G2 SBR

@kyle47

If you remember, I said how I was going to play a game where the Allies were the Hard AI and the Japanese and the Italians were the Fast AI. Due to the Fast AI’s incompetence (especially regarding Japan, what is in my opinion the most difficult nation to play), I had to carry the whole Axis as Germany by myself, and the first time I tried I failed.

Using your strategy, I was able to achieve great success.

Everything went as planned. I was able to continuously push at the Soviets starting from turn 2, and even though the Soviets captured Finland and Norway, they lost 15 units available to defend Moscow (they were hanging around Scandinavia), and in the end just increased the income I would take when sacking Moscow.

I had two army groups, Army Group North and Army Group Center. A smaller formation in the south was tasked with securing the southern flank, protecting Romania and pushing forward once the Soviets retreated from those areas.

Army Group North moved into the Baltic States, and Army Group Center moved into Eastern Poland at the opening of Barbarossa.

Calculating my troops could sustain it (the huge Soviet stack in Leningrad moved northward to attack Finland as previously mentioned), Army Group North moved into Belarus and Army Group Center into Western Ukraine on turn 3, and consolidated into Bryansk on turn 4.

The Soviets scraped together as many units as they could into Moscow but they couldn’t stop my army (now reinforced with those 10 tanks I bought on turn 2 along with all the tank forces I had at the start of the game that wer still alive), and I sacked Moscow, all my tanks still intact, on turn 5.

This was critical for an Axis win, because, as expected, Japan and Italy were completely ineffective (Japan never got close to fully capturing China, not even by turn 10), and the siphoning of Western Allied resources to deal with Germany allowed Japan to stay in the game as a thorn in the Allies’ side until the end.

The Allies put up a fierce response, ferociously fighting in the Middle East and in the landings against Europe, but were eventually broken by German armies.

Shout out to Italy, who, while totally useless in Africa, did a good job helping me protect Western Europe.

The remainder of the game after the fall of Moscow for Germany consisted of two main operations:

Mopping up operations in the remaining Soviet territories and pushing down southward into the Middle East to get Egypt and the final victory city and retaking Scandinavia from a weak Soviet army.

Breaking up the Allied attacks on Western Europe.

A huge boon came when the Allies declared war on the strict neutrals, and attacks on them tied up 10-20 units.

The Japanese just did whatever at this point, it didn’t really matter.

Long story short, Egypt was captured. I was actually ready to conduct a Sealion for next turn in case Egypt didn’t fall.

The game file (sorry it’s 2.6 prerelease, you’ll have to download it):

2023-9-24-World-War-II-Global-1940-2nd-Edition.tsvg

So yeah, great G2 strategy. I might adopt this as my default move if I’m doing a J1.

@superbattleshipyamato

BBR is a mod by Siredblood. 34 of us played in STL in Feb. Main game in Atlanta in september. Its different which keeps it fun.

PBEM meant play by email but its a euphemism for an asynchronous game (played 1 turn at a time remotely). Today its PABI (Play asynchronously by internet). You can also seralize a live game the same way (leaving it set up and only playing 1 turn a day or week). The “forum” is that people post the turn here on the internet–you publish your Tripple AAA log to this website and then they load that into their version of Tripple AAA, because its not a modern networked style game like Axis and Allies online.

PBM was when people would play chess by post–setting the board up at both their houses and then sending a note, letter or postcard for each move.

It’s a 69% attack against starting units in Leningrad. 49% if they put 1 extra inf in. So they can withdraw 5 troops on the peninsula back to Leningrad and 4 troops from Leningrad - perhaps more if they fly some planes in. In balanced mod, this theory has more merit if marines are bought G1.

The point here is that it slows the Soviet withdrawal to Bryansk. Particularly good if the southern force is sitting in Western Ukraine at the end of USSR1 - they can’t counter attack a force smashing the withdrawing Leningrad forces although may be able to hit a weak German force in Eastern Poland.

@teslas:

This is not a houserule board, but I can’t help it.

“Does not help Moscow.”

Yes it god damn does. The first time you SBR Mosocw you’re taking off from Eastern Poland. Maybe the second time, too.

“Does help Calcutta.”

Not really. Bombers are probably coming from a Kwangsi air base after J2. The only time it’d help them is on J2 itself.

Speaking of which, I usually don’t bomb Calcutta. The potential loss of a strat bomber sucks, and they’re not building more than 2-4 units a turn anyway after UK1, so the first six damage doesn’t matter at all. And then just a couple turns later, their income is so low (2-7/turn) that they’re not building anything that matters much anyway. This is only a very minor influence, but it might matter: if you bomb it, you’re bombing what will be your own factory.

To comment on this part that you added to your original post… once captured, the Major IC with max damage will immediately downgrade to a Minor IC with max damage, so if I really want to use it… it will only cost me 6 IPCs.

Hey… Basic question…just need a clarification!

On Page 17 of Europe,2nd paragraph.

Any number of defending fighters based in a territory that is about to be strategically and/or tactically bombed
can be committed to participate in the defense of that territory’s facilities as interceptors, whether or not there
are attacking fighter escorts. The number of defending fighters that will intercept is decided by the owning
player(s) after the attacker’s Combat Move phase is completed and before the Conduct Combat phase begins.
These fighters cannot participate in other battles during that turn, including a battle in the territory in which
the bombing raid is occurring.

I Bolded the part I would like to make sure is right.

If you are the player who has in coming SBR, can you choose to use Friendly fighters too in your territory? If so, you as the team decide who to kill off if the enemy Escorts hits any of the defending fighters?

If you can use your friendly Fighters in No.1 example, your friendly fighters can still be used in the future turn of that Round?

Thanks BH

I was just scrolling through some archives - I know this thread is 2 years old, but BluGerman maybe you’ll get a notice and it might help in case you feel like reliving an old dream.

This is the best plan for a G2 Novgorod crush I can think of, but it works only if the opportunity exists:
G1
  Buy a carrier and 2 transports.

Kill all the Royal Navy with subs and planes
      I like to strafe 111 with 1 sub, 1 bat, 1 sbom, 1 pair tbom + fig.  The bat automatically repairs next round.
      Be sure to use 2 subs to kill his des/trans in 106 to keep a sea lion pressure up.
  Take Normandy with 1 inf, 1 art, 1 arm
  Take France with all remaining available land units
  Strafe Yugo with 1 pair of planes, 0 arm, retreating to Romania.

Activate Bulgaria with 1 arm
  Activate Finland with 1 inf
  1 pair of planes on your carrier, 1 on Norway, 1 on Poland, and the rest on West Germany.
  Move your arm from Hungary to West Germany.
  Leave your arm in Poland there.
  Move 1 art from Germany to West Germany.
  Move the rest of Germany’s land troops to Poland and Hungary.

You should now have 4 inf, 1 art, 1 arm in West Germany ready to transport to either Novgorod (via 127), Scotland, Gibraltar/Morocco, or even Nenetsia if you’re feeling saucy, depending on the situation.  The rest depends on Russia’s moves.  An attack on Novgorod only works if he moves all of his land troops, including his AAguns, down to Baltic or Belarus in order to make a stand at East Poland, which he probably won’t do after you’ve strafed Yugo.  G2 Novgorod is only feasible if he has no more than 8 inf/art, 2 fig, 1 tbomb there.  You could probably still do it with 9 inf/art, but the odds start declining drastically.  If, however, he’s left Baltic States wide open, then you get to throw another tank in the mix.  Move your whole fleet up so you can bombard with your bat and cru.  Attack with 2 sbombers and 2 pairs of fig/tbomb (from Poland and Norway).  Your planes already on your carrier should move into 127 to prevent him from scrambling, and then land in Finland making room on your carrier for your planes from Norway.  Press into Eastern Poland/Baltic States.  Italy btw should have been building/moving inf and AAguns over to Romania to protect your southern flank.

It’s a devastating move because every inf counts for Russia on a G2, and you’ve just killed 8/9 plus all his planes.  (If he didn’t put his planes up there, then you haven’t lost any planes in the attack either, and you might even have an extra ground unit.)  Plus he’ll need to use at least 2 probably 3 more troops to retake it in order to prevent you from building 3 more tanks.  In which case your 5 inf from Karelia plus planes can retake it in time to build 3 tbombers.  You’d almost certainly take Moscow turn 5.

However, this move is easily preventable by leaving your AAguns there on the first round.  It also prevents you from leaving a fig on Rome, exposing you to a more crippling Taranto.  (You might be able to pull a fig from 110, but if you did that, as England I would find it worthwhile to scramble.)  Also, assuming Russia takes Novgorod back, or if you fail to take it, your fleet will be stranded there for at least 1 turn, lest it expose itself to the RAF without the shelter of West Germany’s aircover.  A successful G2 Novgorod is well worth these costs, but unfortunately you have to take the risk first without any assurance there’ll be a payoff - and there’ll probably won’t be against a seasoned player.  It’s more of a gimmick move - very fun if you can pull it off.

P.S.  I mentioned earlier you should take Normandy.  Usually I’m all for throwing everything into France.  But if G2 Novgorod doesn’t pan out, you’re going to want to use your planes to attack the rest of the British fleet, which might be amassed in 109 under cover of up to 6 scrambling fighters and might be as large as 1 des/2 cru/1 damaged bat, which you don’t want repaired.  Normally, you’d be able to land everything in Brussels, but if you’ve got aircraft in Poland and Norway, you won’t have enough to protect Brussels from a UK1 attack, not even with 3AA guns.  Which is why taking Normandy is crucial.

Well that’s right, Jen, unless circumstances force Germany to plow through some Navy on the way to London.

The 2 TP purchase is crucial to ensuring that the British cannot forgo turn 1 defenses for a G2 Sealion. It also allows for a G2 Barbossa purchase with the TP’s hitting up the Russian coast should you be in such a position, or better positioning for a G3 assault on Russia.