• Playing this week as the Axis and after the UK did Taranto, I did Sea Lion, and got to thinking how that should go on G3 and after.

    So far, I’ve got…
    Italy should not buy any ships until I2.  And if Germany is doing Sea Lion, not buy ships until later in game, since they’ll be needed to help in Romania, etc.  Often, after I2, I just use Italy as a bomber factory.  OR should Italy grab a sub or two to help attack U.S. ships off Gibraltor to keep London, if early U.S. buys are weak

    Japan should NOT Calcutta Crush.  Instead, just enough to turtle UKPac (J1, then bomb Calcutta on J2, subs off coast J3+) because they need to destroy China and create a situation where they can threaten Moscow/Volgograd from the East, and quickly (I LOVE Japanese bombers in Tsinghai, hitting any of the 4 Russian factories).  I get the money islands on J2 (though don’t usually keep them very well), 2 mainland factories for mech and tanks, and any other money is in carriers.

    G3 buy may have to include ships to keep German transports from being sunk by U.S., if they’re at Gibraltor, otherwise I’m thinking about the G3 buy…

    G3 (40+ipc) : Germany should have 40+ so 10 mech could be the best option to counter Russia in Eastern Europe, but inf/art seems more useful everywhere that isn’t Romania.  On G4 you can use your transports to reinforce: London, Norway, and Poland and your buy in Berlin covers a Poland and Slovakia counter attack?

    G4 (76+ipc) Other than some things as a reaction to the U.S., its got to be fast movers, right?  If the U.S. is going all in on the Atlantic, let them?  I’m putting some more inf in London/Normandie so U.S. can’t take it easily, which means Japan is free to rake in the dough.

    I’ve also sent a transport to take Iceland, to give the U.S. fighters/bombers fewer options. With 10 German transports available, its easy to dump a lot of Inf on London if you buy them G3/G4.

    I suppose it depends on the Russian’s troop positioning, yes?


  • Just had one addition:  It occurs to me that if you’re worried about the U.S. fleet sinking Germany’s fleet, and don’t want to buy more fleet, then German ships should be in SZ 110 after Sea Lion and, more importantly, Italy should bomb the naval base on Gibraltor on I2.


  • @ShadowHAwk:

    Dont do a J2 when doing sea lion, this allows US to station troops closer to europe to easy sink your fleet for cheap.
    And the 2 extra fighters can make the battle for london that much more expensive.

    I agree with that. USA needs to stay out of the war until the turn you do Sea Lion. Otherwise they can smash your fleet without having to worry about the sea zone restrictions. As for a follow up on turn 3, I think Infantry will get the job done. You want to use your major factory to gradually overwhelm Russia’s eastern minors. If you want you could also invest in boats in SZ 110 with a Normandy factory that way your fleet requires more investment from the US to disrupt it.


  • The problem with Sea Lion is that you can’t stop US from liberating London, so the point of doing it is to buy time to smash USSR and to allow Italy to capture Egypt without heavy resistance. However let’s say you take London outright, then you either leave a small presence on the island just enough to annoy US when s/he tries to liberate it or begin to reinforce the island from Germany by Shuck Shucking infantry.


  • @KGrimB:

    I agree with that. USA needs to stay out of the war until the turn you do Sea Lion. Otherwise they can smash your fleet without having to worry about the sea zone restrictions. As for a follow up on turn 3, I think Infantry will get the job done. You want to use your major factory to gradually overwhelm Russia’s eastern minors. If you want you could also invest in boats in SZ 110 with a Normandy factory that way your fleet requires more investment from the US to disrupt it.

    If Italy bombs the naval Base at Gibraltar on I2, you don’t need more navy or blockers.  The U.S.  only get to move 2 and so on G3 you can safely retreat into the Black Sea, or to a spot covered by an air Base.

  • '19 '17 '16

    True that you can’t stop a determined USA who makes liberating London top priority from eventually doing so. You should be able to slow them down and probably retake it once if you keep your transport fleet alive. Hopefully in this time Italy will have taken Egypt and the Mid East, and perhaps South Africa too.

    Meanwhile, Germany should be grinding down USSR, which will be much more difficult than usual.


  • As I’ve thought about this the past few days, I now believe the point of a successful Sea Lion is victory for Japan.  So I think J1 is still necessary to pair with Sea Lion.

    Germany should be able to stop a US3 attack because that would only be whatever the U.S. bought on turn 1.  Either drop a destroyer in SZ104 to make sure he can’t sink your transports (being aware U.S. bombers from Washington can hit you in SZ110 and land in Scotland), or go ahead and also bomb Gibraltor’s naval base (I2 or G3, if you really want to spare a plane.  For this option, on G2, park your bombers in Paris)  Or, be able to take London a 2nd time on G4 if U.S. does liberate London US3 via SZ 109, and seize UK’s 30 ipc’s again!

    If U.S. does heavy Atlantic purchases for two full rounds, Japan should be utterly ruling the Pacific with +30 ipc by end of J3.  Money Islands at the end of J2.  Calcutta should be turtled and at 7 or fewer ipc by round 3.

  • Liaison TripleA '11 '10

    If you don’t capture Gibraltar, a fun move for Germany is to poison pill it.

    Bomb the UK Naval Base there, and if London is Axis controlled the allies can’t repair the base.  This is made worse when Morocco is also still French - the US has no where to build a NB, unless they attack neutrals.  This can buy the axis alot of needed time, and reduce alot of the US threat.

    then just keep your airpower somewhat handy, and the US will have a hell of a time making gains or a play on London.  Enough time for Japan to seal the deal in the pac.


  • Good point about Morocco, Gargantua.

    I suppose that means Italy should head East and ignore west, other than maybe bombing Gibraltor I2.
    I1 buy is tank/mech, all N. Italy inf head towards Romania.  If Italy can take Greece, fine, otherwise, destination Syria/Iraq, etc.

    One G3 buy option, then, is bombers and subs for SZ112, if the U.S. fleet looks weak enough.


  • @Gargantua:

    If you don’t capture Gibraltar, a fun move for Germany is to poison pill it.

    Bomb the UK Naval Base there, and if London is Axis controlled the allies can’t repair the base.  This is made worse when Morocco is also still French - the US has no where to build a NB, unless they attack neutrals.  This can buy the axis alot of needed time, and reduce alot of the US threat.

    Oh my this is diabolical.  :evil:


  • @Gargantua:

    If you don’t capture Gibraltar, a fun move for Germany is to poison pill it.

    Bomb the UK Naval Base there, and if London is Axis controlled the allies can’t repair the base.  This is made worse when Morocco is also still French - the US has no where to build a NB, unless they attack neutrals.  This can buy the axis alot of needed time, and reduce alot of the US threat.

    then just keep your airpower somewhat handy, and the US will have a hell of a time making gains or a play on London.  Enough time for Japan to seal the deal in the pac.

    That’s a good move to help shield Italy but pointless for Germany as it takes two turns anyways to get from DC to London.

  • '19 '17 '16

    Not pointless for Germany. If there’s no naval base in Gibraltar, USA can’t attack Norway or W Germany from SZ91. Although it doesn’t help with liberating London. Must be what you meant.

    It does mean there is only one target from SZ91 rather than 4 (Norway, W Germany, Italy, London).


  • I tried out Sea Lion in a game, again, with a few changes.  I did do a J1 because its just sooo good for Japan.

    *before Sea Lion invasion, the U.S. positioned itself for Gibraltor route, rather than Canada.  So Germany used its cruiser in SZ104 and bombed Gibraltor’s naval base I2 so the U.S. could not counter attack.  Alternatively, if the U.K. hadn’t had planes in place to reinforce, I might’ve let U.S. retake London, so UK could collect on UK3, and Germany could just take London again on G4 and pocket 30ipc instead of 8.
    *on G3, Germany bought a carrier for SZ110 so transports wouldn’t be sunk.  Bombers couldn’t hit because I’d taken Scotland on G2
    *on G3 I bought 3 inf for Normandy so that they could end up in London on G4 with the 3 inf I could buy and prevent the U.S. from taking it.
    *used all the inf from Norway/Finland for Sea Lion, except one as a blocker in Finland.  This left quite a lot of German troops in the way on mainland Europe, 25+.  I parked them in Romania along with Italy’s 2inf, 2arton G3 once Russia committed its stack to the southern route.  He never did attack there.

    *also on G3/G4, I bought slow movers.  I had 10 transports available to take back Norway, Finland, and also hit Baltic States and Novgorod all at once.  This was a serious hit to Russia who lost 10ish inf/art spread out over these areas.

    With Japan whooping in the Pacific, the U.S. had an impossible choice and made the mistake of splitting his focus.  He never did liberate London.

    Italy committed its land forces to Eastern Europe.  I used its planes to hit anything I could of the UK’s in the Med or Egypt.  By the end of turn 5, UK had 2 inf and an anti air gun, 2 transports left, total.

    Russia was a PIA for quite a while, but by round 6 the front line was finally at Ukraine in the south and Germany solidly had Leningrad, and could start bombing Moscow and buying nothing but fast movers.

    IPC’s were nice.  After G4, Germany was making 52 ipc base plus 15 ipc NO bonuses (London, Scandinavia, and Novgorod).  This plus the 30 ipcs from sacking London easily paid for the units to take and keep London.

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