You can certainly try for taking the Philippines on the first turn for Japan, but I find it’s usually a bit of a gamble. You can probably spare the transport from Japan and a battleship or cruiser to help bombard. I’ve see plenty of cases where those defending American units manage to score two hits, though. I’m usually in more of a rush as Japan to position myself to take India on the second or third turn and push quickly through China and into Russia.
Latest posts made by rick_telekon
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RE: What US shipping should Japan Attack on T1 (1941)?
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RE: What US shipping should Japan Attack on T1 (1941)?
The surviving carriers and fighters are potentially vulnerable to US forces. Usually it depends on whether or not American wants to commit to a war in the Pacific or prioritize eliminating Germany. Personally I think it’s more of a gamble for the American player since those defending Japanese fighters will all be rolling at 4.
You can take out the UK destroyer and transport with the other Japanese aircraft carrier and fighters. The transports you use to capture the Dutch East Indies don’t really need an escort until they get to India, by which point they can unite with other Japanese naval units.
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RE: What US shipping should Japan Attack on T1 (1941)?
You can definitely do both.
I usually send two fighters to take out the US transport and destroyer off the American West Coast. I send the two carriers, other two fighters and destroyer near the Dutch East Indies to take out the American battleship at Pearl Harbor. The fighters you sent to take out the US transport and destroyer can land on the carriers outside Hawaii, assuming they survive the battle.
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RE: Stalingrad or Leningrad?
I definitely agree with a lot of what’s already been said regarding the Axis in AA50. An aggressive Japan is absolutely essential to victory. It may seem like spreading yourself thin but ideally by the end of J1 you want to have eliminated all of the starting Chinese units so you can steadily push through towards Russia. Taking India is definitely worth it, particularly if the UK tries to build a factory there, but invading Australia is in my opinion usually a red herring, as is engaging in any costly arms race with the US in the Pacific. Just keep the US from invading Japan proper or otherwise devastating your production in the spice islands. American capital warships don’t matter unless they have the accompanying transports to actually threaten your home islands. Throw everything manageable as Japan towards Russia as quickly as you can, while ensuring that India, China and any other Allied strongholds on continental Asia pose no threat against you.
With Germany I think a mixture of defensiveness and steady progress is important. I generally slowly build my forces in Africa and ensure that my Italian fleet and German transport in the Mediterranean remain together and I don’t attack Egypt until I’m reasonably certain of success (usually G2 or I2). I also build almost exclusively infantry my first two or sometimes even three turns. On G1 advance along the entire Russian front as normal (Baltic States, East Poland, etc.) but by turn two I feel you need to consolidate your forces in a single Russian territory that isn’t vulnerable to counter-attack. You should time your purchasing of tanks so that they’ll meet up with your initial infantry purchases at the precise moment when you’re ready to seize Moscow. The idea is to position your infantry adjacent to Moscow to prepare the way for your tanks. By this point Japan should be putting considerable pressure on Russia as well, which will reduce the overall number of Russian units being produced. Never underestimate the value of an Italian tank or two on the Eastern Front as well, since they can do wonders in punching a hole through the Russian lines for your German tanks. I think the most essential thing to remember is that if you buy exclusively tanks early on they won’t have the numbers necessary to crack Moscow and will likely get whittled away through Russian counter-attacks. In that sense for me the question of Stalingrad or Leningrad is kind of irrelevant; I only really care about taking Moscow. I often bypass them entirely and rely on the tendency of Russian players to obsess over defending them, even if it means losing their capital.
Regarding the US and UK meddling in Europe, I find when I play as Germany that if I purchase a fighter or bomber each turn and conserve my air force it’s a pretty large deterrent against any Allied invasion fleet. Often by the time the Allies can land in force to threaten France or Berlin the Axis have already taken Moscow or I manage to get lucky in an all-out air assault on their fleet. Take advantage of your shorter supply lines in Europe. Remember that the Allied navies are all vulnerable at the start of the game. Use Germany and Japan to try to eliminate as many Allied transports as possible early on. Force the Allies to play a near perfect logistical game if they want to land in Europe. I hope this helps. Good luck!