Everyone talks about the importance of Germany hitting Egypt on G1. How is this usually done and for what reason? It’r not an easy fight to arrange for germany (especially on G1) and this doesn’t seem like a critical move to me. So what’s the importance of closing the Med? Is this to prevent UK’s destroyer from escaping to the India fleet? I just kill it. Is this to prevent the UK fleet from retreating toward the Med? Usually our UK players move aggressively against the Japanese instead…
So what’s the deal?
Here’s how the attack is arranged. Germany moves the inf, tank Libya to Egypt. They send two units by transport escorted by the German battleship from z14 to z15 to offload into Egypt pending the naval battle. Because of the importance, most people will also send a fighter from Balkans and I’d send the Ukraine fighter as well if it survived.
What’s essential about taking Egypt on G1 is closing the Suez Canal and starting an attack on the British paycheck. The Allies have a significant economic advantage and to help mitigate this, the Axis must make some early gains in Africa to boost their income(because Germany has little to gain in Europe, she’s initially being pushed back). Allied troops will be needed to liberate Africa and those troops aren’t going to Europe, it’s like an essential diversion. The Allies can’t afford not to liberate Africa. The tank and fighter guarding Egypt are also valuable units to destroy. Many players will counterattack Egypt from India, accelerating Japan’s advance.
Let’s say Germany didn’t attack Egypt G1. The alternatives I see are doing nothing or bridging units to Libya in the central med, building naval units in the central med, or attacking the cruiser and taking Gibraltar(to prevent 3 UK fighters from attacking). If Germany stays put, they are vulnerable to an attack by possibly a destroyer(West Med) and for sure 2 fighters(one Egypt, one India seazone) and a bomber(UK). If Germany moves for Gibraltar, they better have taken out the destroyer and taken Gibraltar or they can expect an attack. I can’t see any of these as more productive than attacking Egypt, although the Gibraltar move might not be all bad with the additional pressure it brings in the Atlantic.
I have never actually tried polar express. How would you go about doing this (in 1942 and/or revised)? Is an Alaska IC a good idea for this strat?
I have never actually tried polar express. How would you go about doing this (in 1942 and/or revised)? Is an Alaska IC a good idea for this strat?
For US: Umm unless it’s too obvious Japan will land there.
For Japan: If you get your hands on it, build and industry as soon as you can.
Fleetwood,
Thanks for the description… it’s a good move. I usually attack on G2 but it’s a tougher fight at that time.
Fleetwood,
Thanks for the description… it’s a good move. I usually attack on G2 but it’s a tougher fight at that time.
Not attacking Egypt on G1 is missing a window of opportunity for G to take Egypt and keep the fleet alive for 1 or 2 more turns. With 2 inf, 2 arm and 1 fighter from Balkans the Germans have 87% odds of winning.
If you don’t attack the UK can attack the Germans on Libya (unless you disembarked 2 units to Libya it but in that case the German fleet can be sunk on UK1). Or the UK can move the DD to SZ14 to prevent an amphibious landing on Egypt (if the G fleet has moved to SZ13 to take Gibraltar) while fortifying it with up to 2-4 inf, 1 arm, 2 ftrs and 1 bomber (you can guess what happens to the German fleet on UK2)
EDIT: corrected mediterranean SZ number.
Exactly. If there isn’t an attack on Egypt, how does the Med fleet survive UK1? UK would have a dd, fig and bomber at its disposal to attack with.
Fleetwood,
Thanks for the description… it’s a good move. I usually attack on G2 but it’s a tougher fight at that time.
Not attacking Egypt on G1 is missing a window of opportunity for G to take Egypt and keep the fleet alive for 1 or 2 more turns. With 2 inf, 2 arm and 1 fighter from Balkans the Germans have 87% odds of winning.
If you don’t attack the UK can attack the Germans on Libya (unless you disembarked 2 units to Libya it but in that case the German fleet can be sunk on UK1). Or the UK can move the DD to SZ6 to prevent an amphibious landing on Egypt while fortifying it with up to 2-4 inf, 1 arm, 2 ftrs and 1 bomber (you can guess what happens to the German fleet on UK2)
Uh oh… I’m sensing that my buddy and I have got some rules wrong. The way we have been playing it is impossible to amphibiously attack (or drop troops upon) egypt on G1 as the destroyer is blocking the sea zone and must be destroyed first. If I had another infantry and tank the fight would be a breeze. So it’s possible to move the transport and battleship into that sea zone and have only the battleship participate in the destroyer fight and then you can drop the troops from the transport onto egypt in a subsequent amphibious landing in the same combat round? If so we have had this wrong…
Fleetwood,
Thanks for the description… it’s a good move. I usually attack on G2 but it’s a tougher fight at that time.
Not attacking Egypt on G1 is missing a window of opportunity for G to take Egypt and keep the fleet alive for 1 or 2 more turns. With 2 inf, 2 arm and 1 fighter from Balkans the Germans have 87% odds of winning.
If you don’t attack the UK can attack the Germans on Libya (unless you disembarked 2 units to Libya it but in that case the German fleet can be sunk on UK1). Or the UK can move the DD to SZ6 to prevent an amphibious landing on Egypt while fortifying it with up to 2-4 inf, 1 arm, 2 ftrs and 1 bomber (you can guess what happens to the German fleet on UK2)Uh oh… I’m sensing that my buddy and I have got some rules wrong. The way we have been playing it is impossible to amphibiously attack (or drop troops upon) egypt on G1 as the destroyer is blocking the sea zone and must be destroyed first. If I had another infantry and tank the fight would be a breeze. So it’s possible to move the transport and battleship into that sea zone and have only the battleship participate in the destroyer fight and then you can drop the troops from the transport onto egypt in a subsequent amphibious landing in the same combat round? If so we have had this wrong…
Yes, you can do that, but it blocks bombardment
Fleetwood,
Thanks for the description… it’s a good move. I usually attack on G2 but it’s a tougher fight at that time.
Not attacking Egypt on G1 is missing a window of opportunity for G to take Egypt and keep the fleet alive for 1 or 2 more turns. With 2 inf, 2 arm and 1 fighter from Balkans the Germans have 87% odds of winning.
If you don’t attack the UK can attack the Germans on Libya (unless you disembarked 2 units to Libya it but in that case the German fleet can be sunk on UK1). Or the UK can move the DD to SZ6 to prevent an amphibious landing on Egypt while fortifying it with up to 2-4 inf, 1 arm, 2 ftrs and 1 bomber (you can guess what happens to the German fleet on UK2)Uh oh… I’m sensing that my buddy and I have got some rules wrong. The way we have been playing it is impossible to amphibiously attack (or drop troops upon) egypt on G1 as the destroyer is blocking the sea zone and must be destroyed first. If I had another infantry and tank the fight would be a breeze. So it’s possible to move the transport and battleship into that sea zone and have only the battleship participate in the destroyer fight and then you can drop the troops from the transport onto egypt in a subsequent amphibious landing in the same combat round? If so we have had this wrong…
Yes, you can do that, but it blocks bombardment
Damn it, I was doing that (bombarding after the fight,) but I then just send the bomber instead I guess.
@Dylan:
Damn it, I was doing that (bombarding after the fight,) but I then just send the bomber instead I guess.
You can send the bomber but just the 2 inf, 2 arm and 1 ftr give you 87% of winning Egypt on G1. I prefer to send the bomber instead to attack SZ2 .
@Dylan:
Damn it, I was doing that (bombarding after the fight,) but I then just send the bomber instead I guess.
You can send the bomber but just the 2 inf, 2 arm and 1 ftr give you 87% of winning Egypt on G1. I prefer to send the bomber instead to attack SZ2 .
I just (sometimes) send in the fighter from Norway, to kill the transport.
@Dylan:
@Dylan:
Damn it, I was doing that (bombarding after the fight,) but I then just send the bomber instead I guess.
You can send the bomber but just the 2 inf, 2 arm and 1 ftr give you 87% of winning Egypt on G1. I prefer to send the bomber instead to attack SZ2 .
I just (sometimes) send in the fighter from Norway, to kill the transport.
In Z2?
@Dylan:
@Dylan:
Damn it, I was doing that (bombarding after the fight,) but I then just send the bomber instead I guess.
You can send the bomber but just the 2 inf, 2 arm and 1 ftr give you 87% of winning Egypt on G1. I prefer to send the bomber instead to attack SZ2 .
I just (sometimes) send in the fighter from Norway, to kill the transport.
In Z2?
yeah.
@Dylan:
@Dylan:
@Dylan:
Damn it, I was doing that (bombarding after the fight,) but I then just send the bomber instead I guess.
You can send the bomber but just the 2 inf, 2 arm and 1 ftr give you 87% of winning Egypt on G1. I prefer to send the bomber instead to attack SZ2 .
I just (sometimes) send in the fighter from Norway, to kill the transport.
In Z2?
yeah.
If you want to kill that transport, you have to kill the battleship first and have at least one attacking unit survive. So, sending just the fighter is unlikely to do the Axis any good.
@Fleetwood:
@Dylan:
@Dylan:
@Dylan:
Damn it, I was doing that (bombarding after the fight,) but I then just send the bomber instead I guess.
You can send the bomber but just the 2 inf, 2 arm and 1 ftr give you 87% of winning Egypt on G1. I prefer to send the bomber instead to attack SZ2 .
I just (sometimes) send in the fighter from Norway, to kill the transport.
In Z2?
yeah.
If you want to kill that transport, you have to kill the battleship first and have at least one attacking unit survive. So, sending just the fighter is unlikely to do the Axis any good.
I know it sucks.
That’s why you use the SS, ftr, and bomber
I would.
It is fairly typical for German to use the SS, Ftr and Bomber in Sz2. If you do not, then you need to ensure you can hit Sz3 hard to keep the british fleet builds on Sz2 and to ensure all Brits builds are used just to defend the BB. Fleetwood Dan did this to me as Germany in our second game and it totally screwed up my plans. Dan, did the Russian build of a bomber on R1 cause you not to attack Sz2 in G1 for some reason? If so, was the reason because it could hit Norway and perhaps the german fighter would be lost as you used those troops against Kar in G1 there would have been no defense for the surviving bomber?
