New Axis strategy….has not failed yet....

In my play group there’s a guy who takes S. Euro with Germany and starts to build a small navy there. With the Italians, that combined fleet is enough to bottle the allies at Gib for a long time. I’ve seen it come out of the med from time to time depending on the situation, but usually he just drops enough men to hold Gib for a very long time. Without an allied presence in the med, Italy can typically make a lot of $$$ and either build a defensive force for Germany while they press towards USSR, move into the middle east and threaten USSR’s underbelly/India, take out UK’s SAF IC, or some combo of the above. It seems very hard to stop if done right, but I’ve yet to play with or against him when he’s the European axis and does this, so I don’t know the details of what happens in between my tours of the others’ boards when I’m waiting for my opponent to take his turn.

I have won before by having Germany march down to India, but not through Turkey.  Push the Russians back to Moscow then go down the middle east.  The Allies think you are going for Egypt, and maybe you are.  You make more money this way than attacking neutrals.  Do it just right and the allies spend mountains of cash defending Egypt, but then you turn left at Persia while Japan intimidates Hawaii.

Plausible but all cheesey gambits, the clock starts to run out on you as soon as the enemy figures out what you are doing.  If your enemy has seen the gambit before, they will know what you are up to and will figure out a loophole.

To repeat what Cow was mooing, USA bombers can go to New Zealand then calcutta in 2 turns.

Agree with Wittman

Taking out SZ 97 is the most crucial move for UK 1.  Even if Germany is threatening Sealion all UK has to do is send the strategic bomber + the SZ 98 fleet (assuming a sub bid) and they have a 78% chance against a 3 fighter scramble.  The only other viable option is buying an air base and Non combating the SZ 98 fleet over to Gibraltar.  This is an inferior move in my opinion.  Smashing Italy’s Cruiser, transport and BB on turn 1 is just so good.

I usually never can~~'t~~ afford that much stuff in SA or an airbase because of the sealion threat (for the first two rounds at least).  Gotta buy either 9 Inf or 6 Inf/1 Ftr in London turn 1.  I mentioned fast units in SA after the Sealion threat is waned to get units to Cairo ASAP.

Typical German turn leaves all UK ships save 1 DD, 1 TT in SZ 109 and 1 CRU off Spain left.  Most German players I play buy at least a TT and a SS as part of their first turn buy, which leaves a Sealion visable with a 9-10 TT buy turn 2.

In my opinion, it’s important to try and take out both UK DD’s, one SZ w/a BB in it, usually SZ111 and SZ112. And also take out the Transports, which means SZ109 has to go. I know that’s a lot to ask of the Germans, especially SZ109, since the UK can scramble 4 FTR’s. The only other strategy I believe is to take 2 Subs and attack the CC in SZ91, instead of attacking SZ109 and then use the 3rd German sub to attack SZ111. Or, you could take the 3rd German sub against SZ106 to ensure the DD’s & Trans death. That way, the UK only has 1 DD that can counter attack the 2 or 3 subs(depending on how many survive) in SZ106. You can use the German subs to take away some IPC’s in the convoy zones. The BB & DD in SZ111 is easily taken out w/the 3 FTR’s & 3 Tacs you can get on it. Yes, you may lose 1 FTR most likely but it’s well worth it to kill a UK BB.

didn’t have time to read all of it, but one thing that has probably not been mentioned;

when germany is capable of taking moscow, then, it is time to retreat, if you alow his stack to kill you in moscow, and then turn south, it is hard to defend cairo, if you retreat from moscow, and force him to keep his stack there, then that stack will not turn south. at this point you will prolly only collect like 8 ipc anyways, while your army should be worth at least 250 IPC, prolly like 300, do not let him kill it for half the number of IPC, then it is far better to let him get moscow, and keep retreating, forcing him to either build a completly new army to attack cairo over land, or to alow you back into moscow at some point.

I will try it next game I play, probably use it for Italy, since they need the Navy the most.