When, if ever, should Japan attack Russia?


  • This one is for J1 fans.

    IF Russia does the standard retreat of 6 inf and 12 are sitting one space back, WHEN, if ever should Japan attack Russia (assuming Mongolia rule is in effect)?

    Sure, sometimes I can spare a transport up to Soviet Far East/Siberia, but I want to chip away at Russia’ money for real.

    I feel like J4 might do it but is also very late to help Germany.  By J3 I probably have China/UKPac under control but activating 6 more Russian inf could put that at risk, but that means R4 they’re attacking me, and J4 I’m countering?

    so…
    J2 I buy 3 mechs (possibly a tank) for my mIC I built J1, but that’s probably going to help kill China/UKPac
    J3 I could buy tanks if my southern push has gone well… after J3 UKPac is usually turtled and money Islands are mine.
    So J3 I could attack Amur, and J4 could hit any new Russians moving into China?

    Or, ignore Eastern Russia and push hard through China to try and hit Novosibirsk, etc on J5 - you can reach J4 in ideal circumstances, but the Russian 6 would be there and I’d only have a couple of inf available, but on J5 whatever 3 fast movers I bought J2 can also reach.


  • I don’t see the value ever of a J1 into USSR unless you want to march the bulk of the Japanese military into USSR which tells me that your 100% committed to Germany and Italy winning or you have so ignorant to the game you have no idea what you’re doing. I personally think Japan in some ways needs to go into USSR, but that shouldn’t be done until at least China is captured.

  • '21 '20 '19 '18 '17 '16

    If Russia stacks Amur on R1, Japan should hit it on J1 with everything within reach. Killing that 18 infantry and 2AA guns makes the Moscow attack much easier for Germany to pull off. The extra forces from Manchuria are positioned badly and all but two can be killed before reaching Moscow.

    Marsh


  • Right but doing so will force Japan to rebuild a new army unless they don’t care about China recapturing their lost territory which will delay the build of the Japanese navy.

  • '19 '17 '16

    Worse than China getting a reprieve is that you can’t go after the money islands or India very effectively if you do this move, because it ties up your transports.


  • Now Simon has landed on my issue.  It’s one thing to sub Russian IPCs for Chinese but….

    You need the 20 ipcs from the money islands AND the 6/7 you take from UKPac via Hong Kong and Malaya (which, along with weakening UKPac also denies ANZAC 5 ipc a turn). Plus leaving the Burma Road open is 6ipcs and artillery for China.

    By end of J3, maybe J4, is when, hopefully, that should be locked down and UKPac is turtled so J4 is when I’m thinking it’s time.

    From J4-J6 it’s probably only a combined 11 or 12 ipcs total but that’s chipping away at the stack Germany faces, and that’ll basically pay for the art/tank you add to your inf to chase Russia’s 12 info that are usually there.

    /I build a mIC on J1 and J2 so land troops aren’t a problem by J4.


  • If not doing a J1-DOW on W.Allies…. (maybe a J-2/3 in the works)… then… if on R-1, Amur is empty… then on J-1, in Non-Combat turn, the Formosa TR drops a Tank and Inf on Korea , after, it reaches SZ-6 … [Tank from Japan]
      If on R2, the Russian Stack (12Inf+2 AAA) is still in Buryatia, then the Tank blitzes through Amur and… into Siberia on J-2
      On J3… goes to Soviet Far East.
    So it earns J2- 2 Ipc
    J3-2 Ipc
    J4- 1 Ipc

    Decreases Russian earnings by 2 Ipc and diverts Russian Inf into the Siberian wilderness.

    If US moves out of position… then J3 sacrifice a TR to put the Tank on Aleutian Islands… or Alaska to deprive US of a ($5) Bonus.

    All the while Japan goes about J2/3 as it wants (-1 Tank)

  • '19 '17 '16

    Weddingsinger, perhaps it might make sense if you are doing a J3 DOW rather than a J1 or J2. I’ve noticed Adam514 do this a bit recently after a G1 buy of a CV. Allows the German fleet to get into the med before getting pounded by the US.

  • '21 '20 '19 '18 '17 '16

    @simon33:

    Worse than China getting a reprieve is that you can’t go after the money islands or India very effectively if you do this move, because it ties up your transports.

    If you’re planning on J3 or J4 it doesn’t matter. If you’re planning on J1 or J2, you have to make the call. You can still get the Money Islands easily on J3 with your J1 build. That being the case, it does take pressure off the South Pacific because you are going to lose forces. If you do this, you are basically planning on a European victory but if the US goes light in the Pacific because you’re “telegraphing that you’re going for a European victory” you can still win in the Pacific.

    Marsh


  • I disagree, you have to deal with 18 infantry and two AA guns in USSR hands if you go right into USSR which DOES tie up the bulk of the IJA in that area thus leaving the other allies to move for freely, while China still has a fight on their hands, it becomes easier for them to fight hence why if Japan is going into USSR, that tells me Germany winning is the key which means that US might focus harder against Germany over Japan which is not a good position for the Axis as Japan needs to draw the fight from US.

  • '21 '20 '19 '18 '17 '16

    If you run the battle, I think you’ll find that the losses are much greater for Russia than for Japan. Yes, it definitely sets Japan back on other fronts – the tradeoff is that 16 infantry and 2 AA guns do NOT make it to Moscow, plus the loss of income. If you crunch those numbers too, you’ll see that’s a big win for the Axis as a whole if Moscow cannot stand. This doesn’t even take into account the cumulative impact of lost income on Russia’s builds by the time Germany is ready to attack Moscow.

    That being the case, you still have to press hard with Japan in the Pacific for a victory to keep the US attention while Germany is pressing hard in Europe. You still need to go kill India. If the US screws up and sends too much to Europe, your job gets easier in the Pacific.

    Turn up the heat and watch the soup boil!

    Marsh

  • '21 '20 '18 '17

    you have 3 territories that do not implicate the mongolian rule, so if the russians depart, you can always take those with extra transports without ever comitting to a major invasion

    if the russians stay, or add a fighter, they can tie up some minor forces and, at a critical time, lure japan into a diversionary attack that keeps them up north.

    eiher way, the money is down south, not up there.  Still, you can take it all, provided you dont dilute the japanese fleet or money push

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