G1 Builds/Opening

Now, extra German planes in the mid-game can be a good investment against a balanced, slow KGF if Allies don’t have excess escorts. They already defend where they are almost like 2 more inf (6 IPC), also threaten 1-2 fleets that will need extra escorts, and swap easier on land. Combined with the Japanese fleet coming throught the Med, they can paralyze the Allied moves sandwiched between each of them.
But, that’s not ships, but anti-ship build…

@Bunnies:

@Cmdr:

Protecting the S. African complex is a synch, really.

The problem is defending South Africa AND Moscow.

Easier to do then not having units producing in S. Africa.

1)  Instead of driving units to Algeria to reclaim Africa, you can start off the bat dumping units into Arkhangelsk on UK 1.  That means at least 3 rounds more unit drops in Russia then otherwise.

2)  With America going through Africa, America has already saved 40 IPC on Transports AND saved on warships. (2 Destroyers, Battleship, 5 Transports is a pretty good deterant in and of itself, against the Luftwaffe.  The Kriegsmarine should be made short order of with the US Air Corps (3 Fighters, Bomber + I like to have two more bombers out of the saved 40 IPC, netting me 10 IPC.))

3)  2 Transports, Carrier, Destroyer, Submarine in SZ 28 (British) + 2 Infantry/Artillery/Armor in S. Africa per round is plenty to stop Germany from even getting the land in the first place, saving cash for England.  And once you get 24-30 IPC in equipment in place down in Africa (I like Egypt, close enough to run south if Japan comes close, far enough to run to Caucasus in a hurry if needed) for England and Africa’s yours forever.  (Don’t forget, America’s landing 10 Ground Units a round into North Africa as well, it’s not JUST the 24-30 IPC worth of British units there.)

Gencon takes place in Indianapolis IN, from 8/16-8/19.

Several board game and minis tournaments…

Still time to plan and go…

That is kind of a hybrid view of OOB and LHTR Jen, but it makes sense… FIGs loaded prior to launching of AC (or immediately after)

@Novosibirsk:

Anyways, the Allies can consolidate to the sea zone southwest of UK

Just thinking out of the box, but if they consolidate where you are saying, doesn’t that give the opportunity to consolidate the german fleet on the second turn? Right in front of WE? Isn’t this the goal of every German player to get his fleet together as early as possible to throw it at the Allied fleet. If you can get the fleet together, and attack the allied fleet early enough, it can set the UK back three turns and/or take them right out of the European Campaign. Makes sense. Any US fleet that is over there consists of two trannies and a DD. That would get swallowed up.

This whole post had an underlying meaning that I wanted us to sort of stumble on. If the Allied fleet does not consolidate off the coast of Algeria, then it opens the door for a consolidated German fleet on G2. Almost everytime I have managed to consolidate the fleet, It always gives the allies a hard time in the European waters. Without a European allied fleet, Germany Is free to focus on Russia. So the next question for you all would be, how does Germany deter the allies from blocking Algerian waters? Or better yet, what can Germany do to consolidate it’s fleet as early as possible?

(its) fleet.

Germany can play with an African bid and send its Med fleet west.  Why do you need an African bid?  I’ve explained it before a few times; I ought to put up a website or something with the explanation.

1.  The German battleship and transport must move together.  The transport is an extra hit that has to be taken down, so it protects the battleship.  The battleship obviously escorts the transport.

2.  The transport should be used to take Gibraltar.  If this is not done, the Allies can attack from London with 2 fighters 1 bomber to sink the Med fleet.

3.  You must take Anglo-Egypt.  If you do not, UK can use that fighter to reinforce the UK Pacific fleet, and the ground units to reinforce Africa - alternatively, they can consolidate to Africa, move the Indian fleet into the Mediterranean, retreat the Mediterranean destroyer to the Indian Ocean to make a serious fleet, all sorts of nasty stuff.

4.  If the Med fleet goes west, you MUST have African units.  Assuming Ukraine is taken, all you can attack Anglo-Egypt with will be 1 infantry, 1 tank, 1 fighter, and 1 bomber against 1 infantry, 1 tank, and 1 fighter.  That is horribly risky for the Germans, and there is a good chance that Germany will be forced to choose between keeping a fighter and keeping a tank to take Anglo-Egypt - and that’s the “GOOD” scenario for Germany; the bad scenario is that the attack fails and Germany loses air.  Regardless, UK takes back Anglo-Egypt next turn.  So it’s really not “good” scenario or “bad” scenario depending on luck.  It’s more like “extremely bad” and “total disaster”.  What Germany can do to help is have an extra infantry and artillery or tank that can hit Anglo-Egypt.  Now Germany can take Anglo-Egypt comfortably; even if UK takes back (still likely), Germany will almost certainly not be at risk of losing air.

–

If you consolidate off France with the German fleet, I build up air and light navy to counter.  Now the Germans have to reinforce their navy; if they stay where they are, the Allies pull two attacks; one hit and run, and one killing attack that destroys the German navy.  If the Germans attack the Allied navy, any surviving German navy will be destroyed by Allied air.

So there are five or six choices for Germany; the main ideas are that Germany must reinforce or retreat.

1.  W. Europe IC for instant reinforcement of Germany’s navy.  Allows Germany to mostly empty W. Europe of ground to be used on the eastern front.  However, Germany is racing the UK and the US for navy while fighting off the Russians.  Very difficult.

2.  Germany builds reinforcement in Baltic.  Probably impossible because if the German main fleet is at W. Europe, any Baltic build can be instantly be destroyed by UK and/or US air.

3.  Germany builds reinforcement at Southern Europe.  Impractical because it takes two turns to reach W. Europe.

4.  Germany retreats to Baltic.  Allies set up transport chain from East Canada to Algeria.  (ground units are produced at Eastern US and moved to Eastern Canada next turn.  On the turn after that, US transports pick up the East Canada units and move them to Algeria.  Once this starts going, it keeps going).  Now Germany is faced with hit and runs in Western and Southern Europe.  (Both Western and Southern Europe have to be protected.  If a medium amount of forces are used, that is a LOT less on the eastern front.  If only a few infantry hold the country, the UK and US can take both territories and keep trading with Germany.

5.  Germany retreats to the Mediterranean.  The Germans will probably control Africa for most of the rest of the game, but now the Allies go for the Norway / Archangel / Karelia / Eastern Europe attack.  If Moscow is being pressured, the Allies can transport masses of infantry to Archangel that can reach Moscow on the next turn.  If Moscow is not being immediately pressured, the Allies can take Norway, then start transporting in mass ground units to hold Karelia, Eastern Europe, etc.  The Allies will probably have to pull back to Norway at some point, but a massive force in northern Europe is something that Germany will have to deal with.

Naval consolidation is a good move if you can do it with Germany, but it’s hard to stop the Allied counter.

That is what tanks are for.

and if SZ6 is not working, move to 7.

The point is, if you cede control of the Atlantic by just sitting in the baltic, then you probably ARE wating your money on a Baltic AC.

Build your fleet, then eitehr use it to take out a few units, prevent early landings in Norway and Africa.

But if you are just using it to be just a guardian of Germany and Eastern coasts (which is an acceptible use of that fleet), then don;t complain about the Allies building their fleets up outside your range.  If you go purely defensive with the Baltic Fleet, that is what the allies are going to do.  And when they are done, your fleet is sunk.  That is jsut th way it works.

So…
Either use teh fleet to protect Germany and Eastern while you drive hard on Russia with all you’ve got and deal with the Allied landing swhen they start, or use that fleet and challenge the Atlantic with naval and air.

But don’t complain because the Allies see which way you are going and adjust their strat accordingly.

Except that you are forgetting that Japan will have around $40 IPC aimed at Russia also while the UK and US safely bomb Germany and rely on Russia to fight the ground war.  Which would work… except for those 14 divisions per turn coming at Moscow from the east…

I think the general consensus is you can pretty easilly cripple the Royal Navy (kill the Gibraltar BB and the Egyptian DST), but killing the whole fleet, while POSSIBLE, does not yield positive net results for Germany.  UK can too quickly rebuild (a single AC and they get a defense of 11 with their starting FIGs, and it only costs 16 IPC’s) and the US can too easilly sweep in since the risk from Germany AF is basically nil.