I’m a beginner to Axis & Allies. I have the 1941 edition (the basic one, sometimes people seem to be talking about a different one when they mention 1941). I’ve played as the Axis twice and the Allies once against my brother. All three times the Allies have won (we haven’t played the game until the end, just until Japan is defeated).

It seems to us that the Allies have an advantage in 1941. While bearing in mind we are total beginners and made a decisions that didn’t turn out well; we did try varied tactics each time but the Axis side couldn’t win. I don’t know whether I am approaching the Axis side the wrong way. The big problem seems to be how the USA is greatly superior to Japan in economic power. The USA can recover quickly from losses while Japan struggles to recover in the short-term.

Here’s a rough description of the three games we have played as best as I can remember. I would appreciate it if someone could point out mistakes that I may not have noticed or better approaches to take.

First game (I’m playing as Axis)
Japan makes gains quickly in China and Indochina, defeating the American infantry there. Later there is some conflict with British forces in India but Japan does not manage to expand any further. Australia and South East Asia was generally ignored. Japan’s forces on the mainland and naval fleet build-up but don’t really do much.
Germany advances rapidly into Russia but I make the mistake of attacking Moscow too quickly (not realising how good infantry are in defence!) Germany’s military is severely depleted and does not capture any more territory. Germany’s navy is non-existent and the Allies have total control over the Atlantic.
Russia really doesn’t do all that much in this game. Some territories such as Karelia and Ukraine move back and forward between Russia and Germany. The USSR is not really able to be offensive against Germany but Germany cannot defeat Russia either.
The UK builds up land and naval forces in Britain (with some US as well). The US slowly picks away at Japan, recovering quickly from any losses. The UK gains territory in Indochina.
The game ends with Japan slowly defeated. We stop playing there but Germany would have been defeated easily enough.

Second game (Me as Axis again)
This game is similar enough to the last one.
Japan follows more or less the same strategy again gaining control of China, Indochina and Eastern Russia but not India. Japan is relatively defensive again, with a military build-up around the Japanese mainland. Japan does attack the Eastern US fleet once and the US wins but only has one ship remaining. The US recovers quickly but Japan’s navy is unable to regain its former strength.
Germany again focuses on Russia (but I learn from my mistake of moving too quickly last time). Germany captures all of the USSR’s region’s except Moscow. I can’t remember exactly why but I was not able to capture Moscow.
Russia slowly recovers later in the game and manages to recapture some territory with assistance from the UK. Britain is more aggressive this time, temporarily capturing Eastern France.
The rest of the game continues much the same as the first one, with the US slowly picking away at the Japanese navy.

Second game (I play as Allies this time)
Japan does not build-up around the Japanese mainland to the same extent. They invade Alaska and attack the US pacific fleet but are repelled by the USA. Again despite suffering heavy losses, the USA’s economic power allows it to recover quickly. Japan is not really able to recover. Japan almost entirely ignores China and South-East Asia.
Germany makes some early cautious gains against the Soviet Union but little compared to the first few games. Again any attempt’s by the German’s to establish an Atlantic naval presence are quickly crushed.
As the UK, I don’t focus on building-up military in Britain and keep a minimal defensive force there. Along with the US, the UK captures all of China and Indochina. Japan having very little resources at this stage is defeated quickly.

Sorry for the long descriptions! From the three games, it seems as if it is important to defeat Russia quickly but I couldn’t actually manage to defeat them entirely. Similarly as Japan I could never manage to capture and hold India, Australia or the Indies. When my brother played as the Axis, he was perhaps more wise in being aggressive against the USA where I was not, while completely ignoring Asia which I think was a mistake. He also did not seem interested in defeating Russia or capturing much Russian territory. In all three games (mistakes aside), the big problem was the USA’s capacity to rebuild quickly and recover from heavy loses while Japan cannot.

If anyone has any suggestions of what we are doing wrong it would be great. Would it be a good idea to reduce the US’s resource count? This seems to be the primary thing that gives the Allies an advantage.

Thanks a lot!