Japanese challenge

[Extraneous]

Since the US has allocated 1 entry chit to the Ja entry pool at this time (Menu Bar: "Info" + "US Entry Pools" (F9)).

Orm has noted that at this time Japan doesn't need to worry about the USSR DoWing Japan (-1 US entry chit + 70% chance of another from the Ja entry pool (Menu Bar: "Info" + "US entry Options" (Ctrl+E))).
And plans to move troops from Manchuria.

How we doing so far [&:]

[Shannon V. OKeets]

China versus Japan is all about the number of Chinese land units on the map.

If Japan can destroy more than China can build each turn, then eventually Japan takes all the Chinese cities.

This makes the number of resources (and factories) that China controls very important. Losing the two resources in the south isn't good. Japan has a lot more build points, and while it has other things to do (getting ready for the US entry in a couple of years), it can afford to build 2 or more land units a turn, to make up for any losses it incurs. China doesn't have that luxury: losing resources means lower production and therefore fewer reinforcements. Should Japan be able to route the captured Chinese resources back to Japan, then that will also add to the Japanese production.

Even worse for China is the division of Nationalist and Communist land units, and the random draw of one or the other each turn. While China might want its reinforcements to arrive in the south (or north) drawing Communist (or Nationalist) units can result in the reinforcements arriving in the wrong cities.

So it is vital that every Chinese unit does its duty, standing in the front line in good defensive hexes, avoiding being cutoff from supply, and forcing Japan to attack at unfavorable odds. Chinese units on the coast are toast: Japanese shore bombardment and carrier air units can easily triple the land attack strength of Japanese units.

[Jagdtiger14]

So it is vital that every Chinese unit does its duty, standing in the front line in good defensive hexes, avoiding being cutoff from supply, and forcing Japan to attack at unfavorable odds. Chinese units on the coast are toast: Japanese shore bombardment and carrier air units can easily triple the land attack strength of Japanese units.

This is absolutely correct. The Chinese set up in the south is very flawed. NEVER put a Chinese unit on the coast...unless Japan is withdrawing from China altogether later in the game.

As the Chinese I would have defended the city line from Nanning to Changsha, and certain other hexes in line and behind in the MTN's. Ultimately the city line can not hold against determined Japanese attacks, but the way to Kweiyang is an obvious route (both from the east as well as the south)...but highly defensive.

[brian brian]

Is the Yangtze 'River Road' hard coded into MWiF? (A major change to the map). I can never understand why so many MWiF players are fascinated by having the Chinese defend a route that is useless to the Japanese. It leads into the mountains, precisely where the Chinese want them to go. The River Road doesn't really go far enough though to be all that useful though. If Japan wants to approach Chunking by the hardest route with the least amount of strategic value, let them.

Japan is interested in resource hexes for themselves first and reducing Chinese production second. The Chinese shouldn't give things away, but neither should they just sit around waiting to be eliminated.

Nanning is an important hex to hold in the long-term, and would be lost on Turn 1 with this set-up, at least against a Japanese player that has seen the mid-game in China. Kunming would also be in some danger, and that would be very bad for China. The Japanese could likely blockade the hex, pretty much permanently, if they couldn't defeat the WarLord unit there before reinforcements arrive possibly on Turn 3 or more likely Turn 4 at best. A drive there would gain the Japanese little in the short-term but much in the long-term.

China's most valuable units at start are the two CAV units, their most mobile units. If held in reserve, they are the only units that have a good chance to respond to the Japanese axes of advance. Japan holds ALL of the strategic initiative for the first several years of the war, unless perhaps the USSR launches a DOW, though that can usually be a great opportunity for the Axis anyway.

I would also probably use the Japanese ART to attempt pin the Chinese FTR in the front-line and hopefully destroy it (Pilots always lost on a ground loss of an aircraft unit) before it could rebase away. It would be some time before it could be replaced. Drawing the long-range Mohawk is a bit of luck, it really helps deter the development of a Japanese Strategic Bombing campaign until the Japanese can get their 1940 Zeroes deployed. Even then it forces a flight by a Zero for each bombing run and does more as a Force in Being than it does by actually fighting.

The Nationalists holding Chengchow in strength is good, but they have to defend the south as well. They don't have railroads to zip around their country with as on other parts of the map. Japan holds most of the good routes and will be blocking the rest quickly.

[Shannon V. OKeets]

ORIGINAL: brian brian

Is the Yangtze 'River Road' hard coded into MWiF? (A major change to the map).

Yes.

During the war, the rivers served as a major transportation conduit for supply. But they were not the equivalent of railroads for the purposes of moving troops. We made a design decision to simulate this by putting in a few roads. So the roads are essentially there to simulate river traffic. We placed them so if the enemy has a ZOC onto the river, the road doesn't work for supply (unless occupied by a friendly land unit, of course).

[Extraneous]

Ready for the next step [&:]

[Extraneous]

The Germans are ready to invade Poland anyone want to set up the Poles[&:]

[Extraneous]

The file

[Jagdtiger14]

It looks like a Fall Weiss by the Germans (I'm not a fan). Besides disagreeing with the overall strategy, the German set up is greatly flawed. I cant see everything other than the top units, but the two stacks in south East Prussia will be OOS to begin the German turn.

[Joseignacio]

ORIGINAL: Jagdtiger14

It looks like a Fall Weiss by the Germans (I'm not a fan). Besides disagreeing with the overall strategy, the German set up is greatly flawed. I cant see everything other than the top units, but the two stacks in south East Prussia will be OOS to begin the German turn.

Say what?

- They can get supply from Konigsberg
- Were not Konigsberg there, they would still get it by sea in clear weather, and with no enemy presence...

[Orm]

ORIGINAL: Joseignacio

ORIGINAL: Jagdtiger14

It looks like a Fall Weiss by the Germans (I'm not a fan). Besides disagreeing with the overall strategy, the German set up is greatly flawed. I cant see everything other than the top units, but the two stacks in south East Prussia will be OOS to begin the German turn.

Say what?

- They can get supply from Konigsberg
- Were not Konigsberg there, they would still get it by sea in clear weather, and with no enemy presence...

The Polish units are to be placed and they can ZOC the supply route to Konigsberg and to the port.

[Joseignacio]

Well, that's true, they could although tat would use two of the already insufficient polish corps, probably being an advantage in general terms, I mean those could be easily killed in clear (and fine weather) and would make the cities even weaker, or if everybody or most of the rest concentrates in Lodz and Warsaw, it would allow fast advance with few or no resistance for German units in the Center and South.

And it can be easily solved moving just a div (or the weaker corps to the space between them and Konigsberg.

In all, I guess it can benefit the GE Player.

[Extraneous]

Also a reserve unit appears in Konigsburg which will negate Polish ZoC into that city.

[Orm]

ORIGINAL: Joseignacio

Well, that's true, they could although tat would use two of the already insufficient polish corps, probably being an advantage in general terms, I mean those could be easily killed in clear (and fine weather) and would make the cities even weaker, or if everybody or most of the rest concentrates in Lodz and Warsaw, it would allow fast advance with few or no resistance for German units in the Center and South.

And it can be easily solved moving just a div (or the weaker corps to the space between them and Konigsberg.

In all, I guess it can benefit the GE Player.

The main purpose, in my humble opinion, of putting the Germans in East Prussia out of supply is to reduce the effect of the surprise ground strike.

[Orm]

ORIGINAL: Extraneous

The Germans are ready to invade Poland anyone want to set up the Poles[&:]

Here is my Polish setup.

A variant of the Polish setup that requires a land or combined impulse by CW on their first impulse, in order to move the two units in Galicia to Warsaw.

[Orm]

And here is the file.

Edit: File updated to include the Polish air force.

[Extraneous]

You didn't set up the Polish Air units.

[Orm]

ORIGINAL: Extraneous

You didn't set up the Polish Air units.

Here is the setup updated with the Polish Air force. It is on standby to help with the defence of Warsaw.

[Jagdtiger14]

And it can be easily solved moving just a div (or the weaker corps to the space between them and Konigsberg. In all, I guess it can benefit the GE Player.

Ultimately it really doesn't matter how the Germans set up since this is a Fall Weiss and the Pols under that circumstance should fold on the first turn.

As the Pols, you want to cost the Germans a unit or two or three. Delay doesn't really matter for the Pols under a Fall Weiss.

As the Pols I would still set up to force the Germans to lose the Stuka's surprise GS and one lose one German unit to being flipped due to re-establishing the supply from Konigsberg.

My set up under these circumstances:

3-3 INF in Danzig.
3-4 CAV two hexes to the NE of Warsaw.
4-4 INF in Poznan
5-3x2 plus INF div. in Lodz
4-3 INF plus HQ in Warsaw.

Since I cant see below the top units, I might switch out the 5-3 and 4-3 (Lodz-Warsaw) and maybe put the INF div in Warsaw instead of Lodz.

Naval:

As Orm has them.

Air:

As Orm has them.

[paulderynck]

ORIGINAL: Joseignacio

ORIGINAL: Jagdtiger14

It looks like a Fall Weiss by the Germans (I'm not a fan). Besides disagreeing with the overall strategy, the German set up is greatly flawed. I cant see everything other than the top units, but the two stacks in south East Prussia will be OOS to begin the German turn.

Say what?

- They can get supply from Konigsberg
- Were not Konigsberg there, they would still get it by sea in clear weather, and with no enemy presence...

I suspect the implication is a Polish corps will get placed in Danzig upon their set-up and one more will be placed in East Poland to provide a ZoC into E. Prussia from that side.

Another corps or Div in the woods SW of Danzig and one in Lodz and it is a fait accompli.

Mind you with a German CP in the Baltic (not a guarantee as some players won't put them out because they fear a surprise impulse raid by French ships and so wait for a subsequent Combined), then if one of those German land units in E. Prussia backs up to the hex SE of Konigsberg (and flips), the rest can make an attack.

Which means the Poles will have put 3 corps in rather doubtful long term value terrain just to make one German land unit inactive. On the other hand, the Germans don't have much combat power outside of East Prussia so this idea should definitely be considered.