From: barich@bach.udel.edu (Dewey H Barich)
Subject: Re: Re:A&A - I think the AXIS may be able to :)
Organization: University of Delaware
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1992 18:48:26 GMT

In article <YOGI.92Nov18170908@gulbug.iesd.auc.dk> yogi@iesd.auc.dk (Joergen H. Andersen) writes:
>
>oberland> All tanks retreat to germany and S europe.
>You should only withdraw to eastern Europe and fortify that teritory,
>If you produce lots of men and send them to eastern Europe now for a
>few turns and at the same time have the luck to keep the english fleet
>at a minimum.

Well, this is not what Joe (Oberlander) was addressing.  But, stocking
up in Eastern Europe is not necessarily so great.  Let's assume (as had
been stated already) that the USSR could not attack on turn 1 and that
the Germans are buying all infantry (at least, no armor).

On the USSR turn, you end up with 19 infantry and 3 armor and 2 fighters
in Karelia (8 built, 3 there already, 4 from each Russia and Cacausus,
leaving 1 in Cacausus to keep Germany out of Moscow).  Even if you do
not attack Cacausus (which was part of Joe's overall plan here), you
leave 1 infantry in Ukraine, and put everything else in Eastern.  By my
count, that's 9 infantry, 8 armor, and whatever aircraft can reach after
Germany's 1st turn (In the no USSR attack, perhaps all of them), but
let's say 4 (one was lost or sent somewhere else).  Two German infantry
were taken to Africa...

On USSR turn 2, 19 infantry, 3 armor and 2 fighters attack East Europe.
Again, by my count, the USSR can destroy all German infantry and an
armor or two (the critical thing in my discussion here), and lose hardly
anything but infantry.  At this time, they withdraw back to Karelia and
build 8 more infantry to defend themselves.  The odds here are close,
and I do not wantot get into a discussion about odds right now.  Suffice
it to say that holding up in East Europe as described above can actually
be quite vulnerable for the Germans.  Even the extra fighter (I had said
4, not all 5) makes little difference.  

Certainly, the USSR cannot win the fight, but all that they have to
accomplish is killing all the infantry and a few armor, without losing
their fighters and preferably not losing all the armor.  Most people
I've played have overlooked this, which has (yet again) led to an easy
Allied Victory.  If Germany has only armor left (and aircraft), then
Karelia will hold, fairly comfortably (by now, there are extra Allied
aircraft there, as well as the Soviet units).

Let me add that I (as the Allied player) would also work out an attack
on Finland by now (the american transport and bomber).  While it
probably will not win, it reduces the number of units there, thus
further strengthening the Karelia position...

>If both USA and England consentrate totally on Germany I think Japan
>will become too big a threat too soon. This will cost the allies too
>much money in Asia and Japan might even attempt putting a small force
>to Africa...

>I find that massive american subs against Japan is devastating for
>Japan. If they lose their fleet they rely on IC's in Asia too much...

I have found that completely ignoring Japan works just fine.  As always,
it depends on the various strategies used in a given game...

Dewey