Germany's First Move

Hey - you made the old sculpts looks pretty cool…

I have to concur with the others who have posted.  A combined transport and infantry build for Japan on turn 1 is the way to go.  If Russia took Manchuria on round 1, and if the UK executed the “Kwangtung Maneuver”, the only place left for Japan to build is Southeast Asia.  While initially it MIGHT be safe (the US can take that factory using China and Sinkiang forces one time in 3, and later will threaten it with a southern island hoping fleet), it is too far from Russia to do any good, and forward progress against Russia proper is easilly blocked by Novosibirsk infantry units.  Japan HAS to focus on gaining IPC’s in round 1 in order to sustain a transport invasion of Russia through the back door (Manchuria to Yakut to Novosibirsk to Russia).  Also, as Japan builds a transport navy (protect by heavy naval forces that were NOT sacrificed against the US at Hawaii) the US has to garrison Alaska heavilly (that japanease transport fleet ferrying troops to Manchuria is a single move away from an all out invasion of Alaska too).  That reduces the number of US dollars that can be spent on the European war, allowing Germany to maintain the frontal assault on Russia that eventually leads to Japan taking Russia.  So for an opening move, Japan re-takes Manchuria, takes Australia, blasts the results of the Kwantung Maneuver (if executed) or takes China using air force and Kwantung infantry. If Japan still holds Manchuria, they assault Yakut and take it.  If the UK builds in India, that simply takes more pressure off Germany and allows THEM to take Russia, aided by the threat floating through the Siberian lands… too far from India for UK to do a darn thing about.  YAKUT is the key for Japan.  Take it and hold it, you have one territory with all of your west-marching forces to defend it from the Russians, and you force Russia to try to defend TWO territories against your massing forces.  The drain on Russia:  defending Evenk AND Novosibirsk plus holding Karelia and the Caucuses with an income of only 20 or so IPC’s is FATAL, REGARDLESS of UK and US support.  And with Russia gone, the Alllies WILL lose (economic victory is immediate on taking Russia, world domination only a few moves away)

I only say sacrifice that front for the Factories… otherwise…

I think the best strategy is to divide Germany. The U.K. can purchase enough units to invade the capital, but it would: 1. Take at least three rounds to build the force, 2. Come at the expense of Africa, 3. Rely on wise Russian and U.S. players.

Either way, you are going to experience massive casualties. You can take them in the form of infantry in the west, or fighters and bombers through the air.

-Strike that-, I am not looking at my map, but isn’t it true that the fourth fighter move from the U.K. would take either an aircraft carrier or violating neutrality in Switzerland? Either way, they’ll have to get past A.A. and survive battle at the expense of infantry, and remain sitting ducks if they land in Switzerland…OR…cost you way too many IPC’s for an aircraft carrier.

I suppose you could take Finland/Norway in R1, and use that as a base for your fighters, but that would preclude attack until R4.

Okay…suppose you scratch the fighter strategy & go “All-Bomber”. You blow 15 IPC/rd on a bomber and say…minus 3-5 IPC in Africa, you now have 11 IPC/rd to spend on one infantry & a transport (R1), three infantry (R2), and a transport and an armor (R3). Round four would be the attack round. You go in with four bombers, amphibious assault, (considering the BB survives), two armor, four infantry, (considering the Luftwaffe hasn’t taken out that “spare” transport), and two “throwaway fighters”. A nice force, indeed. Germany has their average six infantry, four armor, three fighters…or maybe not, thinking you are coming after W. Europe. Let’s compromise & say two fighters, one bomber and the all important A.A. guns.

This would be the best-case scenario. The best I might ever see. You’ll usually lose almost all of your sea units as the U.K. before you even purchase a unit, but if you have what you can consider a “navy” remaining after R1, it is feasable, but definitely not probable. If you are looking to “save time”…this probably is not the best way to do it, unless the German player is ignorant enough to leave his capital under-fortified amid a building U.K. force.

Summary: Possible, but not probable. Feasable, but not likely.

He was refing to above. Save the IPCs to spend during G2 on inf to go with the trans for the Invasion of the UK. :o :roll: :lol:

In my last game Japan took Russia and USA took Germany. At this point it was a stalemate. My opponent and I started opening up new fronts everywhere. The Pacific, Africa and Even Brazil. We started to buy Research roles. I was wondering what is your policies are when doing reseacrch.

Here is a recent thread where we covered this topic:

http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=696

Also, there is a topic below on G1 w/2-hit battleships - 95% of it applies to 1-hit battleships as well. It has some good ideas for Turn 1 German strategies:

http://www.axisandallies.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=718

I would probably suggest going against building an IC in Yakrut for Japan. It’s much more economical to just buy two transports instead. Usually when I set up an IC (India or Burma, maybe for both), it’s to produce ARM and not inf. I think that 6 ARM should be more than enough (if you factor in supporting inf) per Japan once it hits critical mass.