@aaFiendish:
Karelia now has 8 inf + 3 arm + 2 fighters + 8inf build. You have previously said that you go all out against russia, I wonder if this means that if eastern europe is not taken if this is what you do?
Actually at that point I would try a slight shift… crack the “free” nuts south of Karelia, taking IPC’s equivalent to 1 INF from Russia, and posting land forces on Russia’s border, as many as I can get there: all of my tanks, infantry including Med transport and a support shot to kill that lone Caucus INF). If I read your post right on number of forces in Karelia, there will be nothing in Russia proper (unless moved in from the Japan front). If I still hold Eastern, then the INF flows forward giving Russia and equally ugly nut to try to crack.
And since I am looking at small-scale attacks against Russia, my AF is currently out of a job. Oh, is that UK navy there? Not for long.
Then a rather interesting move after that land-forces build by Germany, a large number of fighters coming from Japan. Let’s see, Manchuria can reach (probably still exists if Russia sent it’s fighter to Karelia instead of to help with Manchuria), Southeast Asia fighter can reach. Bomber can reach. The other 3 fighters will be there next round unless you take Caucuses back; something you HAVE to do unless you want to build in Russia proper instead of Karelia.
So let’s see, that makes R2’s move re-taking Caucuses against 3 tanks, 2-5INF, 2 fighters and a bomber. Not an easy fight, but certainly winnable using those Karelia forces. Good, use them. Against that force, you are going to need a pretty sizable chunk of those Karelia forces… a sizable chunk that will not be IN Karelia when Germany hits you in Round 2… before UK has even re-built that navy (since so many advocate building in UK2), let alone started using it to Transport, ditto for US transports.
Sure, as Germany I have skeletal forces throughout Europe (except my G2 buy in Germany proper, enough to stand up against the 1 UK transport that can reach, IF UK built navy in UK1). But Finalnd/Norway still exists (if Russia attacks Finland so much the better, my fighter is a 4 then and my INF 2s, even more Russia forces spent), Eastern Europe looks like Karelia, a large protion of my fighters and my bomber survived killing UK’s navy. And you either have my previously mentioned force on Russia’s doorstep with nothing in Russia to stop it, or you attacked Caucuses pulling about a third to half of your strength from Karelia to do it, or you built in Russia not adding to your Karelia forces.
If you attacked Caucuses or built in Russia, I fall on a Karelia held with 15 or so INF and a few fighters, and repeat the Caucuses amphib landing if my Med fleet is still alive. Or I’ll take that Caucuses strike force and walk into Russia taking 20-some IPC’s (even if I can;t hold it, the monetary boost blows the game for the Allies) I’ll take those odds, every time you want to give them to me.
So yes, I am still “all against Russia”, but with the caveat of blowing the UK fleet out of the water so I need not worry about it in G2. One way or another, Russia is going to have to attack me, in force in R2, otherwise Russia falls in round TWO, or at worst Karelia falls; and those 3 Japan fighters that moved to the continent in J1 that could not reach Caucuses, well they are landing in Karelia (or Russia) now.
UK, USA, your 2nd move?