What Do Do With French Units (F1) That Survive German Attack

this might be a lil off topic, but since german openings are vaguely relevant….

@robbie, if you opt to use your air primarily for the destruction of france AND you attempt to disable all UK destroyers in the atlantic:

1)how is the second part accomplished? (what do you send where?)
and
2)how could any self-respecting allied player allow you to hit the fleet on g2?

if it were me, even if i had to run all the way to canada, that’s what i’d do.  the brits start with a healthy amount of core ships.  you let them go and you won’t see them til an allied landing party plops down in europe.  either that or italy gets slapped around like rihanna.

i’m not opposed to the idea of freeing up those mechs/tanks for russia, but seems like the axis will miss a big opportunity to clear the atlantic a bit

Robbie,

@robbie358:

All destroyers gone, France falls in probably one turn.  You lose 5 or 6 infantry, keep all artillery, mechs, and tanks.  The UK fleet is inconsequential, as they can’t hurt your subs.  They’re down to two cruisers and a battleship.  Then your 3 bombers (build one G1) hit the UK with an SBR, along with the convoy disrupts, and 2 tacs, one each hitting the naval and air bases, neutralizes the UK for quite awile.

I see you’re general idea but if UK comes out with 2 cruisers and a battleship, they are hardly “neutralized.” UK’s priority is to cripple Italy, and it can easily make it into the Med by UK2, especially if British put a block in sz 94, there’s now way Italy can  land a transport in Gibralter

Secondly, if you attack sz 110 with just 1 sub, 4 fighters and bomber, why wouldn’t the UK player scramble there? He would have a 78.3% chance of victory, meaning your entire fighter force is gone.

You’re whole idea seems like a mismanagement of resources. You would sacrifice 2 subs and a bomber to kill 1 DD and 1 TR, only to build MORE subs to cause convoy disruption, which all it takes is to neutralize that is 1 DD buy in sz 106 to kill of any subs in sz 109. You’re essentially doing UK’s job for you; draining precious resources away from the Eastern Front.

@robbie358:

111 is the sea zone I want, because it has a destroyer.  If I’m not mistaken, he can only sortie one plane into 111, the one from Scotland.
And how does he buy a destroyer in SZ106 if I have two subs there to kill it?  And why would he do that anyways, if he’s at all worried about sealion he’ll build infantry in the UK.

My problem is with the fact that people attack SZ110, but don’t listen to me.  Leave those UK destroyers alone, so they wipe out your subs, and don’t send any planes into France.  Good luck with that.

I’ll stick with my Germany plan, it’s worked every time.

You’re right, forgive me about that sea zone mix up.

I also don’t understand how attacking sz 110 is such a bad maneuver. I still take France with maybe a few hits on my artillery, but never with my tanks, and I only send 1 tac to France.

And when it comes to subs, you’re not using them correctly, so it really doesn’t matter that you’ve protected them for 1 round. If you have 2 subs in sz 106,all the UK player has to do is attack your subs with his cruiser and battleship and you’ve lost another 2 subs. So by the end of the 2nd round, you have lost all 5 subs and the UK player still has some important ships surviving. Now you are forced to build even more subs to gain any value from destroying the destroyers.

But at any rate, I have no doubt that you have had success with your plan, I just think that you have some significant flaws.

I understand, so the UK purchases a destroyer on the same turn that he moves his fleet in sz 106. Next turn he finishes you wherever you run, and his fleet is safe. So by round 3 you will have lost the second set of subs.

robbie358, I agree that taking Paris w/min losses makes sense. In Alpha 3 we normally take all land into Pairis (no air because of AA), and ignore the 2 coastal French tt’s (they are easy picking It1/G2). You’ll generally end up keeping your tanks/mech or tanks/art (whichever you prefer).

Your sea battles look off to me too.

“Two subs on the Canadian destroyer/transport[106], two subs (and maybe a bomber) on the UK destroyer/transport[109], leaves you one sub, with 4 fighters and a strategic bomber for the Battleship/cruiser/destroyer[111]”

Sz 106 is cool, some times we go 1 on 1 just for kicks

Sz 109, you’re risking a bmr because they will scramble at least 3 ftrs knowing the most they can lose air wise is one ftr (to your bmr, but that’s only if one of your subs hit), and you have a good chance of losing the subs as well so convoy may not happen in sz 109.

Sz 111 also seems weak to me, I have trouble with that sz as it is, and I hate when that battle goes two rounds (at least toss a tac in there). If you buy bmrs G1, and no navy I might scramble Scotland too. If the Germans lose an abundance of air power, and have bought no navy G1 sea lion gets iffy, because if/when they go for it the German fleet is very vulnerable afterwords. Then you have the UK sz110 navy and Med fleet to deal with, the UK ground build up in Alpha+3, and Russia will be crawling up your crack if you go Sea Lion.

I get the whole knock the destroyers out, but it seems to me that in your quest you have reversed the situation you brought up earlier. Instead of splintering the land battles, you have splintered the sea battles (exposing your air). In any case you seem to be risking a lot of German air power at sea, and then to the French AA gun as well (not good to lose axis air early on). I’m not saying you can’t be successful, but I could also see a disaster as well. Plus the whole thing was to keep your ground for the march to Moscow. If your adversaries know you don’t like to Sea lion then that also works against you IMO.

Robbie,

1. The Brit will not let you hit his fleet G2.
2. You have to get 2 hits with the subs in order to kill the transport in sz 109 (1/9 chance)
3. If you do a standard attack on France (7 inf, 3 art, 4 mech, 6 tank, 1 tac), you have 100% chance of victory
4. The UK is not at threat from sea-lion if they build 1 destroyer and and then 6 infantry.

Again, you have a good concept, but you leave England too powerful by not attacking 110. You seem as if sz 110 is a bad maneuver, but it looks as if your over arching strategy is too weak to compensate for the lack of an attack on 110.

@robbie358:

KillO, I think you’re probably right.  I’m just clueless as to why people just HAVE to hit the UK navy turn 1 at the cost of sending those planes into France.  Then you wonder why you lose everything.
I’d rather the British survive (minus their destroyers) and keep all my mech and tanks for Russia, but that would just make too much sense.

And hurry up and post here before the topic gets sent to “House Rules”.

Its quite simple. UK fleet has to go away. Has to…otherwise you will have the UK on your doorstep early and often. Germany needs its forces to attack Russia. In the Alpha 3 build(and I believe in the Alpha 2 build) Germany has more then enough to both take France and take out the UK fleet. Unless they are screwed by bad rolling. If France lives past turn 1 you can call game right there. Germany needs the money from taking France.

I have never seen a failed France attack that Germany has recovered from.

You can leave Southern France for Italy if you are uncomfortable with splitting your ground forces up to much. They can take it easily. It slows them down in Africa if they need to take Southern France but that ground can be made up.

Just keep em there or attack something or put it someplace he has to attack. Just use your freebies.