Posts made by Tolstoj

What everyone’s safe Russia strategy? Let’s say Germany fakes Sea Lion and goes for Russia in G3, how do you defend Russia as allies?

I usually build IC’s with Britain in the Middle East, but these get blocked via the Caucasus after G6/G7 or a little later. The US is mostly occupied in Asia, but sends in her transports to liberate Franse together with the UK, perhaps US5/US6. Than we have a stand-off in Europe and the game is usually decided in Asia where Japan can take India (and win the game) or loses the DEI, and the game…

After UK6 we fly our UK airforce to Moscow to hold off the Germans. Russia takes Iraq and the Italian African possessions to gain income/bonus: 19 IPC total bonus. It depends on Japan how much Russia keeps in the east…

Any thoughts on a strategy to defend Moscow, or do you concentrate on other targets as Allies?

Thank you!

Ik woon in Amersfoort en een vriend van me in Alkmaar. Wij spelen vaak via Triple A…

@JDOW:

I am very much convinced that USA focussing on reinforcing Russia is a bad idea because it is totally ineffient.

All what Japan has do it is to more or less ignore the threat. Either just block Amur/Korea which it will easily be capable of or even concede korea/Manchuria temporarily.

In the meantime Japan will just easily bash India because it has not to worry about DEI or losing transports. USA has way more important jobs to do than focussing on sending units to eastern Russia.

I agree. I think the UK should help Russia via the Middle East, and the US should focus on the DEI…

Yes, almost all Japanese landforces are gone after the battle (accept for two mech and 1 inf).

Japan cannot take all of the DEI because of the attack, in J4 Japan takes all of the DEI, but again by taking landunits away from China.

There are no Russian mech’s in China, or even on their way to China. Do you always use mechs as a Russian player, to help China? We don’t… we are always trying to stall the Germans at least one vital round…

The US fleet is nog strong enough to press forward (Japan has bought a carrier and a sub).

Yes landunits were needed to attack Yunnan which were otherwise used to take the DEI.

Or Japan can just wait another turn en put pressure on India with its transports. That way the British can either retreat or lose India… The Japanese army could split in two: one army could take the rest of China and perhaps a few Russian territories, the other army can hold FIC with fighter support against the Brits and eventually beat the combined allied army in Yunnan…

I don’t think attacking a well-defended Yunnan is a good idea in J3.

Well in the current game, Japan is far from taking India and India has extra IPC from taking a few DEI islands. India has about 16 units on land after the attack (UK3, Japan DOW on J3). So three transports will not be enough, not nearly enough…

As for China, the Chinese still have 6 units, including the fighter…

Japan has only one unit next to Yunnan (which is held by 4 UK units) and 3 mech’s on Anhwe. And some 15 units to hold of the Russian army in Amur…

Even though you cannot take the DEI with Japan in J3? And there are no Russian units involved.

I have played a few games as axis and as allies during which the allies stacked Yunnan (R1 and R2) to prevent Japan from taking it in round 3…

Let’s say Japan does his job and has about 20 landunits plus most of it’s airforce in range in J3. Should they attack if they would lose all groundunits en 2-3 fighters? Because of overwhelming Japanese firepower the allies lose about 8-10 units more, including all it’s UK-Indian airforce and a ANZAC fighter.

After that the allies keep their territory and are able to build up it’s force faster, but the Japanese have a smaller allied army to defeat on land. The downside of this allied strategy is that the US will not come into the war until US4 (after collect income in US3) if Japan leaves the Filipines alone…

1. Can Japan afford this, I mean losing almost all groundunits in China and a few planes? What are your thoughts on that?

2. Should the allies always try to stack Yunnan en seek a all-out battle (Kantai Kessen in Japanese or Kesselschlacht in German) like that?

Thank you!

Well usually the Japanese forces converge to Yunnan, and maybe one or two units in the north.

Would you trade say 22 Japanese groundunits and 3 aircraft to 35 allied units, including the Indian airforce?

Thank you all for the insight!

And should the UK try to lure Japan into a big battle in Yunnan on J3? The Chinese and UK plus ANZAC can put up to 35 units on Yunnan in round 2. Japan can either attack and lose all landforces and some fighters or wait and walk to the north of China, but the Birma road will be open that way…

The downside is that Japan, if it DOW’s on J3 can leave the Americans out of the war for another round.

What are your thoughts on this?

Well the Japanese usually have more ships than the allies combined… Japan only has to buy some subs and destroyers to keep up with the allies. And when they keep their airforce close to the DEI, the allies cannot put their combined fleet forward anyway.

Retreating to the Red Sea seems like a good option. The downside seems to me that Italy can block the British way into the Med. At Gibraltar British options seem more attractive:

1. Converging with the US fleet
2. Threatening to land in Italy or France
3. Pressure on the Italian fleet
4. Landing you airforce to help in the above mentioned

@rydbirkjr:

@taamvan:

Mr. Tolstoy,

You can’t block SZ 92 since 93 and 94 both go there.   You can’t spare any blockers to die if you are trying to get the whole fleet together, and some of it is already likely dead.

On UK1, the UK gets together in SZ92.  Then Italy then Germany get to kill all your stuff.

Mr. Marsh has the on-point answer we discussed a few months ago which was that with NOTARANTO you can build a pretty cool fleet up in the Red and move it to the Med.   That’s harder to defeat.  Setting up for all the stuff that didn’t die during Taranto only to get destroyed on I2 is a bad idea.

You forget that there’s a french fleet in 93 blocking any direct attacks I1. If assuming that in G1 sz110 and sz111 is hit, then there can be 1 CV, 2 destroyers, 2 cruisers, 1 tactical and 1 fighter in sz92 while there can be 3 fighters on Gibraltar with an airbase. That is 10 units for the German air force to kill. Even if Germany attacks it and wins, it will be with heavy loses to the air force.

Or, am I missing something?

Yes, thank you. Because the French fleet is in SZ 93, so one British destroyer in SZ 94 does the trick. ;) If the cruiser in SZ 91 is still alive and you attack SZ 96 with you planes, you can have about 8/9 units defending Gibraltar/SZ 92… That is usually enough. I dont think the German players wants too lose most of its airforce in G2, and if it does I dont think it will be a disaster for the allies to trade part of the British fleet and airforce for the Luftwaffe.

Italy can do nothing because they will be blocked by the UK destroyer and UK is before Italy.

The Germans could strike with their airforce. It depends on how many aircraft Germany wants to take to sink the UK fleet in G1… Most of the time half their force is out of reach, even if Italy takes Algeria…

Okay thanks!

And what do you as to the build up of the allied fleet in the Atlantic? Do you also plan to land in France or Spain?

We like to play long games. ;) And as the Axis are already in a good position, I dont think we will reintroduce SBR. As you said, Russia will be out of the game sooner.

During the real WW2 bombing also had a huge impact… Germany had to leave much of its fighter force at home and had to adjust production to keep up its fighter force instead of making more bombers. The German fighter force was critically reduced because of the allied bombing campaign. Also artillery production had to be adjusted (3/4 of the 88’s had to defend German cities from air attack, instead of destroying Russian T-34’s or KV1’s). And German moral, production and logistics were damaged…

But as the real war economy is too difficult to emulate in this game, and bombing seems to influence the game even more than the real life we like to try without the SBR.

We dont play with SBR because we dont like it. When we did, bombers seem to influence the game to much…

So in your opinion SBR is the only way to beat Japan?

And what is KJF?

Okay thanks!

I think I still prefer the Gibraltar move though. The range of strategic possibilities is broader that way.

We dont do SBR… So this is useless I think in our game. If Japans attacks in J2 or J3 the US bomber can only be used in US4 or US5…

Better to place the bomber on Hawaii than you can attack SZ6 and have it near the DEI…

Thanks for your insight!

2. Yes, UK can put up to 8 units to defend its fleet near Gibraltar in SZ92: carrier + TB + 4 Fight + 2 Crui. The Germans could attack but that is a very risky business. Usually they have about 9 planes in reach, but only if Italy takes Algeria…

3. We usually take all our Italian units out of Africa, I find the UK too strong to challenge. So we scip attacking Tobruk…