Tutor game: AndrewAAGamer (X) vs trulpen [and everyone else] (A+50) OOB

@trulpen said in Tutor game: AndrewAAGamer (X) vs trulpen [and everyone else] (A+50) OOB:

Maybe it’s possible to do both a and b?

If you do both of these, how will your setup be long term? Can you sustain both offensives after this turn?

-Midnight_Reaper

I wouldn’t suggest neutral crush unless you think you are in a position to start ferrying substantial US units to Europe. If you are mostly spending on Japan (which I think you have to given their income) than I think the neutral crush becomes harder to sustain.

Assuming you can hold them, I would seriously consider going all in for Greece and 97. Greece is a great launching pad for taking Italy (so German units can get tied up protecting it) and air from Greece can reach Norway (with an AB) and Moscow.

He may have enough German land units to take it back before you can properly set up but if so, that is pressure taken off of Moscow or Norway. And you should be able to drop a lot of air there and have a lot of British inf that can be landed. So it would be a challenge for him, especially if you are strat bombing germany.

Normandy is also a good option and he is not that well set up at the moment to take it back. I’d also wonder if you have enough air between Normandy and Greece to hold both. This probably would require a UK naval build in 110 (which might not be the most efficient thing to spend on at the moment) and the UK/Fr air from the mid east would be needed Greece and the US air from EUS might also need to come east to 110.
(And don’t forget about his air in Novgorod. The bombers can hit you in 97 and 110 and the other air can hit 97 if Italy builds a carrier)

In the Pacific, Carolines is a good option and probably I would stick there for now. Down the road, Marianas with a naval base would be another. Air is in reach of Tokyo but you are just as close to Philippines and the money islands. This probably means that you need to take Palau (with ANZAC) and Iwo Jima with the US to deny his air landing options. Given that he just spent money on two carriers though, I might want to spend on units rather than a naval base this turn.

And maybe it is worth putting the UK fleet back in 80 (which would mean that Normandy is the better option in Europe). I’d probably go for Greece first and then bring it back, but maybe that gives too much time to Japan to secure its position?

TripleA Manual Gamesave Post: Americans round 7

TripleA Manual Gamesave Post for game: World War II Global 1940 2nd Edition, version: 4.0

Game History

Round: 7

    Purchase Units - Americans
        Americans buy 3 artilleries, 1 carrier, 1 destroyer, 2 fighters, 5 infantry, 1 submarine and 1 transport; Remaining resources: 0 PUs; 

    Combat Move - Americans
        1 infantry and 1 mech_infantry moved from Morocco to 92 Sea Zone
        1 infantry, 1 mech_infantry and 1 transport moved from 92 Sea Zone to 97 Sea Zone
        1 infantry and 1 mech_infantry moved from 97 Sea Zone to Greece
        1 carrier, 1 cruiser, 1 destroyer and 2 fighters moved from 92 Sea Zone to 97 Sea Zone
        2 infantry moved from Norway to Finland
        2 fighters moved from Norway to Finland
        1 bomber moved from Norway to 97 Sea Zone
        1 bomber moved from Norway to Germany

Combat Hit Differential Summary :

Savegame

TripleA Manual Gamesave Post: Americans round 7

TripleA Manual Gamesave Post for game: World War II Global 1940 2nd Edition, version: 4.0

Game History

Round: 7

    Purchase Units - Americans
        Americans buy 3 artilleries, 1 carrier, 1 fighter, 6 infantry, 1 submarine and 2 tactical_bombers; Remaining resources: 0 PUs; 

    Combat Move - Americans
        2 infantry moved from Morocco to 92 Sea Zone
        2 infantry and 1 transport moved from 92 Sea Zone to 97 Sea Zone
        2 infantry moved from 97 Sea Zone to Greece
        1 carrier, 1 cruiser, 1 destroyer and 2 fighters moved from 92 Sea Zone to 97 Sea Zone
        1 bomber moved from Norway to 97 Sea Zone
        1 bomber moved from Norway to Germany
        2 infantry moved from Norway to Finland
        2 fighters moved from Norway to Finland

Combat Hit Differential Summary :

Savegame

I don’t think that you are ready to yet take Greece. Normandy is a far easier place to hold since you can easily move UK fighters there to protect after an American invasion. Italy can be far more easily crushed with 6 Mediterranean subs convoy raiding them to death.

Sure, we can hold Greece with Brit air. But moving the fleet to SZ97 saves the Russian sub, but loses the French DD. More importantly what are we doing with the units in SZ91? Can’t move them in without the Italians pouncing them. Unless planning on a AB in Gibraltar. Also, moving all the Red Sea fleet to Med for protection leaves S. Africa for quick jaunt from India.

I don’t know that Greece is a good play at this time. It’s hard to bring in reinforcements, but perhaps the Middle East is strong enough to start pumping troops in. But the Axis can build a strong counter over a few turns.
I like SZ97 because because it allows time to build up the Allied fleet strength and sink the Italians permanently. But Greece is a hard long term hold at this time.

I would attack Normandy. Bring 1 CV, the US troops to take Normandy. Bring Brit DD + Brits buy CV. The US lands 2 ftrs in London, and 2 ftr land on CV in SZ110. 2 Ftrs from Norway can land on Brit CV. That will defend the transports and then invasion is a go.

I don’t understand the island hopping campaign. In OOB, there is minimal advantage to taking many of these islands, and they tie up units for 3 turns, 1 to take, 1 to get back, and finally 1 to be offensive again. But since we are here and have a “dead” move for the Marshall islands group, I would take Iwo, since J cannot take it back for at least 1 turn.

In general, this is the part of the Pacific war that I call the “harassment” phase. I take any money island + any convoy opportunity that has a good trade in IPCs, while I wait for the US fleet to build. I’m not strong enough to attack J, so I really don’t know what else to do…

I mention this to find out what a better strategy entails. As I see it, trading evenly for islands is ok if I’m doing it with the ANZACs vs. J because ANZAC forces regenerate quicker.
I would take every opportunity to kill J subs+ transports, maybe wait until ANZAC and Brits to kill SZ42 and 79 SS so the US can keep its fleet as an offensive force.

@surfer the islands have less value in OOB than BM3 but they still can be used as landing zones for Japanese air (and can mean that Japan can attack the US fleet with twice the number of air than its carriers woud normally allow). Caroline Islands is safe from that now, (although I expect on the next turn he will need to take Paulau to keep the the fleet there) but Marianas isn’t. I don’t think Trulpen is opting to go to Marianas this turn, but down the road it can be a good option for the allies to threaten Japan. With a naval base it has the same reach as Carolines into the money islands, but air on carriers there can support an attack on Japan.

I agree though that as much as possible you want to use ANZAC units. Always better to trade them rather than US units.

And Normandy is a good option as well and maybe a safer one to hold (because of the support from the UK and Norway. But as long as Greece and 97 can be safely taken and held this turn, they have some advantages though. 1) It threatens Italy more while going to Normandy takes pressure off. 2) Air can reach Moscow (and vice versa) whereas the air needed to defend Normandy can’t. 3). German factories are further away.

The US carrier in 91 is protected by the French DD in 92. But you are right that if you pull that fleet away from 80, than South Africa is a concern and probably means that the UK build and plan NCMs need to keep UK in a position to deny a Japanese attack there.