Can the Allies win this game, given that Russia is falling? [closed]

Question

Can the Allies win a two on three game of the U.S. and UK against Germany, Japan, and a soon to be conquered Russia described below? If so, how?

My brother, my friend and I all sat down last night and we started playing an Axis and Allies game, (Axis and Allies 1942 Second Edition). After about two hours of playing my friend and I, (Allies, with him playing the USSR and America, and me playing the UK) were in trouble as my brother, (Axis, playing both Germany and Japan) was able to capture Moscow with 11 Panzer Tanks. My friend playing the USSR and his second time playing the game immediately proceeded to launch a counter attack on Moscow. He was able to take back Moscow, but at a very heavy cost. left both of the IC countries undefended and Germany just strolled into Russia and took them both. My friend only has 4 tanks left on Russia and no other units available to help.

Side-Note: All of the German controlled African Countries have fallen, but Germany has 8 Submarines in the Atlantic.

The good news is that while this was going on, my brother left the Japanese Navy wide open to attack and both the UK and the US navies took advantage of this. Now Japan is only left with 1 Battleship, 1 Aircraft Carrier, and 1 Cruiser guarding Japan while the US navy, ( 1 Battleship, 2 Cruisers, 2 Destroyers, 1 Aircraft Carrier, 3 Submarines, and 3 fighters are all within striking range of the Japan homeland his turn. All of the Japanese countries on Asia have fallen either by the US or the UK, and 1/4 of the Island Territories have been conquered. I was wondering what my friend and I could do to improve our chances of beating Germany, as they are most likely going to take Moscow in the next to or three turns. The next time that we play is going to be on 11/20/2014, so any advice would be helpful!

Answer 1

This is a tough one. But it appears to indicate that under certain circumstances, the U.S. and Britain together could have won, even if Russia is falling. Your game illustrates how.

1) Secure North Africa, and with it, the road to the Middle East and India.

2) Using India as a base, reclaim China, Indochina, and some of the Pacific Islands from Japan. This is something you accomplished in the game that the Allies failed to achieve in real life.

Doing a rough count: the U.S. starts with 36 IPCS, and Britain with 30. You've added 3 or so in Africa, and perhaps 11 in "greater China" for a total of about 80. The Axis have 29 for the original Germany minus North Africa, will soon get 24 for Russia, and have about 14 left for Japan, a total of 67. That's more than the 57 they started with, so they've "come up."

One advantage for you is that you've "sluffed" your weakest player and country (Russia), and "consolidated." Also, Japan is "half gone." The end game is an alliance between America, Britain, (Japan and China), the latter two controlled by the former two, versus Germany and Russia (the latter under German occupation). That will win most games of Allies and Axis. Probably the "real life" version as well.

One idea: Ship at least American infantry and tanks across the Pacific, where the Japanese navy is in its death throes, to China, rather than across the Atlantic (where there are eight German submarines. Have them conquer the remaining Japanese Pacific islands along the way to reduce Japan's income, before heading for China, and ultimately Siberian Russia (you want to reduce the Axis to 29 for Germany, 24 for Russia and 8 for Japan, or 61). Use British land forces for harassing the Germans in France, Norway, and the Middle East/Southern Russia.