Saburo Sakai's AAPacific Essays - #5 What's the Difference?

For the A&A Revised game, you want this box:

(Source: https://boardgamegeek.com/image/42246/axis-allies)

Hope that helps.

-Midnight_Reaper

40 IPC’s. I do it every time I play Japan. I take the PI and all the DEI, Malaya, Borneo & Hong Kong. These = 21 IPC which puts Japan @ 40 IPC’s. If all goes well I do not lose too much units due to Japans 1st round attack advantage. (All Allied units, except the Chinese, defend at 1 on the dice) Tonight I won by VP’s, holding over 40 (I topped out @ 45) for 6 rounds. USA had sunk Japans navy on T5 after I slammed into AUS capital after building up INF & ART for a couple rounds and lost that battle. I pretty much had expanded all my forward units and had started reinforcing the India campaign. By the time the USA started to xport land units it was too late. It was great game w/ a few navel battles that cost both sides alot of hardware! Great fun! My boys are grumbling by being beat by the “ol Man” again.  :-D

@yucatan:

What happens in this case:

Attacker has 2sub, 2ftr, 1ac vs 2sub, 1dst

No dst for attacker so defender’s sub are invisible to 2ftrs.
No surprise attack because the defender has 1dst.

Attacker rolls 2hits: 1 from sub and 1 from ftr.
Now the defender has to choice the casualties. Could he choice the dst as casualty from the sub and no more else because the subs cannot be hitten by ftrs?

No.  All the hits must be assigned if possible, so the fighter hit must be assigned to the destroyer.

@yucatan:

Other thing:
The attacker starts the turn with an enemy sub within his navy. Let’s assume 1sub, 1trn vs 1sub.
The attacker decide to stay and combat, but, after the 1st round of combat (trn lost) he decides to retire. Where?
The rules say “in a sea zone from where at least one combat unit comes”. What happens in this case? They were already there…

In order to allow for the possibility of retreating, they must first move out of the original sea zone and then back into it during Combat Movement.  The sea zone moved through must of course be free of enemy units, otherwise they couldn’t leave it again once they entered.  If this isn’t possible, then neither is retreating.  Of course, the attacking sub may submerge in any case.

“And if you screw up just this much, you’ll be flying a cargo plane full of rubber dog [crap] out of Hong Kong!”

James Tolkan, “Captain Stinger” to Tom Cruise, “Maverick” in Top Gun (1986)

Effective Use of CAP

Don’t worry.  While Maverick’s captain may have threatened him with cargo plane duty, no such penalty awaits you if you make a mistake while using CAP and by the time you’ve finished this essay you should be well on your way to using CAP as one of the tools for victory in AAPacific.

Combat Air Patrol (CAP) is a special feature of AAPacific that is not present in any of the other versions of Axis & Allies.  As such, for new players of AAPacific, CAP can cause some anxiety due to uncertainty with how to properly implement CAP for maximum advantage.Â

Let me start by saying that you can very easily play an entire AAPacific game and never use CAP.  In fact, you could probably play several games and never have ocassion to use CAP.  In most cases, you won’t suffer any adverse consequences from not taking advantage fo the CAP rules, but there are circumstances where carefully planned use of CAP can help either Japan or the Allies hold an advance position on the game board that would be a dead zone without the extra fighters that can be put in the air by the use of CAP.

Basic Rules of CAP

First, let’s talk about some of the basic features of CAP.  In order to effectively use CAP, it is important to know how it works.

-  CAP is launched during the Non-Combat Movement Phase using fighters from land territories.  CAP fighters cannot have moved or attacked during the Combat Movement phase.

-  CAP cannot be launched from Aircraft Carriers.

-  CAP cannot be launched into a sea zone where the presence of enemy units would result in combat (note: submerged submarines don’t count)

-  CAP fighters prevent enemy surface vessels from passing through the sea zone that they occupy.

-  CAP fighters must land during Phase 2 of your next turn.  They can land on any land territory adjacent to or within the sea zone they are occupying or on an Aircraft Carrier in the same sea zone.  Once the fighter lands, it can move as normal.

-  Airbases do not extend the range of CAP fighters.  The can only be launched into a sea zone that is adjacent to or surrounding the territory from which they start.  For example, a fighter on Formosa cannot fly CAP in sz38.  It can only fly CAP in sz45.

Sea Zones where CAP is most effective

Now that you understand how CAP works, we can discuss where CAP can be most effective.

For Japan, CAP will be most useful in sz45 or 46 early in the game and in sz38 late in the game.

For the Allies, CAP is most effective in szs29, 32, and sometimes 28.

Use of CAP by Japan

In a VP game, by J2, Japan is usually busy capturing the last of the Pacific Islands and moving as many ground units as possible to reinforce French IndoChina.  At the same time, it is important for Japan to have a strong presence in sz28 to discourage the Allies from advancing too quickly into the Central Pacific and taking away the IPCs Japan needs to maintain 4 VPs per turn until at least J4.  This means that Japan will often have to split its forces, with most of the fighting ships needed in sz28 and most of the transports needed to ferry ground units to FIC.  While the sz28 force is usually strong enough to withstand any Allied attack, how can you protect those lonely transports in sz45 or sz46.  The answer is CAP.

On J2 (and J3) combat movement phases, make sure that you have at least one fighter on J2 and preferably two fighters on J3 in FIC that you will not use during Combat.  During J2 or J3 NCM, move all of your transports that are ferrying troops to FIC into either sz45 or sz46 and launch the fighter(s) from FIC into that sea zone.  On J2, the US can attack with, at most 1 Ftr and 2 Bmrs.  With 5 or 6 transports, 1 DD and 1 Ftr, the odds of the US killing all your transports is not good.  Likewise, on J3, with 2 ftrs in the sea zone, the US would likely use up all of its airforce killing transports and leave the Japanese fighters untouched while greatly reducing its own offensive punch.  In most cases, the US player will not take the risk.  CAP fighters have permitted you to accomplish two things at once, namely, have a strong presence in sz28 while still effectively transferring ground units to FIC without exposing your transports to excessive risk.

Later in the game, Japan will be forced back to sz38 and must hold there as long as possible to ensure that it maintains 3 and then 2 VPs for as many turns as it can.  With only 4 ACs at its disposal, a maximum of 8 fighters can defend in the sea zone without using CAP.  To hold off the Allies (and the US in particular), CAP launched from the Philippines can be a particularly effective tactic.Â

By J4 and J5, Japan is running out of targets that it can safely attack with its air force.  By this time a direct assault on the combined Allied fleet is usually not favourable to Japan.  Often, Japan is left with picking off single allied ships (usually transports or subs) that are floating around in front of the main body of the Allied fleet.  As such, there are plenty of fighters that can be held back from combat in the Philippines.  On NCM, Japan can launch these fighters into sz38 and greatly enhance the defensive power of the sz38 fleet.  I once had 5 CAP fighters in sz38 along with 8 on ACs for a total of 13 defending fighters, along with 4 ACs, 3 BBs, a few transports, a DD and a couple of subs.  The Allies couldn’t touch that fleet all because the defensive strength was enhanced with CAP fighters.

Use of CAP by Allies

The Allies can also make good use of CAP to push their fleet forward in the face of what would otherwise be overwhelming Japanese strength.  As the game starts, the US has 2 ACs and 7 fighters on the east side of the map.  The UK adds a further three fighters and no ACs.  Usually, the Midway fighter will die in the J1 assault leaving the Allies with 9 fighters and only 2 ACs.  Sometimes the UK will purchase an AC but not always.  With this relative abundance of fighters and a shortage of flattops, how are the Allies supposed to accumulate sufficient defensive strength to discourage a Japanese attack on the Allied fleet early in the game?

Essentially, there are two options.  First, the Allies can hang back and build up enough strength in ACs and Destroyers to counter the Japanese force.  Unfortunately, this is a losing strategy because all Japan needs to do to win is buy time.  If the Allies don’t press forward as soon as possible, Japan wins be default.  Second, (and not surprisingly, given the topic of this essay), the Allies can use CAP fighters.

At the end of Allies 1, if all has gone well, the US and UK will have a fleet in sz14 that includes most of the starting naval units from the east half of the board.  In addition, the Allies will have dumped at least 3 UK and probably 2 US fighters into Queensland.  This defends against a Japanese attack of Australia and positions the Allied forces for early movement into the Central Pacific.  Here’s where the CAP comes in.

If the Japanese fleet can be forced out of sz28 for fear of an attack by the US on US2, the combined Allied fleet can be moved to sz32 or sz29 and the five fighters from Queensland can be launched into that sea zone as CAP.  In conjunction with 4 US fighters on the 2 US ACs and with blocking units to prevent a direct assault by the mass of the IJN, the Allied fleet is able to push forward where it could not go if the CAP fighters were not available.

Another possible location for CAP is in sz28.  If Japan has not positioned itself to take Papua with sufficient strength on J2 (sometimes because of a failure to take Midway or New Britain), the Allies can move fighter reinforcements to Papua on Allies 1.  Combined with a 9 Sub buy on US1, the Allies can make sz28 an impregnable maritime fortress on Allies 2 by moving its entire fleet, including the 9 new US subs to sz28 and by lauching up to five CAP fighters from Papua.  This will result in a defensive force that either cannot be safely attacked by Japan or will cause so much damage to the IJN that Japan will not be able to recover for the rest of the game.

In summary, CAP is not a game breaking strategy but it can be an effective part of a player’s arsenal in AAPacific.

Saburo Sakai

Wow!  I am flattered!  Thanks for the vote of confidence on the articles.  Really, I prepared the essays hoping to get more players interested in the game, so that I would have more opponents.

I still have 1 or 2 more essays ideas to finish but have been too busy to complete it.  I’ll try to get to the last ones in the next few weeks.

SS

The Australia Capture - The Invasion that Wasn’t

In February of 1942, Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto proposed an invasion of Australia.  The invasion plan, calling for landings in both the north and south of Australia, required the use of 10 Japanese Army divisions and because resources where stretched thin, the plan was rejected by Tojo and the Imperial General Staff.

While the Japanese didn’t have the resources to invade Australia during World War II, the Japanese player in AAPacific does start the game with sufficient resources to capture New South Wales, prevent any Allied counterattack and win the game.  However, the Australia capture is a much tougher strategic road and usually requires a mistake by the Allies to be successful since US reinforcements are much closer to Australia than to India.

The Australia capture can be initiated from any balanced J1 opening and doesn’t require any unusual opening moves.  Since it requires some mistakes by the Allied player, an Australia capture is generally an opportunistic move rather than a planned strategy.  If you’re the Japanese player, you shouldn’t start the game thinking that you will win by capturing NSW.  Rather, you should always keep in mind the possibility of invading Australia if the right circumstances present themselves.

After a “standard” J1 opening that sees the capture of Philippines, Hongkong, Anhwe, Kiangsi, Malaya, Java, New Britain, Midway and the destruction of Allied fleets in sz9, 27, 38, 43 and 46, the Japanese player has the basic set up to invade Australia on J2.  Whether an invasion actually occurs will depend on the Allied moves on Allies 1.

The key to the Australia invasion is capturing both Northern Territory and Queensland.  Often the Allied player will retreat his forces from these territories into South Australia, leaving the capture of NT and Queensland as a walk in.  Usually, Japan is able to bring in units from New Britain and New Guinea, Philippines and Java during combat movement.  Only 1 infantry (loaded on a DD) should be used to capture NT and the rest placed in Queensland.  On NCM, any units in Hongkong, Kiangsi, FIC and Malaya can be moved to Queensland on all available transports and DDs.  These units can take advantage of the 3 space port movement between sz45 or 46 and sz32.  The bulk of the Japanese fleet that started in sz27 can be moved to sz29 to block any US amphibious assault into Queensland intended to disrupt the forces massing in Queensland for the attack on NSW.  If the Americans attack the Japanese fleet in sz29, any fighters on the carriers should be the last loss and if they survive the battle, they land in Queensland, ready to attack NSW on J3.

An Australia capture is most likely to succeed if Japan can attack the Allied reinforcements that were moved to sz14.  This can happen when the Allies fail to block sz15 and sz28 or a Japanese sub survives to J2 in sz28 or sz9.  Why are these subs important?  They allow a twelve fighter, 2 bomber attack on sz14 which is usually sufficient to wipe out all of the Allied units (and certainly all of the transports) that are located in sz14 at the start of J2.  How is this possible?  Six fighters can fly from sz27 to sz14, a distance of 2 moves and these fighters can land on New Britain after the battle.  Fighters from sz43, Formosa and Marianas can also reach sz14, a distance of 4 moves.  Their only possible landing place will be the aircraft carriers from sz27 moving to sz14 on NCM.Â

Normally, if the US has a sub in sz14, Japan can’t clear the sea zone because the Allied player will have blocked sz15 and sz28 preventing any naval units from getting there to attack the subs (remember, in AAPacific, subs cannot be attacked by air units unless a DD is spotting).  Without clearing the sea zone, the ACs can’t move to sz14 and therefore only 6 fighters can reach and attack sz14.  One loose sub changes that equation.  All Japan needs to do is add a sub to the attack on sz14 and 12 fighters and 2 bombers can join in the attack.  Japan does not need to entirely wipe out the US fleet.  All it needs to do is kill as much as possible to prevent these reinforcements from reaching NSW to make the J3 attack on the Australian capital a risky proposition.

If Japan can capture and reinforce Queensland and wipe out the US reinforcements in sz14, NSW will almost certainly fall on J3.  On J3 NCM, Japan moves its entire naval force to sz30, preventing any follow on US units from attacking NSW and liberating Australia.  Japan wins the game at the beginning of J4 when it holds NSW and Tokyo.

As mentioned, an Australia capture is only available if the Allied player makes a mistake.  Usually, that mistake occurs when the Allied player fails to appropriately protect Queensland and sz14.Â

First, there should be no half measures in Queensland.  You should either withdraw from it entirely, leaving all your units available for a counterattack or for defence of NSW or you should heavily defend Queensland.  It is possible to defend Queensland with 8 Inf, 2 Rtl, AA, 3 UK Fighters, 2 US Bombers and up to 2 US fighters.  The two UK infantry from New Zealand can be landed in Queensland by moving the transport to sz32.  This has the further advantage of negating the Japanese BB support shot because it requires a sea battle before the amphibious invasion.  Facing such a defence, Japan would be foolish to attack Queensland because it would be too weakened to prevent its forces from being wiped out by a counterattack.  This defence of Queensland is available to the Allied player when he is confident that Japan is not likely to initiate a successful India Crush.  In those circumstances, it is not necessary to move units into South Australia for the “Anti-Crush” (see Essay #2).

Second, the Allies must keep their early reinforcements alive but close enough to support Australia.  That’s why it is important to move as much of the force as possible to sz14 but to block any attack on it.  Any subs in sz28 and sz9 must be killed.  You should use overkill to make sure these subs do not escape by diving.  Sea zone 28 and sz15 must be blocked to prevent a naval attack on sz14.  You should leave a UK sub in sz29 to ensure that the Japanese sz27 fleet cannot move to sz29 during NCM.  This leaves open the US amphibious assault of Queensland supported by bombers and fighters which will put an end to the Japanese hopes of capturing NSW.  Finally, you must have a US sub in sz14 or Japan can clear the sea zone with air alone and can get the 12 fighter, 2 bmr attack on the sea zone that will wipe out the US reinforcements.

In summary, Japan can win by capturing Australia but the attack is usually only available if the Allied player makes a mistake in his defence posture and Japan moves immediately to exploit that mistake.

Saburo Sakai

I had to modify this essay.  One sea zone reference was incorrect.  I had referred to a sz28 sub surviving when it should have been sz27.  This should be changed in the published essay.  The error in the essay was in the paragraph immediately following the summary of the UK India purchases.

SS

ok, thanks fer clearing that up guys…it really helps :D