Invading the soviet union with lighting war continued

@david-06 I guess that’s possible. From my perspective, I can’t even fathom an Axis player going for the USA/North America without having first conquered the USSR! I guess I was assuming a practicality point of view, but I suppose something like this could happen!

@david-06 Gotcha. I think about it as more of a little balance, but lean more to stronger land power. I like to have subs out there to reek havoc, but don’t like to dump vast amounts of IPP into naval units for the Germans! Heavy navy is always interesting to see from the Germans. I think of that as a high risk/high reward situation! Could go south real quick, but if it works out, the Allies could really be stymied to the point where you won’t need to worry about them too much!

Yeah, I guess I’d need to see the whole strategy play out. I still think this leaves the Allies with enough build up to overpower the Axis in the end, but certainly could be wrong! I’m just thinking of all the units the Axis will lose in combat and have to replace, while the Allies sit untouched. Though true the build up might be slower as they have to work up to wartime economies!

@david-06 Yeah, let me know how it goes!

@david-06 some thoughts from a player who just used lightning war against the Soviets in my current game.

Italy has stayed neutral and for a number of earlier turns Lend leased its $10 to Germany.

Germany moved through Belgium , taking Picardy the next turn (threatening lightning war with slow movers to surround Paris) and then marched straight into Paris in Jan ‘39. Note that the French and British had split forces between Paris and Aquitaine.

German goal was to take Moscow with lightning war.
And with no production the next turn (because of no $) Germany would easily sweep up the rest of Russia .

Germany’s income was spent to hold the beaches against UK amphibious assaults and to build fast movers for the attack on Moscow. In July of 39 the Molotov pact was signed and Germany blitzed into Warsaw and conquered western Poland and Warsaw. Warsaw will be my staging ground to assault Russia.

In July ‘39 a major power CCP and the Soviet Union declared war on Japan and squeezed Japan out of Manchuria.
In Jan ‘40 the Soviet Union noticed my build of of tanks and mechs in Warsaw and my eastern factories
In Ian 40 the Soviet Union used their mobilize the reserves ability and placed many reinforcements into Moscow and Stalingrad, and destroyed minor factories in Smolensk and Kiev and evacuated Leningrad’s factory (I think) and left behind a ghost force on the border with Germany.

In July of 40 (Germany’s last chance to use lightning war) I used lightning war to hit many Russian cities and territories but was unable to assault Moscow or Stalingrad as they were too far away or too heavily reinforced. (Even with the surprise strike ability) I also took the 2 Caucasus regions using a paratroooper that was based in Romania.

The attack greatly swung things in my favor and away from Russia . After my lighting war turn I gathered units to threaten Stalingrad with what I could (ended up not. Being enough)

The next turn I assaulted a Soviet push out of Moscow into west Russia smashing him but then losing all of my tanks and mechs to a counterattack from Moscow and units that could reach from Stalingrad.

I feel like I was quite unlucky that I could not assault Moscow with lightning war due to the Soviet build up because of his DOW 2 turns prior against Japan and the mobilize the reserves ability to build land units on the cheap.
I also made a bad attack against the west Russia push by Soviet troops from Moscow.

[link text](German Strategy Video Teaser)
https://youtu.be/QH2UknLo8eA

@theveteran I wonder if it’s possible to take France and hit USSR with your lightning war before 39 so that they couldn’t declare war first and mobilize

@linkler to attack the Soviets in July 39 before they have an opportunity to declare war first Germany will only have one turn to purchase tanks and mechs and place them in range to get to Warsaw/Romania in Jan 39 and then to Moscow in July 39 with the lightning war. There will not be enough units to capture Moscow with that. Germany doesn’t have enough production slots available to put enough down in that first purchase. - remember that the first turn
You are able to purchase blitzing medium tanks is July 38.

Also: you are going to attempt to sign the Molotov pact with the Soviets to buy you that time needed to build up your tanks and mechs (and position them in Warsaw/Romania)