Transport Idea

Ahhh okay thanks guys! Just clearing the air a bit due to my last game with a KGF. We were all a little unfamiliar about how that worked with transports and such so we went along with modified rules everyone thought was fair and afterwards we’d ask this forum for clarification. Thanks again!

Hi Lopsang!

I think your approach is pretty sound,  and you wouldn’t be alone in puzzling out what to do with your Allies. From what you’ve posted I’d say the way you’re handling Russia and USA is fairly solid. The only thing that might be taking under advisement is how early you try to make an entry onto the water with UK. When I first started 1942.2 I struggled trying to make a carrier buy early on. It seemed the natural thing for UK to do at least coming from Revised and Classic. The UK1 carrier buy with the 3 infantry left over also seemed somehow to recommend this as well. I was also really intrigued by the sz37 hit as a possible way to open things up for the Allies. But over time, and many games botched, I found that this approach actually put a lot less pressure on the Axis than it seemed like it should. That’s when I started switching to UK Spitfires over UK ships, and really trying to get more power onto Russia/India. The thought being that UK was too weak and cash poor to get anything going before round 3 anyway (when USA could properly back them up) so might as well just by aircraft. Either Fighters or Bombers out of UK, and then dump the rest of the purse on India for 3 units a round minimum.

Buying Air on UK1 instead of ships was a big transition I felt, from previous games. And buying yet more Air on UK2 seemed somehow even crazier. But once I got used to it, it started to make a lot more sense. With no transports to protect in the early rounds, UK was free to launch the Royal airforce all over the place, and even to threaten the Japanese fleet after a couple rounds!

I’m a fan of using the US Pacific Naval forces in the Pacific rather than going full Atlantic right away. Often by the time the Pacific fleet backs through Panama to converge in sz 11, the US Atlantic force is already large enough that these extra ships from the Pac don’t make a whole lot of difference to the Altantic theater. I found if I kept them in the Pacific, or used their fighters to keep the Japanese on their toes, that this did more to disrupt the Axis than anything I could do with them vs G in the first round. For me the choice is usually between sending the whole Pacific fleet north, or sending the carrier group south around S. America and racing the battleship towards sz11. Either way though, I think your assessment about how to use USA is pretty dead on. They need a ton of Atlantic transports for the endgame to have any real impact on Germany. Usually this means 6 or more loaded transports picking up 12 or more units in E. Canada and dropping them either in Finland, France, or Northwestern, after the Brits clear a path (landing all US Air to secure the territory.) In my experience for it to work you need a double drop, 2 rounds in a row, which often means switching from France to NW Europe, so you can get another drop in with UK, while the US transports go back for more.

The D Day double drop seems to be the fastest way to persuade Germany to back off Russia and redirect everything home to the defense of Berlin, but it’s harder to set up here than it has been on some earlier boards. Its hard to really get anything going with USA until you have like 20+ ground units shucking around to threaten Europe, and that’s a lot of transports! So I think your initial instinct is correct, to expand USA transport capacity as soon as possible. That said, American bombers are a lot of fun, and make those ground forces a lot more effective when they start launching amphibious assaults with air cover. Just something to think on. The nation that invests in bombers early and consistently over time, often fairs well vs an opponent who neglects the bomber buy, even if you only use them in a normal combat role. Of course a killer bombing run, at the right time, can push Germany over the edge, taking them from an aggressive snapping turtle, to a shy turtle, who just hides in his shell and awaits the inevitable  :-D

@Young:

@drummerinheat:

2 art 1 inf for India and 2 Fighters for UK.�  That’s pretty standard for me.�  I also understand saving for Round 2 Naval build, but I have found that rather than attack sz37 i send India navy southwest around Africa and Australia Navy south east around S America.�  By round 3 they join and round 4 they are ready to help invade western europe.

I like those purchases and will likely do the same, but if you don’t attack sz 37, what are you doing to help save Calcutta?

It’s been a bit.  You got me hooked on 1940 and that’s where my heads been at. Funny how you switched on me!  No worries…I’m sure you know that everything for the allies hinges on what the USA does.  Neat thing about 42 is that you can combo with the UK in the Atlantic so I usually have enough to run a distraction on Japan In the north as well.  I usually set manchuria as my destintion.  Send a transport and fighters/bomber over To Russia.  See how J reacts.  I have 3 rounds to disrupt the axis before that UK pacific Navy unites and preps for a European assault.

@Black_Elk:

For Japan the most important route in a KGF oriented game is probably the sz 61 to Yunnan shuck. This is the shortest route from Tokyo to Moscow. With 4 transports you can shuck 8 ground to Yunnan every round, overland to Szechwan, then Kazakh. Basically if you can do this three rounds in a row, you’ll have enough fodder to start making the Russians sweat their capital. Just like the W. Allies on Berlin, the trick is not to move your Japanese ground forward too quickly and expose them in poor trades for 1 ipc territories, instead hold them back another round until they are stacked deep enough to defend themselves from Russian counter attacks. Szechwan is the optimal convergence spot for the main advance, and the push comes out of Yunnan via 61. This is to allow you to threaten India and Burma without having to put yourself out of position on Moscow. Later if you can launch into Africa or India uncontested thats great, but the main line is out of sz61 Szech push. Otherwise you leave the back door open to wiley Zhukov moves, with Russians running amock in Asia.

Because sz61 is such a clutch zone for Japan, most Allies I see will consider hitting the starting Japenese transport here a top priority, more important than the warships in sz37. You can cut the Japanese transport capacity in half during the opening round if you take your hit on sz61, and it can be done at relatively low risk for the payoff. I see most people jet out of Australia towards Brazil. The transport makes a less attractive target if you don’t fully load it. Just nabbing the dude off New Zealand for the ride. But again, I just don’t see the sz37 attack all that much on the bid lately. Even with a sub, or an extra Egypt fighter, it gets pretty dicey. I think the Allies are better served by keeping their forces in tact. You can still give Japan headaches, although full Pacific press is very hard if Japan has all their capital ships. Probably easier to face them in the med, if you don’t want to hammer 37 on a gambit. But KJF Pacific style games seem to always have a gambit of some sort, going all the way back (some risk you take as Allies to open up the game against Japan) and for that I like that sz37 exists. I just don’t use it as much, once the novelty wore off, and when you see that Europe is still the more attractive endgame on this map.

This specific point should be notice by all players.
This shortest road is truly a good pincer strategy against Russia.

Yes, it applies in 1914 as well.  Except, of course, for the bit about combat movement restrictions, as there is only one movement phase in that game.

@emerson303:

Can a fighter or bomber attack a defenseless transport and essentially kill it just by flying into the SZ?

Playing 1942, 2nd edition.

Thanks,

Yes. It has to be in the combat move phase. Technically a battle takes place but no dice are rolled, as the Transport has no defense value.

right.

This can depend on how the R1/UK1 went (and how much your “valued” axis ally screwed you)
Assumptions: EI Fleet wiped out, UK CA survived, UK FTR in India, 2UK FTRs in WRus, Buryatia or Yakut is stacked, 1 Russian inf added to Schezwan. Aus Transport w/2inf in SZ30 (to reinforce India UK2). Burma inf retreats to India
You assume that the Allies are focused on knocking out Japan first.  Buy 2 Trans/CV (I do also like 3Trans/3inf) for this situation.
Combat:
If Yakut stacked, send 1inf into Buryatia. If Buryatia stacked, 3inf/FTR from Manchuria, Bomber/FTR from Japan.
Send Shanghai’s 4inf into Anwhei, use Manchuria FTR (use FIC FTR if hitting Buryatia).
Send inf/art from Hong Kong, inf/art from Phillipines, inf/tank from Japan, 2inf/art/FTR from FIC and BB to Yunan.
NCM/Placing buys:
You need to consider having both CVs in position to have FTRS and protecting your transports. Your Caroline fleet/SS need to pull back.  Place the SS at Borneo.  Caroline Fleet can go to FIC and/or Japan.  This is just one of several routes to go, but if India/EI fleet is not the focus of the allies, then you just need to use your two transports and FIC to land in Burma (buy 2trans/IC for EI).  Leave the Russians completely alone and hit China where you can for IPCs.  You shouldn’t be able to hit India J2, but you can make them regret they didn’t think more about India when they had an opportunity.
The great thing about Japan is you have options.  Just beware of a US buildup in the Solomons…they want to take Borneo or the Phillipines from you.  Don’t chase, just have a counter that won’t frak you.

Don’t attack PH. This is even more important to not do if you lost your EI fleet.  Attacking PH will knock Japan out of the game instantaneously because you will lose that fleet as well.