I have not tested this strategy yet but I am pretty sure it will be good.
Axis is at is always been a game about economy.
Next time I play the axis I will go for barbarossa. Since my group likes to play to 14 VCs japan should chose to do something else than just attacking russia, and draw up US resources in pacific, so that if US focuses to much on europe, japan will carry the day. In a barbarossa game I will build one minor with japan in round 1 and another one in round 2. I will focus on china in the first few rounds of the game and not declare on the wallies before germany goes for barbarossa, that should mean turn 3. I will base my fleet in the south china sea, with trannies, airbase and fleet base, so that it will be ready in case anzak and UK decares on japan. I will try to build 6 mech per turn in my factories on land and try to kill china before I go to war with wallies. I will also prolly attack USSR in round 2 or 3.
Germany will do the cheap sealion feint and save 30 ipc on their first turn. I will send italians (2 tanks + bomber + build 1 mech/turn) to the east front, I will also let italy italy take bulgaria (germany takes yugo, tank from N italy takes bulgaria,I think this should be a good idea) to get the extra 4 inf with italia. With this setup I should have at least 4 inf, 2 tanks, 2 mechs, 1 bomber from round 4 and out. I am planning to let italy take east poland in round 2 and have germany reinforce it in g3 while marching their troops towards russia. italys role in russia will be to take the land I will stack. (except for ukranie). Germany can advance in russia as long as russia is unable to counterattacki, to maximize defence italy can take the terretory, germany can move their entire stack there and land their planes. as long as the germany has enough mech/tanks in the stack italy can act as a canopener and force ussr to retreat if they can’t counterattack.
my plan as germany is to build in g2 a minor in romania 20 inf in east/w germany and 6 mechs in france/bordaux (=12+60+24 = 96, if I have less, I will build alittle differently. not 100% sure about the 10 inf in w germany, maybe they should be 6 inf 4 mech instead, can use the trannie to move the inf forward and the mechs can move with the big stack). Note that I am building 0 art, that is because my goal is not to take moscow as soon as possible, it is rather to take all the OTHER money in russia. turn 3 I will move to reinforce italy in e poland while moving most units towards russia. At the same time I will build 3 inf in romania possibly 1 bomber in w germany and the rest should be mech in germany.
in round 4 I should be able to take w ukraine while building 1 bomber and enough tanks to have at least 10 that can be in rostow by round 6 and rest mech.
round 5 I move to ukraine and build mechs I will also abuild a few units for the norhtern flank (to be on the trannie).
round 6 I will produce in ukraine, at this point the stack should be at about 80-100 units, depending on losses and how much is sent north if that is enough to stand in rostov, i will do that, if not, I will keep building mech and inf in ukraine until I am strong enough.
russia will probably have to abandon its entire northern front to stop my stack, this means that I should be able to get leningrad for pretty cheap about round 5-6.
the moment I can stand in rostow, russia is toast. when this happens the italians wil probably have about 4 inf, 3 mechs 2 tanks 1 bomber in round 7 standing in rostov. that means that the russians have to put at least 10 units in tambov to be able to stand in bryansk (or vice verca), these 10 units is perfect food for my planes backed up by 6 inf, they are also enough that russia possibly don’t have enough units to actually stand in bryansk. So the only choise the russians should have at this point should be to retreat to moscow. now I can divert about 10-20 units to the middle east to take stalingrad, caucasus, iran and iraq. the NOs there is hopefully enough to win me the game.
once I am able to stand in rostov and russia has to retreat to moscow, I will start building arts, I will possibly build a minor in rostov also to speed up the process, (while sending enough to the middle east to take if ofc). building 9-12 art/turn in russia should make my stack capable of taking moscow by round 12 or so.
how good this will work is ofc dependent on a few things.
1. how much resources the allies have to send to japan
2. how many russian terrs japan is capable of taking with the 6 mechs they produce each turn, hopefully they could take most stuff east of moscow.
3. how soon the wallies can put a fleet on gib
4. how soon norway falls
5. how much preassure there is on italy
6. when the wallies start landing in bordaux
7. when/if india falls and what japan does then (africa or anzak)
the bombers I plan to build is to be able to both stratbomb moscow and to have against the wallies fleet.
so this is my plan