Is Vichy a good idea or a trap? Balanced Mod 3

Yeah, the Allied strategy is hard to prescribe as the Axis decide the direction the game goes, best way is to just get some games under the belt. I have some sugestions, based on the few games I’ve played, which are hopefully are easy to follow. I’m not very experienced though, so these tips may be sub-optimal.

Russia:
1 Avoid losing units, focus on gradually pulling back and defending Moscow.
2 Build defensively (infantry, maybe mechanised infantry in Leningrad so they can get back to Moscow when needed).
3 Pull infantry back from the far east and try to keep Moscow until they arrive.

US:
1 Put most of your IPCs into the Europe side.
2 Get transports shuttling troops across to Morocco and have enough navy to protect them. Push the Italians out of North Africa.
3 Threaten landings on mainland Europe to force Germany to spend defensively and ease the pressure on Russia.

China:
1 Be careful of leaving units in range of Japan’s air units, and be sure to protect your one fighter.
2 Take out any Japanese land units you reasonably can, they are hard for Japan to replace initially, but focus on staying alive for as long as you can.

UK:
1 Try to deny Italy income. Attack Italy’s African territories where reasonable (e.g. Ethiopia), and stop it from getting objectives.
2 Concentrate whatever navy remains after German and Japanese attacks, try to get control of the Atlantic and Med to help move troops.
3 Keep hold of key territories (e.g. Egypt and India) and if you push out from these be wary of being outflanked by transports and losing them.

ANZAC:
1 Your income is limited, if possible grab an objective or one of the Dutch East Indies to boost it.
2 If Japan comes after you early then defend as long as you can as it keeps their ships and planes out of position.
3 Otherwise annoy them as much as possible, keep grabbing Dutch East Indies islands and forcing them to invest units in takling them back.

France:
1 Stay out of the way and enjoy the ride!

If you are playing a VC game then keep an eye on the VC count, if Moscow falls make sure to hold Egypt, if India falls make sure to hold Sydney and Hawaii.

Great, thanks again. Great forum with awesome reaction time to simple questions!

Keep it up guys!

@Dark_Destroyer:

I thought you couldn’t blitz through neutrals?

I assume he meant after turkey was claimed.

G1:

Purchase - 30 IPC
1 CV
1 DD
1 SS

Combat:

SZ110:
1 BB via SZ112
All Aircraft less the Tac in Poland and the Ftr in Hungary

SZ106:
2 SS via SZ117 and SZ118

SZ91:
2 SS via SZ108 and SZ103

SZ109:
1 SS via SZ124

Normandy:
2 Inf/Art via Holland

France:
3 Arm S.Germany
4 Mech, 1 Art, 3 Inf via W.Germany
3 Arm, 2 Inf via Holland
1 Ftr via Hungary
1 Tac via Poland

Yugoslavia:
6 Inf, 2 Art via S.France
3 Arm via Poland, Hungary and Romania
2 Inf via Hungary
1 Inf via Romania

Only thing to realistically note about this move is that if you sink all the ships in SZ110 and the BB is remaining, retreat to SZ112.

NCM:

Finland:
1 Inf via Norway

Bulgaria:
1 Inf via Romania

SZ112:
1 CR via SZ114
1 TT w/ 2 Inf from Poland to Norway
2 Ftr via SZ110

W.Germany:
All remaining Aircraft from France and SZ110

Unit Placement:

Place 1 CV, 1 DD, 1 SS in SZ112

End Move

Notes about this opener:

I like this opener due to the fact that provided the SS score hits in both SZ106 and SZ91 that you effectively eliminate units into England via Canada and help Italy in the Med.  Further, your SS are in a location (SZ106 and 91) that if the DD in SZ109 survives, that the UK has to choose one of the two to hit.

Your fleet in SZ112 has the following in it:
1 CV (with 2 Ftr)
1 CR
1 DD
1 SS
1 TT

It also has the possibility of a tipped BB as well as 3 aircraft to scramble out of W.Germany.  This will most likely deter England from sending its SZ111 fleet against your fleet.  The preservation of your fleet in SZ112 is paramount to allowing for SS builds on G2 and G3 to keep England in a defensive posture until the US establishes a presence of a fleet in Europe.

In example, the UK is going to have to face multiple SS from varied locations and it does not have enough DD to address them all, which enables Germany to establish a convoy on SZ109 as early as G2.  This convoy will probably survive until the 4th round before the US and England can remove your SS and fleet and regain control of the Atlantic.  This is beneficial to enabling a march on Moscow if the Allies cannot just waltz in with TT once the US enters the war.  Further, for every SS you purchase at 6 IPC - England has to spend 8 IPC on a DD to attack it with.  This creates a 2 IPC per SS advantage for Germany on top of any Convoy damage England takes.

The drawback to this is that Germany will probably not make significant headway into Russia until G4 - but it also enables Japan to work its magic of getting China under control while establishing an AB in Northern China to fly in its entire starting Air Force in support of your delayed entrance into Russia.  Many Japanese players will not buy into this tactic, but from an Axis perspective, If Germany owns Moscow then the fight is for Egypt - which Japan can assist with via its fleet sailing PAST Calcutta and into the Med.  A combined Japanese/Italian move against Egypt is almost impossible to stop - especially if Germany is providing air cover out of W.Germany once Moscow falls.

@Frontovik:

@JeffM:

@Young:

In hind sight, do you think the UK should have attacked the Italians fleet in the same manner, or would you attack the Destroyer and Transport with an all out amphibious assault on Libya or Tobruk?. That way, you could get odds and scramble planes from Malta in a defense effort during an Italy 1 attack.

Yes, I think that moving everything to Malta and then launching an amphibious assault on Torbruk would be the best bet.  I think that you either need to put the UK Alexandria/ Egypt forces on the offensive right away or have them fall back… otherwise, I see them getting destroyed on I2 unless you sacrifice the UK fleet and block SZ 98.

If you attacked Tobruk, you could pick up the Inf and Art from Egypt, have the mech (in Egypt) move through Alexandria, and have all of the ground forces in Alexandria join the fight, you would have:

UK:  3 INF, 2 ART, 1 Tank, 1 Tac Bomber, 1 Fighter (if you bring the one from Malta)

Italy:  3 INF, 1 ART, 1 Mech, 1 Tank

can’t italy ravish the british navy then, killing remaining brits in africa later through landings on tobruk, egypt and moving out of uncaptured ethiopia (to iraq?) ?

Yes, but the English can rebuild them very fast while the Italians cannot.

It does appear more and more now that the British curiser in sz91 will survive to UK1, so the question becomes, if it is going to be there on UK1 how do you use it? Or more specifically how does it help the British naval position in the eastern Med?

Turn 3

Japan captured India successfully with no airplane casualities!  However Germany failed their SeaLion and lost all their planes on turn 3.  UK built sea fleet in the Med. and Germany is going to have to build everything he can to survive Russian/UK front.  Russia doesn’t have a frontline though and built infantry in Moscow, they have some 60 sitting there lol.

A Question did come up though regarding Russia and the USA.  If Japan and USA are at war, and Japan/Russia are Neutral…. can USA land troops on Russian soil?  I said no because USA can’t land on Neutral countries.  Hope thats right ???

Russia declared war on Japan Turn 3, and sadly I have nothing to stop his 18 Infantry from coming into Manch./Korea Turn 4.  Should I take out ANZAC or focus my attention on Russia and USA?

I suspect you are right. Ta.