Slitherine

I'm fairly new to this game so that may explain why I find it hard to win as the Axis. I prefer playing as the Axis as it is more of a challenge and the "what if" scenarios fascinate me.

What I've learned from history:

1. Research is vital - the Axis suffers from a shortage of manpower and by having high tech units you can reduce losses. This differs from history as the Germans did so well early in the war that they stopped a lot of their research projects, indeed Goering said that the war could be won with their existing aircraft, ie the Bf109.

2. Oil - Hitler didn't consider oil to be a problem as he expected a short war! I tend to use a large force in North Africa to get the Middle Eastern oil and then when I launch Barbarossa I send two main thrusts, one at Moscow and the other to the Caucuses. Also try to avoid wasting oil by using units that consume oil when there are others that can do the job.

3. Don't bother with strategic bombing, Hitler wasted so much resource and effort with his bomber fascination. Better build more tactical bombers to help the ground units and fighters to achieve air superiority.

There's more, will think and add later.

I can't agree with 3rd. Strategic bombers are great for axis, as a relatively cheap alternative to capture places, which will be costly or impossible to capture (Moscow, London, Leningrad).

Its quite easy to reduce any objective to 0 income with 2 bombers, and later on keep it at 0 with pnly 1 bomber, as long as you have escorts and range to the place.

If you have good tech and fighter escort, you will also suffer little or no damage to strategic bomber itself.

Its really cheap to reduce Moscow to 0 and keep there for dozen of turns, compared to offencive through forests and rows of soviet troops.