In games I’ve played in the past I’ve never seen much of a German pressence in the Mediterranean/Africa so I wanted to gave a go at it during my next game. The only realistic staging area I see is Southern France. However, I normally let Italy have that territory to supplement their low income so that will have to be worked out somehow.
Anyone ever seen a succesfull German Africa campaing? Feel free to present/debate plausible strategies as well.
Haven’t seen many games with a German presence on Africa (other than a game or two where the axis managed to get a German infantry on Egypt). However, When I play Germany there is a great chance of a German navy supporting Italy in the Med. Of course the Germans need to take both Normandy and Southern France, but I give all the Baltic states to Italy including Bulgaria, in order to help them take Greece. Around turn 3, I drop an aircraft carrier, a destroyer, and a second destroyer or sub depending on if I’m dealing with allied planes or ships. That’s usually enough to allow Italy to get off the mat after the initial attacks from the UK, I also use German air to take out British ships off Rome while the Italians take the French boats and anything off Malta. Something else I do is stack all four Italian AA guns in Rome, and put four German AA guns in Northern Italy and the last two in Western Germany, Denmark, or France (wherever there is a landing threat).
Supporting Italy in the Med to take Egypt could be a valid strategy, but it’s a slow strategy that won’t match up with an early attack on Russia or the US. Germany has to wait to attack Russia till G4 or even G5 while Japan needs to wait till J4 before attacking.
G1 - Germany needs to take Southern France for the industrial center and knock out the British fleets in 110 and 111. One German plane lands in Rome. Buy replacement aircraft.
US1 - Watch out for buying four submarines in the Atlantic, better for this strategy is an all Pacific buy
UK1 - Usually the Italian fleets in 96 and 97 knocked out.
I1 - Take Balkan countries, place a destroyer in sea zone 97. You’ll need a lot of destroyers later.
G2 - Build a CV and two more naval units in Med, strat bomb UK into next week, threaten Sea Lion
UK2 - React to Sea Lion threat?
I2 - Build more destroyers or submarines, air base in Greece?
G3 - Build more destroyers and 1 transport
I3 - Build more destroyers or submarines
G4 - Move off Greece and attack TransJordan, start attacking Russia
US4 - US fleet parks off Gibraltar
I4 - Move off Greece and attack Syria and TransJordan
Here is an example of strategy (game attached below), which is pretty similar to what Degrasse said.
Hmm…interesting. I can see how going after Africa would weaken operation Barbarossa. However, in almost every allied victory I’ve seen the US invaded Europe through the Med. I was thinking that a formidable German force in that area plus the fact that UK will lose income much faster could help prevent this and have some serious benefits. Such as opening up a front in southern Russia or forcing US to help UK out in Africa.
Guess I’ll just have to see how it plays out.
@Young:
Haven’t seen many games with a German presence on Africa (other than a game or two where the axis managed to get a German infantry on Egypt). However, When I play Germany there is a great chance of a German navy supporting Italy in the Med. Of course the Germans need to take both Normandy and Southern France, but I give all the Baltic states to Italy including Bulgaria, in order to help them take Greece. Around turn 3, I drop an aircraft carrier, a destroyer, and a second destroyer or sub depending on if I’m dealing with allied planes or ships. That’s usually enough to allow Italy to get off the mat after the initial attacks from the UK, I also use German air to take out British ships off Rome while the Italians take the French boats and anything off Malta. Something else I do is stack all four Italian AA guns in Rome, and put four German AA guns in Northern Italy and the last two in Western Germany, Denmark, or France (wherever there is a landing threat).
@Young:
Haven’t seen many games with a German presence on Africa (other than a game or two where the axis managed to get a German infantry on Egypt). However, When I play Germany there is a great chance of a German navy supporting Italy in the Med. Of course the Germans need to take both Normandy and Southern France, but I give all the Baltic states to Italy including Bulgaria, in order to help them take Greece. Around turn 3, I drop an aircraft carrier, a destroyer, and a second destroyer or sub depending on if I’m dealing with allied planes or ships. That’s usually enough to allow Italy to get off the mat after the initial attacks from the UK, I also use German air to take out British ships off Rome while the Italians take the French boats and anything off Malta. Something else I do is stack all four Italian AA guns in Rome, and put four German AA guns in Northern Italy and the last two in Western Germany, Denmark, or France (wherever there is a landing threat).
I’m assuming you mean the Balkans, and not Baltic, as Baltic is up north by Russia?
Yes, Balkans… My bad.
