How can Japan help if Germany does Sealion


  • So I’m just wondering what you guys think about any possible ways that Japan can help if Germany does Sealion. I have heard it said that even if Germany is successful with Sealion, Russia is so strong by then that they can overwhelm Germany.

    So can Japan help by say building a minor factory in Manchuria and sending in 3 tanks per turn against Russia? Or hurry up and get through China to start attacking Russia? Will either of these things make Russia divert units east?


  • No, Japan is way too far away from Moscow to threaten anything so early. By the time they get close to Moscow, the Russians may already be in Berlin.


  • @madscientist:

    So I’m just wondering what you guys think about any possible ways that Japan can help if Germany does Sealion. I have heard it said that even if Germany is successful with Sealion, Russia is so strong by then that they can overwhelm Germany.

    So can Japan help by say building a minor factory in Manchuria and sending in 3 tanks per turn against Russia? Or hurry up and get through China to start attacking Russia? Will either of these things make Russia divert units east?

    IMHO, the best way for Japan to help Germany with Sea Lion (maybe the only way) is for Japan to NOT declare war on the allies.  Just whale the cr-p out of China, and leave India, Australia, and the Philippines well enough alone.  London gets mighty lonely without any US support on Germany-3 with all those boats loaded up for invasion.

  • '15

    You do Sea Lion only if London lets you do it. That is something that should be made clear. Germany never makes the actual decision on whether or not you’ll see a Sea Lion in a game, Britain does. Very unlucky dice aside, if you get overwhelmed by Russians after a Sea Lion, then you shouldn’t have tried it at all. You should still be able to hold the Russian front, or even probably push up to Novgorod (assuming you didn’t lose your German transports). Sadly, you probably won’t be able to get much further, and Russia may even manage to push you out of Novgorod and back to the original front.

    In a Sea Lion game, Germany must try to support Italy, break even with Russia, as well as defend its Atlantic coastline. It’s going to be a long game, yes, but it’s definitely not hopeless. Italy must capitalize heavily on the lack of British investment in Africa (for at least two turns, and if they’re lucky, three), and with big brother Germany protecting it, make any kind of hard push into Egypt/Middle East that it can.

    The best thing Japan can do after a Sea Lion to support Europe is win. If America must send IPCs to the Atlantic to liberate London, that gives Japan some extra time. Not declaring war until J3 is viable, yes, but so too is J1. Make America pay for diverting some of its money: expand, expand, kill, kill, expand. By the time America pays attention to you again, be making more money than it is. You help Europe by rising the mother-����ing sun over the Pacific.


  • @calvinhobbesliker:

    No, Japan is way too far away from Moscow to threaten anything so early. By the time they get close to Moscow, the Russians may already be in Berlin.

    Soviets are usually stopped long before they reach Berlin

  • '15

    @ghr2:

    @calvinhobbesliker:

    No, Japan is way too far away from Moscow to threaten anything so early. By the time they get close to Moscow, the Russians may already be in Berlin.

    Soviets are usually stopped long before they reach Berlin

    In a Sealion game?  The only time I’ve seen Russia fail to invade Germany in a Sealion game was when the US did absolutely nothing to help in the Atlantic.  If the US puts significant resources into the Atlantic early on then a Sealion is doomed to failure

  • '15

    If you see a J1, sometimes America (or at least I sometimes do it) will dump the first 52 into the Atlantic just in case, and then after that dump everything in the Pacific. From the Atlantic seaboard, those units can still get to Hawaii in 2 (or 1 if they’re planes) turns, so there’s not a big detriment to spending US 1 in the Atlantic.

    Just keep that in mind that a J1 is not an automatic and full Pacific buy for the US on US 1.

    Some people on here even talk about doing US 1 and most of 2 in the Atlantic before swapping to the Pacific.


  • OK so what if Japan does something like this:

    J1

    Build 1 minor IC, 1 tank, 1 inf and 1 mech inf.

    use sz 6 transport to drop off 2 inf in Siberia. drops Russia’s economy by 1. May help Germany in turn 3.
    take Chahar with 2 inf and 1 art from Jehol. Important: also move in mech inf from Manchuria to Chahar!

    Attack China wherever else. Don’t attack UK or US or Anzac!

    use sz 19 trn to non-combat 1 inf and 1 tank to Jehol.

    Place minor IC in Manchuria. Place everything else in Tokyo.

    J2

    Build 3 tanks, maybe another trn and maybe a minor IC for Shanghai.

    Attack Suiyuyan with units from Chahar and tank from Jehol. If China placed 4 inf there, use as many planes as you need to take it with minimal losses.

    Attack China elsewhere, take Soviet Far East with 1 inf from Siberia.

    Non-combat 2 inf and 1 mech inf and 1 tank to Jehol.

    Place 3 tanks in Manchuria.

    J3

    Attack Kansu with units from Suiyuyan and as many planes as necessary. Japan is now on Russia’s border on J3.

    Attack China with whatever else.

    Non-combat 1 mech inf and 1 tank from Jehol to Suiyuyan.

    Non-combat 3 tanks from Manchuria to Chahar.

    Position Japan to take money islands and attack UK.

    J4

    Units from Kansu and Suiyuyan attack Novosibirsk. Is Russia going to do anything about this?

    J5

    Units from Novosibirsk attack Samara. Is Russia going to do anything about this?

    Can Germany hang on till turn 5?

  • '14 Customizer

    On Turn 4 you will have 2 inf + 2 mech + 2 tanks + 1 art assuming you don’t lose anything along the way.  If Russia buys 2 tanks or diverts 2 fighters they can wipe that out with the 6 inf moving from Bury with a 90%. The 3 tanks from Kansu can outrun the 12 inf + 2 AA guns but you cant show up on Moscow’s border with 3 tanks and expect to survive. So the 3 tanks from Kansu will have to pair up with the 3 tanks from Char (Assuming you purchased 3 tanks at the Shanghai IC turn 3)  They will be destroyed by 12 inf and only 1 tank or fighter from Moscow at 94%.

    You could chase the Siberians with a large inf stack but your going to be losing a lot of ground in China I think.

  • '15

    I have to think that much focus on Russia would leave Japan too exposed in the water and on the coast.

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