Centuur
Posts: 8802
Joined: 6/3/2011 From: Hoorn (NED). Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Zartacla I still think this is all a lot of crazy talk, and here's why. My Japanese strategy in the first half of the war has 2 primary objectives: Knock China out (or make them a paper tiger) and keep the US out of the war for as long as possible. US entry is really the driving force behind the game. And it's not just a matter of keeping them out of the war - it's delaying their gear ups, keeping their navy from interfering with convoy attacks, slowing down US and CW reinforcements to the Pacific, delaying the embargo, etc.. As for China - while it's true there's not much to win there, the choice to go to war or not go to war in China has already been made for you. Success in China means a few extra resources and a few extra factories, while the oil in the middle east is probably worth more (until the convoys are cut, at least). However, there is a lot to lose in China. A strong China when the US comes into the war will tie up your land troops, force you to make difficult decisions on action choices, and could threaten to retake resources you've already gained. A weakened or conquered China frees up your army, gives you more flexibility in action choices, protects your resources and offers a few more points of production as a bonus. Any Japanese strategy that isn't pushing those two buttons is, in my opinion, a win for the allies. The attacks on Saudi Arabia and Persia, while interesting theoretical discussions, impeded both of my two primary aims. They accelerate the war with the US while distracting the Japanese from their primary mission in China. It's a lot like going to war in Iraq without first securing Afghanistan, if I might use a more contemporary analogy. To answer the OP's original question - what do I do with the Japanese navy in the early war - the answer is: nothing. For the first two years or so of the war, your navy is a shuttle service, getting your ground troops into China. And that's it, folks. Now, if Portugal becomes active, the Japanese should try to take out East Timor (or garrison it), since that port makes it easier to conquer important places later in the game. Same with the alignment of Indo China (that resource needs to be put to good use in your factories). Madagascar? No, to many implications with US entry. Persia? Saudi-Arabia? With the old map Persia was a lot easier than it is now for the Japanese. I would stay away from that area of the map. The fleet stays in the major port closest to China and the USSR, with the exception of the odd cruiser sailing out to transport a division to China. Only the TRS and AMPH will provide the shuttle service to get as many land units the Japanese can build in the first couple of turns of the war. China first is the best way to handle Japan. See if you can cripple the Yellow hordes, because if you don't cripple them, Japan has a huge problem in late war. Save oil, try not to use it is the motto for the Japanese in the first years. And a prudent Chinese stays away from the coast so those carrier planes are soon useless too...
< Message edited by Centuur -- 3/27/2014 7:19:50 PM >
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Peter
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