OK, I don’t like the very name of KJF, I think it’s better call it balanced strat, but for the sake of traditions, I’ll stick with KJF.
Any KJF strat needs a USA’s pacific fleet. Your 1st goal is take and hold East Indies or Borneo and then put a IC there.
After that, Japan is doomed because you can buy boats near their base, and they cannot retake the other islands easily.
With a Dutch East Indies IC, you should be attacking coastal chinese and indian territories or better, killing that nasty Imperial Navy
And better, if you managed hold germans with UK and USSR, you’ll have a big economic advantage, enough to win the game by itself.
There are 13 IPCs in Pacific islands to take, and 7 to defend (aus, nzel, haw, ala, wcan). At least a 8 IPCs swing from KGF, and even more if you take and hold some greater island. Pacific ocean has tons of money to anyone who wants fight for them!
So you have a goal (a strategy). Now, what are the tactics?
I’ll center in USA for this 1st article. UK and maybe even soviets should cooperate with you, but that’s matter for another article
Of course, if you are buying boats for z55, you are not attacking Germany too heavily. Well, there are a starting forces that you can send east without spending IPCs and still giving some aid to UK and soviets against Germany:
dd, 2 tra (z10) *
2 inf, art, arm, bomb (eusa) *
2 inf (cusa) *
2 inf (wusa)
1 inf (ala)
1 inf (mid)
2 inf (haw)
You should send east the ones marked with a *. That lefts you with 6 inf from wusa, haw, ala and mid. You should send 2 of them also to east as the other 4 are reserved for island hooping. This tactic lets you join with UK fleet, send 2 rounds of 4 land reinforcements to Europe or Africa and send the bomber as support or make some SBRs on Berlin. If you think you can spare some IPCs, you could buy one inf here or there, but you should be buying mainly boats
What boats buy?
First, you start with 1 trannie. Not enough, because you could lose it in strafe attacks, need a 2nd for multiple landings or maybe you can get killed your 2 inf too son. You reserved 4 inf for this. Also, a force of 4 inf and some figs can menace Japan itself enough to make imperial navy stick in z60 instead of defending Dutch East Indies
2nd, try not having much less BB than Japan. It’s rare for Japan buying BBs, but if they get 2 or 3 more than you, they can make strafe attacks easily.Buy bbs only when Japan buy them first
You should have at least 2 fully loaded ACs. It menaces any builds Japan make in z60 and add enough defense.
You should buy any boats you can. Subs are great for cannon fodder, but be careful with japan’s figs. You need some surface ships or japan will make strake attacks with them easily.
Buy boats 1st, then figs. The fights are quicker than ACs and both can reach the same time to a place. Figs loaded on ACs make greater deadzones. Buy some dds also, you could need split your fleet and you need one dd in each fleet
How I move?
First, you should move on defense. Keep in mind that your goal is build a IC in bor or eind and only then shift to offensive. Join with any boats UK can send to Pacific (mainly australians and indians). Your 1st landspot should be Solomon islands because it menaces all valuable islands in Pacific
Take a main island each time you can conserve the fleet but don’t trade trannies unless needed because Japan have her base nearer and can send new trannies easily
Some times you need trade one boat to stop the main fleet attacking you. It’s a great time for using that UK trannies to block the fleet and take the big island in that sz (usually they will be empty). Reserve USA’s trannies if you can, and block with a sub if you have no other option
N. Guinea is easy of take and hold because it’s too far from Japan to be retaken by japs, but greater islands are more difficult
The best spot for the IC is Eind because japs need 2 rounds from Japan to menace your main fleet, but Borneo is also good if you can hold it
Once the IC is built, Japan is dead (it’s only a matter of time) and the game won unless germans managed take at least Caucasus. How stop germans in this strat is matter of another article
A suggested 1st rounds buy?
1st round, 2 AC, 1 sub to z55 (california sz)-> this gives you enough defense and some offensive punch. Land your starting figs (haw, wusa, eusa)
on the acs and sail the z20 dd to z55
2nd round, 1 tra, 4 subs -> gives you punch for island hooping and fodder
After that, a mix of ACs, figs and subs (beware of japs figs attacking your builds). Start island hooping when Japan have not enough power to kill your defensive fleet.
Always remeber, figs in seas have a effective range of 3 (3 moves to attack, 1 to land on AC), and shuffling figs from one ac to another is a very powerful weapon. Be much careful with jap figs
Next article: UK in KJF
One transport is plenty if you intend to keep your fleet massed and not to accept it as a casualty. Could save you 8 IPC which is another submarine for the fleet.
Though, two transports also mean you can bring along enough ground troops so that a casualty or three don’t send you running for home to get more infantry!
Agree that 1 transport is enough to start but a 2nd or 3rd TRN is handy after you kill the IJN and build a 2nd IC on the islands (1 in E. Indies, another in Borneo). That way it helps to keep the production of the ICs focused on ground units for Asia.
1 thing to watch for is that J can also send subs/trns to SZ47 to prevent amphibious landings on SZ37. US can only then attack Borneo which can be bad because it is on range of japanese naval reinforcements built on SZ60.
Above all the objective is to destroy the IJN or force it into maneuvering to a position where it can’t counterattack a landing on E. Indies. Building and securing 1 IC is crucial for the Allies to succeed.
Where I play it is KGF so the KJF is not really expected. The big deal with the carrier + fig is you drop 6 units. On round 2 if the Jpan navy is not united in sz 60 I love to push wake. On the turn that I do push it I just buy all figs (to counter as already suggested). The reason I push wake is to force Japan to defend Japan from there you can move to a bunch of cool places =D
