• Hi everyone,

    I am a pretty new player and i am kinda bad with the Axis : i find the Allies defensive game more easy to manage vs. player at my level (i play online).

    I am looking for advices against a KJF scenario, where the USA get really busy in the pacific and try to take the money islands. Assuming i have done PHarbor and i have buy 2 transports in my first turn to put pressure on India or on China, what your generale defense against a good KJF : do you postpone the India/China Push or you Ignore the USA ? What your buy on your second turn ?

    New player seem to think that the axis are easy to play, but for me, Japan is difficult on defense.

    Anyway thank in avance for your time,

    Azod


  • @Azod
    Do you crush UK’s fleet (as much as possible, or do you lose all East Indies fleet?) and do a light Pearl Harbor raid (with 3 Fgs, Cruiser and Sub and even the IJN Bomber) on J1?

    Usually, building TP and ferrying toward Indochina/Japan while using IJN fleet to protect TP (from India’s Air) and keep US at bay from Solomon Islands should be a standard.

    HTH ;)


  • @baron-Münchhausen Thank for the reply !

    Yeah, so i think my japan defense got better in my last game : i just had to learn how to dead zone SZ and to block sea movement with destroyer. You don’t bring you AC when you PH light, i assume ? What to you do whit it ?


  • @Azod
    Just wait and hope that Japan Fighter is taken as casualty. So you have not to go into Hawaiian SZ. I tried as much as possible to fully load this Carrier, I will try to join a Battleship or returning to Japan, to protect newly built transport. And, if building 1 Fighter along 2 TPs, it can land on Carrier, too.

    There is at least 1 Fighter which need to land in Wake, Solomon or on the Carrier. IMO, I would land Japan bomber and this Fighter together to protect the bomber.

    Dead zoning SZ is an important part for Japan. You have to think that fleet is better at defense than offense. So, be sure to have Subs or Bombers to support any attack on US or UK fleet.

  • 2024 '22 '21 '19 '15 '14

    I have seen a couple approaches, one is to essentially ignore America after the opening round and focus on India/Center crush with the plan first to delay then cede/trade the money islands to USA when they eventually arrive. Priority for that one is sz61 funnel with naval/air forces large enough to deter a US sweep, even if you can’t destroy their fleet yourself. Turtle up home island and drive for the center with G more or less.

    Another way is to go forward vs USA early to try and deter the pacific game. For that one J1 sub spam, and positioning New Guinea seems to work pretty well if pearl goes to plan. The trade off is no added transport capacity J2, but the Imperial Japanese Navy can then go toe to toe and is pretty hard to sink both starting carriers are free to non com. Japan then has the option to spam a second round of subs or transport capacity on J2 depending on how the USA responds. For Axis preserving the Japanese fleet in KJF basically sets the playlength of the game. Once its destroyed or outclassed USA does the creeper money island push, and its down to just stacking Tokyo, so the logic is that you just try to outclass USA so they can’t move on the islands for as long as possible. Or go for an all out trade fleet for fleet if one presents itself.

    Third way I’ve seen is the run and gun on India, which would be like trying for J3/4 slam before USA can really get out, with early transports. That one is more high reward high risk, since if you’re pushing Burma or trying to drop the VC early it often comes down to things like aafire bombardments and mass air, where the swings can be kinda wild. Or also the risk that it stalls and you have to redirect if India can’t be swept and US start mucking about in the backfield.

    USA going full in on Pacific can be rough, especially once USA gets out, or threatens bomber strikes vs fleet, or if they clip the islands and spam production there. But Japan can get up to match them on income pretty quickly just by sweeping China/Soviet lands, and sz61/62 is a strong position for transports to shuttle back and forth to push hitpoints across the middle. Expanding production early is a liability if USA is spending in the Pacific, but I’ve seen people make do with fewer transports or just 2/3 transport pushing steady and the rest on fleet coverage. But anyway I think safest J1 build if you fear KJF press might be only 1 transport or forego added transports on J1 just to make sure to secure the fleet. Sub spam is pretty potent. Sometimes seems better to drop a gang of em at once and close off the lane by threatening attack, and then you also got a fodder cushion. Marine Iguana floated it as an idea a while back. I haven’t tried the 5 subs build in enough games to know if it really has the full psy ops deterrent to KJF, (USA might still come at you regardless, or see it as a challenge for a high stakes naval game, which is fun in its own right hehe) but there’s something to be said for having hella subs as Japan. If you get a 10 stack of subs going for example, with all Japans starting ships and fighters that’s a pretty hard fleet to dislodge, but also gives ya something to throw at USA or trade if you have to delay the money islands play.

    Some stuff in this thread might be worth checking out. The game in A&AO is a little different for things like defense profile/subs and such. But broad strokes still some good ideas in there:
    https://www.axisandallies.org/forums/topic/25675/how-to-do-a-good-kjf/2

    https://www.axisandallies.org/forums/topic/26266/japan-s-response-to-kjf/2

    Best Elk


  • @Azod It makes a big difference if you’re playing “online” with 1942 Online or TripleA. 1942 Online you can’t use allied carriers (or transports), you can’t use preplaced bid units, and you’re going off LHTR setup. TripleA you’re probably using a preplaced bid of - whatever it’s at, 15, 20, something massive and it’s out of the box setup I think? Anyways, big differences.


  • Ok a few things…

    Elk and Baron what are your steam Id’s so i can friend you?

    My approach with Japan is to build 1 fighter, 2 transports and 2 infantry ( for the most part). If the toss up at the Indian Ocean results in lost Carrier and/or Battleship, i might build 1 carrier.

    I always attack all expensive naval targets and this means Hawaii. I use the Japanese Fighter ( using 4 spaces) plus the usual units ( 2 fighters, 1 bomber, 1 sub, 1 cruiser)

    I take the Japan fighter as the loss if it gets to that. That “teaser” saves the Cruiser. If i get lucky enough and can keep both, i bring the carrier to Hawaii and plop 2 fighters on it with Cruiser, and move both battleships and Destroyers within 2 spaces of Hawaii, so if he attacks i finish off US fleet sake her builds.

    In Asia i perform the usual, and If USSR backs off i bring Manchurian units into Russia.

    The transports i have i use one to shuck 2 men to Borneo, and the second to assist vs Russia ( tank and Infantry) or somewhere on the coast.

    If UK does little to nothing, i might kill the US fighter and 2 infantry with 2 fighters and 1 Inf/1 art combo…it works

    My plan is to stifle KJF by loading up the money islands with infantry quickly and not lose many Asian land units and building more ships to match any American contingency. My goal is to push the Allies to go KGF, and we want to ping pong the Allies back and forth.

    I am keenly aware to defeat the island march and Allied factories. I stay near India to destroy any UK naval builds. If i see that stupid Egypt factory and 2 tanks/and 3 tanks in India showing up i have plans for that too.

    I go after Hawaii only when the entire Pacific is kinda quiet and my focus is to deny USSR any money. I don’t do Alaska, its a panty waste and does very little.

    In Afrika, my goal might be to take Egypt if i can, but once Germany breaks in, i will take Madagascar and whatever is possible.

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