Hey everyone – what do you think are the key elements in a German strategic bombing campaign against Russia? Is it better to bomb Leningrad, Moscow, and Stalingrad all together – or does it make more sense to capture Leningrad and Stalingrad and then bomb Moscow only? If you try to capture Leningrad and Stalingrad first, do you bother trying to keep them long enough to build infantry there, or do you just trade the factories to deny them to the Russians?
Do you want to start bombing right away, or does it make sense to wait until turn 2 or turn 3? How many bombers will you build on average, and what kind of builds (infantry, artillery, tanks, transports, etc.) are most important to pair with bombers?
Thanks,
Argo
I dunno… Personally, I’m a fan of using German bombers more directly, as-in attacking British shipping and/or aiding direct combat vs Soviet armies in Russia… my methods may be old school though, I’d love to hear opinions on the best use for German bombers.
Lots questions there Argoth-air. But here are a few answers to help get your thread going.
G is usually going to capture Leningrad fairly early on. Not much later Stalingrad starts to be traded. So bombing those two is not usually a strong feature of the games in which I am involved.
Bombing Moscow can be. The potential for damage is much greater and it’s where R wants to build, so damage has to be repaired. That is particularly troubling to R as G & J tighten the noose with some prospect of taking the capital. J air raids are equally as valuable as G’s of course.
Even before R is besieged in Moscow, SBRs can be an effective economic weapon, with an average ipc gain of 0.92 per bomber per turn (if not playing fighter intercepts). I find US SBRs on Berlin a valuable way to help R, so G/J SBRs on Moscow can be equally useful in bringing forward the capture of Moscow. The difference can be that US bombers in the UK may not have much else to do, whereas G & J bombers are in demand for all sorts of things.
Having said all that it is a bummer when factory AA throw lots of ones! :-(
Cheers
PP
Hey Jason and everyone. When I play 1942 2nd edition and play with Germany, I usually like to use my bomber in Egypt on the first round. After that I like to take out any left over allied ships. After that its usually bombing raids either on Stalingrad and eventually Moscow. Knowing my luck though my bomber gets shot down with a AA lol. We should try those national objectives Jason that you came up with after our first game. It’s good to add some flavor to the game.
Bombers are best when they’re massed together, whether you’re using them to bomb, or trade territory, or as fleet destroyers to hold allied transports at bay, so I’d say you’re best not starting up any bombing campaigns until later rounds. I’d wait until the bombers don’t have any good combat options, and until the bombing can have a real impact on the Russians (e.g. when they start to dip below 20 ipcs on income.) Its also nice to give Japan a chance to get in range with some bombers of their own, so you can double-team the target. The best location to land after you bomb Moscow (whether you’re playing as Germany or Japan) is probably Karelia, so its always good to wait until you have that territory well stacked with German ground/fighters to receive the bombers when they’re done terrorizing the Russian capital. Bomber Command Karelia allows you to cover most of the key sea zones around Europe without giving up your position the following round. If the Axis hold Karelia you can bomb Moscow from Germany directly, and if you have Japanese bombers/fighters parked in Karelia as well, they can be used to disrupt Allied fleet movements around UK, by making it harder for the Americans and the Brits to move independently.
It usually takes about 3 or 4 rounds for Germany to secure Karelia, and about the same amount of time for Japan to get comfortably situated and in a position to send some air support to the European theater. Commence bombing at that point, so you can start maxing the damage on Moscow. Both Axis players should still have a pretty heavy purse, so they can afford to replace AA loses.
If playing with intercept rules, I’d just forego bombing altogether and focus on normal combat for the duration. The intercept swings are wild and the potential casualties under the OOB rules make SBR pretty ugly for both sides (attacker and defender.) If you do SBR with intercept rules though, its really important to have landing spots for your escort fighters which is another reason to stack Karelia.
Bombing targets other than Moscow doesn’t usually pan out for me. Ultimately I think you’re better off saving the bombers for the airblitz or fleet patrol, and only doing the SBR thing if it will give you a definite edge in a ground attack vs the Russian capital the following round.
The best way for Germany to bomb Russia is to avoid it altogether.
1.Russia starts with 12 production. Russia generally needs 7-8 production slots.
2. Bombing has very low expected value and high volatility
5/6 times: SBR with a uniform 1-6 distribution, 3.5 expected value.
1/6 times: SBR with -12
(3.5 * 5 - 12) / 6 bombing runs = 5.5/6 = .916 expected value
3. Bomber has a larger benefit just staying alive and applying pressure. Allies need to play more cautiously and retreat earlier.
The only time I consider SBR is when Russia is pushed into Moscow.
Agreed… using bombers to industrial raid can be devastating… Especially when the opponent gets a 50% hit ratio on your bombers. I think using bombers to threaten navy or trade territories makes much more sense. There’s nothing like going in with four bombers, losing two of them and getting a total of 3 damage to an opponent to see the futility of industrial raids.
of course, your mileage may vary…
Kirk S.
