Messages

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WWII discussion forum / Re: pacific blunder

« on: October 21, 2006, 02:47:34 AM »

The only completely fatal mistake was to bomb Pearl Harbor in a suprise attack. The American response to the attack was outrage and determination to fight until Japan was destroyed.

If they had made a conventional declaration of war, and not made any surprise attacks, it is just barely possible (although still very unlikely) that the Americans would have made peace on terms other than unconditional surrender.

Also, the attacks were not that useful. It would have been better to let the American battleships come out and sink them in deep water. And judging by slow American response in the Phillipines to news of Pearl Harbor, Clark Field would have been unprepared even if a declaration was made the day before attacks began. And even if not, so what, it wouldn't have made much difference.

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Strategy Tips / Re: To build factories or not to build factories

« on: April 05, 2006, 05:53:47 AM »

For Japan, a factory makes sense.
For Germany, England, and Russia, it's debatable.
I don't think Italy can afford it.
And of course the USA has to build factories.

The factories have to be started at once, and probably only a single factory makes sense.

If you start a factory on turn 1 (Fall '39) it'll come on line for turn 5 (Fall '40) and pay for itself after turn 9 (Fall '41). By say Fall '43 you'll have had an extra 40 points that you wouldn't have otherwise had.

The problem is, Fall '41 is pretty late for an investement to break even.

And suppose the extra production points are used to build a heavy unit that you might not otherwise been able to afford - say, a battleship. (I realize production points are fungible and its hard to say what goes for what. But it's reasonable to suppose that you're desperately building ground and air units in the early part of the war, but would want to build, and would build, a heavy naval unit or strategic bomber unit if you only had five extra production points.) In that case, the battleship will come on line in the Fall of 1941 - a year later than if you had build it, instead of a factory, from the start. That might (or might not) be a fatal delay if you're Germany or England. Not if you're Japan, though.

On the other hand, it takes a year after coming on-line for a factory to completely pay for itself. If you're Russia, by the spring of 1941 the factory has already half paid for itself. You're still down five infantry units, but you've caught up by the fall. Which is gonna be more vital toward winning the war - having five more infantry units at Barbarossa, or having a couple extra infantry units every turn after Fall '41? I guess it depends on how fast and effectively the German attack develops. But if being down five infantry units for a couple turns is gonna sink you, you're in bad trouble anyway.

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WWII discussion forum / How Hitler could have won WWII?

« on: June 06, 2005, 04:12:05 PM »

Suppose Hitler was utterly calculating, and had a realistic appreciation of how strong the United States was...

Dec 7th 1941: Japanese attack Pearl Harbor
Dec 9th 1941: Hitler denounces Japanese act of agression; pointedly refuses to activate Japanese alliance, which is defensive only.
Dec 12 1941: Hitler expels Japan from the Axis.
Dec 13 1941: Hitler declares war on Japan.

Hmmm.  America is fighting only Japan.  Germany is also fighting Japan, so America and Germany are perforce allies, in the Pacific anyway.  But the UK (and the Netherlands) are also fighting Japan AS WELL AS Germany.  So the USA is allied with both sides in Europe, who are fighting each other... eep.

Odd man out is Russia.  They are fighting only Germany, a nominal US ally.  Hard to see any American lend-lease going there.

What if Hitler offered to send the Tirpitz to the Pacific?

Remember, Roosevelt might have had a hard time getting a declaration of war against Germany as it was.  If all this didn't keep the US off Hitler's back, it would at the least have complicated things...

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General Discussion / Re: Welcome to WWII: The Struggle for Europe and Asia

« on: June 06, 2005, 03:47:37 PM »

Woohoo!  I hope you get a lot of interest in Columbus at the Origins con.