[MarkL]

I have been able to win by starving the Japanese of oil, but have not tried with the latest patch. It used to be my favourite strategy playing the USA in the Beta period.

I found I had to start quiet early and throw every yhring I had at the oil Islands. I even left my main bases open for attacks that would have given me patrol requirements if the JPN had attacked. I had some almighty battles when the JPN through everyhting at me. Hard to do early in the game against the JPN. But you have to get an advantage early or the JPN buid up too much oil. But only ever won about half of these battles using this strategy. But that is good as I would not like to play something that you could win all the time.

I quiet like picking a strategy and going for broke and only just scraping through at the end. (I'm not much of a strategest I suppose)

You have to pick which battles to fight and withdraw.

I lost sometimes by fighting when I should have withdrawn and also when the withdrawal did not work. It plays out differently each time even if you have the same tactics I found. The outcome for me was decided by only a few large battles, or seemed to at least.

I will give this a go again on my next attempt as the USA on the weekend.

Cheers MarkL