Germany in Africa

Erelevent if Italy can’t take or hold Egypt.

Italy is NOT taking Egypt w/o German help.  Period.  I have played too many games where Italy struggles to even leave port and engage the British navy in the Med.  A good UK player knows how to reinforce Egypt from the south and India.

Two Words:

Sealion
India Crush

@manincellv:

Italy is NOT taking Egypt w/o German help.  Period.  I have played too many games where Italy struggles to even leave port and engage the British navy in the Med.  A good UK player knows how to reinforce Egypt from the south and India.

techroll is right

if UK is reinforcing the med and or africa/middle east then they leave either calcutta or london (or both) vulnerable and they are tough to defend already without overdoing it in the med

either italy takes over the med in a couple turns or UK is losing a capital in a couple turns

il trade you all of africa and the med for one of your capitals (possibly both) any game lol

And honestly, if Germany is smart with the Luftwaffe/S. France IC and the UK doesn’t invest fully into the Med, the Med can become Italy’s without Sealion/India Crush.

However, most if not all of the Italian Africa Force will have been obliterated by then.

Interesting stuff back then.
How do we engage this situation today?

I think the best way to get rid of axis forces in Africa is still a British invasion on turn 1 from India to Ethopia. Followed by a steady reinforcement from S.Africa and an U.S. operation torch (asap).

The idea of this topic was on how to bring Germany into Africa and/or Egypt.
I wanted to know how in general our gameplay of today has evolved and developed on this.

If the British play well and do Taranto and protect from Sealion, I think the best way for Germany to get to Egypt is via the Caucasus and the Middle East.

Okay,
in this case let the Italians provide the transports. Build them into the Adria. Germany has to protect them with fighters via the S.Italian air base. Move one tank & one infantry per transport to N.Italy.

With the addition of house rules for additional units such as transport planes and paratroopers, this move becomes very simple.  I understand not everyone plays the game this way but aequitas et veritas asked how it has played today and there are more units being intoduced to the game through house rules.

What about having Germany build a minor IC in Romania on G1 and then in Bulgaria on G2? If I’ve got the rules correctly, you can build 3 units a turn out of a minor IC whether the territory is worth big bucks or not. Bulgaria is very easy to take on G1 – you just walk right into it, and it comes with its own free defensive garrison. Like SZ 97 (Yugoslavia / Adriatic), SZ 100 (Bulgaria / Black Sea) is only two sea zones away from Egypt, so you can launch a direct attack on Cairo from transports built in Bulgaria. You can also launch a direct attack on the Caucuses via Bulgarian transports, or send mech. infantry and tanks north to support Barbarossa, or send infantry and artillery to invade Yugoslavia and Greece, both of which are immediately adjacent to Bulgaria.

Having ICs in both Romania and Bulgaria lets you drop six units a turn into the Black Sea – for example, a transport, a carrier, two destroyers, an infantry, and an artillery. You’re very close to Russian planes, but it’s not clear that the Russians can afford to take enough losses in the air to sink that fleet.

Bulgaria’s a weird gateway to Africa, but if you’re just looking to stick a German infantry in Cairo, it might be the best way to do that.

@Argothair:

What about having Germany build a minor IC in Romania on G1 and then in Bulgaria on G2? If I’ve got the rules correctly, you can build 3 units a turn out of a minor IC whether the territory is worth big bucks or not. Bulgaria is very easy to take on G1 – you just walk right into it, and it comes with its own free defensive garrison. Like SZ 97 (Yugoslavia / Adriatic), SZ 100 (Bulgaria / Black Sea) is only two sea zones away from Egypt, so you can launch a direct attack on Cairo from transports built in Bulgaria. You can also launch a direct attack on the Caucuses via Bulgarian transports, or send mech. infantry and tanks north to support Barbarossa, or send infantry and artillery to invade Yugoslavia and Greece, both of which are immediately adjacent to Bulgaria.

Having ICs in both Romania and Bulgaria lets you drop six units a turn into the Black Sea – for example, a transport, a carrier, two destroyers, an infantry, and an artillery. You’re very close to Russian planes, but it’s not clear that the Russians can afford to take enough losses in the air to sink that fleet.

Bulgaria’s a weird gateway to Africa, but if you’re just looking to stick a German infantry in Cairo, it might be the best way to do that.

I thought Bulgaria was only worth 1 IPC.

Also, you can’t pass through the Turkish straits unless you own Turkey.

Right, Bulgaria is only worth 1 IPC, but with a minor factory there, you should still be able to build 3 units per turn there. Also, yes, this would be part of a neutral crush strategy. You have to conquer Turkey to get out of the Black Sea and into Egypt. On the bright side, this keeps Britain from attacking your fleet with boats until you’re ready for it to launch – the same Turks that keep you bottled in also keep the UK sealed out.

An attack on Africa and the Middle East via Turkey is maybe the easiest way to go. Turkey can’t be sunk like some transports.
But on the other hand you have to prepare it wisely; just think of the 6 inf in Sweden you have to deal with to get you’re iron ore (5IPC’s) and the potential allied beachhead in the iberian peninsular guarded by 8 infantry. Not to mention 4 mujahedin from Afghanistan ready to protect India from Japan.

Personally, if Germany wants troops in Africa before the game has (most likely) already be lost or won regardless, I think taking Southern France for fleetbuilding starting on GE2 or building a fleet GE1 in the Atlantic are the best options.
Since the axis have the initiative, Germany and Japan can (and must) closely coordinate because Germany doesn’t want the USA to interfere. For example by preventing the Kriegsmarine from passing into the med through Gibraltar.

But whatever is decided, Germany must recognize that they should not focus too much on Africa, because Russia is the main enemy and it must be isolated at least. I think Germany can safely invest between 30 and 40IPCs in ships without loosing its ability to force Russia to retreat into Moscow. Taking Moscow early would be a bridge too far with so many ships built, but after turn 12 or so, this can still become an option again if the axis isolated Russia effectively enough (taking Russian economy down to <15IPCS/turn), without loosing the power advantage.

@Argothair:

Right, Bulgaria is only worth 1 IPC, but with a minor factory there, you should still be able to build 3 units per turn there. Also, yes, this would be part of a neutral crush strategy. You have to conquer Turkey to get out of the Black Sea and into Egypt. On the bright side, this keeps Britain from attacking your fleet with boats until you’re ready for it to launch – the same Turks that keep you bottled in also keep the UK sealed out.

You can only build a minor factory in territories worth at least 2 IPCs.

My mistake – I was looking at the Europe 1940 rules, and didn’t see the 2 iPC restriction.

@ItIsILeClerc:

But whatever is decided, Germany must recognize that they should not focus too much on Africa, because Russia is the main enemy and it must be isolated at least. I think Germany can safely invest between 30 and 40IPCs in ships without loosing its ability to force Russia to retreat into Moscow. Taking Moscow early would be a bridge too far with so many ships built, but after turn 12 or so, this can still become an option again if the axis isolated Russia effectively enough (taking Russian economy down to <15IPCS/turn), without loosing the power advantage.

30 to 40 IPC’s?
That’s a Carrier plus 2x TT’s and a DD combined with Ita Fleet an nice matchup.
So you should get 4 Units over to Egypt every other turn and you should be a nice threat.