially it MIGHT be safe (the US can take that factory using China and Sinkiang forces one time in 3, and later will threaten it with a southern island hoping fleet), it is too far from Russia to do any good, and forward progress against Russia proper is easilly blocked by Novosibirsk infantry units.  Japan HAS to focus on gaining IPC’s in round 1 in order to sustain a transport invasion of Russia through the back door (Manchuria to Yakut to Novosibirsk to Russia).  Also, as Japan builds a transport navy (protect by heavy naval forces that were NOT sacrificed against the US at Hawaii) the US has to garrison Alaska heavilly (that japanease transport fleet ferrying troops to Manchuria is a single move away from an all out invasion of Alaska too).  That reduces the number of US dollars that can be spent on the European war, allowing Germany to maintain the frontal assault on Russia that eventually leads to Japan taking Russia.  So for an opening move, Japan re-takes Manchuria, takes Australia, blasts the results of the Kwantung Maneuver (if executed) or takes China using air force and Kwantung infantry. If Japan still holds Manchuria, they assault Yakut and take it.  If the UK builds in India, that simply takes more pressure off Germany and allows THEM to take Russia, aided by the threat floating through the Siberian lands… too far from India for UK to do a darn thing about.  YAKUT is the key for Japan.  Take it and hold it, you have one territory with all of your west-marching forces to defend it from the Russians, and you force Russia to try to defend TWO territories against your massing forces.  The drain on Russia:  defending Evenk AND Novosibirsk plus holding Karelia and the Caucuses with an income of only 20 or so IPC’s is FATAL, REGARDLESS of UK and US support.  And with Russia gone, the Alllies WILL lose (economic victory is immediate on taking Russia, world domination only a few moves away)

@darkangel:

japan is one of the least difficult countries to be. in fact its the esiest other than america.

p.s i hardly play with japan. for some reason japan and the UK are the countries i play the least. i do not know good strategy with japan.

If you do not know any good strategies with Japan, how can you say it is the easiest country to play? I certainly agree if you mean easy as in does not have to worry too much defensively. However, the game also generally hinges on all nations. Certainly Germany, UK, and Russia need to be played well enough to keep them in balance. Without the help of Japan and America though, either side is left struggling. They can be harder to play because they have more options. In any event, I definitely disagree that Japan is the easiest to play.

Also, it would be helpful if in any of your posts you actually replied to criticism. Posting something and then ignoring responses is equivalent to acknowledging we are right, which may be what you mean to do.

Further, stop calling everyone here a “common person”.

but countless games inf I still find are a wast airforce and tanks

If I can interpret this the way it should have been typed: Not only content to advocate purchasing only tanks, you now suggest adding air to that? If we’re still talking about Germany, there’s no way they can be adding air to their forces in the early game, and besides, their starting Luftwaffe should be plenty.

Germany must defend on three fronts…
Eastern Europe, Africa and Western Europe.

You should disable the allies fleet as long as possible and hold your territory in Africa as long as possible.

Buy 8 inf and 1 transport on T1 (you can attack Egypt with maximum force on T2)

Keep buying infantry and hold the russians at base untill the Japs are at the gates from Moskou/.

@Kantabricus:

The Allied pressence there has to be enough to hold, but not to the extent of making the German player think Africa is lost (ie 4 - 6 US infantry a turn). The Germans have to think every turn, that Africa is retakable, so that they keep on investing in an African Campaign.

First, I seldom put a ftr in Africa against a player who I know is average or better (I don’t want to lose it by skill, insight or luck.) Second, with a 2 inf bid in AES, I rarely put more than 2 inf/1 arm more in Africa (4 inf/1 arm /o a bid.) After 2-3 turns I’m either shipping inf to Ukr, Cau or sunk. :) (just the fleet.) If you have bothered to ship another group of 2-3 inf or 2 inf/1 arm on US3-4 you’ve just slowed the Allied push on Germany! Thank you. :wink:

I like the “Kriegsmarine Pacific ploy.” I had forgotten it. It’s been a long time since I felt threatened enough, as Germany, to try it. I think I’ll try it the next time I’m Gemany anyway, but I’ll have to look at how much it opens up the Eurobelly.

what about leaving it put, and building a transport turn 1. kill the med uk bb with sub and air.
this works, but you have to be careful not to send too much into africa or away from eastern europe…