"Alternate" Japan Naval Strats

And here is the counter for the Allies…

First and foremost, the Russian “Yakut Consolidation” is a CRITICAL strategy.  SFE is sacrificed, as is an “extra” 3 IPC’s from taking Manchuria in R1.  The advantage is that Japan is going to need 3 rounds to build up enough forces to counter the 8 units in Yakut, instead of taking Yakut in J1 or J2.  The Yakut Consilidation works in either an RR game or a regular game.  Russia simply needs to do the same thing in the East that they do in the west:  pool their resources and make an impenetrable boundary against the Axis.

Second, US does NOT send all of it’s available fighters to a new UK AC if one was built in UK1.  The Western US fig goes to the US CARRIER, and the Western US BB and Tranny (with 2 INF) goes to Hawaii.  This gives the US a defense of 3 4’s, a 3, a 2 and a 1 against the Japan consolidated navy (2 BB’s, 2 figs, a carrier, a loaded tranny, and maybe a sub;  2 4’s 2 3’s, a 2 sneak, a 1, and expensive/loaded cannon fodder.  US Defense 18 points in 6 units against a Japan attack of 17 with 6 units.

US may well get taken out, but Hawaii will still be under US control (with 3 INF), and the Japan fleet is toast.  Even if 1 or 2 Japan units survive, they are no real threat to the US.  And if Japan shifts tranny’s from Asia to attack US with those few remaining capital ships, US will see it coming 2 rounds ahead, and the invasion WILL fail; and Russia will have breathing space.  US builds at least 1 fig in US1 for later shipment to UK.

UK will not have enough US air support to allow for a UK naval build in UK1 (after Germany sinks the initial UK fleet).  UK holds off and builds in UK2:  Carrier, tranny’s and land forces.  US sends original Eastern US fig plus the new fig from US1 build to UK AC in US2, providing more than enough defensive power against the depleted German AF.

By the end of round 2, Japan will have only their tranny fleet without capital ships for protection.  US will be free to send forces to Europe without fear of Japan sending capital ships against PacRim or into Atlantic Ocean, or into the Indian Ocean to take Africa and the Middle East.

I forgot one other thing…

When the US moves forward to Hawaii, Japan could simply ignore them… a Mexican Standoff.

Japan becomes increasingly protected as their tranny fleet grows, and could even build a sub here and there to give the US the jitters, or a second carrier for their fighters to land on between uses in Asia; the US could do the same.  Actually, getting the US to comit naval forces to reinforce the Hawaii fleet is about the BEST thing the Allies can do FOR the Axis.

But my Allied “defense” can be partially defeated by Japan ignoring the US at Hawaii even after they consolidate.  The net benefit to Germany of not having those ships in the Pacific is still positive for the Axis.  Germany may still be able to beat up the UK2 navy enough in G3 to prevent Allied landings in the rest of R3 (meaning Germany has built approximately 40 new INF units by the time the Allies are finally able to start landing troops in Europe or Africa.

And it does not slow down the landing of Japan forces in Asia one bit to sit and watch the US navy rusting at Pearl

I am actually just glad the idea sparked discussion.

It was one of those “hair brained” ideas that I have never tested (need a compentant real-live human to work with this one on) that seemed like a game-changing, something new, what the hell is THAT? kind of thing for an Allied player to deal with.

Of course, here is the REALLY interesting part…
What if Japan did that Air Force redeployment I posted elsewhere so that the figs reached Europe about the same time that Japan fleet was able to attack UK sea zone, and all of that VERY valuable allied navy…
Japan’s Capital Ships, plus AF, against a mostly transport navy with capital ships split trying to protect Eastern US trannies and UK trannies form the invading Japan fleet…  Could Japan pick those fleets off piecemeal; allowing Germany a few rounds to hammer Russia solo and break their back?

Anyway.  Glad folks enjoyed the concept.

BTW:  I almost NEVER attack Pearl, and I don;t plan to change that strategy.  My Japan fleet has more important things to do that kills a fig, a carrier, and a sub.

I am still reading the old threads.

From what I have read so far, the only reason why I would consider Pearl is to eliminate a potential threat to my trannies and free up my Capital Ships completely for Indian Ocean duty.  This is something I LOVE to do with my Japan capital ships (plus a tranny or 2).

So why would I not do Pearl if I wanted to leave “unguarded” trannies in Japan?  Simple… I wait for the US to move away in US1, then I know I have AT LEAST 1 round to prepare for any attempt to come after my trannies.  Stage the capital ships off Burma, and if US moves in, go back to Japan, if not, head for India, Mid-east, Africa, or Australia.  If, after I move, US moves in, I shift some AF, drop a couple of subs or an AC (I have IPC’s available to do so as Japan by this point) and let them come on in if they want.

There is one statement in those old threads that is unsupported, and rather outlandish standing by itself.  But it comes from one of our mods, so I am re-posting it…

“If japan doesn’t pearl I, as America, will take France on turn 3 and keep it.” by dezrtfish

What difference does the Pacific fleet make in France?  It only adds 1 BB, 1 fig and 1 tranny to the mix.  Counter that with additional IPC loses by UK and USSR from Japan focusing on those two targets instead, and it should more than counter the minimal US gain.

Also, I notice that folks call a second German strike on Allied navy a poor decision.  I am sorry, but I have found that, if it means stopping Allied land forces from landing in Europe, then ANY cost of airforce is worth the risk.  Lose a couple of 4’s on defense for destroying trannies and stopping 2 INF per round from landing in Europe.  Sounds like a GOOD trade to me.  The longer you can keep US and UK from landing forces, the longer Germany lives, and the longer Japan has to do its thing.  And US moving the PAC fleet to Paris in 3 rounds… well that is 3 rounds of Japan unrestricted.  Japan will hold SFE, Yakut, China, Sinkiang, India, Australia, NZ at a MINIMUM and most likely one of Kaz/Novo/Evenk, plus Persia or Syria, and probably grabbed Hawaii while they were at it; this time without much resistance (1 INF).

So you recommend only a single initial tear at Allied shipping?

If so, do you go for the US tranny also, or just the UK surface fleet (excluding India tranny, which I leave to Japan to handle)?

And then you pool those figs for use for trading a 3 IPC territory that both Germany AND Russia will get paid for, and allow US and UK to start landing forces in Turn 3?

I just don;t see it.  If, as everyone here seems to say, the death knell of the Axis is Allied reinforcements in karelia (and then in Russia), then why would you ever do anything that would allow those reinforcements to land FASTER?

I posted my reply as a new thread… a no-bid Axis victory.  It seemed to fit more for a new thread (since it was German AF usage) rather than the existing thread of Japan sending their fleet into the Atlantic.

@trihero:

I’m not sure I understand your strategy. Why wouldn’t the US simply take the canal back? How then could you sail through it?

The US would have to take it back on the same round I took it in order to prevent me from sailing through.  And in most cases, the US does not have multiple tanks in Western US that could sweep down through Mexico to re-take Panama from 2 INF.  Thus Japan could use the canal, grab their INF from the other side, and proceed to raid in the Atlantic.

@trihero:

Whoops I’m sorry, I was looking at the revised map not the old one. The panama canal is directly connected to the Eastern US in revised so it’s extremely easy to deflate this strategy in revised.

Damn you are right!  Now if THAT is not a goofy map change!  LOL  Panama connected to Eastern US…  That is as much of a screw up as Western Canada bordering the Atlantic Ocean in Classic.