US Long-term Build StrategyThe following are basically things I sent to John over xmas break prior to whatever game we were preparing for (he Brit, me US) regarding my thoughts on US long-term Pearl-Harbor-and-after production and which I’m reposting here for general exposure. No need to hold such wonderful pearls of thought private anymore.
In my current thinking, the US Pearl Harbor production turn looks something like the following (see below for the rationale):
- 4 x Fighters (16 pp)
- 3 x light tanks (9 pp)
- 6 pp left over (one sub? or lend lease? I think I incline towards starting the sub assuming the points aren't lost to strategic attacks anyway).
Total: 25 – 31 pp
The turn after Pearl Harbor (Spr '42), the US production track looks something like:
- 8 x fighters (32 pp)
- 3 x subs (12 pp) (assuming one was started in Winter '41-42)
- 6 x inf (18 pp)
- 6 x light tanks (18 pp)
- 10 pp lend lease to Britain/turn
- 9 pp lend lease to Russia/turn
- 4 x transports (20 pp)
Total: 119 pp
Subsequent build turns then go to a steady-state assembly line that looks like the following:
- 8 x fighters (32 pp) – sent against Japan once a sufficient number are accumulated
- 4 x subs (16 pp) - fastest way there is to bring Japan to its knees
Mostly sent against Germany:
- 6 x inf (18 pp)
- 4 x medium tanks (18 pp) (going to 8 x mediums (24 pp) the following turn)
- 10 pp lend lease to Britain/turn
- 9 pp lend lease to Russia/turn
- 4 x transports (20 pp) (going to 2xtransports (10 pp) the following turn, or possibly staying at 4 x transports, but dropping lend lease to make up the difference)
Total: 119 - 123 pp/turn
All units taking two turns to produce are evenly split across the two turns so there is a constant number appearing each turn (i.e., 4 x tanks, 2 x subs, 4 x fighters, etc., appear each turn).
This plan allows for maxing the US transport builds the first two or three turns to get up to the critical minimum of 14-18 transports in the Western Theatre by the end of 1942 (see below for reasoning on this).
Overall Rationale: I think one key to winning the game (regardless of which side one is playing) is an efficient continuous production system, particularly if your opponent has to dash back and forth switching among production of differing troop types to attempt to meet short-term exigencies. As such, I prefer a system where there's a steady assembly line of the same number of troops coming off the production line each and every turn and which I think contributes to general overall efficiency. A steady production rate makes it lots easier to compute production each turn and to plan and anticipate transportation & combat needs without also trying to coordinate such issues backwards into production capabilities. My suggested US builds call for producing 4xfighters, 2xsubs, 4xtanks, 6xinf, & 2xtransports each turn. All subs and most fighters initially head against Japan and the ground troops (mostly) head for England and/or Africa. Once a sufficient sub force exists against Japan (probably by late 1943 or so), then sub production can be tapered off and/or switched to ground units and/or strategic bombers.
Adjusting priorities: Since there's always need to produce things, short term at least, other than what's on the basic shopping list, I think subs and fighters should be the highest priority the first two years or so, and cut into the ground troops when other things need producing (like more transports, CVs, or DD's or something). When only another one, two or three points are needed to produce the immediately required stray extra unit, then I'd suggest taking it out of lend lease rather than put a hiccup into the assembly line - a smoothly functioning assembly line takes real discipline to keep going, but I think that after six or eight turns of unwavering production it becomes absolute gold what with the unyielding pressure it puts on the enemy.
Transports: The production strategy detailed above calls for something like eight transports just to service the US part of the Atlantic shuttle system (four tanks + 6 inf requiring four transports per turn going over and four transports coming back empty), plus whatever Britain needs itself (say another 3-4 transports or so). There is a need for another four to six transports to support amphibious landings so as not to impact the shuttle system. This makes for a total of 15-18 transports required just in the Atlantic/Med theatres by late 1942 and which might be tough to produce that many by that point. (Can you say "world-wide shortage of transport and amphibious capability”? Nothing like history repeating itself
. However, the first turn that the US maxes out on production (Spr ’42), there is spare US production because the US will only be starting the first half of the standard two-turn tank production cycle and it can produce a few extra transports at that point as detailed above (and which England might be able to help with also). Of course the Pacific theatre will require at least a troopship or three itself. I suspect all this means England must be popping out one or two transports per turn by more or less the time of Pearl Harbor. It also may be that lend lease will have to be thin for a bit.
Mediterranean Strategy: I particularly like the idea of cranking out four US tanks and six US infantry a turn most of which is headed towards the Med to maximize the advantage of being able to mech four infantry with the four tanks once on the ground. An early and strong tank/infantry force able to mech move every turn should completely devastate Italian North Africa. Once two or three turns of troops have been pumped into North Africa, the Germans will have to start covering against an invasion of the Italian mainland, helping the Eastern Front and probably forcing an abandonment of North Africa. And even at that, I doubt they can keep the Western Allies out of Sicily or the mainland for long. If the US can keep pumping four tanks into any ground battle every turn they are almost guaranteed to shred the German/Italian armor, no matter what they throw at the US/Brit force. Joe Stalin will be so happy.
Initial US production on the Pearl Harbor turn: The US typically gets 31 production points the Pearl Harbor turn and I am very partial to starting four fighters on the production track at that point to jump start the fighter assembly line. Starting two subs might be a great idea also, but might be prohibitive given other requirements. It would be awfully nice (in terms of supporting the early invasion against N. Africa) to start the tank production line also - with three light tanks started each of the first two turns of war production (to address the requirement of building three US lights before any medium tanks start building); the US can then transport three tanks into North Africa from the US mainland in the summer and then also the fall of 1942 and which will start an early crimp on the Italians. As such, it makes sense to do a British North African invasion of Morocco on the Spring 1942 turn so the US tanks can just waltz in without paying amphib costs (which means preparing troops, planes and transports for the Morocco invasion on the Pearl Harbor turn - yikes - THAT'S EARLY!).
Miscellany: Notice I make no allowance for building more surface combat ships (maybe a CV or two during pre-Pearl Harbor turns?), as the British / US surface combat force starting quota seems generally sufficient if judiciously used. Likewise (unfortunately), this strategy makes no allowance for building up a strategic bomber force until starting late 1943 or so and which may be way too late to be worth bothering. C’est la vie, c’est la guerre.
Somebody should try this strategy and let me know how it works…
dd
