No discussion for a while now…
Any new conclusions about this strategy?
What’s about an airbase at Gibraltar and moving Egypt fleet west? Yet, I guess there was this topic deep down at forum’s splanchnic times ago but couldn’t find it…
Can you post a save game? I’m curious about this one.
@GuamSolo its a good point they cant load transports, but they can leave hostile sz, and or stay with some pieces and not others. the simpler block to ensure they cant take india J2 with naval base is to block sz 37 with the dd. it would depend on whether they left men on the transports, built the naval base, or didnt. if they didnt build the nb, they cant reach india regardless until j3
@simon33 I just went through the rounds myself (solo) and this time Triple A did not allow the Japanese fleet to travel through a sz with an enemy ship. Something must have been different in the game where that happened. I saved over it so I can’t go back through the history. Anyways, thank you for attempting to clarify it.
@simon33 said in Allied Playbook Draft v1.0:
@JDOW, got a question about your “don’t lose Egypt cheaply” goal. In a current game with trulpen, as allies I lost it pretty cheaply. Situation UK1:
- SZ92 stack done with 3 UK fighters (tac died in SZ96, bomber attacked SZ106)
- No bid units (10 bid went on ftr Scotland)
- No Ethiopia or Tobruk attack
- Vichy imminent
Now I wanted to keep Egypt I1 (obviously) but also without needing to expend an infantry on a blocker in Alexandria and also use my mech to keep the Syria inf allied. These seemed to be exclusive goals. Ultimately I chose to keep all the troops on Egypt. Was this the wrong call? I’m inclined to think so. I went on to lose Egypt I2 & I3. Annoyingly, Cyprus was claimed by an unescorted TT I1 which I couldn’t sink. I suppose if I would have moved the SZ71 DD to the Red Sea they would have at least needed to expend a DD in SZ98 to protect that, if it would have been worth it.
I suppose there are a few things I could have done differently, putting the bomber in Gibraltar would have been useful.
As Axis, this move (i.e. moving everything towards Egypt) sometimes works for me, but usually not. Perhaps the SZ110 scramble is the difference? I’m not really sure.
Anyway, would you recommend the Alexandria blocker in this situation, something different, or should I just have not gotten into the situation in the first place?
I feel this is a useful question for all in an allied playbook.
First, against a 110 scramble it is a bit tougher to hold Egypt but the Germans paid a toll.
The logic is: Usually Allies can buy an IC in Egypt in turn 2 and keep Egypt defended. In your game, you a couple of opportunities to defend Egypt better.
It is btw correct to just sit tight with every man in Egypt in UK1
Then, just roll the numbers: Can Italy take Egypt in IT2 in case you bring all air and 4 extra ground units in UK2? Usually they can’t or only if they get lucky.
Also, in the situation you were after the scramble, you should have definitely not attacked the sub in 106. UK absolutely needs the DD and the Bomber in 92/gib. UK needs to keep the pressure on IT and also needs potentials blockers in UK2 to prevent a landing at Egypt in IT2. The South africa DD also belongs to 81 to serve as potential blocker in UK2.
So yes, that loss of Egypt was definitely too cheap and the Allies didn’t play a bunch of cards to defend Egypt better.
Sometimes the price for that is saccing TTs or investing into blockers. A price I am happy to pay. And once the IC stands, Egypt can defend itself sooner or later.
You btw see, the absence of the bomber allowed Italy to take Cyprus and leave the TT undefended. Italy should never have this freedom.
Thanks for your thoughts. Germany’s toll was pretty cheap in this game though.
Kind of what I was thinking you would say which I guess tells me something. Might have to think about it.
I have watching a ton of youtube about the Pac and am very surprised at the strategy employed by the Allies. For one thing they fought in the Far Eastern Pac for a good year. Secondly, after the Solomons, they were abler and aimed to go after the ships and planes. Therefore, I am looking to name a strategy that embodies that. Pacific air and naval supremacy–literally hunting enemy air and shipping. And early. Maybe one transport and a couple of guys. What would you call that? Island hopping?
You are referring to documentation about the real Allied strategy in WW2?
I would say that the island-hopping strategy by the US in WW2 does only partly apply to AAA. I would not even bother to develop a strategy in AAA based on that.
Less the grab Solomons, Gilberts, Marshalls, Marianas. More the 800 ships with a ton of sailors and 10000 marines. The strategic objective part is that you are putting so much pressure on the Japanese navy, fighting, losing, fighting, losing, fighting, winning that they cannot do what they usually do, infect the map like a virus. It’s the piece meal approach of Midway versus the “wait until I get a navy big enough to demolish the IJN.”
This is assuming a non Sealion game. This might look like an invasion of Iwo Jima. Collect a navy there. Get some bombers to harass the island and voila it’s the front line! Waves of metal coming at them every turn, with the advantage that you are able to land on the island and lose the carriers. Subs in reserve to take down the cap ships.
Russia can be assisted by the British because pressure is not as great as it normally is?! Could call it the Nimitz. He wanted to go directly to Japan.
One thing I’m wondering about is should you avoid the Gibraltar airbase if you do a SZ110 scramble? I’m thinking if USA isn’t going to be at war by turn 2, almost certainly. You really need the US planes to populate the airbase while the UK planes move to Egypt and/or London. Can you still stack SZ92? Maybe.
You can block SZ92 with only a DD in SZ94 and then only the bomber can reach from the Italians. You still should have 1-2Cruisers, 1DD 1CV up to 2ftr. The main fear is the Luftwaffe coming down and smashing your fleet. If they bought 2 bombers, landed all remaining planes on W Germany and the Italians take Algeria, the stack is unlikely to be good. It may be much better to defend Algeria from the Italian landing. 3uk inf 1french 1AA plus 2ftr can hold off 2inf 1art 1arm 2ftr 1bomb 59% of the time. A little dodgy but the attack isn’t that likely to be attempted. These figures do assume though, that all Med planes can be used except the tac which might have died in SZ96. If a ftr is bid in Scotland, and SZ111 not attacked (or the planes survived), you can still fully load the CV.
Turn 2, planes on Algeria can reach Egypt but not London. So it isn’t as good against a Sea Lion. You could move the CV to SZ110 and put the planes on it, although that does mean probable death for the CV. Might be worth it if it saves London or significantly increases plane losses taking it.
@crockett36 said in Allied Playbook Draft v1.0:
Less the grab Solomons, Gilberts, Marshalls, Marianas. More the 800 ships with a ton of sailors and 10000 marines. The strategic objective part is that you are putting so much pressure on the Japanese navy, fighting, losing, fighting, losing, fighting, winning that they cannot do what they usually do, infect the map like a virus. It’s the piece meal approach of Midway versus the “wait until I get a navy big enough to demolish the IJN.”
This is assuming a non Sealion game. This might look like an invasion of Iwo Jima. Collect a navy there. Get some bombers to harass the island and voila it’s the front line! Waves of metal coming at them every turn, with the advantage that you are able to land on the island and lose the carriers. Subs in reserve to take down the cap ships.
Russia can be assisted by the British because pressure is not as great as it normally is?! Could call it the Nimitz. He wanted to go directly to Japan.
Assuming the Japanese move in predictable ways (into China, SE Asia and the DEI), I like to do a limited island hopping campaign like this:
While I’m doing the above, I also gradually build up a good-sized sub fleet to strangle Japan via convoy disruption…and you can usually accomplish steps 1-3 with about 3 fully loaded transports (plus the necessary surface warships, of course).
Very nonintuitive for me. How does this help Moscow or Eurasia. But I’m having this done to me and it stimes overall Axis income in a big way. In my only Allied game right now I am focusing on building a sizable Indian and Pac fleet so that Japan feels the need to bunch up.
@crockett36 Careful - Japanese code breakers intercepting this communication. If I read that the water distillation plant has broken down at a location code named AF–I’m not falling for it.
lol. great movie. I have been watching a ton of stuff on the Pac lately. Btw, you’re not bunching up.
@JDOW Hey, I haven’t thought about turtling in years. Can you sketch that out a little. I usually fill the front factories with men and the back with fast movers. So I’m assuming you would fill from the front and Moscow? What do you do with the fast movers and figs? Sit tight?
@JDOW also would you mind if I read your input on youtube?