@cenator01:
I am not assuming the axis is weak defending! Thats the point. You won’t attack a stack you are likely to loose against with air, but you can with crusier bombardment. UK does not really need 2 additional infantry, but needs to distract Germany from solely focusing on the USSR. So attack a Stack of ANY size with 2 Inf and 2 Crusier bombardment. You have a reasonable chance to inflict 2 losses by shore bombardment for the loss of two infantry. Every plane you would have sent would be lost. Thats my point.
To get to your point:
invading with 2 infantry against 10 Infantry would economically be prefareable with crusier bombardment and not by sending in planes. Thats what I wanted to say.
At last: Infantry and fighter are the most valuable pieces in play. Best Bang for the Buck. But if you need to add to your fleet and you are thinking about a destroyer, just keep in mind, if you are planing to start a lot of amphibious assaults it just needs 4 landings until the crusier (1) will give you a benefit.
you should not attack a stack you are likely to lose against WITH cr bomb.
simple calc;
1 inf + 1 cr, attacking 5 inf;
you will then kill 1.5 IPC with the CR, and 0.5 IPC with the inf.
so you are wasting 3 ipc to kill 2.
what is worse is that you are wasting a turn with your fleet, (you gotta protect the fleet landing), and you are not building up for your main landing in europe. You are rarely operating outside fighterrange, so you can always add fighters to your small attacks.
against good german play, the shorebombardment is next to useless. saving those 4 ipc, and building 4 inf + plane , instead of 6 inf is in most cases a much better use of your resourses.
@cenator01:
@Kreuzfeld: As far as I read this discussion, we were discussing by comparing crusier to destroyer or submarines, not to planes. Planes are always the better by than ships.
you can never look at the resourses you are using isolated, every ipc counts. Winning the game is about not overspending (or underspending) on your supportunits (fleet, planes), while using the rest of your money to maximize your ability to hold the terretories you take.