The Gibraltar Lockdown -and what can the allies do about it?!

If one side is better prepared to DOW the neutrals, it’s usually going to be the allies. Axis are usually isolated from the neutrals in S. America, Africa, and ME/Afghanistan and usually can’t activate them. Which leaves Turkey, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, and Swiss to consider for the allies.

If you’re going to attack the neutrals as the allies, you need to do all you can to remove as many as possible that the axis could reach. Usually this means US landings in Spain while UK takes out Turkey. Leaving those units for the axis simply give them too many units to activate and swell their fodder stack. Turkey gives axis a path to the bonus money in the ME and Spain guards Gibraltar.

Um, you do realize both Turkey and Swedish units are 5+ turns from reaching Moscow?  I’d only be worried about those Inf in Turkey marching on Egypt if / when Moscow falls.

Suppose you take Portugal on US4.
That means assuming Germany is even in position, it is a G5 activation, so:

G5 Activate Turkey, G6 Caucasus, G7 Rostov, G8 Bryansk, G9 Moscow.  And that assumes Germany has a single unit next to Turkey ending G4.  Chances of that happening are pretty slim from everything I’ve seen Germany use as a strategy.

Sweden is a possibility on G4 of having the Fins sitting next to it, but isn’t Sweden part of the German NO that Sweden remains neutral?  I’m not sure I’d trade the NO for the Inf as assuming the same scenario above, a Allied R4 neutral move means:
G5 Activate Sweden, G6 Finland, G7 Karelia, G8 Novgorod, G9 Belarus, G10 Smolensk, G11 Moscow

In short, I could care less about giving Germany slow moving infantry so far from just about everything but maybe reinforcing Norway (once) and potentially bolstering a post fall of Moscow advance on Egypt.

Switzerland is irrelevant with simply 2 Inf and no IPC value.

I think you all make a bigger deal out of handing the Germans Sweden and Turkey than needs to be made.  My only concern would be Spain’s 6 Inf with a full contingent of aircraft strafing the Allied stacks in Portugal.  Which, is why I made sure to be clear your stack could absorb the hit and still pose a threat to land on WGr or march on Gib itself.

Assuming you can muster a sea defense, I probably wouldn’t put anything less than 25-30 units there to deter the Germans from strafing it at all.  There’s a distinct possibility you could cut heavily into their aircraft with a good roll as statistically speaking the average roll should net you 10 units, 6 being Inf, 4 being aircraft.  A good defensive roll and you could cripple the air force making the Axis scuttle Gib and hide behind it in the Med and all in all ruining their plans as they run back to Rome and then Berlin.

Just to clarify, Germany does NOT lose the bonus if the allies attack the neutrals. Germany only loses the bonus if the axis attack the neutrals and Sweden isn’t attacked or holds.

-5 IPCs if Germany controls both Denmark and Norway while Sweden is neither pro-Allies nor Allies-controlled. Theme: Access to iron ore and other strategic resources.

PG 36 of the 2nd Ed rulebook.

Turkey is more of a concern because it places axis forces right next to the middle east. Controlling the middle east goes a long way towards deciding who wins the war. If the allies have the ME, then they still have a very good shot at winning (depending on actual board situation) even if Moscow falls. Those infantry would immediately contest the ME once they’re activated. They don’t have to march to Moscow, they give the axis a huge boost right where they’re at. The ME is worth 10 IPCs total to the axis power who control them, and that’s not including the -4 IPC from the allies. And since the allies DOW’d the neuts, you have the Saudis right in that same area to provide more troops and more money. Potentially you’re looking at a 18-20 IPC swing if the axis manage to take the entire ME.

And who says Germany’s the one who has to activate Turkey? Usually the Italians are better positioned to do it, either with troops in Greece, mech/arm positioned to counter any allied move to Greece, and/or transports that the Italians might have floating around, especially if the neuts were attacked fairly early. Give the axis a direct route to all that bonus and Italians to take advantage of it and bad things can happen. And I haven’t even touched on what an axis position in the ME means to the defense of India, Moscow, and Egypt. Without that central position, the allies will be hard pressed to quickly move forces (especially air) from one front to another quickly as needed.

As the allies, better to cut off all that bad juju directly from the start or at least kill those troops before they join with a larger stack.

ItIsILeClerc - You hit the nail on the head. Attacking the neutrals is situational no matter who is doing the attacking axis or allies.

axisandalliesplayer - I could not explain it any better. Giving the axis the middle east is a huge boost in economy compared to many of the Russian territories. It’s also like you said really fouls up the liberation of Russia. It may not completely stop it but it will most certainly delay it.

I usually with Germany leave 2 inf in Greece after I capture it on turn 2. I usually plan to send them to Eqypt via an Italian transport but I keep them there until the time is right. But its also very possible for Italy to take Turkey as well. Another benefit is the ability for Italy to place their navy in the Black Sea. This creates many advantages for Italy.

But the bottom line is everything is situational.

LeClerc - what are Germany’s Atlantic attacks with this strategy?  Do they go after the DD & TT off the Canadian cost, the CR in sz91 or both?

I don’t see this as a particuarly strong move for Axis, since it seems like Japan has to wait until J3 to Dow in order to avoid an America attack.  Too high a price imho.

But regardless of what Japan does, UK has tons of incentive to hold Gibraltar.

Against that particular build, my habit is to forego 97 (given that Sea Lion seems likely), and consolidate in 92, with the inf/aa from Malta, plus fighters.  Depending on how the battles play out and whether I build the airbase, I may block the Italian fleet with a dd.  Possible UK builds include 9 inf, 6 inf 1 fig, and 5 inf 1 airbase (probably the latter).  Consolidation in 92 plus airbase is probably the best alternative to attacking 97 and is likely the best option here.

You can also block the German fleet in 104 with the unit leftover from 111 (assuming you strafed), or several other Brit units.  If it’s a single unit blocking, you can attack it with the Italian bomber, but that’s a high-risk move for Italy.

Bring Russia to fight Japan if Germany is not pushing aggressively. You can do amazing things to Japan with just your starting mech and armor with air units.

Get the African NOs for Russia as well. African NOs are very important for Russia.