Taking Iraq UK1

Its a good idea, in a lot of our table top games if the Axis dont get over there in 3 or 4 then I’ve seen U.K. plop one down there and they can help secure N. Africa, India, and U.S.S.R
I think it can be a good move but keep your eyes on the Axis if it doesnt look safe then dont do it, or if it becomes to standard a move they’ll counter it.
Good luck &good gaming. S.A.

Sounds like a good idea to try, but I would be wary of Egypt being left too thin to handle an Italian attack I1 or I2, the threat of which will vary depending on what happens in the Med.

I’ve been experimenting with using the Pacific TT to support actions in Africa/Mideast like this, but I’m not entirely sold on it since it puts you behind in claiming the DEI if you get a late Japanese DoW.  Since the UK-Pacific economy can drop quite precipitously even with careful Allied play, I’m wary of giving them extra hurdles to jump over.

Now that’s a good idea!  Much better place than Egypt or Persia for an IC.  Tanks and mechs get to Egypt in 1 move and it will be hard for Italy to take it from you.

A little different spin on it might be:
1 mech from Egypt
1 inf, 1 tank from Alexandria via transport
1 fighter, 1 tac from India lands on carrier
1 cruiser from z39 bombards (maybe also the cruiser from z98 if its not doing anything else)

Activate the 2 inf in Persia with 1 artillery from India via transport
Activate East Persia with 1 inf from West India
Leave 1 inf in Alexandria and all else in Egypt.
Leave the destroyer in z98 so no shore bombards in case Italy were to try a landing

That way on UK2 you can build your IC and also dump those 4 units on Egypt (possibly 6 with the tank and mech).
If all 3 Iraqis hit you could lose a fighter and keep the tank and tac. Send fighter from Burma to fill the carrier.

Send the French destroyer to z81 and the UK fleet will join it next turn.

I am trying this my next game as allies.
Thanks!

Just did it for the first time tonight, before seeing this thread.

Game with Allweneedislove.

Didn’t do it with an IC in mind, but I’ll remember that idea when UK2 comes around.  Great place to have a presence, because you want to keep Germany from getting all the South Russia and mideast money easily, have a backstop against Japan taking India, and against Italy in North Africa.

Biggest cons are you already have an IC in South Africa, and there is significant opportunity cost by taking away from London and pressure on Western Europe.  Not just the IC, but the money you put into units after that.

Seemed like the thing to do in my game, though.  J1 attack was a factor.
http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/index.php?topic=29763.0

Allweneed is 5-0 in league play and I am 4-0 (soon to be 7-0)

@Gamerman01:

Allweneed is 5-0 in league play and I am 4-0 (soon to be 7-0)

Heh heh I think you mean 7 - 1…

Another downside to establishing an IC in Iraq over Egypt, is that the Egypt IC allows you to establish a naval presence in the relative safety of SZ81 that can immediately be moved to SZ97 when you want to hit Italy or the Balkans.  You only get a one-turn delay shucking units north and east from Egypt over Iraq.  But the Iraq IC might be a better response to the G1/J1 attack since timing could be critical enough that even the 1 turn delay is too much.

If you lose egypt as the allies, you should enter desperation mode, unless Russia is ballin hard somehow (like germany had to invest a bunch into it instead of dedicating himself to barb).

I think its a pretty strong play as an IC in Iraq opens lots of doors for the UK to backup Russia, support Calcutta and Cairo and put a threat on the Med with bombers that can land in Malta.

I’d probably be willing to lose Cairo for a round or two in the mid-game to gain those advantages.

how do you get it back when it is so easy for the axis to park air there? It is usually a real pain.

If no sealion, I could see pulling everything back to Sudan on round 2 and letting Italy take Egypt for 1 turn, then liberating it UK3.  To do that it might be good to build 1 artillery in South Africa UK1 and then 1 art and 2 transports UK2.

@variance:

If no sealion, I could see pulling everything back to Sudan on round 2 and letting Italy take Egypt for 1 turn, then liberating it UK3.  To do that it might be good to build 1 artillery in South Africa UK1 and then 1 art and 2 transports UK2.

I also think stepping back to set up a counterattack on Egypt is an excellent strategy.  Italy has options on everything in the Mediterranean.  Giving them juicy targets (UK units sitting there) is a great way to get killed.  Invite them in for supper, and then you know exactly how much you need to kick them out of your house!

IC in persia and IC in Egypt are still better in my eyes.  Planes you build i persia are 1 flight away from russia and the IC is a lot safer from the axis than the one in Iraq.

Egypt allows strong naval build up and potential quick defense buys.

IC in Iraq is an excellent idea.

Russia doesn’t need that 5 bucks a turn!

No need to build a factory in a place where you can directly fly fighters to Moscow, like Persia!

@Gamerman01:

I also think stepping back to set up a counterattack on Egypt is an excellent strategy.

Depending on what else has been happening, you could easily be playing with fire there.  If Germany sends a few planes down there as Cow already said, it can take a long time to build up enough from an Iraq + Cape Town IC to root them out.  Especially if you then also let them get Jordan as well.

@Eggman:

@Gamerman01:

I also think stepping back to set up a counterattack on Egypt is an excellent strategy.

Depending on what else has been happening, you could easily be playing with fire there.  If Germany sends a few planes down there as Cow already said, it can take a long time to build up enough from an Iraq + Cape Town IC to root them out.  Especially if you then also let them get Jordan as well.

Good.  Kill the German planes and Russia will be fine.

You could set up a very strong counterattack on Egypt UK3 if you play all the cards right.  At the end of round 1 the ANZACs and French infantry go to Transjordan.  On UK2 all units from Egypt, Persia and East Persia go to Sudan, killing any Italians there.  If you built an artillery in south africa UK1 and now you build another art and 2 transports UK2, you will have a pretty respectable counterattack force to take back Egypt on UK3.  On UK2 you could also send the fighter from India, the bomber that probably went to Canada, and maybe the fighter/tac that went to morocco after clearing z96 all to places in range of Egypt (Iraq for India fighter, french west africa for bomber, nigeria for fig/tac).  There is also that battleship off Malaya that can make it to z81 for the liberation UK3. If the tank/mech survived in Iraq and Italy doesn’t take transjordan they can come in too.  Italy could clear the 3 infantry from transjordan to stop that but that would mean less in Egypt.  If anyone wants to airstrike your carrier, 2 planes, 2 cruisers, 2 destroyers and a battleship in z81, then great.  No luftwaffe.

@variance:

If anyone wants to airstrike your carrier, 2 planes, 2 cruisers, 2 destroyers and a battleship in z81, then great.  No luftwaffe.

The original post doesn’t say anything about skipping the SZ97 attack, so that’s an open question.  Does the Iraq attack mean you have to skip SZ97 in order to cover Egypt?

You need the carrier to do the Iraq attack or else land your planes in Transjordan or Syria.  You could still do z97 but those planes would be left very exposed.  I really don’t like the Taranto attack because everytime I’ve done it I lost London but that’s probably just me  :-P

I might stay away from this whole Iraq plan if Germany takes South France G1.  Problem is they could build transports G2 and reinforce Italian Egypt G3.  Otherwise it sounds pretty good though.

The only reason for taking Iraq with the UK (rather than the Soviets) would be to have UK minor ICs in both Iraq and Persia.

If 2 mIC aren’t planned (in the short or long term) … what advantage does Iraq have over Persia?

@wheatbeer:

The only reason for taking Iraq with the UK (rather than the Soviets) would be to have UK minor ICs in both Iraq and Persia.

If 2 mIC aren’t planned (in the short or long term) … what advantage does Iraq have over Persia?

You prevent the Italians from activating it.
Kill the pro-Axis infantry while there are only 3 of them.
Opens up flight possibilities over the middle east quicker

That’s just off the top of my head