So Germany could potentially place 3 transports in the Black Sea on T2.
Italy can potentially have 6 inf. sitting in Bulgaria for I2.
My question is, can Italy attack, say, Caucasus or Rostov with those infantry on I2? Or can they only load on I2, and unload on I3?
It’s an interesting idea. I like the “Finland stack” wrinkle, and would consider a sbr on Leningrad to press the North even more.
Obviously, that’s a lot of IPCs your spending in the Black Sea. I think any strategy involving that has to be coupled with a neutral crush of Turkey, Sweden, and Spain at some point so you can get that Navy into the Med.
Maybe an airbase in Romania or elsewhere would be a better defense of those transports (if you’re playing ALPHA +.1)?
Has anyone considered/tried an early G1 Barbarossa with the purpose of securing Ukraine and West Ukraine and putting factories there instead of Romania (or perhaps with only a minor in Romania?)
Great strategy. An added consideration is the fact that Japan can strategically bomb Moscow on J3 with 4 bombers, landing them in Nenetsia.
I would be less worried about the Moscow stack and more worried about what’s in Leningrad. Unless a G4 Moscow strike is possible, the Leningrad stack can move to Archangel and force a showdown. You do have the advantage though, in that worst case scenario, comes to worse, Leningrad should be the consolation prize.
I think you can afford even less commitment from Japan. Getting that tank with a mech or two + the airfield in Chadar should be sufficient.
I agree. 2 other points:
G1 - build pure Navy (1 ac, 1 dd, 1 sub), clean out as many UK ships as possible + take out France. Keep a significant amount of troops in Germany and WG.
J1 - attack Hawaii, bring every single ship that reaches. Take Hawaii (sacrificing planes if need be).
I1 - whatever else is done, TAKE GIBRALTAR.
G2 - build AT LEAST 8 transports, keep hammering the British Navy. Get a carrier down to Gibraltar.
J2 - scoot the entire Hawaii force over to sz64 and take Central America. Leave a destroyer screen behind to prevent his Pacific fleet from chasing you. Use your IPCs to bolster defense of Japan.
G3 - pull an end around, and ship your entire Navy + transports into Gibraltar. Use the carrier and whatever Navy you placed there earlier to can-open sz89 for the Japanese.
J3 - Attack the U.S. Atlantic fleet parked in sz101.
G4 - Attack sz101 with whatever Navy and planes you can (using the carriers off the coast of Normandy to catch them), and take Washington with 10 transports.
Not completely thought out, and certainly can be countered if expected. The key is the US starts with only a dd + trans. in the Atlantic and gets only 52 + 82 IPCs to try and bolster that. Of course, that’s plenty to fortify Washington against even 10 trans., but would require some forethought on the part of the US player.
Never tried it, don’t know if it could work, but if there is a viable Kill US First strategy out there i think it would have to go something like that.
Is it better to go heavy at the Royal Navy, which forces you to use heavy ground troops against France, which in turn denies you an opportunity to stack up against Moscow (non-combating those Holland/Belgium tanks, WG mechs, and Slovakia/Hungary tanks instead of sending them to France)?
It seems to me, in a very general, strategic sense, that you have to either clean that Navy out good OR make sure you’re in a position to seize Russia before the U.S. really gets into the mix. If you end up in a position where the allies have the Atlantic AND Moscow still stands, your goose is cooked my friend.
Recipe for G2 Barbarossa. Please tear this to pieces if you can.
G1] Buy 2 U-boats, 3 tanks.
Attack sz109 (WC of Britain) with 2 U-boats vs. Dd + trans. Attack sz110 (the English channel) with 3 U-boats + Norway fighter vs. BB + Dd.
Attack France with all reaching inf. and art. (10 inf. + 2 art.), 2 fighters, 2 tac. Attack French dd + cruiser with 1 f., 1 B. Take Finland and Bulgaria.
Non-combat H/B tanks to Germany. Place tanks in G. Move all other tanks to Poland. Move S/H inf to Poland. Count remaining inf and art in France and peel off enough from G and GSG forces to give 3 of each; move these into WG. Everything else goes east. Should have 12 inf, 5 tanks, 3-4 art in Poland; 4-6 inf in S/H, 6 tanks in G.
Place U-boats in sz112 unless there are less than 2 left in sz110. In that case, put one in 112 and one in 113 (the goal is to prevent UK from cleaning any more than 2 U-boats on UK1, other than what he takes in 109. If there are 2 or more in 110 he attacks that anyway, and by having 2 in 112 we can still counter attack 109 where, if nothing else, the Canadian dd + transport is likely to be. BTW, we are hopeful he attacks, because if he does it must be with the Gibraltar destroyer, keeping it out of the med.)
I1] Buy 1 fighter.
Assuming the BB + cruiser + trans is lost, attack remaining UK fleet with 2 f + dd + cruiser. If successful, this gives Italy a bonus. Take Southern France with all N. Italy units except for tank. Take Alexandria with Tobruk forces + amph assault of 1 art + 1 inf from S. Italy/Albania.
Land all aircraft in N. Italy. Non-combat N. Italy tank to S/H and Albania tank to Romania.
G2] Buy A.C., 2 trans, 2 bombers, 1 fighter.
Destroy British fleet with remaining U-boats and Luftwaffe. 2 priorities: A) clear a path to London so as to threaten Sealion, and B) kill transports. Forcing UK land buys enhances our naval dominance, and killing transports keeps him from exploiting our thinness on land in the west.
Attack Baltic States with Poland forces except for tanks. Attack East Poland with S/H inf and 11 tanks (from Poland and G).
Attack USSR BB + transport with minimal combination of available BB + cruiser + U-boats + Luftwaffe. Attack Karelia with Finnish inf and Bomber (if available).
Finally, if at least 1 fighter is available and if no Soviet blitzing units are poised to hit Romania, attack Greece with fighter + 5 inf.
Examine the board. If a UK counterattack on sz112 is possible, place naval units into 113 instead. Unless Britain is ridiculously exposed the 3 transports will be used to take Leningrad on G3. Putting them in 112 has the advantage of threatening the UK, but it is not worth it unless they are definitely safe.
I2] Buy Navy and land units to fill transports, but keep an eye on USSR. Italy’s ultimate contribution will be to can-open Bryansk or Smolensk for the Germans with 2 tanks + 3 f. If Soviet buys are inf-heavy than a bomber is the better buy. If S. France is very thin than another tank is smart too, as Normandy is the Italians’ responsibility as well in this strategy.
Attack Normandy with S. France forces (do not use aircraft!) Later in the game, when the action shifts to the Atlantic having 2 axis powers on the doorstep is important (plus Italy needs the income).
Attack Egypt with Alexandria forces. If all is well Italy now has another bonus.
If Belarus is extremely bear, but surrounded by Soviet stacks, than attack with S/H and Romania tanks and 3 fighters. Do this because, if Belarus is vulnerable to a counterattack, taking it as Italy allows Germany to land Luftwaffe in it on G3 for defence. If it has any more than 2 inf leave it for the Germans, and move the tanks and planes into the Baltic States.
G3] Buy Navy and Luftwaffe. Depending on Japan’s status against India and how the med looks, an IC in Greece might be another consideration.
Unless the UK is begging for Sealion, take Leningrad with Karelia forces, Baltic state forces, and 3 full transports with shore bombardments. This may be overkill or it may need air support, but either way it should happen.
Take/fortify Belarus with East Poland inf. + tanks. We go for Belarus instead of W. Ukraine because from Belarus we can go through Smolensk or Bryansk to take Moscow, whereas from W. Ukraine there is only Bryansk.
Continue whatever harassment of the British Navy is appropriate.
Land Luftwaffe in Belarus if possible, East Poland or Baltic States if not.
I3] Buy Navy, in the med. and Atlantic.
Here it is! If the 11 German tanks + reaching luftwaffe > Moscow defences, attack the lesser of Smolensk or Bryansk with tanks and air force. Clean it out.
G4] Take Moscow. Dunk Stalin’s head in the toilet.
Would love to hear some feedback about this strategy, as I haven’t yet had the chance to actually try it. It’s obviously ambitious, but if successful you manage to jack Germany’s earning up to near the 70s while quashing the entire eastern front before the US is even in the mix. USSR has only 3 turns of earning to try and get it’s act together, and Germany only spends 18 IPCs in ground units towards Barbarossa (without building any eastern factories).