So I’ve been toying around with a J1 DOW with the intent to take Hawaii on J2.
This is how the board looks for the US after Japan ends her turn:
Japan:
SZ6: 1 SS 2 DD 1 CR 1 BB 4 TT
SZ25: 1 DD
SZ26: 1 DD
SZ31: 3 CV 3 Ftr 3 Tac 1 BB 1 CR 1 TT
Japan: 1 Ftr 1 Bomber 6 Inf 2 Art 1 Arm
Korea: 10 Inf
Wake: 1 Inf 1 Art
Marshall Islands: 1 Ftr 1 Tac 2 Bomber
FIC: 2 Inf
Hunan: 1 Inf
Kwangtung: 2 Inf 1 Art
Kwangsi: 6 Ftr 4 Tac
Anhwe: 6 Inf 2 Art
Chahar: 2 Inf 1 Art 1 Mech
Yunnan is Chinese Held
Hawaiian Aircraft did not scramble (3 Ftr, 3 Tac, 2 Bomber, 1 SS, 1 DD were sent)
With that board laid out, how would you plan your US purchase on US1?
More importantly, would you reinforce Hawaii and send your outgunned fleet to its demise?
Would you send everything possible to defend Hawaii?
Would you try to block the Japanese landing by moving to Midway?
Would you send ANZAC’s CR from NZ to SZ26? What about all 3 Ftr?
I’m fully aware of the impact that this creates on Japan economically, but assuming Hawaii goes well, I intend to purchase 2 Bombers on J2 and be able to have the 3 Bombers (1 Japan, 2 Marshall Islands) fly back from Wake, plus the 2 from Japan to the mainland to support the large Airforce already there.
The intention is not to gain ground, but to use the current ground units as fodder to eliminate the larger stacks and/or artillery builds of the Chinese until I can get produced units onto the mainland.
Assuming all goes well, I have the choice to either return all my TT to SZ6 on J3 and be able to land the 10 Inf from Korea on the mainland on J4 to turn China around OR leave aircraft in Hawaii and then proceed straight to ANZAC on J3.
The entire premise of this is that by sinking the US fleet on J2 AND taking Hawaii, the US won’t be able to build enough of a force to reclaim Hawaii until round 4 or 5. US2 would be a naval build to defend SF, US3 would be a mix of TT and supporting naval, US4 could be a landing depending on how empty Hawaii is, if not, the filling of TT with offensive units capable of taking Hawaii.
With that in mind, being able to sack Sydney on J4 (trading aircraft for minimal ground units), Flip on J5 from produced units on J3 and J4, its entirely possible to win and have the US spend nearly all its income in the Pacific for 5+ rounds - which leaves the UK and Russia on islands in Europe until at the earliest probably Round 7 or 8 before the US can intervene at all.