Strategy Guide Global 1940

Concerning the Soviet Union Strategic Plan:

In the same round as Germany captures Smolensk or Bryansk, the Soviet player should purchase a Flak Tower unit in Russia (Moscow).

If the German Army launches Operation Typhoon, the Soviet Flak Tower unit can absorb multiple hits - and can defend heavily against all enemy Air units that take part in the attack.

Concerning Air Fleet Commander:

For the United Kingdom Strategic Plan, the UK player must pay attention to any German Air Fleet that could be part of Operation Sea Lion.

We advice that any UK Defensive Plan of London (United Kingdom) should include the following units:

• FLAK Tower unit
• 1st Tank Army
• Infantry units
• Mines

We advice the following, concerning Naval Unit Production and Naval Battles:

1. Production of Naval Units have 3 major objects:

• A: Convoy Disruption
• B: Elimination of enemy Transport units
• C: Protection of friendly Transport units

A:
Submarine production is the most effective way to conduct Convoy Disruption against the enemy.
Submarines may also force the enemy to counter the threat by producing Destroyer units and Escort units - and spend IPC that are much needed elsewhere.

B:
Submarine units (hard hitting & difficult to detect) as well as Strategic Bomber units (long range & hard hitting) are apparently the best units to eliminate lonely Transport units.

C:
Battleship units, Aircraft Carrier & Fighter units, Cruiser units and Escort units are crucial in order to build up a Naval Task Force that protects frindly Transport units.
Those Naval Units have one primary task - and that is to protect friendly Transport units.

Conclusion:
Depending on your Strategic Plan, there is no need to produce expensive Naval units such as Battleships & Aircraft Carriers if you don’t intend to launch a massive Transport Fleet that needs protection.

Example:
United States want to attack and capture Japanese occupied Caroline Islands in Late 1942.
Japan defends Caroline Islands with 6 Infantry and 2 Fighter units plus 2 AAA units.
United States launches an attack with 5 Transport units with 5 US Marines and 5 Artillery units onboard.
To support the attack, 4 US Fighter units take off from their Aircraft Carriers in Sea Zone 26 to protect the US Transport units in Sea Zone 33 in case that Japan wants to scramble the Fighter units into Sea Zone 33.
No US Air units attack Caroline Islands.

In this example, the US Strategic Plan does not include any Island Jumping - in other words - the US Transport units that carry the US Assault Force to Caroline Islands are not needed for any other future operation… if they survive any Japanese counter attack the US Transport units can naturally move to safety and be assigned to another future mission.

During such an operation, the US player can assign much needed IPC to production of other units.

2. Naval Battles (attack) have 2 major objects:

• A: Eliminate enemy Transport units
• B: Eliminate enemy Naval Combat units that threaten friendly Transport units.

A:
To prevent the enemy from capturing friendly territories and islands at any Oceanic Theatre - and thereby denying the enemy much needed IPC - the enemy Transport units must be destroyed.

B:
To prevent the enemy from destroying friendly Transport units or threaten any Amphibious Assaults, the enemy Naval Task Forces must be destroyed.

Conclusion:
An attack against enemy Naval Combat Units or Task Force should only be carried out if the above mentioned A and/or B options are present.

A Naval Battle (attack) can have catastrophic results for your own Strategic Plan - even if you eliminate the enemy. Simply because the cost of producing high value Naval units compromises the production of land units that can capture valuable territories elsewhere.