Both.

Merge in Bryansk from the Ukraine territories and also from Belarus.  Use Smolensk as your buffer to protect the northern march from a Russian Counter Attack on your split stacks.

E.Poland
Baltic / Belarus
W.Ukraine / Leningrad
Belarus / Ukraine
Merge in Bryansk
Moscow

I always attack Japan in China on UK Pac 2. This reopens the burma route (as the Japanese have way too limited ground forces) and keeps china in play. China is really more important then most of the players think. I find them very strong, especially against those scattered Japanese forces. The only problem is their airforce but every japanese unit you can take out on the mainland, is a huge win.

Crazy thing about the Japanese air force and Chinese units is this, the latter just needs to keep those precious stacks out of their range. Pull back, retreat. Advance when the time is right. A smart Chinese players does this, and makes the Japanese player really invest their time in the Chinese hinterland, splitting their options.

Best strategy for the Chinese is to play exactly like the Russians:  Turtle up and keep one step away from the units trying to take them out.  Each round you'll be able to add 2-3 Inf to your big starting stack.  Once Japan attacks the UK or Anzac, you're free to start marching towards either A:  Burma Road to reclaim it or B: The valuable territories the Japanese start with in the north. 

Both cases make Japan invest more deeply into taking China than it wants to, while buying time until India can help you retake the Burma Road.  Don't play foolish with your big starting stack, protect it until the Japanese are too thin or they've invested too much in China (which is an IPC sink if Japan doesn't get it early).

Japan needs to take Hawaii or Sydney to get a VC win, thats all you need to do with the US in the Pacific - stop either of those from happening, spend the rest of your resources sending the US into N.Africa, and once big enough Rome.  Italy is going to have to choose between pulling back from taking Egypt or taking the chance the combine UK/US forces take Rome as early as round 5/6

I'm a big fan of 10 Inf on G1. �  It makes both Moscow and London have to play defensive - and if London doesn't, you have 68-72 IPC to still be able to send 7 or so TT into London (and you WILL SBR London).

How will you keep your surface fleet during UK1?  That effectively nullifies any Sealion threat.

Explain your reasoning.

I send 2 SS, 3 Ftr, 3 Tac into SZ110.  I withdraw once I lose my SS
I send 2 SS, 1 BB, 1 Ftr, 1 Tac, 2 Bomber to SZ111.
I NCM my CR to SZ112, land as many aircraft as possible in W.Germany.

UK can choose to not scramble and give up its ships or scramble and face losing its air force.  G2 you use your CR if it isn't attacked (because your BB is a juicy target) and finish off any ships the UK has left from G1 with all the Aircraft in W.Germany.

I assure you, there is PLENTY left to still land a Sea Lion on G3, you may just have to direct a Ftr or two to SZ110 to prevent any UK aircraft from thinking of scrambling against your CV, DD, possibly CR and of course TT.

It works, I've done it against a too comfortable London.

I'm a big fan of 10 Inf on G1.   It makes both Moscow and London have to play defensive - and if London doesn't, you have 68-72 IPC to still be able to send 7 or so TT into London (and you WILL SBR London).

I don't like waiting until G4 to attack Russia as if you strafe Yugo on G1 and retreat to Romania you'll have somewhere on the level of 19 Inf, 3 Arm, 2 Art + Tac attacking E.Poland on G2.  With that 10 Inf purchase on G1 being put in Berlin, they will move into Poland on G2 and you'll land your aircraft there stopping a Russian counter from Leningrad.

This sets up you to be able to send 19 Inf (minus losses in E.Poland) + 9 Arm + Tac + Bomber to hit Baltics on G3.  You don't want to send your 10 Inf from Poland (that you bought on G1) into the Baltics, but into E.Poland to prevent the Russians from trying to flank you.  You'd then on G3 land all your aircraft in E.Poland and on G4 put an AB there so you can strike everywhere, including Moscow for SBR as early as G5 and you are about 2 turns out from hitting Moscow at that point with your ground units.

Can I get a link to the rule you are referencing in regard to originally colored territories?

"Major industrial complexes can only be built on originally controlled territories (this includes upgrading minor ones). Likewise they may not be upgraded when captured. Major industrial complexes are reduced to minor when captured. The original owner of the territory may upgrade it if the territory is recaptured."

Is all I can find on our "Alpha" ruleset.  I'm not arguing, I'm just curious if Japan can build a Major on Manchuria or Kaingsu - or if it has to include the national territory icon in order to be considered "originally controlled"

Supposing you had the IPC's, could you upgrade a Minor or place a Major and put 10 units there on the same purchase? �Or do you have to wait a round?

Italy can take Yugo and Greece if Germany strafes the two spots, particularly if Germany takes Bulgaria and can use those Inf to support a Tank Blitz from Romania after strafing Yugo on G1.

Thats better imo use of the entire area for the Axis than the debate over who takes Bulgaria.  Germany can opens for Italy 4 IPC worth of territories by the completion of I2.  With S.France on I1, those 3 territories are hard to take back and Italy has just jumped its economy to 17 IPC / round before NO's and considering Africa.

So the attack on the eastern front was American. Roughly 100 fighters since I was making 10 a turn.  The eastern front is won. With the russian army which did nothing take the capital. Same for Italy.

Now if there was ONLY a way for the US to buy nothing but Ftr and get them to the UK in a Single turn once the war starts....

LOL I like it.

But...

it's an ALL OUT GAMBLE.  You lose BOTH Europe and Pacific maps if something goes wrong.  And is conquering Russia ENOUGH to win the game?  Especially when you've left India, Anzac, UK, USA Alone?

You are bound to get Italy STOMPED in the Med, and suffer landings all across western europe. The allies will pour in through the middleeast, and Norway/Finland Karelia.

Don't the Axis have to lose Tokyo, Rome AND Berlin?  Nothing wrong with Turtle in the Pacific TBH as Japan can sit out up to 3 rounds with 10 IPC for being Neutral and just screw around in China and Eastern Russia lying in wait for the Allies in SZ6.

If Japan's only real purchase is an AB, the remaining IPC Japan has can turtle itself up nicely on Tokyo making it a non-play for the Allies until mid/late game at the earliest with a big investment from the US.

It may or may not be optimal but it will almost certainly be destroyed if it survives at all G1

one sub at 106 seems too weak

another option would be
2 subs 106
2 subs BB 2tb 2ftr bmbr 110
sub 2tb 2ftr bmbr 111

if uk scrambles let the BB take the hits
if not it will probably kill the dsty on defense which,hopefully,leaves uk with no dsty

I like the air power over the BB,but both have their merits

Don't get me wrong, Convoy is great if you can manage it against the UK.

However lets look at it from a different perspective:

UK1 will take convoy damage from SZ106 - thats good (at Most 3 IPC on UK1 and UK2).  The bad is that a DD can still move in and attack subs that defend at 1 in SZ106.

UK2 taking convoy damage with Sea Lion coming means less IPC collected at the end of UK2 and less for Germany to claim on G3 - thats bad.

UK3 from London won't happen for income purposes if you take London on G3.

From that perspective, it is better to NOT worry about Convoy damage if you plan to Sea Lion.  It is FAR better to protect your Aircraft by taking SS as losses on G1 so that you have escorts for your Bombers heading to SBR London on G2 and then more Aircraft to support the G3 Sea Lion.

I think the scariest issue for G1 in SZ110 is that the two SS there can ONLY be hit by ships due to no DD present.  That exposes your 3 Ftr/Tac to the potential 3 scrambling Ftr.

Someone please Sticky this?!?!

I don't see the benefits for Germany by the Allies having 2 BB, 3 CR and a DD in the Sea and not having to decide on what to do with the 4 Ftr (3 UK) in England that realistically ends up being 6-7 aircraft by the time the UK makes its move onto France and is capable of potentially holding it.

Thats not exactly what I want to have to think about when I march on Moscow.

Dead UK ships means a turn to build Ftr to protect ships, building ships to further defend the TT, then building TT, then adding more ground units to fill the TT.

No dead ships or aircraft advances UK by two turns in that procedure.

I would happily trade my BB to remove all starting UK aircraft and potentially remove all UK ships from the Atlantic by G2.

I don't see SZ106 as essential to my strategy to send two SS into it.  My goal is not to stop units from arriving in the UK, but to destroy all UK aircraft and its starting ships.  DD aren't going to make or break a Sea Lion, nor will 1 Inf, 1 Arm.

Further, the BB is not essential to protecting W.Germany or my Sea Lion chances.  To me, it is best used as first a hit absorber, and then a lure for the UK to try to remove it on UK1 - which then exposes the rest of its fleet to accomplish it.

SZ111:  1 Ftr, 1 Tac, 2 Bomber, 2 SS, 1 BB
SZ110:  2 SS, 3 Ftr, 3 Tac
SZ106: 1 SS

SZ110 I take losses: SS, SS, Ftr, Tac, Ftr.  If the second round of combat is me taking a Tac as the first loss, I retreat and will finish it off on G2.