AA50/41 Japanese strategy

[Funcioneta]

I still don’t understand how you can kill the lone fricking chinese fighter (that can not be replaced) in the very first round  :-P I really hope this is a mistake or the picture is not the deployment. What was Larry thinking when did that setup?

[Imperious Leader]

Its the same deal in Revised and Milton Bradley. the ‘flying tigers’ goes bye bye everytime.

[Funcioneta]

But in Classic and Revised you can replace the lost “chinese” fig, in anniversary edition you cannot  :-P

[Imperious Leader]

Who says you cant bring in another plane on another turn?

[Funcioneta]

No for China. USA can, but not China with her lovely “popping inf and no IC minor country” status. A big difference, because USA fig cannot attack at the same time than Chinese inf. And even for defense, any USA fig must travel first to Australia, then to India, then to China. 3 rounds of travel only for defense.

[Imperious Leader]

Yes i see that point… they fight independently, so the US planes cant really do anything more than harass Japanese naval, with no way to integrate land units and air into attacks.

I also now think the flying tigers should be redeployed. Another house rule.

Thanks for pointing this out.

[Funcioneta]

Yea, redeploying the flying tigers would be the solution. It would be enough. Nice  :-)

[Greand Stone]

Japan has to be realy carefull with its carriers.

Without escort of any kind, carriers are extremly wounderable to submarines!
So if USA builds only a few subs Japan do want to retreat all unescorted carrier fleets. (fighters cannot defend against submarines if no destroyers are present in the fleet, and if the subs hit anything the carriers go down!)

[Imperious Leader]

I account for that in my revised AA50 Japanese strategy. I no longer pursue the carriers forward idea.

[shermantank]

Use multiple cruisers and a destroyer for an escort of carriers. That way, you stop the sneak attack of submarines and you get the 3/3 Attack/Defense capacities of the cruiser.

[Lynxes]

Imperious leader, I’ll try to revive this strategy discussion. Your tactics for '41 J1 are good, except that there’s no need to protect TRS at Borneo since the Australian navy only reaches New Guinea sea zone. Your CA is probably useful vs. Phillippines.

I think that your all-out offensive vs. the Chinese makes sense, but could there be some kind of catch? We should expect a UK build of an IC in India on turn 1, so could it be that taking Burma actually is necessary to put some pressure on India quickly? A turn 2 attack could be launched with the following: 3 inf from NEI and Borneo, 2-3 inf from Burma, 5 ftr, totalling 17-18 in attack (assuming one ftr lost to AA) vs. that start force in India of just 8 in defence. But if you leave Burma alone on turn 1 you only have those 3 inf invading by sea which isn’t very promising. Your Phillippines fleet doesn’t reach India before turn 3 and then UK will be getting a build in that IC!

Maybe the balance is to choose if to have a China popping up 3 inf/turn or India popping out 3 inf or 3 tanks? And if the Americans have an offensive Pacific strategy, the Japanese could be stopped from capturing both China and India (?).

[Imperious Leader]

no need to protect TRS at Borneo since the Australian navy only reaches New Guinea sea zone.

How can you tell from the picture. It looks to me like its 2 SZ away.

[Lynxes]

Edit: IL, bluestroke seems to be on your line as well, considering his player aid map. Well, at least it doesn’t change our strategy discussion in a wider sense. What do you think of taking Burma on turn 1, as per my idea above?

[Imperious Leader]

I will address all of this tonight. too busy now

[italiansarecoming]

i realize that now many people have considered asia as a big play ground lets not lose the topic asia is only as important as japan wants it to be if gb makes 1 then japan doesnt care then gb wasted mony+ only good if d-day is well past and atomic bombs are coming….
so asia has to wait for japan ok

[Imperious Leader]

I like to get at Burma, but id rather take the extra Chinese territory, because it would reduce the Chinese player to 3 territories and thus only get 1 infantry, so i get another infantry killed by taking the Chinese. Id set up both Burma and India for J2. How would you change the attacks to get burma? You know the fighter must go and you need the transports for the islands so you cant use the FIC infantry for burma.

[italiansarecoming]

2 options just use planz with inf u got there and inf from islands or forgetting about it india is tempting but if u play with the same players surprise em with ignoring it and makeing them wasteing mony?

[Imperious Leader]

Or take out Australia if UK does not buy a factory and swing back to india latter. If they dont make a factory you bought one extra turn to buy transports and bring men to indo, so you can now get like 8-10 in India by J3.

[italiansarecoming]

taking out australia is if germany is hurting and u arew winning make gb come and get u?

[Black_Elk]

Assuming the current set up is accurate, I like this buy for Japan: 1 transport, 2 inf, 1 art and 1 tank

Airstrike on the British India fleet (2 fighters, to land on carrier in sz 37) as well as the US Battleship at pearl (4 fighters to land in sz 62). The Cruiser and Battleship to knock out the US fleet at Philippines. 1 inf from Carolines to Borneo with the naked transport, 2 inf from Carolines to East Indies with the destroyer to cover. 1 inf +1 inf from Okinawa/Japan, and 1 inf + 1 tank from Iwo/Japan to either Manchuria or Bury, depending on what the Russians do.

On the mainland you only really need to hit 2 Chinese spaces in the first round to screw them out of the third inf unit, so I favor Fukien and Suiyuan or Hupeh since they allow you to land the Formosa fighter in French Indo China, and the Manchuria fighter either in Kiangsu or FIC depending on how the attacks go.

Assuming reasonable luck, that should leave Japan with 2 transports (plus the new one for a total of 3) along with 2 carriers and 3-4 fighters in sz 62 (or you can land one in Manchuria if extra defense is needed), and 1 carrier and 1-2 fighters in sz 37. With no immediate threats in the next round, you have the option to expand in whichever direction seems the most advantageous (depending on what the US decides to do.) If the UK goes IC in India, it shoud be fairly easy to take by round 3 or 4, if not then you can hit the Russians instead, or continue to push across the South Pacific, provided the USA doesn’t stay and fight. Either way you’re poised to pick up 2 NO’s by the end of the second round.