Topics created by chadbert

I have always had great success with a “standard” opening move for Russia.  Buy 8 infantry.  Take all land forces that can reach, plus the Russia fighter and take Manchuria.  Unless you are totally blasted on dice, you will take this territory with 1 or 2 land pieces remaining, and the fighter to retreat to Yakut (which is protected by 2 infantry moving up from Evenk in non-combat phase).  The Eastern Europe attack also serves to really screw up the Germans, forcing them to re-take territory in Europe rather than expanding.  Hit Eastern with the fighter, all Karelia infantry, and all available tanks.  You will succeed in this battle, though all of your tanks get blown away on Germany’s next move.  Retreat your fighter back to Karelia.  Use your fleet to attack the sub and transport.  I have tried variants of naval usage, including a lot of attempts at using Russia’s navy to help protect the initial British fleet.  It never works (the German attack is mostly air power, so you only add a little cannon fodder and a 1 defense).  So instead go on the attack and remove the transport threat from Karelia, as well as sinking a pesky sub to free up your UK air force for other purposes.  Remaining non-comabt moves, shift 3 infantry from Caucuses to Karelia, shift 2 infantry from Russia to Karelia and the other 2 Russian infantry to Novosibirsk (to be moved forward to Yakut to replace the Evenk infantry now there that will be used next round on a second Manchuria assault, or to move into Sinkiang if Japan focuses on southeast Asia.  Finish off placing 6 infatry in Karelia and 2 in Russia.  If you are well supported by the UK building up offensive forces and attacking Norway then other targets of opportunity as they arise, Russia can continue to “mixed build” sending 2 infantry East each turn with the balance facing Germany.  Using this strategy, if Russia can alway remain at 24 IPC or higher (they will have 30 at the end of turn 1), the Axis can’t win (unless USA and UK are simply totally inept).

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)