Thanks for the reply.
Thanks again to @Krieghund too. :)
I was reading the rules for this edition today and it says you can win a standard victory by controlling 9 of 12 victory cities. There is no mention of capitals in the victory conditions.
Am I correct to say you can theoretically win this game without controlling any of the other side’s capitals?
Yes. BTW there’s errata for the game. Honolulu (Hawaiian Islands) is a VC; Axis need 9 VC to win, Allies need 10 VC.
interesting - thanks!