Hey this sounds like fun, so I’ll send in my $0.02–might be worth that much…
IMHO, the primary purpose of the bid is to protect Allied units that are initially placed precariously. – prototypical example British Fleet. And to reduce the German Luftwaffe so that the Battle of Moscow can’t happen G5-6 timeframe.
So ftr in scotland and something in SZ110 because we can’t usefully add another ftr. @oysteilo added a sub, but for 2 more IPCs I’d upgrade to a DD-especially since there was some debate what to do with them anyway. The Germans can still “win” both battles, but the vaunted Luftwaffe will lose more planes than the Brits. Planes that won’t help in the Battle of Moscow. So 18 IPCs spent.
I really like the @oysteilo 's choice of 2 subs in SZ 91 and 98 for all the reasons given (+12 IPCs = 30 so far)
The remaining bid points have more pro’s and cons. For me the debate is Middle East and Yunnan. I’m a real fan of the Middle Earth strategy and so additional units in and around Egypt prevents the Italians from growing and makes developing Iraq and Persia easier. That said I think the transport in SZ71 is excellent purchase. The shuttle of troops from S. Africa along with an artillery in Anglo-Egyptian Sudan allow a quick takedown of Ethiopia to further reduce the Italians. The transport will then support further shucks of troops from S. Africa, keeping Egypt secure. +11 IPC = 41
Now I have 9 IPCs left. In the OOB game, Yunnan is huge with +6 IPC bonus. However, it can’t be held against determined Japanese aggression. That doesn’t matter. By placing one more inf there as @oysteilo says, it reduces the likelihood of a J1 DOW. The bombers are used against Yunnan and not the Brit BB, Phillippines SZ, Pearl Harbor, or whatever on J1.
The J1 DD attack on SZ62 is probably my most hated move in the game–similar to the German attack with single sub on SZ106, but here seems more debilitating. Total coin flip–actually 40-60 against because the prize is the transport. If the Japanese pull it off, they delay ANZAC development. A draw is useless. For that reason I might agree with @oysteilo. Alternatively, the remaining 6 IPCs could be split between Egypt and India–or even Russia for that matter. But that would be just putting a pieces on the board without much purpose. I guess I would go with the sub placement, but not firm.