Are supply trucks used only once?

[JaguarUSF]

Are supply trucks used only once? My supply seems to be going down when I move units, and the supply trucks disappear from the View Supplies display.

If this is the case, playing as China REALLY stinks. Not only can you only produce 4 things every 3 turns, but you have to alternate between supply trucks and promoting military units so you can't ever really mount an attack. For example:
Winter Year 1: Build 4 supply trucks (=20 move points)
Fall Year 1: Build 4 units (need 2 steps)
Summer Year 2: Finish 4 units (wow!), then attack!
Spring Year 3: Build 4 supply trucks.
Lather, rinse, repeat. So, it takes 1 1/2 years (or 9 game turns) to mount each attack. The entire game is 27 turns (for the long scenario) so at most you could attack a max of 3 times. Nice.

[Dalwin]

Don't think of those trucks as some unit that you build like tanks are.

They just represent supplies. Once used up they are gone. The food has been eaten and the bullets fired, so to speak. The trucks are just a nifty icon for supply instead of using something more abstract and harder to recognize such as the NATO standard symbol for supply.

[Erik Rutins]

Jaguar,

If you look at China's historical role, you'll find that GGWaW does a good job of simulating it. With the militia they get free when attacked and the production boost if the Japanese drive inland, they are a meatgrinder and infantry/garrison sink for the Japanese. As time draws on and production increases, they can mount some very effective counter-attacks on the Japanese. Never underestimate the value of free militia or production multipliers.

Rrgards,

- Erik

[SeaMonkey]

Yeah, I use'em as "human waves". Remember that once a unit has been fired upon its evasion is reduced. Send a bunch of militia into a region ala "Human Wave" tactics and then follow up their attack with your more expensive units.

[willgamer]

Don't overlook the strategy (mentioned in the manual) to strip inland areas of defenders to lure Japan into taking at least 1 of them. This will boost production to every turn. Also consider that the more non-factory areas Japan takes, the more partisans will deplete Japan's manpower; encourage them! [;)]

Personally I'm using China to learn the game with all the most complex supply enabled. I've been able to capture all eastward Japanese areas, including Manchuria. Plus I've damaged as many as 11 Japanese defenders on a single turn. This suggests that playing the WA might be greatly benefited by playing China as well to increase Japan's production burden.

Hope this helps.....[:)]

[JaguarUSF]

I was kind of curious why China was in the game, since you never really hear about them in a historical context as a major player in WW2 (at least from our Euro-centric educational system, which I am a part of).

I was thinking about purposely letting Japan capture a non-important inner province...looks like that's a thing to do. Now, once the huge bonus is gained, does it return to normal once I recapture all the interior provinces in China?

Essentially, it looks like China's real purpose is to be annoying to Japan and detract some of their attention away from the US.

[HardRock]

China was a backwater holding war. It tied up countless Japansese resources.

Only today are historians beginning to realize just how important that theatre was.

My dad flew P40s (flying tigers) over there and that small air power tied lots of Japanse up.

Without an effective defense in China, India was vunerable and that was unacceptable to the West.

It was all about the Burma road..which my Dad bombed several times:)

[eMonticello]

Trivia Question: When did war begin in the East that later became World War II?
Bonus: Name all the countries who fought against Japan and the year they first encountered them after Perry left Japan.