• I have recently devised a strategy that has seen incredible results for Germany in Revised. The key to the strategy is purchasing an IC on G1 for France. The first crucial task is performing the common German Fleet Unification. Allies will attempt to counter this by blocking your Baltic and med. fleet for a turn. This however proves futile most of the time because your fleet can simply meet off France’s coast in your noncombat where you can place the fresh AC you built for your G2 Purchases. This IC allows incredible flexibility and lasting power in the Atlantic as well as forcing the allies to abandon plans for a KJF. An additional benefit of the G1 IC in France is it’s ability to help defend it in the later stages of the game where the allies have overcome your fleet. Being able to plant additional inf you purchase there allows inf in berlin to advance to Eastern Europe as opposed to heading west.

    The true weakness however for the Vichy France Strategy would be argued that it would give the allies a free IC and disallow you from trading space to better protect Berlin. This is untrue because if you trade France back and forth with the allies they will not be able to utilize the IC and thus making it less of a liability. With regards to purchases I believe for G1 an IC, 1 dd, and 4inf is the best build because should the allies get lucky and attack the Baltic turn 1 and win it can greatly hamper the IC’s effectiveness.

    I would love to hear everyone’s opinion on this strategy. It’s most likely been thought of before however I felt obliged to share my ideas.


  • I can see some benefit to an IC in WE, but I think that it is a sub-optimal purchase. Lets look at the main reasons for the purchase:

    1. Build naval units directly in sz 6, 7, and 13.
    2. Build infantry and possibly fighters directly on WE.

    First and foremost, in most games Germany’s primary target should be Russia- which means spending most of your money on troops for the eastern front. Spending 43 IPCs (IC + AC + Des) on units that do not help with this makes putting any kind of early sustainable pressure on Russia near impossible.

    Second, fighters are more flexible. A destroyer and a fighter have the same attack, but the fighter is cheaper by 2 IPCs. Fighters can significantly bolster a territory’s defenses, provided you have infantry as a shield. They can not be attacked by naval units (excluding bombards, which should kill infantry anyway), and defending subs cannot hit them at all. Neither can an enemy’s air force directly attack yours- they have to attack the territory they are stationed in. If needed your fighters can be sent east to help with attacks against Russia, then pulled back to help defend in later rounds. No naval units have the same flexibility. In addition, the allies can afford to spend more on their navy than you can on yours, especially the US.

    Third, why not just build infantry in Ger and SE? They only take 1 turn to get to WE, and this saves you 15 IPCs. In my opinion, the only reason for Germany to build an IC anywhere is if their production is maxed (16 inf alone is 48 IPCs- most likely you will make some art/tanks instead of all inf).

    I confess that I sometimes purchase an AC on Ger 1 in sz 5 and land a fighter on it. This is to keep the fleet alive long enough to regroup with the BB+Tns in the Med. But that is the extent of my naval purchases in almost every case.

    There’s my 2 cents. Spend it well   :-)


  • @syntaxerror111:

    I can see some benefit to an IC in WE, but I think that it is a sub-optimal purchase. Lets look at the main reasons for the purchase:

    1. Build naval units directly in sz 6, 7, and 13.
    2. Build infantry and possibly fighters directly on WE.

    First and foremost, in most games Germany’s primary target should be Russia- which means spending most of your money on troops for the eastern front. Spending 43 IPCs (IC + AC + Des) on units that do not help with this makes putting any kind of early sustainable pressure on Russia near impossible.

    Second, fighters are more flexible. A destroyer and a fighter have the same attack, but the fighter is cheaper by 2 IPCs. Fighters can significantly bolster a territory’s defenses, provided you have infantry as a shield. They can not be attacked by naval units (excluding bombards, which should kill infantry anyway), and defending subs cannot hit them at all. Neither can an enemy’s air force directly attack yours- they have to attack the territory they are stationed in. If needed your fighters can be sent east to help with attacks against Russia, then pulled back to help defend in later rounds. No naval units have the same flexibility. In addition, the allies can afford to spend more on their navy than you can on yours, especially the US.

    Third, why not just build infantry in Ger and SE? They only take 1 turn to get to WE, and this saves you 15 IPCs. In my opinion, the only reason for Germany to build an IC anywhere is if their production is maxed (16 inf alone is 48 IPCs- most likely you will make some art/tanks instead of all inf).

    I confess that I sometimes purchase an AC on Ger 1 in sz 5 and land a fighter on it. This is to keep the fleet alive long enough to regroup with the BB+Tns in the Med. But that is the extent of my naval purchases in almost every case.

    There’s my 2 cents. Spend it well   :-)

    I agree it’s a costly move just for those 2 benefits you stated above. However I believe it has some indirect and more subtle effects then you think. For example, the allies are almost forced into uniting there fleet in sz 8 to preserve it on each of their 1st turns. This means africa is yours for that much longer. Additionally, being able to save your inf a turn getting to eastern europe is nothing to scoff at. Because eventually you will be forced into the Baltic but will be untouchable. If you’ve kept your two starting trans then almost all the inf you purchase can be placed on France for defense and then immediately shuttled off to karelia, norway, or eastern europe to get closer to the action. While it’s true russia gets a little more time, the allies usually waste time building capital ships and carriers instead of preparing landing forces and harassing your German holdings.

    Most of the time victory for the axis via my “Vichy France” comes from japan being able to reach its full potential with all the allies resources going towards the Atlantic situation. You’d be amazed how much time this strategy buys you.

    Also wanted to add this is a terrific way of rooting out a bad UK player. They simply will panic at the sight of the IC and your fleet and make careless mistakes.


  • I see now there is more to consider. I do have a few questions for clarification:

    @Blitz:

    For example, the allies are almost forced into uniting there fleet in sz 8 to preserve it on each of their 1st turns. This means africa is yours for that much longer.

    How do you threaten the US or UK fleet on G2? I assume by moving the baltic fleet G1 to sz 7. The best way to counter this is with a UK attack with air only, or with BB and tns, and retreat ships after 1 round. This will usually kill all but a sub or 2.

    Also, to unify fleet on G2, the BB and tns from sz 14 must attack the BB in sz 13 G1, right? I assume then you play with bids- otherwise you sacrifice taking Egypt G1.
    Therefore you can threaten UK fleet with 1BB, 1Tns, and whatever is left in sz 7. UK can handle that.

    I do relish the thought of getting UK to panic!


  • Also, I do agree that keeping some Tns in sz 5 can be very useful. However I don’t think you need an IC in WE to take advantage of your Tns. Just put them in Ger and shuttle them from there.


  • @syntaxerror111:

    I see now there is more to consider. I do have a few questions for clarification:

    @Blitz:

    For example, the allies are almost forced into uniting there fleet in sz 8 to preserve it on each of their 1st turns. This means africa is yours for that much longer.

    How do you threaten the US or UK fleet on G2? I assume by moving the baltic fleet G1 to sz 7. The best way to counter this is with a UK attack with air only, or with BB and tns, and retreat ships after 1 round. This will usually kill all but a sub or 2.

    Also, to unify fleet on G2, the BB and tns from sz 14 must attack the BB in sz 13 G1, right? I assume then you play with bids- otherwise you sacrifice taking Egypt G1.
    Therefore you can threaten UK fleet with 1BB, 1Tns, and whatever is left in sz 7. UK can handle that.

    I do relish the thought of getting UK to panic!

    The typical reaction for the allies when they see what your doing is tend to assume a UK invasion may be coming, and thus the US moves to sz 8 to drop off extra reinforcements there. To prevent this from being wiped out the UK will merge with it as well to bolster their numbers. By the time UK’s 2 turn comes around they have a huge German fleet right next to 8 with the potential of 4 fighters and a bomber from the land hitting it. now all they can do is wait in sz8 until they feel ready, and choose to sit in 8 to prevent you from going after washington/canada. If they try to sail around you and go north they may get blocked out by the German fleet and separated from new US ships on the way, and going south for africa isn’t an option because it takes the fleet away from new navy at the end of their turn. And yes the bid guarantees Africa. So technically the major German fleet threat is established after G2. G1 your right, there’s not much threat there. But it’s simply messing with their head and putting thoughts of sea lion in it to get them where you want them so you can pose a true naval threat, and that spots right in sz 8 :) .  And o yes making the UK panic is such a lovely thing.


  • The good old saf IC should keep Africa at least contested for UK. I think I would split USA purchases: about 2/3 to Pacific and 1/3 for Atlantic. Soviets should be able of advance some space to west until any forces japs can spare from fleet purchases arrive to yak/sin/per areas.

    I think naval strats for germans are too dangerous if you spend too much money on them. One AC 1st round would save you from wasting IPCs on Vichy IC, then one AC or dd each round better. But it still gives soviets too much freedom


  • @Blitz:

    Allies will attempt to counter this by blocking your Baltic and med. fleet for a turn. This however proves futile most of the time because your fleet can simply meet off France’s coast in your noncombat where you can place the fresh AC you built for your G2 Purchases.

    UK buys 1 AC and 1 DD on UK1, and moves the BB and the 2 TRNs to SZ7. UK places the CV on SZ7 (landing the 2 fighters on the AC). and the DD on SZ6 to block German Baltic Fleet.
    US moves to land on Algeria and block German Med fleet (move the DD if there’s a SUB there)
    R moves sub to SZ7.

    On G’s turn it will only be able to attack the allied fleet on SZ7 with 5 ftrs and 1 bmr (against 1 BB, 1 AC, 2 FTRs, 2 TRN, 1 SUB = 20% chance of sinking all ships), thus preventing any unification of both German fleets.

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