KUF Strategy (sort of)

OK folks, time to start consolidating some of these Japan ideas into global strategy… the KUF:  Kill UK First (sort of).

Step 1:
Japan does the pull back of naval forces to Sea of Japan to re-take or reinforce Manchuria.  Japan takes SFE if Russia did not take Manchuria, takes China, and takes Sinkiang.  If Russia played stupidly in Asia, also take Yakut

Step 2: 
Japan starts to build tranny forces for the drive on Russia.  If possible, the Japan forces are split driving both sides of Mongolia; with the ultimate goal of making Russia fight to recapture territories in the Kaz/Novo/Evenk perimeter.  Focus in on INF rather than tanks, relying on the fighters for offensive power with the aim to make Russian counter-attacks expensive against Japan INF.

Step 3:
Japan sends capital ships plus tranny to take Australia before turning to head into the Indian Ocean to attack all along the middle east and east Africa.  One tranny is sent from Japan south to grab an INF from one of the islands to take NZ.

Step 4: 
Around J4 or J5, Japan builds an IC, either in India, or if their position is weak, in FIB, to build 1 tranny and 2 INF headed for middle east and Africa, supported by the Japan capital ships.  Japan keeps up this 3 unit build focused on Africa until they are in a position of filling 2 existing tranny’s every round with a tank and 2 INF for Africa (4 tranny’s, 2 offloading, 2 returning each round)

By this point, UK’s income is toast.  They are collecting 12-15 IPC’s from UK, Canada, and a couple of western African territories.

Step 5:
Japan is going to be collecting 45-50 IPC’s at this point.  Germany has been on a defensive/INF build spree since G1; initally expanding in Africa as long as their Africa Corps and Med tranny survived, but otherwise working like hell to hold their “core” of Germany, Western, Southern and Eastern… 25-29 IPC’s worth.  With Africa now in a situation where US and UK are forced to counter Japan incursions, Japan starts to send heavier forces into Asia… tanks now fill tranny’s instead of INF.  Japan starts to punch holes in the K/N/E perimeter, threatening Russia proper.

Japan can also now take their capital ships and move into the Med, reinforcing Eastern and/or Ukraine, or attacking Caucuses with a combined Naval/Amphib/Air/Land attack; giving Japan 3 prongs of attack on Russia:  Caucuses, Kazakh, and Novo/Evenk.  Or they can extend supply lines and sweep Cape of Good Hope to raid in Eastern Africa and/or Brazil.  If they go into the med, Germany can start a slow build of tranny’s (1 per round or so) and start to send INF to Africa also.

If Germany can hold on for this Japan strategy to take place, then the Axis is looking at an economic victory.  If no economic, Russia, faced with heavy Germany INF in the west, and mounting Japan forces in the east, is going to be hard pressed to not fall, even with allied support; which will be greatly reduced by UK’s trashed income.

Well, don;t congratulate me too much yet.  I still need to play-test the consolidation of Japan strategies against various counters and against pre-emptive strikes.

The taking of Manchuria as a pre-emptive by Russia does not bother me (I actually think it is to Japan’s advantage to have Russia take Manchuria in R1).  But the Kwangtung Maneuver and the Yakut Consolidation could both create some glitches… Kwangtung requiring a shift of forces to re-take Kwangtung, a shift that splits the capital ship consolidation; and also opens up India to taking in J1.  Both of those open up holes in the Japan front leaving them strategically vulnerable, but also represent very significant tactical and economic victories.

I need to evaluate just how much Russia can send land forces to re-inforce Yakut and the K/N/E perimiter, and what counter-attacks may be possible on Sinkiang and how quickly Japan can reinforce Central Asia.  Allied land and air force shifts also need to be reviewed; both through Russia and through Africa.

What impact would a US Submarine Wolfpack being built in US2 have on the strategy?  Or Hawaii, surrounded by the initial US Pacific Fleet, stacked with 3 INF, and used as a BOMBER BASE would have (bombers to threaten Japan tranny’s if the capital ships fled, or to tilt the scales to allow the US PAC FLT, with strong air support, to sweep in and neutralize Japan’s stream of forces to Asia.  Or perhaps staging forward to Wake to allow those same bombers to SBR Japan?

Oviously this Japan strategy is not fool proof.  What it is is an example of a counter to a KGF strategy that just MIGHT force the US to pay more attention to the Pacific, or risk Japan and Germany linking up in the Eastern Med.

And preventing all  3 Allies from ganging up on Germany is the idea… Germany can beat Russia 1-on-1, and can stand toe-to-toe with Russia and an economically weakened UK in a defensive war.  The US is what tips the scales against Germany, so delaying that 3rd ally joining in Europe and/or moving forward so fast and so strongly that Japan is able to criple UK economically, as well as weaken Russia, are the only ways the Axis can win.