Air Units too strong?

Yeah Luftwaffe are a little bit more vulnerable than they may appear at first. I don’t like sending plain Luftwaffe at anything higher than like BB + 4 tran or higher, and that even might be pushing it. Plus you have to spend that one round without Luftwaffe on the land if you send them all out to sea, which means you’ll be burning up precious tanks that round against Russia : (

Not to mention, England and America will gladly sacrifice transports and destroyers and submarines to knock down some German fighters.  Every German fighter that is destroyed makes Russia’s job much easier.

True, you have to respect the threat of airpower and just stay out of range if it’s too much - usually early in the game.

To survive, a fleet needs both fodder and firepower.
For navies, the first “fodder” that adds stability to the defence is the free repairable hit of battleships ! Then transports or subs (depending whether attacker also can add surface ships: against air alone subs can be lost first; against air+navy subs are better than transports).
As said before, the best defensive firepower is from fighters (with the required number of carriers to land on), plus any existing battleships and destroyers (usually not worth building new, but surely using the existing ones!). Also, fighters of other powers can land on carriers (ex. UK carrier built round 1 + US fighters).

Joining different allies gives a great defender’s advantage (and defender’s only; each ally may be too weak to counterattack the German navy on its own, and it’s best to increase only one of them to prepare for the kill).

Typical survival scenarios:
NW of Africa before German round 2:
UK battleship, 2 transports, US destroyer, 2 trans, USSR sub
Holds reasonably against 4 fighters, 1 bomber. OK, may take losses but cheaper than German planes.
May deter even 5 fighters, 1 bomber if Germany doesn’t like air losses.

or

SW of Britain before German round 2 (UK build 2 transports)
UK battleship, 4 transports, US destroyer, 2 trans, USSR sub
Holds reasonably against 5 fighters, 1 bomber.

Usually, I’d rather lose a submarine then a precious transport.  Only time that changes is if the battle is close or I might need those submarines for something immediately after. (ie, National Advantage U-Boat interdiction, or if the Japanese have a fleet blocked by a transport to prevent my warships from getting at their soft transports, I might want those submarines to get at them anyway and provide fodder for my fighters. =)  )

Transports are easier to replace than german fighters.

TRNs are going to be rebuilt 3 times as fast by the US and UK as FIGs by Germany… if Germany even attempts to rebuild FIGs with Russia being their main target.

The best you can hope for is a temporary delay in Allied landings by sacrificing the Luftwaffe to sink Allied fleets… and Germany better be on Moscow’s doorstep with overwhelming force when they make that trade; if even then.

@ncscswitch:

TRNs are going to be rebuilt 3 times as fast by the US and UK as FIGs by Germany… if Germany even attempts to rebuild FIGs with Russia being their main target.

The best you can hope for is a temporary delay in Allied landings by sacrificing the Luftwaffe to sink Allied fleets… and Germany better be on Moscow’s doorstep with overwhelming force when they make that trade; if even then.

I’d consider the trade if the Japanese had a good chance of finishing off the combined allied fleets with their fighters and thus leaving the Russians to stand solo until the Allies rebuild warships and fighters. (Giving me time to rebuild some fighters too.)

But man, I better own Caucasus with 30 infantry and a dozen tanks at the very least!

I’d consider the trade if the Japanese had a good chance of finishing off the combined allied fleets with their fighters and thus leaving the Russians to stand solo until the Allies rebuild warships and fighters. (Giving me time to rebuild some fighters too.)

When do you usually find the time to send the Japanese airforce to W. Europe or Germany?

When do I, personally, find time?  When it becomes paramount to Germany’s survival to have them there.  If I had to lock it down to a set of rounds, probably between game round 8 and 11 is when it is most convenient for 6 or 7 Japanese fighters and a Japanese bomber to land in Europe.  Either Germany is fighting for its life at this point, or Russia is.  If Germany is, then you need the defense of the fighters in the core of Europe more then on carrier.  If Russia is, then you need the defensive power of those fighters with the advance German units since Germany cannot land on territory just conquered by those units.

As for when I’d hit the combined fleet, man, I’d either have to be almost done for and grasping for straws or Russia must be almost gone for and I want to give Germany a break from Allied landings for a turn or two.

I see. Well, usually I find that the Japanese need their fighters to make the threat on Moscow real. If I thought I could afford the Japanese fighters that far off to the German capital, that would probably mean I think I’ve already won the game.  :lol:

Thing is once you send the Japanese fighters there, that’s all they’re going to be good for, defense. Can’t reach Moscow for an attack, and you can’t really release them from there or Germany will collapse immediately : (