I want to invade China as Italy

This is probably one of my worst games for Allies.

China is all taken by round 5, and japan is sending everything to India. I will say that Tokyo has a small navy, but it can scramble 3 fighters and I only have 2 US transports ready to invade Tokyo, which is heavily guarded. Japan controls all of the spice islands and the sea zones adjacent to India. They will do an amphibious assault on my depleted India any round now. I focused most of my ANZAC IPCs on an airforce, which is doing minor damage to the Japanese navy, and the US is taking the pacific islands, such as Iwo Jima and the Carolinas. I want to have a major attack on Japan but my lack of transports restricts me. I can liberate the Philippines, but Japan could easily delete it from their surrounding navy and their massive air force. I do have 3 full ACs, which luckily took 0 damage from all 6 kamikazes. I also managed to research super subs, so they have been helping with attacks and convoys.

The European board looks slightly better. The UK has full control of Africa, and the Mediterranean is fought over frequently. However Italy has about 18 IPCs who are causing problems in the Middle East, and they plan to flank India and the Caucuses. Novgorod will be attacked by a mountain of tanks, which will come for Moscow in a handful of rounds. I have tiny buffers in the surrounding territories, and I do have my own mountain of tanks and at least 10 infantry in Moscow, but all I can really do is build up and pray. I completely forgot to build up Stalingrad and it is currently empty, but the Axis will not reach it in 2 rounds. I did manage to take care of the german navy, and the US and UK have done a mini DDay on belgium, normandy, and Norway. However, with China being flattened and the spice islands all conquered, Japan is planning to send troops to flank Moscow through China. The far east Russians have been traveling back and if I can last 2-3 more rounds, I will get a fat reinforcement of infantry.

I don’t know what exactly to do now. I personally feel I’m putting the US all on the pacific, despite ANZAC having one of their best starts. Should I divert US IPCs more on Europe, and only focus on protecting Hawaii and ANZAC? ANZAC does control Brazil, and I am infamous for invading Rome with ANZAC, so should I also divert their attention, or just focus on being annoying? I also have a small UK navy and big UK airforce along with US bombers and tiny US transport groups, who have caused mayhem on the west, but Germany has a good player who balances defense and building a big bullet of planes and tanks for Russia

Italy does control the whole Balkan peninsula, so I cannot sneak in and steal some free pro-allied neutrals, but Egypt does have an operational factory. I also am a hot roller while the German player is the opposite, and the Italy/Japan player is average. So maybe that could help lol

@The-Captain

Hi Captain

Are there any Elite Panzers in the 43 setup at game start ?

I would make a Cruisers 10 and Bombers 15. Battleships fine at 20. I think.

@Herr:

@oysteilo:

@Herr:

Isn’t that a bit slow?

I1: take Bulgaria
I2: units move to Romania
I3: can-opening into Bessarabia and/or Eastern Poland

So in that scenario, the German followup will be as late as G4.

I think the important can-opening happens around (I4), I5, I6 in order to break through into volgograd and caucasus and later to threaten middle east by italy taking NW persia

The idea of can-opening is, to take the territory with Italy in order to allow Germany, and especially the German planes, to reinforce it against a Russian counterstrike. So I don’t think that any Italian drive to the south servers the purpose of can-opening because Russia is unlikely to have sufficient forces to strike back at either Volgograd or the Caucasus anyway in case the Germans would have taken it without Italian assistance. Which doesn’t imply that going that way is bad for Italy because there’s a lot of bonus to be had. But if you’re talking can-opening, then I’d say Bryansk on I5 would be the way to go.

@aequitas:

With Bulgaria, Yugo and Greece given to Italy, what punch will Germany have?
Any Allied player will be happy to harvest Italy…

Agreed. I’d much rather give Bulgaria to Germany to assimilate those troops and add some punch to the German drive into Russia.

I might be using it idfferent than you. The other idea of canopening is to force a russian retreat.
let say you stand in rostov with a german and italian stack, with at least 40 german tank+mech and 5-7 italian units., and 7+ italians. Then ussr has to retreat to moscow. if he stacks byransk, you can take tambov with the italians, and moscow falls on the german turn. Since ussr has to retreat, you get to take cauc, stalingrad and begin taking the middle east immediately.

The best thing Italy can do is can-open, period.  The more mechs and men it has to do this, the better, and so a mixed 60/40 German/Italian front is fine.  Russia will find it impossible to back-stack its reserve armies because they cannot screen the Italians out and then the German Armor will run through the holes the Italians make.  Its devastating and its why the bid is pretty much required.

If Germany and Italy can both get StratBombers, even better because all of them can fly to China and start can-opening in waves, for Japan.

Italy often gets nerfed by Taranto, but in the case you get lucky or the player doesn’t do it, Going Italy + Bulgaria +SFrance + Paris + 19 IPC is awesome because you will have about 40-50 income on I4-5, and you’re like a baby Germany.

And, if they decided to KGF or KIF, you buy a bunch of fighters and men instead, projecting threat and preventing UK and US from coordinating their attacks.

Gibraltor is the best landing spot when then can enter the war.  From this spot, they can land just about anywhere they want.

UK
Normandy
Southern France
Northern Italy
Southern Italy
Denmark
Western Germany (If UK can take Denmark ahead of them and hold it)
Norway

With the Naval Base damaged, they can only reach Normandy or Southern France.

Remember, “If you defend everywhere, you defend no where.”

Bombing the Naval Base takes pressure off of the Axis.  Germany will gain another turn not worrying if the US is going to attack Italy or land in UK or Norway or where ever.  They can concentrate on Normandy and Southern France.  Or let Italy defend Southern France and Germany Normandy.

I find it very interesting and will make plans to use this.

Doc

@Clyde85:

China can attack into Kwangtung and Burma, the only 2 non-Chinese tt in the game China can move units into, with the exception of the Flying Tigers, which are not allowed to land in either.

I have seen a growing number of instances where the Japanese player will send its airforce to kill off large stacks of Inf in the hinterlands of China, without land units to take the tt itself. It seems a pretty good idea, as your risk of loss is fairly low, but it seems like such an unfair move  :roll: oh well

Actually, the Tigers CAN land in Burma