The United States commands the most powerful economy in Axis & Allies at the start of the game, but as a true reflection of history they are the most impotent of the three Allied powers in 1942. According to Churchill, the full might and power of the United States was not truly felt until July of 1944.
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What are the best strategies for getting the U.S. involved in the game as soon as possible?
Which Theatre?
Generally, the most effective method of play for the Yanks is to pick a theatre of operation and stick with it. As the leader of the United States you should commit to either the Pacific Theatre or the Atlantic Theatre. In other words, challenge the Germans or antagonize the Japanese. Plenty of opportunities exist in each arena of war to have great impact upon the Axis opponents. However, if the U.S. tries to balance it resources between the two theaters it's overall impact may not reach it's highest potential. This issue we will examine the Atlantic Option.
Rebuilding the Atlantic Navy
Working in concert with the British and the Russians, the Americans can help provide a powerful three man tag team to smash the Germans. But the Allies must act quickly before the Germans can build pile of insurmountable infantry or before they can blitzkrieg their way into Moscow.
"If at the end Germany's first round the Luftwaffe bomber lands in Western Europe, the transports built in the E.US sea zone are in danger of a risky, but deadly assualt." |
The Royal Navy Builds the Carrier
A fast method for establishing a fortress in the Atlantic is for the British to build a carrier and a transport in round one. The Americans enhance this defence by landing their two planes in the United States on the Carrier and moving their E.US transport to the UK sea zone. The American purchase for the first round is generally two or three transports for the E.US sea zone and the rest of her cash is spent on infantry.
Caveats to Remember. If at the end Germany's first round the Luftwaffe bomber lands in Western Europe the transports built in the E.US sea zone are in danger of a risky, but deadly assualt. I have lost three transports to one bomber several times. If the British build the Carrier, the U.S. should almost always oblige by sending their U.S. fighters to help defend the sea zone. The obligation could be costly. If the U.S. needs to counterstrike a Japanese invasion of Hawaii, they will have to choose which front is more important: the UK sea zone or the Hawaii sea zone.
The USN Builds the Carrier
If all of the British capital ships have been eliminated and if the Luftwaffe remains a threat the British should generally forgo any naval purchase in the first round. If the Home Island is safe from German amphibious assault, perhaps you could buy a fighter and/or save the rest of your cash for the next round. This leads us to the U.S. Purchase in round one: One Aircraft Carrier $18, One Transport $8 and Three Infantry $9, save $1.
In round two the British can buy three or 4 transport, plus supporting land troops. If desired the RAF can land one or two fighters on the newly purchased American Carrier. At the end of the round the Aircraft will join the fleet in the UK sea zone along with her planes and fellow tranports to create a powerful threat to Germany's Europe.
The Next Objective
From this point forward U.S. monies should be spent to build the transport fleet in the Atlantic up to five or six transports while balancing the purchases to keep a continous flow of infantry and armor into Europe and/or Africa.
The British should generally maintain a fleet of four or five transports depending on her income levels. Early in the game, the purchases should be mainly infantry. It takes $24 to fill four transports with infantry.
The Flow of U.S. Land Troops
The Axis & Allies map is very generous to the United States. Land troops can be transported from Western Canada to Finland, Western Europe, Spain or Algeria in every turn using ships from the UK sea zone or the West Spain sea zone. Therefore, the flow of land troops should generally be as follows. Infantry and armor are purchased and placed in the W.US. The following round they are moved to W.Canada. The next round the are transported where needed in Europe or Africa. This provides a constant buffer against a Japanese land invasion from the West, while never hindering the flow of troops into Europe or Africa.
By round three or four, the U.S. should be placing 8 to 10 infantry into Europe at a time. If her partners have maintained a steady level of income, this should be more than enough to finish Nazi rule over Europe.
Allied Objectives in Europe (Over Simplified)
* Goal number one in Europe is to secure the Karelia and the Eastern Front (for more details see the article on Karelia.
* Objective number two is to restore the Atlantic Navy, as we have just discussed.
* Third, the Allies need to pressure Germany, while recapturing Africa. Generally, one round of full British and American transports delivered Algeria is all that is needed to secure the continent.
* Fourth, the Allies must work to capture and hold Eastern Europe depriving Germany of any additional income from the Eastern Europe and the Ukraine. This forces the Germans to defend on three fronts: Berlin, Southern Europe and Western Europe. If the Brits are equal to the Germans in income, they can easily hold Eastern Europe, while the Russians can turn their full attention to the Japanese.
* Once the Germans have been boxed in, the Allies can apply immense pressure on Western Europe by landing troops in Spain (don't forget to pay the $3 to Franco for violating his neutrality). Using Spain makes a D-Day assault much easier to launch.
* The final goal, of course, is to push the Germans back into Berlin and then finally overthrowing the capital. Good luck!
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