What to do with British fighter off of India?


  • Wow, I missed that the bomber can reach. That’s a tremendously strong move move. It’s probably better than any other move by 10 IPC at least. (BTW I think you mean option 1 not 7. 7 is landing in Hawaii.) I have a sudden urge to raise the axis bid.


  • I usually attack the Solomons sub and land on the U.S. carrier, but I never realized that bomber can reach before…silly of me.

    We don’t use bids in my RL group here either…

    Interesting… :-D

  • 2007 AAR League

    Usually attacks Fic and lands in China.


  • I have used 3 of thsoe options, and which one depends on the game.

    Most common is indeed Egypt Counter Attack on UK1.

    Second is SZ59 and land in China

    Third is attack Solomons Sub and land on US AC at Pearl.


  • Using the UK bomber against Anglo is possible but risky.  Germany will often have a fighter at Libya that can be used to hit an isolated bomber.

  • 2007 AAR League

    @newpaintbrush:

    Using the UK bomber against Anglo is possible but risky.  Germany will often have a fighter at Libya that can be used to hit an isolated bomber.

    Indeed I never knew that it could reach but now even after seeing it I don’t know if I will do it.


  • In general, it is a suicide run.

    But, depending on your Allied strat, it CAN be viable.

    Still is sub-optimal in most cases.

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    Where do you land the bomber after you hit Egypt with it on UK1?  And how do you stop Germany from getting a free bomber kill with her fighters on G2?


  • Usually you drop the bomber in . . . I forget, one of the zones southwest or south of Anglo-Egypt Sudan.  If you leave it in Trans-Jordan, Germany will DEFINITELY smash the bomber with its Med transport.

    You don’t stop Germany from getting a free bomber kill.

    That’s the point, using a bomber on Africa almost certainly means a dead bomber.


  • If the transport is off Gibralter land bomber in Trans-Jordan. Cover with a Russian tank. (R1 have one in Kazah of Caucus if you atack Belo. Build one in Caucus if you attack Ukraine. Have one in Caucus if you strafe Ukraine.) This makes it 55% to kill fighter, 50% to kill bomber. You lose 2 IPC on average but by taking out egypt you’ve gained ~20IPC. I suppose if you have no Russian tank and you don’t want to leave India with 1 Infantry you’ll only gain 5 IPC trading bomber for Africa and landing in Hawaii would be better.

    If the transport (and Battleship) is off Egypt and the German sub is not off Gibralter I’m not as worried about Africa because allies can do a combined landing in Algeria and dare the Luftwafe to suicide against them.

    Even with the sub the landing is still favorable for the allies unless the Germans have bomber and four fighters in position to hit the landing.

    If Germans have air, 3 in Egypt, transport/BB off Egypt and sub off Gibralter then the only chance to save is the suicide bomber and you’ll have to decide if it’s worth it.

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    Okay, you put it in Italian East Africa.  As Germany I take the fighter I landed in Libya and kill it.  You put it in Kenya, I kill it.  You put it in Trans-Jordan, I kill it.  You put it in French Equitorial Africa I kill it.

    I just don’t see anywhere to land that bomber safely.  It really helps retake Egypt, and that’s great and all, but you just secured 6 IPCs at the cost of 15 and you’ll loose those 6 anyway if Germany reinforces Africa before America get’s in securely.


  • And that is 1 less FIG that can be used elsewhere, and if the BOM lands in FEA, then that FIG is stuck ANOTHER round in Africa instead of going back to Europe to help with the “main” attacks" after being used to take Egypt on G1.

    Also, if you are using the FIG to kill the BOM in FEA, then that FIG also is not being used to re-take Egypt on G2, increasing German casualties for the attack there.


  • Could the fighter actually reach the US carrier?  What path does it take?


  • 0ff India-Off East Indies- Off New Guinea-Off Solomon to attack - Off Hawaii

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    Problem with that is you still loose the fleet in the Pac.  You MIGHT actually get a kill, but you’re trading 10 IPCs for 8-10 and no better position.

    You land in Bury and you force Japan to protect new transports off Japan, means less on Hawaii.  Means he cannot attack Bury on J1 either.  That’s +1 IPC for Russia, potentially +8 IPCs for America and no cost to England.


  • Actually, if the FIG goes to hawaii, the cost to Japan will be 10-16, maybe even 24 IPC’s.  The core Pearl Fleet can kill the sub and DST and wound the BB (in a typical fight).  Add another 2 probable hits from 2 rounds of that FIG, and you start taking out Japan FIGs, or the AC, or a BOM… or with some really hot Allied dice, A BB.

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    I usually only get 1 hit with the Pearl fleet.  That’s a damaged BB.

    Now, let’s assume the fighter missed the Sub on passing.  We have 1 SS, 1 BB, 1 AC, 2 FIG, 1 BMB vs 1 AC, 2 FIG, 1 SS.  Japan get’s 4 hits on round 1.  Allies get 2 hits.  That’s 1 damaged BB and one dead sub.  Cost 8, Reward 44.

    Though, personally I hope to get at least hte American sub out before it dies if I can.  So maybe Cost 8, Reward 36.  Without british plane it could be Cost 0, Reward 26.  Net 2 saved by the Allies.  Meanwhile, that plane can be used to harass Germany or Japan.


  • I can;t remember the last time that Japan did not lose 2 ships to just the US fleet.  3 hits out of 4 rolls has been so prevalent in my last several games that I assume Japan will lose the SUB and DST.


  • Now, let’s assume the fighter missed the Sub on passing.  We have 1 SS, 1 BB, 1 AC, 2 FIG, 1 BMB vs 1 AC, 2 FIG, 1 SS.  Japan get’s 4 hits on round 1.  Allies get 2 hits.  That’s 1 damaged BB and one dead sub.  Cost 8, Reward 44.

    Hmm, this becomes a complicated discussion. A few things here:

    I think you meant to say 1 dest as well in the Japan attack force.

    1 ss + 1 bb + 1 ac + 2 fig + 1 bmb + 1 dest = 20 dice points = 3 and 1/3 hits
    1 ac 2 fig 1 ss = 13 = 2 hits and 1/6 hits

    I think the majority of the time you will see the Americans surviving to round 2 to hit with their fighter, incurring 3 hits total, reducing the Japanese force to 2 fig 1 car 1 bb 1 bomb. The Americans are favored to counter Pearl in this case, so the Japanese would likely instead wish to lose their bomber to keep the destroyer alive.

    A majority of the time, the sub in Solomons will not survive, making the Japanese attack force that more fragile.

    But the Japanese can bring in between 3-4 fighters total, if they really need to. 4 fighters arrive if the Indies carrier moves out east, and 3 is easily achieved just by sending the caroline carrier - the fighter from carolines can land on wake, while a fighter from mainland Japan and 1 from Indies lands on the caroline carrier.

    But the Japanese bringing that much force loses out somewhere. Even bringing the BB as proposed, exposes transports to the Allied airforce. You could compensate by bringing the Indies BB/car to SZ60 to defend, but that leaves the Kwang UK fleet alive, which may later link with the US navy.

    A reinforced Pearl, especially when the Solomon sub is destroyed, and combined with Russian/UK consolidation about Japanese territories, causes the Japanese to give up something. If they go after Pearl, it is no longer an easy decision, they must give up somewhere else or their attack force isn’t generally strong enough, or they have to lose bombers/a fighter in order to preserve the occupying force from a counterattack.

    I

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    Yea, I did forget the Jap DD.

    And yes, IF you kill the Sub in solomons and it doesn’t just submerge.  And IF you get 3 hits in Hawaii you can do damage.

    More often then not I never get hits on the sub and I only get 1 hit with the fighter at Hawaii, if I’m lucky.

    Then again, if I do get 3 or 4 hits, then hellz ya, I’m bringing that BB to Hawaii and sinking the rest of that fleet.  1 Less BB for Japan, maybe even a carrier kill if it’s there.

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