I’m not under very much pressure from Russia as they lack offensive units to begin with.
Russia isn’t purchasing nor attacking correctly if you’re experiencing such low pressure. Whoever’s playing Russia should get off of their mass-8-infantry-every-round build and start adding artillery into the mix. A 4/3 ratio of inf/art is very nice. I really like to build 4 inf 3 art with Russia’s first 24 IPCs. It gives you defense very close to 8 infantry (essentially 7 infantry) but much better offense.
On the first turn like we’ve been saying, attack West Russia en force with something on the order of at least 9 infantry + 2 art + 4 tanks. You will smoke the Germans there. You’ll end up with like a stack of 7 inf 2 art 4 tanks there, which is a hefty pushing force if left uncontested, not to mention you move 2 infantry to Caucasus and deploy 3 inf 1 art there, as well as move 4 inf into Moscow and deploy 1 inf 2 art there, so you have 5 inf 1 art reinforcing from Caucasus and 5 inf 2 art + 2 fighters in Moscow.
Now, without building anything, it’s true Germany can field a pretty fearsome stack itself without building any more land units. You have 8 tanks left on the mainland, and something like 15 infantry to shuffle around. But you’re going to need to throw about 2 infantry to defend Western Europe, at least 1 infantry into Karelia to take it, and probably attack with 2 infantry + fighters to take Belorussia back, and leave 1 infantry in Ukraine, so that leaves you with 9 infantry and 8 tanks that can sit in Eastern Europe. This also means you have no troops to send to Africa on turn 2, so if you did want to send more troops there, you’d have 8 infantry and 7 tanks left in Eastern Europe.
What happens in round 2 if you didn’t purchase any land units? Russia can come in super hard into Ukraine. If they send everything, they’ll have a force of 12 inf 4 art 4 tanks sitting there, and an AA gun. It’s far too tough to crack even if you sent everything at it during the German turn. And what’s even scarier, is that the Russian Ukraine stack can beat your Eastern Europe stack about 88% of the time if they send everything at it including their fighters next turn! Holy crap! And there’s streams of infantry/artillery coming in to back up any mishaps.
Normally, you would have built more land units on turn 1, and send them to Eastern Europe to help out. Then, it wouldn’t really behoove the Russians to try to wipe out your stack, because you have a network of units to reinforce as well as counterattack. But without a first turn land purchase of some kind, you’re setting yourself up for some major Russian mayhem.
The other Allies should be working around the clock to lay the smackdown on the Germans as well. The UK must start with a heavy defensive land purchase in the first round, but the attacks should still be a counter into Egypt and the usual kwangbang of the Japanese transport. The US should start with a build of even 2 carriers, or at the very least 1 carrier + some subs. The Baltic navy has to be dealt with and has to be guarded against as with 6 transports in it, it can be a very effective suicide fleet.
On Round 2 while the Russians are seizing German territories with abandon, the UK and US should both land in Algeria with 2 tran of equipment each and start the grueling walk to purge Africa. The UK should use money to replenish troops being sent southwards and keep the vigil up so as not to get boarded, and with any additional cash build transports in SZ8 or SZ2, whichever is safer. The US should consider building about 3-4 fighters, as they will be needed to destroy the Baltic fleet. The US can split up their fleet to defend the Algerian seazone as well as SZ8 if the UK decided to build there.
On Round 3, the Russians should easily be trading Eastern Europe/Balkans with the Germans, and now the Germans really have to start watching their west coast which has minimal defenses (couple of inf + fighters). The Germans are going to have trouble fronting enough troops to deal properly with the Russians as well as defend Western Europe with their first turn lack of ground units.
The UK should build a ton of transports this turn and try to invade Norway through SZ6. If the German navy has moved up to SZ6, then you may wish to engage it and sink it. You are in good favor if you bring 3 fighters, 1 bomber, 3 transports, 1 battleship against 6 transports, 2 subs, and 1 destroyer. If you have less, then consider strafing the German fleet for one round to soften it up for the US. The US will follow up and either sink the Baltic fleet or protect SZ6 if the Baltic fleet decides to stay in the Baltic. The UK and US should be pushing slowly into Africa now as well, and depending on if the Germans are reinforcing Africa or not, it could be faster as the UK/US tanks blitz through. If Western Europe is looking weak (like only 2 inf and a bunch of fighters) then might as well go in and bust some fighters up. The US should start building transports and men to transport to Europe.
On Round 4, the Russians should continue to keep up maniacal pressure on Germany. They should not be getting past Eastern Europe/Balkans at all, and at this point I’ve even before had a huge stack of units sitting in the Balkans ready to raid either the capital itself or Southern Europe. The Germans can break a stack in Balkans, but doing so would risk fighters as the Russian should be pushing up with their AA gun, not to mention lots of units are coming from behind to counterattack any small survivors from the German attack.
The Germans may decide to try to attack the combined Allied fleet in SZ6 with their Baltic navy and airforce on Round 4, and it could be damaging, but you should have 2 fully loaded carriers, 1 battleship, 2 destroyers, and probably 9-10 transports there. A first turn combat would nearly decimate the entire German navy while costing the UK a few transports (which he prepared for by overbuying them in Round 3), and a second turn combat would not be advised for the Germans; while they could possibly claim a few more transports, they are certainly going to risk losing a lot of fighters as the navy shield has been used up and you’re still facing a very strong defensive fire coming from a number of capital ships.
In any case, the UK should be boarding Europe somewhere with many forces in Round 4 unless the German suicide claimed all the transports. Buy any transports you need and fill up with ground troops. The US should clean up the Baltic fleet with about 6-7 fighters + 2 destroyers + 1 bomber.
At this point Germany should be well on the road to doom. Africa will no longer be contested as every troop is needed to defend the capital and Southern Europe from the Russians, there is no more navy defending the Baltic, and the UK fleet is very well protected from any casual strafing and troops are going to be dropped all along the coastline. Russia now starts buying defensive troops against the Japanese, but the huge stacks in front of Germany remain and keep him contained.
actually having your transports sitting in the baltic is not completely useless you can use your trasports to each move 2 inf from germany to karelia, or norway (depending on situation) a turn which can speed up inf by 1 or 2 turns.
You’re very much right, having transports in either the med or the baltic is very nice to speed up land movement, but you have to consider if it’s costing you your ability to push on the land. And it’s not like Germany can afford to remain a naval nation; you must spend like half your income on messing with the Russians at least, yet the Americans and the UK can spend their entire incomes to blowing you out of the water.
