Dealing With the Italian Fleet and Securing Africa


  • @Zhukov44:

    Well Italy won’t be able to get infantry to its ships (unless it comes through Cauc) so yes leaving the Med will eventually render it useless.

    Unless they pick some inf/art/tank, ferry to mad or India and use them to annoying lonely infs or empty african IPCs  :wink:

    And they could still transport japanese infs if needed. Also, they will defend jap’s fleet in India from massive allied aircrafts

    Italian navy escaping to Indian Ocean is like a draw: UK manages their main target of preventing reinforcements to Africa or rogue attacks to cau, but italians can still annoy east african coast


  • That coast will be lost to Japan anyway though so at least to me its a non issue once they leave, as with Italy going after UK that canal will never be open again for Italy, even if it costs me a trany.

    In reality, the Italian fleet is designed to be a speed bump for the allies, and should be used as such.  One thing I really hate as allies is when that fleet suicides onto mine keeping the fig alive and sometimes the BB, but still killing hard to replace UK defensive boats.  At times as Italy if I see an allied build up for africa in the early game I will buy a sub or extra fig to make that hit a bit harder.


  • I am curious what the current opinions are for dealing with the Allied fleet now that Allied strategies have had some time to mature.


  • While not having logged many Anniversary Edition games as of yet (about 7-8), I like the idea of using the U.S. to build an IC in Brazil on turn 1 and sending the destroyer and transport there as well. Upon T2 build 1 more transport in Brazil and you have 2 inf & 2 armor landing in Fre Eq Afr or Belg Congo from that point forward. That should be enough ground support to clean up Africa. At the same time buy bombers and additional naval units for a massive invasion force for either France, NW Europe or Morocco-Algeria. Use the bombers and fighters you have to attack the Italian/German navy then proceed with the invasion. My group is playing again this weekend (Sat 5-22) and I hope to draw the US so I can test this theory. Obviously this is a KIF strategy.


  • @war:

    While not having logged many Anniversary Edition games as of yet (about 7-8), I like the idea of using the U.S. to build an IC in Brazil on turn 1 and sending the destroyer and transport there as well. Upon T2 build 1 more transport in Brazil and you have 2 inf & 2 armor landing in Fre Eq Afr or Belg Congo from that point forward. That should be enough ground support to clean up Africa. At the same time buy bombers and additional naval units for a massive invasion force for either France, NW Europe or Morocco-Algeria. Use the bombers and fighters you have to attack the Italian/German navy then proceed with the invasion. My group is playing again this weekend (Sat 5-22) and I hope to draw the US so I can test this theory. Obviously this is a KIF strategy.

    You say that you can have 2 inf/2 arm landing in lower Africa, but Brazil can only build 3 units. Most here, I’m sure, would agree that the best method is to simply move a T1 fleet off Africa coast in SZ12, combined with Gbr’s fleet, and begin to shuck in units.


  • cts17…you are correct. You can only build three things from Brazil. My bad. Still you could have 2 inf and 1 tank or 2 tanks and one inf. My point was after the IC was established and production began on turn 2 the African continent is pretty much under control if you tie up or destroy the Italian navy by turn 3 or 4. In my opinion the only real threat to Africa is Japan but by that time the Allies (if played right) should have Italy and Germany to the point of surrender.


  • Wor Monger…
    I like your idea about the Brazil IC. But in my eyes it should be used as a cheap and secure way to support africa with units while US goes Pacific with everything else :) From Brazil you can shuck troops over every round, out of reach of axis airforce…


  • Oh the long debate over Brazil. I disagree with its existence entirely. It is a waist. Lets wait for a second and compare costs. You are moving three units so you need 2 transports. So you already have two. Now I am going to suggest that you walk your units from US East coast into Panama. Now have two transports pick them up and drop them in Brazil. Now use your other two transports to pick them up from Brazil and land them into Africa. It costs you a dollar less and unless the Germans or Italians have bombers in Morocco then the transports are free to run without defense. Same as having a IC in Brazil.


  • Why not just move the troops to East Canada and drop them with US transports protected by the UK fleet?


  • What I like about the Brazil IC is that you already have one transport down there by round 2 when it starts producing and it is out of harms way. So it’s a cheap, independent and simple way of getting troops to Africa, while you’re doing the real fighting in the Pacific.
    I must admit that I haven’t tried it yet…… But it’s a tempting idea!

  • '16 '15 '10

    Transports are better.  If don’t have the naval strength to land in sz12, then you need to build it.  Once you start landing in SZ12, you are

    1. Taking out an Italian NO
    2. Threatening Italy
    3. Threatening France/NWE

    That’s alot for Germany to worry about, and it requires alot of resources to protect Italy and France.

    By contrast, Axis can totally ignore a Brazil factory and a transport or 2 going to Congo.  By not contesting North Africa and/or threatening Germany’s rear end, this Brazil strat helps Germany put more income into destroying Russia.

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