UK invasion…a not-so-insane strategy

This strategy is not submitted as a “win quick” scheme. Invading Russia from 2 sides is still the most sound Axis strategy. However, if your opponents have “seen it all” this one might surprise them enough, while still being conservative enough it just MIGHT win you the game. I present this strategy for discussion.

Why can’t the UK be invaded? 3 basic reasons:
1.) Germany is closest to UK. Therefore Germany must bear the brunt of any assault.
2.) UK has the HUGE advantage of not having to defend itself against an enormous superpower right at it’s very gates (i.e. as Germany does).
3.) Any buildup against UK can be seen a mile off and UK can easily respond by building INF and Naval units, and by sinking any Transports (TR) put in the waters nearby.

Nothing can be done about the first 2 points. But what about the 3rd? What if UK were so economically weakened they COULD NOT respond to the threat? What if the Axis could seize command of the Atlantic from the Western Allies just long enough to launch an all-out strike at this critical moment? I propose to try…

First thing, the Axis agree to launch all-out economic warfare on the UK. Germany pretty much moves as normal, but with a special emphasis on protecting her fleet. Japan buys 1 TR, 1 FGTR saves the rest. She opens the assault by invading Australia (!) with 1 INF from Philippines, 1 INF from Borneo, 1 BB and Carrier (CV) from Carolines and the Carolines FGTR. This pits 2 INF 1 FGTR + 1 BB 1st shot vs. 2 INF.You will probably take it with 1 INF. China is next hit with 2 INF from Manchuria, 1INF from Kwangtung, 1 FGTR @ from Manchuria and F.Indochina/Burma, the BMR and 1 FGTR from Japan. You will win (probably w/ 2 Inf, if in doubt lose a FGTR–trust me, you have so far!). Ferry over 1 INF from Wake Isl. and land it and 1 INF from Japan to Manchuria, move 1 INF from Kwangtung to F.I.Burma. Land 2 FGTR in Manchuria, 1 in Burma, beef it with the 1 from Philippines. Land the BMR in Manchuria. Place your troops, collect your 29 IPC’s: you now have 34.

USA now has her entire fleet, but may not know how to use it (they are often surprised by the “no-Hawaii” 1st attack). If they attack Australia SZ they will lose. If they attack Sea of Japan, they will win, but the payback (w/ FGTR’s) will be a b***h. Plus, they will still leave a powerful Japanese fleet in the water afterward. If they attempt to move aggressively against an island, they will be caught in a pincers and destroyed. Most likely they will retreat to West USA to beef up for a major attack. Watch them closely.

Next turn Germany should place a TR and coninue to maintain her precious FGTR force. Do damage to the Allies while protecting your FGTRs. Do not overextend yourself in USSR–remember you are holding out for the decision point.

Turn 2 the Japanese should load 1 INF from Australia (if you have 2) and/or 1 from East Indies and join in an attack on India with all available forces. The Allies will have had to be pretty sharp on Round 1 to avoid losing this one-if they moved INF to Africa they will almost certainly lose. You are hitting them with 5 INF (hopefully), 5 FGTR and a BB’s 1st shot (unless they have a TR there). Use the BMR to Strategic Bomb (SB) USSR and fly over on NonCom to West Europe. You should sieze India with 2 INF. Move 2 INF from China to Burma, 2 INF from Manchuria to China, and land 2 INF, 1 ARM from Japan if possible. If USA hasn’t done anything foolish buy 1 CV, 4 INF and place them.

YOU HAVE ARRIVED AT THE DECISION POINT!–up till the end of T2 you have had the option of bailing out to a more conventional strategy with little loss should the Allies look wise (or crazy). From here on in it will be harder and harder to extract yourself should the going get rough. May fortune favor the brave!

On T3 joint SBing of UK commences and Japan siezes the Suez Canal (if Germany hasn’t been able to). Few players leave the UK INF in Syria-Iraq for long, so you will probably be able to sail through the canal on NonCom (don’t lose the TR!). If the Allies haven’t done you the favor, place an IC on India when possible, otherwise Manchuria is OK for now. In Asia, opportunism is the watchword–do damage, don’t take too many risks. Germany should build a couple TR and FGTRs/BMR’s if you need them. By now Africa should be totally controlled by Germany/Japan, USSR should be contained (not necessarily neutralized) and the UK fleet limited in size (again not necessarily neutralized). By my count UK now is making only 13(!) IPC’s per turn, and with a little luck, you can SB about 7 of them–thus yielding a total per turn income of 6 IPC’s! Another BMR could be even more crippling, if its not shot down. The longer this goes on the weaker UK becomes, but the stronger the resistance from the other Allies as well–don’t dally! Move the combined fleet to Western Mediterranean (take Gibraltar to prevent land-based airstrikes) When the time is right, launch a spoiling Japanese strike against the North Sea and the Island itself, to soften resistance and gain control of the SZ, and then launch an overwhelming attack with German INF and ground-based aircraft (also land a couple of planes on the Japanese Carrier if possible). Now the strategic situation is totally new–Axis hasn’t gained many “bonus” IPC’s from ruined Britain, but the only remaining threat from the Allies is from USA and Russia–and in a way, they are both surrounded! Just hope Germany hasn’t been conquered!

The key is that by the time you tip your hand, UK should be too poor to do anything about it. Hopefully you will be able to pull out of the move if things go poorly, but admittedly the final invasion is still an all-or-nothing gamble. Also you must rely on the USA player not being slick enough to bring his weight to bear too quickly: If he switches his fleet to the Atlantic on round 3, all bets are off and the game will become a confusing jumble! Still, it should make things pretty interesting and that is the point, right? :grin:

Please, please post comments. Improve my strategy or blow me out of the water!

Ozone27

[ This Message was edited by: Ozone27 on 2002-02-04 22:39 ]

[ This Message was edited by: Ozone27 on 2002-03-23 16:01 ]

Nope: the plan doesn’t require that Russia be restricted (the only “special rule” my group usually plays with is “submarine submerging”). It doesn’t even require that the Germany player do anything unusual other than try to prevent their fleet from being detroyed and to take Africa (2 things they usually try to do anyway). If your fleet does get destroyed, then you can still wait for the Japanese fleet to arrive and then build your transports, although its better to build them piecemeal if possible: also the Japanese will help you take Africa–you must both be working together extremely closely for the plan to work at all. If it doesn’t look like the Allies are playing along you can always pull out of the strategy until the end of turn 2–hell, if the USSR plays super-aggressive on T1 (takes Ukraine or East Europe; gets lucky in the Far East) you shouldn’t even try in the 1st place.
About UK/USA BMRs: while a BMR from UK can indeed make it anywhere in the Med (unless you start taking over large parts of Afica), it might NOT be worth it to them to try. Say you’ve cleared the Med and destroyed their N. Sea fleet round 1: they can indeed sink your TR w/ a BMR but it will in turn be destroyed by your BB. Then no one can get at it till T2 when UK/USA can attempt the same thing: In both cases you’ve used 2 BMRS just to prevent any more troops arriving in Africa where there could already concievably be enough for victory anyway. If they are really coming at you hard, consider keeping your fleet in the Eastern Med and placing your South Europe AA gun in Eastern Europe (if you know you can hold it). Now a UK BMR has to run through flak to hit your TR(s), and any Allied planes in Karelia–well, they’ll kill you, but at least they aren’t in UK! It would be real sweet of the USSR player to help you as UK by landing his precious fighters in UK, but let’s be realistic–1st he’d have to suggest you fly your own FGTRs in Karelia out and if you had none there to begin with I don’t think he’d help you at all unless it was looking REAL BAD. Remember USSR generally NEEDS those FGTR’s to launch attacks. This is getting hella long so I’ll shut up :grin:!
Thanks for the comment! Keep 'em comin!

Ozone27

[ This Message was edited by: Ozone27 on 2002-02-05 09:47 ]

[ This Message was edited by: Ozone27 on 2002-02-05 09:49 ]

[ This Message was edited by: Ozone27 on 2002-02-05 09:58 ]

bump…

Do do do do tha bumpty bump

Do do do tha bumpty bump…

Ozone27

SUD: I don’t think your critique is overly harsh–just realistic. You make good points. Here are my answers to your questions:

1.) I can’t.

2.) UK and USA can do that, but the German and Japanese fleets could combine by T3, so their planes (and TRs) could be facing a combined fleet by G4. I would not build SUBs as Germany because the point is the invasion of UK, therefore I would have a couple of TRs to throw their measly “1” counterrattacks in at the planes. And as stated its not total loss if the German fleet IS destroyed–its just a major setback until the Japanese fleet can come in to protect a new build. If Germany thinks UK will attack his fleet, and sink it, he shouldn’t be building ships at all until the Japanese arrive.
As for moving the fleet, the strategy depends on a main deployment of USA forces in the Pacific; pure and simple. The Japanese and Germans can deal with the UK in the Atlantic, but if the Americans shuttle their entire fleet East, that will be a problem…that is where swiftness of maneuver comes in. The attack on UK must come quickly enough that USA only sees it happening when its too late. The attack is a gamble because it can pretty much only happen once–the USA will probably come in to help their next move.

3.) Of course I can do nothing. My large numbers of German TRs and INF can help, but basically if its Africa USA is determined to have, its theirs (at least until the Japs conquer Asia) But check this out:

In your argument you have done a very good job of preventing an Axis invasion of UK from occurring. But you have utilized ABSOLUTELY OVERWHELMING force (transferred the entire USA fleet to the Atlantic, abandoned India and spent UK’s money on an CV and fleet, and amassed a HUGE assault force for Africa and /or Western Europe) to accomplish this. I can only surmise you deployed your forces thus because you KNEW the Japanese were going to transfer 1/2 their fleet to the Mediterranean. Look at the Axis deployment T1. Why would the USA player, facing a totally undamaged Japanese fleet in the Pacific, simply ignore them and transfer their whole fleet to face Germany–which as you have pointed out has virtually NO fleet at all!? Especially when the UK has already built a CV (and presumably TRs and FTRs) at the expense of an Indian IC.

Also, I don’t see why its so impossible for Japan to make any headway against USSR in this strategy. The situation is basically the same as “normal” (that is per “Pearl Harbor T1”) for Japan except that the USA fleet remains intact and that Japan must build a CV to regain parity in Pacific fleet units. T3 Japan can slap down an IC in Manchuria or India and just start beating on USSR as “usual”. And one could argue that by moving the entire US fleet to the Atlantic (where I submit they are doing no good in a normal game), you have actually helped the Japanese by removing all threat against them in the Pacific and allowing them to concentrate fully on helping Germany (and picking on USSR).

My point is simply this–this strategy is not one to be used on someone who sees it coming. You have fully illustrated this point in your reply. However, if USA (and UK) moved in the manner you described T1, I would recommend to the Axis to “bail out” of the maneuver and head straight for USSR little the worse for wear–its obvious the Allies have anticipated (wink, wink) the whole strategy…

On a side note: No–my buddies and I do not yet play using bidding rules. Nor do we use Russia Restricted. And yet our games have not stagnated into endless repetition where the same tired strategies are used over and over again. Possibly this is because we are inexperienced newbies… I prefer to think we are just “imaginative”…

:grin:

Ozone27

[ This Message was edited by: Ozone27 on 2002-03-22 18:34 ]