Ultimate Axis strategy

I’m moving this to the A&A thread. Thanks for posting it!

Knocking Russia out of the war is the main focus of the German campaign. How could you argue with the starting 90 Allied IPC Vs 57 Axis IPC? Your only hope of staying in the war, as Axis, is to use your superior forces before the eventual build-up tests your nerve.

With that said, I’ve seen far too many german players cringe in horror as the die go terribly wrong. Because of that fact, I wait till G2 to strike Kerelia. G1 sets the stage for that.

I’m new to these boards, but the little I’ve read seems to agree on an Allied superiority. I think the Allied have an IPC advantage only, and that the early game is entirely Axis.

The only thing that the Axis need for a resounding victory is nerve.

Doing what you must do, will see all those lovingly assembled stacks destroyed. Those, and so many more. It is essential that the Axis use what they have early, as you have no chance of winning the build-up.

Assuming Eastern Europe is not attacked, then

G1: Purchase 1 CV ( 18 ), 2 armor (10) and 1 inf (3). You get 1 IPC back.

Combat movement

1. Amphibious assault at Egipt. Attack the Sub with your bomber and the Ukraine fighter (fighter only if Ukraine German at G1). Transport loads 2 inf at S Europe, moves to Sub’s sea zone, and unloads when sub is dead or retreated. 2 inf + 1 tank from from Libya plus 1 fighter from from E Europe to Egipt. Note, the BB at S Europe stays to protect the CV from brit bomber (gibraltar landing possible)

2. Sink the BB at Gibraltar. Sneak attack with atlantic sub. Fly one fighter from Finland. Retreat fighter to algeria if sub lost.

3. Sneak attack brit BB and trans with Germany’s sub. Add Germany and W Europe fighter, as well as Germany’s transport.

Combat

What can I say, you’ve done this before. If you had the nerve and mediocre luck you took Egipt, and destroyed the fleet at GB, you boght yourself a bread basket, and strangled the Atlantic.
If the Gibraltar BB made it…that’s what the carrier and your BB are for. That, and the indiscriminate sinking of Allied navy in the Atlantic

Note:
a. if the brit sub retreated across the cannal, he can no longer pass through it, as you own half.
b. it is critical that a naval unit remains at the GB sea zone. It blocks naval passage for one turn, and thus, allied reinforcement of Russia.

Non combat movement

1. Egipt bomber lands at Algeria. Gibraltar fighter lands at Algeria. Inf there stays and looks west
2. All surviving fighters land at EE.
3. Move all Germany’s inf into EE.
4. Ukraine’s 2 armor to EE.
5. W Europe’s 2 armor to Germany
6. Unless you need the tank in S Europe, leave it for Africa.

Collect income

34 IPC minus any loss in Russia.

Place units
CV in S Europe, Inf and tanks in Germany.

Note: at least 2 fighters are needed to meet with the Axis fleet at either Gibraltar or Atlantic sea zones (Brit BB Variant)

If fortune was with you, then you were not attacked at EE on R1 and you succeded at your goals with at least two fighters, and a transport left at GB sea zone.

If it wasn’t, then you were attacked at EE, failed to blockade the GB sea zone.

You can deal with the EE penetration, and the navy on G2.

Either way, you’re very much in the game, and have a few ipc strewn on the way to the Caucassus.

J1…Pacific fleet dies, W USA blockaded from pearl (could die at U1, but you never know…) bridging comences at Manchuria.

T2 & T3 may be excruciatingly painfull for the Axis, but pay the price and you will be in Moscow by G3-4.

Cheers!

I love Japan. Just thought I’d add my personal preference. I can wreak havoc all over with Japan and be in Moscow within 4 turns. I wanted to help germany. GB is useless without a navy. They are “dead in teh water”. I spend my money on planes to make sure that GB cannot splash down a navy. I buy at least one plane per turn and then spend the rest on INf and AMR. It is a slower march through Africa and a slower attack on Russia but if the rolls are right I can wear down russia enough that Japan can come in the back door.

If Japan takes Moscow then Germany can turn its full attention to building a navy in the med and building up in africa. Meanwhile GB is just got a bazillion things sitting on the land and no way to go anywhere.

Word of caution. I have played this many times and it has played to a “battle of attrition”. Germany and GB lose tons. Japan usually copmes to save the day but it can go sour if the rolls go against you.

mike

@ubernyaw:

I used to use that strategy quite some time, but perhaps the main weakness is when I attack Karelia on G2 or later, my friends playing as England have put several fighters and infantry there, basically screwing over any such attack.

If you have a naval unit in GB sea zone at the end of G1, the Allies cannot reinforce ground troops to Karelia. If they chose to expend 1-3 of their precious fighters, the only true defence of GB, then they will die on the ground as you roll into Karelia. That would only make GB weak, as they only have like 5 ground units on the island. Remember, there is a CV getting ready to completely lock down GB sea zone, thus blocking reinforcements of both GB and Russia, and withing striking distance of any convoy headed for Algeria.

Reinforcements are just a fear, nothing more. All the allies can do is either build bombers & hope for a 6/6 on a tech roll, or build a US fleet in the Atlantic. That leaves Japan free to harvest ipc, and pour troops into Asia.

Cheers!

@ubernyaw:

This is because not only does the fighter hit 2 out of 3 times, but it has a lot of infantry cannon fodder to protect it. It may not halt a german offensive, but it will gash it’s wrists and let it bleed for a good long time, making Karelia really vulnerable to a Russian counter attack.

Very true. It does play out that way sometimes. I do feel, however, that the risk is worth it. Two out of three times I’ll have enough to withstand the counter-attack at Karelia. If I don’t, oh well…it is a team effort after all. The Russians will be in worst shape than Germany, so let the Japs take it, I’m not particular. So long as Russia falls by T4-5, then it’s all good.

I’m not disagreeing with your preference. I have won many a map without going all-out. It’s just that, after playing dozens of games as Germany, this is the strategy that wins me the most maps. I simply don’t like to dance to the Allies tune…build-up.

Cheers!

I agree with you completely on your strategy for Germany. But I would suggest that planing on conquering Germany on the second turn is very ambitious of you. Any skilled Soviet player would easily be able to hold off your invasion until the third or forth turn with a little help from the UK.

Yea I meant Russia. IE spell messed it up. It deleted half a sentence. And on the topic of the RAF I think they can be more usefully by directly assaulting Germany in either Western Europe of Norway. This will draw some of Germany’s resources away from the Eastern front. Even If the assault on Western Europe fails (and it usually does) It will still have weakened the territory thus allowing the US to come in and take it on their turn providing their transport hasn’t been destroyed and they still have a good portion of their air force. Even if Germany takes Western Europe back on it’s turn it will have had to completely stop its assault against Russia.

Sry about the guest thing. I didn’t realise I wasn’t logged in

The trick to screwing over Russia on the first round is to throw everything, literrally everything at Karelia on the very first round, and buying tons tanks so you can reinforce your front on the second turn. Be prepared to lose Ukraine. The gain, however, is Karelia, and a new factory. Ukraine can be retaken very easily, because of the Russians throw too many troops at Ukraine from Caucausus, Karelia can take Caucausus. If you throw everything at Karelia (planes, tanks, infantry, everything you can possibly mobilize and attack with), you will end up losing only a handful of infantry and an almost impenetrable Karelia.

Make sure that when you land your planes, land them in EE, not Ukraine. You’ll want to concentrate all your forces in one territory. Ukraine can be retaken very easily.

Please note that to increase the ease of moving Afrika Korps over to Libya, you should use all fighters and battleships and subs that you aren’t throwing at Karelia to attack UK’s subs. Make absolutely sure to use up the sub and transport north of Germany (try to sink the battleship and transport), because the UK will surely attack that sub with fighters on their own turn, leaving you totally helpless.

But what if USSR has stockpiled in Kar on R1 with only 1 or 2 inf in Cau?

Re: the German fleet idea…Is the idea to lose German ftrs in the battle for the North Sea? That would be the only way to have a German naval presence in the UK sz ending G1.

The problem is then the UK hits the UK sz with a bmr and 2 ftrs to sink the German fleet. UK may build a CV and trn in the UK sz. If the US flies over 2 ftrs and moves a trn carrying 2 inf to reinforce UK. The German fleet and remaining air power(-2 ftrs to have taken the UK sz) would not be able to handle this.

@Zakes:

The trick to screwing over Russia on the first round is to throw everything, literrally everything at Karelia on the very first round, and buying tons tanks so you can reinforce your front on the second turn. Be prepared to lose Ukraine. The gain, however, is Karelia, and a new factory. Ukraine can be retaken very easily, because of the Russians throw too many troops at Ukraine from Caucausus, Karelia can take Caucausus. If you throw everything at Karelia (planes, tanks, infantry, everything you can possibly mobilize and attack with), you will end up losing only a handful of infantry and an almost impenetrable Karelia.

Supposing Russia doesn’t attack Ukraine and removes the German transport? That puts the odds in Russia’s favor, and even if you do take it, it’s possible that Britain will recapture Karelia, thus allowing the Russians to place more infantry there, allowing a quick capture of Germany and so on.

If I am playing Russia, I know that I have to maintain the big K for the first 2 or 3 rounds bofore the US gets the shuck going and the UK can throw some RaF squads down. All I focus on is keeping the K and pulling back and setting up deadzones on the Asian front…if Germany somehow pulls off the dice trick and takes K on that first round, they are so open to counter attack on so many fronts the game end rather quickly. Usually I play Germany buying all INF for the first 3 rounds creating a nice wall…by that time Japan is est. themselves in Asian and the game starts to get a little more fun for the Germans.

The first strategy above…
G buys nutin but arm … a desperate gamble cause if he loses he’s got no backup and … he LOSES!

Another idee in thar …
G buys 1 cv, 2 arm & 1 inf … If UK buys a cv & trn … US sends its trn & flies 2 ftr to land on the UK cv … If G attacks with Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe then G will have little left to counter multiple fronts. Der gamen ist kaput.

i always play russia and always japan always takes over the whole east side of russia china easily which i think gives them a huge advantage which really sucks

i like a man who grins when he fights
-winston churchill

i always play russia and always japan always takes over the whole east side of russia china easily which i think gives them a huge advantage which really sucks

What strategies do you use? The best thing to do is consolidate Russia’s forces in Yakut. The other Allies can help by building ICs in Sinkinang/India or (preferred method of many) combining to take out Germany before Japan can take out Russia.

Usually I play Germany buying all INF for the first 3 rounds creating a nice wall…by that time Japan is est. themselves in Asian and the game starts to get a little more fun for the Germans.

Yup, that’s usually my play as well… the only thing I tend to do is when I see Russia getting too many INF in say Karelia, I’ll launch a little “spoiler” attack on them using all of the armour in order to reduce them by say 6-7 INF… usually I’ll lose a bit as well, but the trick is to keep things even up… to not allow them to launch the offensive until Japan gets going.

Russia on her own will never be able to outbuy Germany (save taking a lot of territory elsewhere which is unlikely) nor does Russia posess in the early game any kind of real offensive force. So they must try and play the defense, but if they do not get help from UK/ USA by T3 at latest (I mean by T3 troops had better be pouring in to help) they’re in trouble.

Also, buying tanks for Germany is a bad idea… go heavy INF and maybe by G3 throw in a tank or so (using that extra IPC you get from taking over all of Africa)

kyri,
I agree. G buys most inf(maybe the C Med trn), with the occassional arm if ya got 2 additional IPCs. The arm G starts with should be good for 2-3 attacks so no need to go ARM HEAVY. Inf fodder needed with arm support so that if you have to lose it you don’t lose the ftrs(more flexible)!

@El:

kyri,
I agree.  G buys most inf(maybe the C Med trn), with the occassional arm if ya got 2 additional IPCs. The arm G starts with should be good for 2-3 attacks so no need to go ARM HEAVY. Inf fodder needed with arm support so that if you have to lose it you don’t lose the ftrs(more flexible)!

Glad to see some more rational discussion. Taking out Russia in two turns - or 3 is not going to happen against a halfway decent player. Concentrating everything on Karelia leaves the Atlantic so open that the US and UK and start the shuck shuck by Round 3.

I think the best Germ option is to buy 9 inf and 1 arm on G1, and stick with roughly that purchase plan until it’s certain a knockout blow has been prepared for the USSR. In the meantime, hopefully Japan is making headway in Asia and can start to carve up Russian territory. However, if the Allies employ the Asian Wall strategy in conjunction with the purchase of all factory units (board limit) then this may take awhile. What’s nice about a heavy inf mix is that if the Axis is forced into a Fortress Europe strategy they’ve already got a lot of defensive units (though that’s normally a slow death plan).

@Zakes:

The trick to screwing over Russia on the first round is to throw everything, literrally everything at Karelia on the very first round, and buying tons tanks so you can reinforce your front on the second turn.

I initially thought so as well.  But these folks showed me the implementation of US and UK strategies that I had never seen developed to the level they use them that preclude Germany from HOLDING Karelia to be able to build there in G2.

To take Karelia against the best defensive buildup that Russia can muster requires your Air Force.  But if you use your Air Force against Karelia, the UK navy is intact, and does an amphib in Karelia (2 BB’s, 3 fighters, 1 bomber, 2 INF, 1 tank) to kick Germany’s few remaining forces out in UK1.

Even if UK fails to kick Germany out of Karelia, what forces does Germany have left?  2 INF in Western, 4 INF and a tank in Eastern, 1-3 tanks in Karelia, 2 fighters, and a bomber; and their “total tank” build of 6 tanks in Germany.  That is a BEST case survival scenario.

Going forward against this, you have Russia building 7 (or more) INF per round, UK with a “full” transport fleet to use against Germany and the US also with a transport fleet that starts hitting Germany in US3.

Believe me, I used to agree whole heartedly with you, but failing to take out the Allied naval forces in the 1st and 2nd rounds is certain quick death for Germany.  And without them, you can;t crack Karelia.  Even if you can, you can;t crack it with enough force to threaten Russia the following round.