• In the raid, you will sink a battleship, a cruiser, and a transport.  When they counter-attack, they will likely lose three units.  That is a six unit trade for approximately six of your units.  Additionally, you stop them from a 5 buck bonus on turn 1 for not owning the med.

    You can never have your fleet in the Med after turn 1.  Between Italy and Germany, they will be able to decimate your fleet.  It is inevitable.  You can hide it in the Red Sea or in the Atlantic.  Either way, the Italians can position their fleet so that they are safe from your Naval attacks, but can blast your fleet to bits if you enter the Med.

    There are some top players who chose not to always do Taranto, but it is usually a safe strategy.  You get an even trade for your units and get rid of a pesky transport that could be a nightmare if left alone to deliver an additional two troops.

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    @innocentbystander:

    I’m sorry but I just don’t get this Taranto Strategy.� Please excuse me (as I am a newbie to G40, but played A&A for 30 years) but why, why send the entire British Fleet to Davy Jones locker if it isn’t even necessary?

    Just bring the cruiser over from the Atlantic, smack the ships north of Libya with the two fighter planes, lose the cruiser, do Tobrok UK1 (with the strat bomber from London, Tac Bomber from the carrier, and all the land units in North Africa that can hit it), land the strat bomber in the territory next to Tobrok, land the Tac bomber in Cairo for scramble, land both the fighters on the carrier, move the two Int from Egypt to Transjordan to support the French just North, and DON’T MOVE the ships from north of Cairo.� I don’t think the Italian fighters can reach the British fleet and the Italian fleet, all seven ships, they can’t seriously challenge the loaded Aircraft carrier and Tach Bomber scramble.� They are defensive ships not offensive.� And besides, turn one, they are focused on sinking French ships.

    Never leave the Med.� Never let the Italians control it, cut off ALL their money.� And never move the Med fleet in range of the German Luffawaffe. If you want, you can move the ships in India over to Africa and hit the Italians to really put them completely out of the game (turn 1) and totally crank the Brit money.� Then on Turn 2, that India transport is now reinforced the Brit carrier in Cairo.� The Italians can NEVER overpower it.� They don’t make enough money to add to their fleet or airforce.

    What does Taranto gain the Brits?� I don’t want to “grow a pair” because the Italians are always going to scramble (why wouldn’t they) UK can’t hit the Battleship with just overwhelming numbers.� If both only roll par, okay, you sink the battleship but you’ve lost, everything.� I mean everything.� By turn 3, Italy probably has Cairo and by turn 4, a serious challenge to the middle east.� Forget it.� I’ll keep my purely defensive fleet, choke off the Suez Canal and deny Italy the med money.�

    A common circumstance during games with new players is that Italy will dominate all of Africa and the middle east due to a very passive UK player. The Taranto raid is simply a quick show and tell demonstrating that an aggressive UK player can neutralize Italy. Perhaps my use of the phrase “grow a pair” was immature and disrespectful and I apologize, my goal was to address the courage needed to try a Taranto raid for the first time… like I myself once needed. Your strategy seems very sound and others have brought to my attention strategies very similar, I look forward to shooting my next UK strategy video where I give more options as I am always learning myself. However, the Taranto raid is still viable and used by many experienced players on tripleA, I myself hope to use something different like what you’re suggesting if it can provide similar results.

    Cheers.


  • @Young:

    @innocentbystander:

    I’m sorry but I just don’t get this Taranto Strategy.� Please excuse me (as I am a newbie to G40, but played A&A for 30 years) but why, why send the entire British Fleet to Davy Jones locker if it isn’t even necessary?

    Just bring the cruiser over from the Atlantic, smack the ships north of Libya with the two fighter planes, lose the cruiser, do Tobrok UK1 (with the strat bomber from London, Tac Bomber from the carrier, and all the land units in North Africa that can hit it), land the strat bomber in the territory next to Tobrok, land the Tac bomber in Cairo for scramble, land both the fighters on the carrier, move the two Int from Egypt to Transjordan to support the French just North, and DON’T MOVE the ships from north of Cairo.� I don’t think the Italian fighters can reach the British fleet and the Italian fleet, all seven ships, they can’t seriously challenge the loaded Aircraft carrier and Tach Bomber scramble.� They are defensive ships not offensive.� And besides, turn one, they are focused on sinking French ships.

    Never leave the Med.� Never let the Italians control it, cut off ALL their money.� And never move the Med fleet in range of the German Luffawaffe. If you want, you can move the ships in India over to Africa and hit the Italians to really put them completely out of the game (turn 1) and totally crank the Brit money.� Then on Turn 2, that India transport is now reinforced the Brit carrier in Cairo.� The Italians can NEVER overpower it.� They don’t make enough money to add to their fleet or airforce.

    What does Taranto gain the Brits?� I don’t want to “grow a pair” because the Italians are always going to scramble (why wouldn’t they) UK can’t hit the Battleship with just overwhelming numbers.� If both only roll par, okay, you sink the battleship but you’ve lost, everything.� I mean everything.� By turn 3, Italy probably has Cairo and by turn 4, a serious challenge to the middle east.� Forget it.� I’ll keep my purely defensive fleet, choke off the Suez Canal and deny Italy the med money.�

    A common circumstance during games with new players is that Italy will dominate all of Africa and the middle east due to a very passive UK player. The Taranto raid is simply a quick show and tell demonstrating that an aggressive UK player can neutralize Italy. Perhaps my use of the phrase “grow a pair” was immature and disrespectful and I apologize, my goal was to address the courage needed to try a Taranto raid for the first time… like I myself once needed. Your strategy seems very sound and others have brought to my attention strategies very similar, I look forward to shooting my next UK strategy video where I give more options as I am always learning myself. However, the Taranto raid is still viable and used by many experienced players on tripleA, I myself hope to use something different like what you’re suggesting if it can provide similar results.

    Cheers. Â

    Thanks for the excellent response.  I only wish I lived in Toronto so I could play you guys.

    The more I think about it, it just makes sense to hunker down in the sea zone north of Cairo in range of ALL of the Italian fleet but NOT in range of their airforce.  Never leave the med, stay right there, protect Cairo and Trans Jordan.  If they want to attack your carrier, let them.  They have you ever so slightly outnumbered but you have them completely and overwhelmingly, outgunned.  On defense (only) with the Cairo scramble of Tac bomber, you would butcher them.  And even then, all they could do is send their two fighters alone against the French ships south of Monte Carlo.  That is extremely risky.  The French could… win that battle.

    If you hunker down now Germany is pressed.  Germany is FORCED to help Italy with ships and planes in the med (and you wont see those Germans until Ger-3 at least) which means, you gain time and money, lots of it.  And whatever resources Germany has to send to help Italy secure the med are resources they are NOT using on you for Sea Lion and pieces that have no use vs the Soviets.

    I don’t know, I don’t think I would ever risk Taranto.  I didn’t mind the term “grow a pair” because it is the perfect phrase, I just don’t have a pair.  I have no balls for that raid.  If you win decisively, you gain a little bit, if you win “par” (you lose most but kill the battleship) your carrier is dead on Germany 2 and your planes (if Germany didn’t kill them with the carrier) are stranded in Africa or wherever and now you are chasing Italy.  If you roll bad, the game is… over.

    Cheers


  • The German and Italian planes in Rome can hit Z98 and land in Greece, Tobruk, or Libya, so your ships are not safe there…even bombers from West Germany can reach. If you do Taranto, your planes can land in Malta, where they’re safe, and then in Egypt next turn, so they’re not really out of play. You usually lose a destroyer, 2 cruisers, a fighter, and the carrier (TUV 58) in exchange for the Italian 2 transports, destroyer, cruiser, and battleship (TUV 54). You’ll likely kill a German plane when they counterattack, making the TUV trade favorable.

    The strat bomber from London can’t quite reach Tobruk.

    If you turtle in Z98 with destroyer, cruiser, carrier, 2 fighters, and a tac for scramble, the Italians can hit with with their sub, destroyer, 2 cruisers, battleship, 2 fighters, and strat bomber and easily destroy it. Yes, the French fleet will stay alive, but Germany can kill it if it stays in the Med.


  • @innocentbystander:

    I don’t know, I don’t think I would ever risk Taranto.  I didn’t mind the term “grow a pair” because it is the perfect phrase, I just don’t have a pair.  I have no balls for that raid.  If you win decisively, you gain a little bit, if you win “par” (you lose most but kill the battleship) your carrier is dead on Germany 2 and your planes (if Germany didn’t kill them with the carrier) are stranded in Africa or wherever and now you are chasing Italy.  If you roll bad, the game is…. over.
    Cheers

    Taranto isn’t about “winning” the battle. It’s about mutual destruction and playing the econ game. As the UK you go into that fight knowing that none of your naval units are coming back no matter how well you roll, but you do have a very good chance of saving the planes. It’s the fact that Italy only makes that 10 econ, there is no way for them to gain back what they have lost, especially that battleship. One of the biggest things (assuming you attack Italy’s boats at Malta, which you always should), is that you are leaving Italy with 1 transport instead of 3. Losing that mobility is what hurts Italy the most, because they are forced to buy another transport which is almost all of their buy that round. If you do not attack UK1, Italy will pull their transports into their navy and you lose that chance to sink their transport. I consider it a bonus if Italy scrambles since there is a good chance they lose all of their planes as well, another thing they cannot afford to buy back.

    The amount of time it would take Italy to recover any sort of naval units is right around the time America can start send subs into the med.


  • IMO a UK1 Taranto is a must like the G1 fall of France is a must for Germany. Why would UK allow that Italian navy to live? 2 or 3 transports for Italy on turn 1 spells a fall of Cairo by R3 latest. The middle east will fall shortly afterwards. I’ve seen Italy grow into a major power because that navy was left to live.


  • @innocentbystander:

    @Young:

    @innocentbystander:

    I’m sorry but I just don’t get this Taranto Strategy.� Please excuse me (as I am a newbie to G40, but played A&A for 30 years) but why, why send the entire British Fleet to Davy Jones locker if it isn’t even necessary?

    Just bring the cruiser over from the Atlantic, smack the ships north of Libya with the two fighter planes, lose the cruiser, do Tobrok UK1 (with the strat bomber from London, Tac Bomber from the carrier, and all the land units in North Africa that can hit it), land the strat bomber in the territory next to Tobrok, land the Tac bomber in Cairo for scramble, land both the fighters on the carrier, move the two Int from Egypt to Transjordan to support the French just North, and DON’T MOVE the ships from north of Cairo.� I don’t think the Italian fighters can reach the British fleet and the Italian fleet, all seven ships, they can’t seriously challenge the loaded Aircraft carrier and Tach Bomber scramble.� They are defensive ships not offensive.� And besides, turn one, they are focused on sinking French ships.

    Never leave the Med.� Never let the Italians control it, cut off ALL their money.� And never move the Med fleet in range of the German Luffawaffe. If you want, you can move the ships in India over to Africa and hit the Italians to really put them completely out of the game (turn 1) and totally crank the Brit money.� Then on Turn 2, that India transport is now reinforced the Brit carrier in Cairo.� The Italians can NEVER overpower it.� They don’t make enough money to add to their fleet or airforce.

    What does Taranto gain the Brits?� I don’t want to “grow a pair” because the Italians are always going to scramble (why wouldn’t they) UK can’t hit the Battleship with just overwhelming numbers.� If both only roll par, okay, you sink the battleship but you’ve lost, everything.� I mean everything.� By turn 3, Italy probably has Cairo and by turn 4, a serious challenge to the middle east.� Forget it.� I’ll keep my purely defensive fleet, choke off the Suez Canal and deny Italy the med money.�

    A common circumstance during games with new players is that Italy will dominate all of Africa and the middle east due to a very passive UK player. The Taranto raid is simply a quick show and tell demonstrating that an aggressive UK player can neutralize Italy. Perhaps my use of the phrase “grow a pair” was immature and disrespectful and I apologize, my goal was to address the courage needed to try a Taranto raid for the first time… like I myself once needed. Your strategy seems very sound and others have brought to my attention strategies very similar, I look forward to shooting my next UK strategy video where I give more options as I am always learning myself. However, the Taranto raid is still viable and used by many experienced players on tripleA, I myself hope to use something different like what you’re suggesting if it can provide similar results.

    Cheers. �

    Thanks for the excellent response.  I only wish I lived in Toronto so I could play you guys.

    The more I think about it, it just makes sense to hunker down in the sea zone north of Cairo in range of ALL of the Italian fleet but NOT in range of their airforce.  Never leave the med, stay right there, protect Cairo and Trans Jordan.  If they want to attack your carrier, let them.  They have you ever so slightly outnumbered but you have them completely and overwhelmingly, outgunned.  On defense (only) with the Cairo scramble of Tac bomber, you would butcher them.  And even then, all they could do is send their two fighters alone against the French ships south of Monte Carlo.  That is extremely risky.  The French could… win that battle.

    If you hunker down now Germany is pressed.  Germany is FORCED to help Italy with ships and planes in the med (and you wont see those Germans until Ger-3 at least) which means, you gain time and money, lots of it.  And whatever resources Germany has to send to help Italy secure the med are resources they are NOT using on you for Sea Lion and pieces that have no use vs the Soviets.

    I don’t know, I don’t think I would ever risk Taranto.  I didn’t mind the term “grow a pair” because it is the perfect phrase, I just don’t have a pair.  I have no balls for that raid.  If you win decisively, you gain a little bit, if you win “par” (you lose most but kill the battleship) your carrier is dead on Germany 2 and your planes (if Germany didn’t kill them with the carrier) are stranded in Africa or wherever and now you are chasing Italy.  If you roll bad, the game is… over.

    Cheers

    I would suggest crushing Torbruk or stacking 92 if Taranto is not your cup of tea.


  • A couple people have mentioned it, but you cannot scramble a tac bomber from Egypt unless you build an AB there.


  • @Procas:

    A couple people have mentioned it, but you cannot scramble a tac bomber from Egypt unless you build an AB there.

    I’m assuming they wanted to build an AB there on UK1.

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    @calvinhobbesliker:

    @Procas:

    A couple people have mentioned it, but you cannot scramble a tac bomber from Egypt unless you build an AB there.

    I’m assuming they wanted to build an AB there on UK1.

    The only way I can see the UK spending for an airbase UK1 is if there was a J1 attack allowing the Americans to help prevent Sealion.

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