@Jennifer:

It didn’t slow anything down in the last game. Yea, UK got delayed one turn, but the US took Fin/Nor anyway and the entire northern German fleet was scuddled.

So the Germans are short 26 IPCs (16 for purchases) 10 for a fighter. It could even be 36 if it lost BOTH fighters on that carrier - a very likely scenario. UK is down 3 Trans or 24 IPC worth to continue to be of aid to Russia. So 24 IPC loss to UK vs 36 IPC loss to Germany.

I understand that it’s 59 IPCs in units lost to England (2 Fig, 1 Bmb, 3 Trn) and 72 IPCs lost to Germany (1 CV, 2 FIG, 2 SS, 1 TRN, 1 DD) but realistically speaking, Germany doesn’t need the TRN, SS’s or DD and the CV isn’t needed either,but cost them 16 to produce. Meanwhile, England doesn’t need the two fighters and bomber to annoy Germany and defend Russia. They help in both cases, but they arn’t needed to win victory in either case.

Hey Jen,

The Delay by 1 turn is Huge… Gives me plenty of time to build-up Defenses
You played right into my hand the way I look at it.  I only bought 1 AC yes But with a 16 IPC purchase this is what was accomplished…

Also your losses were more significant.
3 Trn = [24] (you bought 1 of these)
1 AC = [16] (which you also had to buy) cancels my AC BUy.
2 Fgt = [20]
1 BB = [24]
1 bmb = [15]

Add it up = 99 IPC loss…

it also took you 2 full turns to get an already empty Norway (which I can take back at perhaps the loss of 1 inf.)

you perhaps are missing the knockdown effect. slowdown vs europe is also bad as it gives more time for Japan which is free-rolling cause of no opposition because of all the activity in the atlantic.

Mercy:

You got really good die rolls though.  1 BB, 1 CV, 3 TRN, 2 FIG, 1 BMB should get at least 3 hits, I got one on round one.  You got 3 on round one.  That’s friggin huge, dude.  I was lucky to have mutually assured destruction after that.

And let’s not forget the most likely result of that battle is:

19.7%: left with 1 Fig, 1 Bom, 1 Car, 1 dBat.

17.9%: left with 1 Bom, 1 Car, 1 dBat.

15.02%: left with 2 Fig, 1 Bom, 1 Car, 1 dBat.

12.54%: left with 1 Car, 1 dBat.

8.23%: left with 2 Fig, 1 Bom, 1 Tra, 1 Car, 1 dBat.

7.21%: left with 1 dBat.

3.13%: left with 2 Fig, 1 Bom, 2 Tra, 1 Car, 1 dBat.

0.54%: left with 2 Fig, 1 Bom, 3 Tra, 1 Car, 1 dBat.

0.07%: left with 1 Bom, 1 dBat.

0.05%: left with 2 Fig, 1 Bom, 3 Tra, 1 Car, 1 Bat.

0.04%: left with 1 Fig, 1 Bom, 1 dBat.

0.01%: left with 2 Fig, 1 Bom, 1 dBat.

15.56%: left with nothing.

That means, you loose 62 IPCs normally and Brition looses 34 IPCs normally, for that battle. (2 Fig, 1 Bmb, 1 BB, 1 CV, 3 Trn - England) vs (1 CV, 2 Fig, 2 SS, 1 DD - Germany)  According to the only AAR calcualtor I can find: http://frood.net/aacalc/  (84.4% in favor of England.)

If you do that in LL mode, you get:

33.33%: left with 1 Fig, 1 Bom, 1 Car, 1 dBat.

32.26%: left with 1 Bom, 1 Car, 1 dBat.

14.4%: left with 1 Car, 1 dBat.

12.34%: left with 2 Fig, 1 Bom, 1 Car, 1 dBat.

4.31%: left with 1 dBat.

1.38%: left with 2 Fig, 1 Bom, 1 Tra, 1 Car, 1 dBat.

1.98%: left with nothing

98% in favor of England.

So Germany looses 16 IPCs for the Carrier, 20 IPCs for the Fighters and England looses 24 IPCs for the Transports and 10 IPCs for a fighter.  36 IPCs lost by Germany in units that can be used on the land, vs 34 IPCs lost by England for units that can be used to attack the land.

Seems like a wash.  Maybe it’s a good strategy, maybe it is not.

Exactly, but then you can block with the US Transport from Washington DC preventing the German fleets from combining until G3, giving Brition enough time to attack the Baltic fleet BEFORE it can join with the med fleet. (Allowing for US/USSR clean up should the dice be horribly against you.)

Well I don’t think you can merely block the med fleet with one US transport. A German fighter or bomber can clear the transport while the fleet moves through during noncombat.

You know, I should stop arguing against this maneuver….especially given how I think it weakens Germany…I’d be much better off advocating it and then never using it myself. :)

Let me finish by saying this in response to your evaluation of the AC buy for the Baltic and not sailing it out to meet up with the Med fleet somewhere off France…

I buy the AC every game.  It almost never leaves the Baltic.
I am 9 out of 11 as the Axis since I joined DAAK, with losses to AAJax and Bebo.

Apparently, even just collecting dust in the Batlic, that AC must be worth something…

Don’t get me wrong.  I’m not saying the strategy is worthless.  What I am argueing about is the use of it on Germany 1 when I feel that the money can be better spent in land units to kill Russia faster.

Of course putting an AC in the Baltic helps.  Now your Baltic fleet isn’t merely a target to be destroyed by the RAF/USAF when they’re bored.  And that means you have more ships for Op Sea Lion after Russia falls.  But, it is probably NOT going to sink the British or Americans and keep the Atlantic safe.  It is definately not going to save France from Allied invasion threats.  And it may weaken you enough, given slightly biased die rolls against you, to allow Russia to pose immenant danger to Berlin before the Japs have enough in Evenki, Kazahk and Novosibirsk to truely threaten Moscow.

I just say hedge your bets and put everything you can to bear on Russia itself.  Diveriting almost half your income on round 1 to the navy seems risky to me.  Though, has anyone tried this with classic?  Does it work there, or does it only work in revised given somewhat normal if not blessed die rolls for Germany?

The idea is not to sink the Royal Navy in attack.

The idea is to sink large chunks of the Royal Navy, or shoot down large amounts of the Royal Air Force, when the Brits come calling.  And if the Brits happen to send TRNs along for fodder… so much the better.  Kill the TRNs as fodder instead of them being used to send troops to Europe or Africa.

Either way, presenting a target that WILL do damage to the British Fleet: in TRNs, in Capital Ships that defend the TRNs, and definitely in AF; is a GOOD move for Germany.

When I buy a carrier for the baltic the main purpose is secure the northern flank & prevent allied landings in E. Europe.  It also has the advantage of keeping any lightly defended allied fleets out of the English Channel & North sea.

@jsp4563:

When I buy a carrier for the baltic the main purpose is secure the northern flank & prevent allied landings in E. Europe.  It also has the advantage of keeping any lightly defended allied fleets out of the English Channel & North sea.

And that is usually enough to secure Berlin and Eastern from any attmpted amphibs until at least Turn 4 in most cases.

UK starts landing wherever it pelases in UK 2 if you do not reinforce the Baltic Fleet…

@jsp4563:

When I buy a carrier for the baltic the main purpose is secure the northern flank & prevent allied landings in E. Europe.  It also has the advantage of keeping any lightly defended allied fleets out of the English Channel & North sea.

But as the calculator points out, putting a carrier in the baltic isn’t going to stop anything.  England has plenty capability of destroying the fleet there with minimal losses and then having America follow up with an invasion force in pacified waters.

But not until T3 if you are plannign a USA follow-up.

Without the AC, the RAF can kill that fleet on UK1.

Well, on turn 2 you can destroy their fleet and have US forces landing in Fin/Nor.  Or you could have your transports go with on T2 and land them in E. Europe, just don’t use them as fodder.

The problem with a turn 2 UK attack on the Baltic fleet is that the UK won’t have enough navy built to prevent heavy casuatlies. And the secondary feature of the Baltic fleet is that if the UK gets within range of it on UK1 in preparation of a UK2 attack is that the UK navy is within range of not only the Baltic navy but also the entire German air force as well so a G2 preemptive strike is likely to occur.

You got it U-505 :-)

Just because I do not “normally” sail that fleet out of the Baltic does not mean that I will pass up a juicy little fleet to sink if it comes calling too close too soon :-)

@ncscswitch:

When I buy a carrier for the baltic the main purpose is secure the northern flank & prevent allied landings in E. Europe. It also has the advantage of keeping any lightly defended allied fleets out of the English Channel & North sea.

And that is usually enough to secure Berlin and Eastern from any attmpted amphibs until at least Turn 4 in most cases.

UK starts landing wherever it pelases in UK 2 if you do not reinforce the Baltic Fleet…

I can certainly attest to that. Or if you take the fleet out of the Baltic too soon. Dumb, Dumb knowed it was dumb but got myself talked into it anyway. Then there were the bad decisions turn two…

If we’re playing with Heavy Bombers and I’mGemany I’ll start off the game with 4 dice going for it.  If I get them I will buy bombers and transports.

With that mix you can destroy the British fleet and harry the Americans into having to drop their troops deep into Africa.  Or they have to spend a lot of cash on working up a defense.  Either way the bombers and transports are dual useful.and at 23 a turn I can still buy inf to keep Russia at bay.by turn 5 I will own most of Africa, will have sunk most of anything in the atlantic and will be holding my borders firm from Russia.

@Grimelark:

If we’re playing with Heavy Bombers and I’mGemany I’ll start off the game with 4 dice going for it.  If I get them I will buy bombers and transports.

With that mix you can destroy the British fleet and harry the Americans into having to drop their troops deep into Africa.  Or they have to spend a lot of cash on working up a defense.  Either way the bombers and transports are dual useful.and at 23 a turn I can still buy inf to keep Russia at bay.by turn 5 I will own most of Africa, will have sunk most of anything in the atlantic and will be holding my borders firm from Russia.

Think that’s why most games forbid technologies. :(

HB’s are also good for counter strikes against Russia.  2 or 3 of them plus a couple infantry will obliterate 6 defending units no problem, and you probably wont loose your bombers in the process….or SBR (12 from Russia; 8 from Brition)

AAR modified the “heavy bomber” problem so they don’t roll 3 dice anymore. Out of the box rules limits them to 2 dice and the LHTR limited them even further to 2 dice and pick the best result of the 2 rolls. Don’t get fooled into thinking heavy bombers are the game changers they were in Classic.

In addition to the non-reinforce and sail out of the Baltic fleet, you need to look at the Med Fleet too Frimmel.  An AC buy for the Med looks good… on paper.

Yes, it secured the Med… for a turn.

After that, US parked a fleet of an AC, FIG, 2 DSTs and TRN’s in SZ12 and blocked you in.  Added a BOM in Africa that would add serious punch to an attack on your fleet if you left it in range of that US fleet.  That left you with just Africa landings or RUssia support as the roll for that Med Fleet, and in either case, the fleet was too far east to shield Southern (run the sim on a Southern attack by USA in US3… 2 INF, 2 ART, 1 FIG, 1 BOM against 6 INF and an AA… 74% Allied win…)

That strat was not my first choice. Ezto was very behind it and I decided I would go along. Not that I made the best decisions on turn two and three. I thought  there was more room for error than there seems to be. I need more practice. I also have some things that work in my limited group of players that aren’t flying here. And a few bad habits I need to let go of. Live and learn eh?