Best ratrio for cannonfodder compared to big guns


  • Using the concept that infantry should be a part of offensive movement in order to soak hits and keep your more valuable tanks alive, what ratio to you prefer for infantry to tanks? 2 infantry for every 1 tank? Or higher?
    Also, how many subs/destroyers do you like to keep with your carriers and battleships?

    I know the answer will depend greatly on the force your attacking, how far you want that expiditionary force to travel, how many planes you can get to support the attack, and lots of other factors. I’m looking for some general rules.


  • As you said, this is a very general rule. Specific rounds need specific purchases… however…

    As Germany, If I have 55 IPCs (a normal early to mid-round number), I’d purchase 7 Infantry, 2 Artillery, a Mech, an Armor, a Fighter, a Sub.

    Then, I’d play within that foundation… so if I needed a Tac Bomber, I’d have one less Artillery, or if I needed a Destroyer, I might make the Armor a Mech… you get the idea.

    The overriding principle is that you absolutely need Infantry. Period. Every nation does. Without them, you eventually enter a state of Infantry exhaustion, and find yourself attacking (and losing) more expensive units, and defending with more expensive units as well. Not good.


  • So for ground units, roughly 2 ifantry per other unit?


  • That’s a pretty solid ratio.


  • Same for naval units?


  • If I had 50 IPCs to spend for a armt i would buy:

    7 Infantry
    2 Mech.
    2 art.
    2 Tanks

    On navy (85 IPCs)

    1 Battleship
    1 Carrier
    2 Fighters
    1 cruiser
    2 Destroyers

  • Customizer

    2 to 1 sounds a bit too heavy for me

    i try to play with 3 infantry to 1 non-infantry unit, as a general rule, though sometimes with a few extra artillery so that it becomes about 2.5 to 1


  • To really understand cannonfodder, just look at how the Germans Sea Lion.  They win the battles with aircraft over fodder.  That is the key, in my opinion, to cannon fodder:  Stacks of infantry advancing agonizingly slow, but efficiently with aircraft over them each step of the way.  Never underestimate the value of your aircraft.

    If I was to suggest a ratio - which I think is a defeating principle to rely on - is 2 Inf to 1 Art for ground wars, and I do like 1 Inf 1 Tank for Amphib landings that I may need to hold on a countermove.

    6 Inf, 6 Arm, 6 TT is a pretty legit landing to make for the US in Europe, especially if the UK lands supporting units after it (including Ftr!)


  • It depends on if I am using tanks or artillery. Each artillery requires an infantry to make maximum use of the offensive power of the arillery, so for if it artillery i would have a 3 or maybe 4 to 1 ratio, if its tanks 2.5 to 3 to 1


  • @Spendo02:

    To really understand cannonfodder, just look at how the Germans Sea Lion. �They win the battles with aircraft over fodder. �That is the key, in my opinion, to cannon fodder: �Stacks of infantry advancing agonizingly slow, but efficiently with aircraft over them each step of the way. �Never underestimate the value of your aircraft.

    That’s good advice about the importance of airpower.  Blitzkrieg is when you have several artillery, an AA, and a few tanks at the front that moves ahead 1 territory per turn with continual reinforcement from mechs driving up from the rear, plus tactical bombers to combine with the tanks (and you only need as many tanks as you have tacs!).  Mechs and tacs in East Poland are deadly.

    On the other side, a nice $37 mix for USSR is 1AA, 1 armor, 2 artillery, and 6 infantry.  If you are really on the defensive go for 8 infantry and skip the tank.  Or maybe just 1 artillery and 11 infantry when things are looking dire.  AA guns can whittle away the luftwaffe or make them too afraid to actually use it in smaller battles.


  • When I considered this problem,  I started by looking at inf-to-art ratio

    when testing on combat-sim against pure infantry defense, (ex 12 inf + 8 art v 18 inf) I found that somewhere between 35% and 43% art (in number of units).

    for the tank/mech mix it is closer to 45/55 which gives the highest attack strength/ unit.

    so I try to build about 2/3 inf, 1/3 art as russia (after I have built art the first few turns), I need those extra inf for schirmishing.

    for germany (in barbarossa) I find that mechs are probably the best unit, seeing as my goal is to be able to withstand a russian counterattack in rostov as soon as possible.

    on the sea, i try to build as many subs as possible, once I have enough air defence to defend against an attack without destroyers, subs is usually the best unit to build, at least until 40% of your fleet is subs (when defending) and as much as possible when attacking. 3 ipc/combatdie is just insanely good.


  • @MacNaughton:

    Using the concept that infantry should be a part of offensive movement in order to soak hits and keep your more valuable tanks alive, what ratio to you prefer for infantry to tanks? 2 infantry for every 1 tank? Or higher?
    Also, how many subs/destroyers do you like to keep with your carriers and battleships?

    I know the answer will depend greatly on the force your attacking, how far you want that expiditionary force to travel, how many planes you can get to support the attack, and lots of other factors. I’m looking for some general rules.

    My rule of thumb is 3 infantry to 1 art/arm. A 2 to 1 ratio is also OK but, as mentioned above, infantry is really the key when attacking, combined with superior numbers.

    As for sea units, it isn’t as straight forward because of the submarine/destroyer/planes rules, a little like paper/rock/scissors. Subs are useless against aircraft (unless the attacker brings a destroyer they can’t be used to soak plane hits on defense) but useful against ships, specially if there’s no destroyer present. Aircraft can be useless against subs and destroyers are the balancing act between both.

  • '16 '15 '10

    The question of ratios is relative to what you’re trying to accomplish.

    As far as inf/art go the most efficient attack for your money is just under 2:1.

    However the only time you’d want this 2:1 inf/art ratio if you are close to a capital and are looking to attack.

    In purely defensive circumstances, lots of inf are better.

    As previously mentioned, 2:1 inf/all other land units is not a bad working principle.  2.5/1 and 3/1 work also.

    There’s also the consideration that if you’ve got tons of air power, then you don’t need as much artillery or armor.

    The question of what Russia ought to buy is quite challenging because while armor is very attractive given all the room to maneuver, armor is also not as cost-efficient in Global as it was in previous editions.

    From what I can tell it was a very good move to change armor’s price to 6.  Otherwise armor would be the dominant unit in this ruleset.


  • I think you might want a higher ratio of infantry vs. tanks when going on a long offensive.  Germans going after Moscow, for instance.  As you approach Moscow, newly built German infantry will take longer to reach the front, so you will be relying on the fodder you started with for multiple battles.  You can build mech infantry, of course (this is its primary reason for existing), but you will only be able to soak up 3/4 of the hits for the same price.  And the inverse is also true.  The Russians will be able to crank out the fodder and get it co-located with their valuable units faster as they retreat.


  • I go for a lower amount of cannon fodder EXCEPT when you’re hitting a big stack. Then you need lots of inf.

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