• Liaison TripleA '11 '10

    Global 1940 Europe Rulebook Page 37. “The United States may end the movement of its sea units on the
    Europe map only in sea zones that are adjacent to U.S. territories, with one exception: U.S. warships (not transports)
    may also conduct long-range patrols into sea zone 102.”

    Guys,

    For many moons I have wondered what the significance of the of this rule is, and why it was explicitly noted in the rulebook.

    Sz102 if anything, is a poor tactical place to be.  No place for planes to land if a carrier is attacked,  no NB or AB support; and no real advantages? other than the fact that carrier based planes in Sz102 can attack gibraltar and land back on the carrier in Sz91.

    Is there some inherent game mechanic, or secret/epic strategy we are missing?  Maybe some Italian/German gambit to capture east USA? Before they are at war?  And blocking Sz102 saves America?

    I’m all ears if anyone has any legitimate suggestions or context here…


  • Carrier-based fighters (and/or TBs) can reach London. I think that’s it.


  • @ShadowHAwk:

    Its 1 space closer to europe for air units, so carrier air can clean the channel of german ships, attack gibraltar…

    +1!

  • '21 '20 '18 '17

    There are some really sweet aircraft in real life that are painted in neutrality patrol colors, bright gold on the wings.    War nerds love this stuff because it was a very brief period of semi-war between the era where the USA was actually fighting and when it was basically an armed and interested neutral.  For this game, that’s probably enough to include it, even if there was no exact game reason to do so.

    The game reasons are obscure, in almost 100 games I’ve never done much more than put a destroyer there for fun.
    But they exist

    1. US ships in that area aren’t all stuck in a big pile, could be in 2 squares facing the enemy
    2. that allows you to screen the square with the USA to protect the USA home fleet and UK, but there is almost always another path
    3. however, if you block 102 and 89, now he can’t attack your main force (at least with a surface fleet, or with a substack, if you had DDs there…)

    (If they didn’t let you block 102, there would be no effective block and the German surprise peacetime attack via GIB would be permitted at all times…if the SZ is hostile then the Germans also cant simply park carriers there during the NCM to recover 4-range planes that just attacked 101/89, they have to fight for this LZ. )

    1. but its not much of a block considering the situation, availability of bases, and the limited number of reasons why Germany would want to try this
    2. so probably, its just a fun way to tie up a bunch of your ships and give the USA player an intimidating place to park…
    3. and, as the others said, shuttle 4-range aircraft over there without requiring a UK carrier to receive them, which is super grog historical ferry-flight WAC action as well…this still requires coordination and tying up substantial assets

    my conclusion is that 1) its fluffy and historical fun 2) its a patch that would be a required add on to the simpler, basic rule, to facilitate a block during a AAF (Ambush America First) and avoid the situation that arises when Germany puts everything it can into a crazy SZ 91–>SZ101 attack.  The USA could usually fight this off, but what if USA bought transports and weaker stuff–again, without this block as few as a couple of subs from SZ 91 could destroy the whole stack…but never goes down if you put 1 x DD on 102 and 1 x DD on 89…

  • 2023 '22 '21 '20 '19 '18 '17

    In a game last week, my axis opponent prepared for sea lion with a massive transport and carrier build in the first two turns for Germany. On turn 3, the Italian and German fleet (with 9 loaded transports and 2 loaded carriers) combined next to Gibraltar so both could reach the US. As it was the US turn 3 and there was no declaration of war, I could still only build 3 units on each territory.

    I had been splitting my US income between navy builds on the Pacific and Atlantic Coast (and preparing to liberate/support UK) and had two carriers on the Atlantic side. He was going for an Italian fleet hit on the US fleet to soften it in turn 3, to be followed by the German fleet which could then land 18 units in the US with air support. I had few land units because I was building naval and because I was moving troops to Hawaii.

    This very nearly took me out. I had a destroyer on each coast. Because I could send 1 to 89 and 1 to 102 I could block the Italians while leaving enough of a fleet in 101 with a scramble to support it to prevent a German landing. He was forced to land in Canada but that gave me enough time to build just enough of a defense. Once his gamble failed, the game was mine, but it was a very near thing.

    I don’t know if that is a reason for the sz 102 rule (along with the limitation on the movement of air units to UK) but it certainly saved me.

  • '21 '20 '18 '17

    Bingo.

    AAF isn’t a great all-game strategy, but intimidating the USA is a fine idea.  The configuration Mr. Farmboy laid out can also be used to threaten UK, so its a double whammy–the US has to respond as if you can cross, and the UK also, then you can choose which direction to go.

    The way you make all of these setups more difficult for the Axis to achieve is to destroy Italy during Taranto–if Italy remains proud and strong, the SZ 91 pileup can cause a major traffic jam for the Allies as they cannot usually cross early AND build up against Japan.


  • I’ve used this rule to bring CV-based fighters to a Spanish Beachhead opening; otherwise they won’t make it.

  • '17

    @Ozymandiac:

    I’ve used this rule to bring CV-based fighters to a Spanish Beachhead opening; otherwise they won’t make it.

    I see sitting in SZ 89 being the most popular Atlantic sea zone to sit in when/if say Italy takes Gibraltar and Germany starts to stack planes there. From that point US fighters can attack land on Gib and make it back to the carriers.


  • @Ichabod:

    @Ozymandiac:

    I’ve used this rule to bring CV-based fighters to a Spanish Beachhead opening; otherwise they won’t make it.

    I see sitting in SZ 89 being the most popular Atlantic sea zone to sit in when/if say Italy takes Gibraltar and Germany starts to stack planes there. From that point US fighters can attack land on Gib and make it back to the carriers.

    True, you can attack Gibraltar/Spain from both seazones. SZ102 offers some flexibility though to go to the Channel instead, as indicated above, so 102 seems better. To be honest, I never knew until today you could park in SZ89 as I thought it wasn’t adjacent to USA-proper.

  • '17

    Most people park in SZ89 and consider it a better spot because a carrier can be tipped.

  • '18 '17 '16

    If you have Destroyer(s) in SZ102 with your carriers then they don’t need to be tipped. Subs will be making a suicide run in hopes that they might, just maybe, kill a Destroyer. The option of hitting SZ 110 with your planes or Spanish Beachhead or Gibraltar from 102 makes it a better spot that SZ 89. Add a few Strat Bombers on Eastern US and you should be able to wipe out a German navy if they went for Sealion. With all of those warships and transports at the bottom of the English Channel after only one landing and none of that money spent on the Eastern Front, Germany and Italy would be in tough to hold Europe. If you set it up like I did in this video, then it’s unlikely that Germany would even attempt a landing in the first place;
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_X6LjB8bCbw

    Then you take Gibraltar.

  • '18 '17 '16

    You don’t know how many until you play the game. As I said in the video it’s not a good strategy if Germany has a bunch of subs left.

  • '17 '16 '15 '14 '12

    The z102 rule allows USA to sink the German fleet with carrier-based planes post-sealion, even if japan is still Neutral and bombers have nowhere to land (which is unlikely).

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