• Hello, a long time reader, first time poster here!

    I have a game coming up soon as Axis and I have plans to leave Jugoslavia (along with the rest of the Balkans) for Italy. This how ever requires a succesful G1 strafe attack. I was wondering, if it is common to try this tactic, and more importantly, what’s the “safest” way to do it so you don’t always end up capturing the damn thing with German  :-D

    -DCat


  • I nearly always do this so as to retreat east for a G2 Dow on R.

    Usually aim at 21 or so attacking power and max the use of armour and air in case I actually take the territory. From memory 3 armour that cannot get to France + 1 fig and 1 tb that cannot get to the allied navies gives 16 of that.


  • Thanks for the replies! I had something similar in in mind, but it’s great the have some confirmation.

    -DCat

  • '19 '17 '16

    Also put in some planes. There are two planes which can’t reach the UK Navy. Just don’t have infantry rolling at a one. Too big a swing.


  • I usually hit with all Inf that can reach minus 1 in Romania that I use to walk on Bulgaria. I use 2 out of the 3 tanks that can reach and I use the Fgt that flies to S.Italy on non-combat, it will stop to hit Yugo on the combat phase. Typically I get around 3-4 hits on the neutrals this way leaving 1 or 2 left for the Italians. Very seldom do I kill it in the first round of combat. Thd Art that can reach Yugo I leave behind as it will certainly kill Yugo if they are sent. This strafe is a perfect tactic if you are planning a G2 DOW on Russia. Retreat to Romania and all those surviving units are there ready for the Soviets.

    Remember, a healthy Italian income is always nice. But in the later rounds of the game, it will be Germany that needs the IPCs more then Italy. Plus, there are ways to cash in on 2 or 3 Italian NOs by the end of Italy’s 2nd turn. However you have to hope the UK player does Taranto and not Tobruk to be able to try and get 10/15 extra IPCs for Italy via their NOs.


  • @ProtesT:

    I usually hit with all Inf that can reach minus 1 in Romania that I use to walk on Bulgaria. I use 2 out of the 3 tanks that can reach and I use the Fgt that flies to S.Italy on non-combat, it will stop to hit Yugo on the combat phase. Typically I get around 3-4 hits on the neutrals this way leaving 1 or 2 left for the Italians. Very seldom do I kill it in the first round of combat. Thd Art that can reach Yugo I leave behind as it will certainly kill Yugo if they are sent. This strafe is a perfect tactic if you are planning a G2 DOW on Russia. Retreat to Romania and all those surviving units are there ready for the Soviets.

    Remember, a healthy Italian income is always nice. But in the later rounds of the game, it will be Germany that needs the IPCs more then Italy. Plus, there are ways to cash in on 2 or 3 Italian NOs by the end of Italy’s 2nd turn. However you have to hope the UK player does Taranto and not Tobruk to be able to try and get 10/15 extra IPCs for Italy via their NOs.

    Right. I was thinking about sending a Fgt to Tobruk and a Tac to S. Italy to help out in Med and lure more UK resources on Taranto. What comes to German IPCs, I see this as a sort of a trade off; Italy takes Balkan, Germany gets S. France.

  • '19 '17 '16

    In vanilla the strafe isn’t that desirable because you want your North Italy forces to hit Sth France and usually one of the art has to get on a transport to strengthen that force. Unless you’re doing a strategy of the Germans using mobile forces to hit Sth France G1.


  • @simon33:

    In vanilla the strafe isn’t that desirable because you want your North Italy forces to hit Sth France and usually one of the art has to get on a transport to strengthen that force. Unless you’re doing a strategy of the Germans using mobile forces to hit Sth France G1.

    My plan was to hit Normandy and Paris on G1, and left the south France for G2.

    In more words, G1 hit Uk navy in Seazones 110 and 110 (maybe a sun for 91), take Normandy and Paris, strafe Jugoslavia. Fly a Fgt to S. Italy and a Tac to Tobruk. Take S. France G2. Italy would focus on Middle East, rather than Africa, depending on UK’s actions of course.

    We are rather inexperienced players, so I think I could pull something like this off, at least this once, since neither of us have tried it before.

    PS: The game has been postponed at least a week :(


  • @simon33:

    In vanilla the strafe isn’t that desirable because you want your North Italy forces to hit Sth France and usually one of the art has to get on a transport to strengthen that force. Unless you’re doing a strategy of the Germans using mobile forces to hit Sth France G1.

    I have found myself more keen lately on taking S.France, G1. Depending on what you and Italy are planning, the complex there can be used to put some German boats into the Med if needed. This will typically require a AV purchase G1 so you don’t have to land your T.Bomber on Holland next to two French units in Normandy. It’s not a major necessity for the AV but I don’t like the idea of 7 IPCs worth of French units taking out my 11 IPC plane.

  • '21 '20 '18 '17

    You need to land with your only surviving transport to kill 2 guys?  That comment is confusing; don’t you have like 5 guys plus planes to kill 2?

    Italy has a busy 1st turn
    Kill French navy
    Kill surviving UK sea units could be in 1-2 places
    Attack 1 or 2 of the following; Greece, Yugo, Crete, Syria, or Gibraltar etc
    Attack South France if Germany didnt

    If they have to mop up Yugo that’s just one more thing they have to get done.  It gives a pretty cool German stack of slow stuff an extra move, but its not the end of the world if it doesn’t happen that way.

    When Germany takes S france, they usually divert 1 armor and 3 mechs.  When they divert the planes to protect Italy, those 2 planes don’t provide Overkill for the Paris battle.  When they attack Normandy, they divert 1-3 extra units.  If they do 2 or all 3 of these things, I’ve seen the Paris battle fail G1.  That means that the attempt to attack SZ 110, 109 and Paris AND more targets is kind of foolhardy because it reduces the chance of an overwhelming victory and given some bad luck, you can take a lot of casualties during that opening battle.  Most people just reply that if they fail to take Paris, they just surrender, but the reason they fail to take it (or take excessive casualties) is that they are committing to too many battles on G1 and then acting as if it was bad luck is responsible for the failure…

    So, same argument sort of applies to I1.  The Italians have a bunch of milk run battles that they need to get accomplished, adding more battles doesn’t help their odds and increases the chance of going in light and blowing 1 or more of those battles.  They have only enough air to attack 1 or 2 targets, and only enough transports and troops to attack 1-2 more…

    Not saying you should or shouldn’t use the strafe attacks available to you, just something to consider with a team that starts with only 10 wimpy ground units on home soil


  • @ProtesT:

    @simon33:

    In vanilla the strafe isn’t that desirable because you want your North Italy forces to hit Sth France and usually one of the art has to get on a transport to strengthen that force. Unless you’re doing a strategy of the Germans using mobile forces to hit Sth France G1.

    I have found myself more keen lately on taking S.France, G1. Depending on what you and Italy are planning, the complex there can be used to put some German boats into the Med if needed. This will typically require a AV purchase G1 so you don’t have to land your T.Bomber on Holland next to two French units in Normandy. It’s not a major necessity for the AV but I don’t like the idea of 7 IPCs worth of French units taking out my 11 IPC plane.

    You could move in 2 AA units to protect the Tac. Also means, he probably won’t  use his Ft. The Italian Tk could also get there, if uou were that worried about losing the Tac. (Not ideal, having it out of position, but is another option.)

  • '17

    I usually move 3 AAA guns and a fighter to protect the tac. Bomber from Germany that has to land at Holland. I think this is very common for those who don’t like to buy a carrier G1.

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