Commonwealth Player's Notes

Commonwealth pre-war production

Commonwealth set-up

War situation

General disclaimer: this scenario hasn't been played! So these notes are not so much advice as they are an elucidation of some of the decisions you'll have to make, and perhaps an implication or two that is not immediately evident regarding that decision.

1. The Pacific. The Japanese are about to hit you hard. Your fleet in Singapore will be port struck and may be overrun on the first turn. Placing your INF that can go anywhere down here might help prevent the latter. There is no question that whatever naval units survive the first onslaught should flee, probably back to Aden. Your ground forces in the Pacific are defending the home countries, and that is probably a good thing, though it will allow Japan to occupy Rabaul and other locations freely. Coordinate closely with the USA. You do have a large fleet, even with the losses you'll take, and so does the USA. You should be able to mount some useful operations before the year is out, even if they are only of a "relief" nature (ie, bring reinforcements to Australia after a Japanese invasion, etc.) You could try to take a leaf from the French naval playbook and fight a naval guerre de course, using old but powerful battleships close to shore (ie, in a low sea box) but under good FTR cover.
   
   
2. The Middle East and the USSR. You are attacking the evil empire, the USSR. The strategic question here is: how hard do you wish to do so? A full scale Turkish invasion into the Caucases, will RAF support, might break through and cause big economic problems for the USSR. The question is: will you reap the benefits, or will Germany? In any case, occupying the Persian oil fields is a must, as they will probably not be defended by the Soviets. Playing the role of kingmaker vs. the USSR could be a lot of fun. Sending 3 or 4 Lancaster air wings to Ezurum is bound to cause Stalin fits!
   
   
3. Italy and the Mediterranean. The Italians are neutral right now, and are not in a great situation. However, neither are you. You do a have a nice fleet in Aden which could reverse course and come back into the Med, at the expense of defending India. Supplemented by your European naval units, you would have a decisive edge over Italy. The risks in doing this are not only Pacific but Atlantic: what if Germany breaks the peace pact? Your Atlantic convoys would be defenseless. A war against Italy is certainly in your long-term interests, but make sure you are ready before beginning it.
   
   
4. German relations. You have a neutrality pact with Germany. Do you want to break it? Suddenly the UK will appear quite vulnerable, as will Gibralter, and your Atlantic convoy routes will be prone. However, your Turkish bases could give you a good shot at driving into Bulgaria, or at least provide nice bases for bombing the Rumanian oil fields. Overall, war with Germany is not something you are ready for. If you want to take them on, to help out France or perhaps curry American favor in the Pacific, you'll have to prepare for it for several turns.
   
   
5. Your economy. Your economy is in excellent shape, thanks to a few more years of neutrality. Having France in the war is a mixed blessing, however: the French are going to subdivide the American pie, meaning fewer resources and build points for the CW. Building your SYNTH plants (possibly one in India) will help to secure your fuel needs. Shamelessly grabbing the Persian oil fields helps too, but defending the convoy route from hostile Japanese may prove difficult. Perhaps your toughest question is what to build next. Will you continue the navalist policies of your predecessors and build more CVs? Or will you let the USA handle the Pacific and focus on Italy (and later Germany) by building up more FTRs, AMPHs, and ground troops? A dedicated effort at building up your sub fleet, supplementing the Americans, will certainly be a long-term problem for Japan (and maybe even a mid-term problem if done quickly and en masse). You and the USA will have to decide very thoughtfully how much of each's effort is going into the Pacific, the Atlantic/France, and the Mediterranean, or else you will be tripping over each other's feet and squandering materiele.