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unmerged(11441)

Second Lieutenant
Oct 28, 2002
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It has been a pleasure to see that Darkest Hour has made it more of a challenge to steamroll the world as Germany – still, with the right strategy you'll find little resistance to your nazi hordes.

One of the biggest changes between DH and HoI2 is the fact that you can't expect to have a big enough army in '39, if you at the same time wish to spend the first couple of years expanding your industry. Fortunate enough one doesn't have to start the war in September '39.

I have experimented with finding out when the best time to start the war is, and I have come to the conclusion that the spring of '41 is the time, why? First of all you'll have the opportunity to expand your industry, thus giving you an edge throughout the entire game, second if you start to early you will have too small of an army, if you wait your opponents will have a much stronger army. Not that it isn’t possible to win, but with this strategy of mine, I wish to claim, favours the balance of power to your advantage the most – almost to the extend that it get’s boring.

This is what I do: In the beginning I build one industry in every German province, spreading them out, thus reducing the risk of having them hit by air raids. I build a little extra in the east, furthest away from British bombers. I spend about two years only building industry.

Besides building industry, I max the IC by choosing the right ministers and go central planing.

I start researching production techs in order to max it further. Computers to improve my research in the long run and submarines and destroyers since I wish to build a modern as possible navy for my invasion of Britain in autumn '41. For this I also need paratroopers. In addition I make sure that the ships already in the production queue will be ready for this invasion, not before not later.

I always make sure to have things ready, just at the time when I need them, by doing this you don’t waste any IC’s or supplies on thing you don’t need.

I also make sure to have a balance between research and production. No need to research things that cost IC if you’re full up on production, rather research something that will give you a benefit for free. At the same time, make sure to have techs ready when you have the free IC, this way you won’t waste time on building supplies or obsolete units, who has to be upgraded anyway.

I also manually manage my trade in order to squeeze out a couple of extra IC’s. I stockpile money, which I use on ‘Invest in national research’ – it’s good to have 2000 or even better 4000 bucks to decrease your dissent after a smear campaign, while it at the same time improves your research. I find it a waste to spend it on spy missions; they’re not worth it, just make sure to have a high enough counter espionage. I try to trade as little supplies away as I can, in order to cost me as little IC as possible. Rare materials should never be exported, you’ll need them later. Further, there’s no need of having 100k coal, trade it away. Trade away blueprints too; you need as much money as possible, and make sure you never run out of rare materials. Blueprints to the japs will only benefit you in the future; naval techs to the soviets won’t really be able to harm you! :)

I start attacking Poland in the spring '41 just when the snow has smelted, when I'm done here I turn my attention to the west, which falls during the summer. Before the winter I land paratroopers (it's a bit of an exploit) in Lincoln, which is unprotected due to not having a beach, and land my forces without having to perform a difficult amphibious assault – the Brits in '41 have nothing to resist me with. The large navy of modern cheap subs and destroyers will protect the transports. After the invasion is complete I land forces in Iceland, which is important for the invasion of America. From here I can with '36 troopships land in New Foundland, from where I will start the invasion later, for now it just provides me with valuable rare materials, which my industry desperately needs.

My plan now is to build up my armed forces for the invasion of the USSR in the spring of '43, shouldn’t worry really, I'm outproducing them anyway.

'42 I will use to consolidate my power. In the game I just played, I allied with Nat. Spain who was in a deadlock with Rep. Spain in the north. They gladly accepted to be my ally and my forces crushed the republicans, and as a bonus I took Gibraltar. After this I turned my focus towards Yugoslavia, this country is important because of 1) Its rare materials 2) It's access to the Mediterranean, which I will use to land forces in North Africa to help Italy 3) My allies have cores on it, thus giving me stronger allies. Further, these wars will give me experienced leaders and units to be used against the soviers later.

Spring ’43, the Soviets collapsed after only three and a half month of fighting giving me the bitter peace. My navy from the invasion of Britain is still strong and big enough for the invasion of America. If one focuses all units in one seazone, they won’t be able to resist you transporting your army there even if they overall have a far stronger navy – If you’re about to loose, you can just exploit the possibility of fleeing and still manage to get your units across the pond. When I have landed my army in New Foundland, the AI isn’t able to stop you from transporting them to an unprotected Canada; from there you have basicly won the game, hurray!

I would gladly hear if anyone have any comments or improvements to the perfect German strategy, I'm still convinced that it's more or less the most efficient way to play Germany, but maybe I'm wrong?
 
I annexed Denmark by 1937, then Switzerland later that year. No international issues. In 1938, was allied with Persia, Italy, and Hungary. Went to war with Yugoslavia, then created Croatia. Still no international issues. I then conquered Albania and Greece, then GB decided to step in. France was screwed, I steamrolled right through Switzerland and conquered them shortly. Didn't even have to conquer the Low Countries (eventually did).
Next, I got luck and could land divisions on GB, conquered her. It's 1939, things are looking good!
 
Paradrops in unprotected beaches is good, until your transports could sneak between carrier task forces around Isles (they didn't in my ongoing game as Germany). In comparison with HOI2, there's much more challenge in DH.
 
Is there some event for the Soviets were they start getting very worried after the UK goes down ?

I mean, crushing them like a bug in '43 after nearly 2 years of anxiety from Stalins side, shouldn't really be possible. Either they produce too few troops - or the AI really sucks.

Stalin was so disappointed after the swift French defeat, if the UK would go down at the same pace, you should face an unbeatable Russian bear in 1941 !

ps = my Germany strategy is =

- dow Poland spring 1940
- invade Western Europe summer 1940
- invade Spain (Nationalists were loosing the war) fall 1940
- invade USSR summer 1941
- prepare for UK invasion somewhere 1949 (defeat the US and UK navy and air force)
 
Is there some event for the Soviets were they start getting very worried after the UK goes down ?

I mean, crushing them like a bug in '43 after nearly 2 years of anxiety from Stalins side, shouldn't really be possible. Either they produce too few troops - or the AI really sucks.

Stalin was so disappointed after the swift French defeat, if the UK would go down at the same pace, you should face an unbeatable Russian bear in 1941 !

ps = my Germany strategy is =

- dow Poland spring 1940
- invade Western Europe summer 1940
- invade Spain (Nationalists were loosing the war) fall 1940
- invade USSR summer 1941
- prepare for UK invasion somewhere 1949 (defeat the US and UK navy and air force)

Yes, they had way too few troops. Even though I did manage to encircle a lot of them; after that the way to the south was open, took Stalingrad without a fight, no troops in Caucasus either. Had Bitter peace event after taking Moscow, didn't even have to invade Leningrad (that should be changed).

The reason I choose to invade Britain first, is because I don't like having the Brits - and soon after the Americans - bombing my industries. Not only does it hurt one's war effort, it also keeps spamming you about air raids and takes focus off the eastern campaign while having to think about your interceptors all the time.

Perhaps I should try it on hard or very hard. Though, I don't like having the AI cheating. When the AI gets invisible benefits, it makes it annoyingly hard to calculate what's going on and it doesn't feel right. I'd rather have a more difficult scenario, with AI benefits you can see ie. more IC, more units etc. Though, most of all I'd appreciate a better AI. One thing that would do a tremendous difference, would be if the British AI was hardcoded to put at least a single unit in provinces in range of airborne attacks. I think the next time I play as Germany, I will play with the house rule of not allowing my self of to use this exploit. Forcing my self to prepare for an amphibious assault would make the invasion, an thereby the entire game, more challenging.
 
Any comments on research? Did you focus on Secret Weapons, like the flying bombs (could help with britain) or the Air Force (Tactical/CAS?)? I guess you have focused on your Navy, for all those sweet submarines, and Land Forces + Doctrines but I'm just wondering whats better - nukes + V2's or a flying armada of 16 Tactical Squadrons.


#Off-Topic

It would be interesting to make an AAR with Germany, in which you play rather historically, fail with the Second World War and then follow it with alternative history of communist/federal Germany after the split :D
 
Yes, they had way too few troops. Even though I did manage to encircle a lot of them; after that the way to the south was open, took Stalingrad without a fight, no troops in Caucasus either. Had Bitter peace event after taking Moscow, didn't even have to invade Leningrad (that should be changed).

Is this game played with 1.01 or 1.01.1? SOV has a way bigger starting army in those patches compared to 1.00
 
One of the biggest changes between DH and HoI2 is the fact that you can't expect to have a big enough army in '39, if you at the same time wish to spend the first couple of years expanding your industry. Fortunate enough one doesn't have to start the war in September '39.

I have experimented with finding out when the best time to start the war is, and I have come to the conclusion that the spring of '41 is the time, why? First of all you'll have the opportunity to expand your industry, thus giving you an edge throughout the entire game, second if you start to early you will have too small of an army, if you wait your opponents will have a much stronger army. Not that it isn’t possible to win, but with this strategy of mine, I wish to claim, favours the balance of power to your advantage the most – almost to the extend that it get’s boring.
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All that proves that your post is essentially useless. If you tried to play against a human opponent you will face big and total fail. Germany needs to attack soviet units while it still has none of the '41 land techs. Do not forget USA/UK IC due to gearing ups, and the lack of conquered IC. Also, french will be able to give you a much bigger resistance if you let them time to research '40 and '42 land techs. Also, italian participation will be useless. Obsolete units even before the start, and stockpile limitation.

You can have enough units for march 39.

Against AI, you can do everything. Even conquer the world with yougoslavia or romania.

It's by playing multiplayer that you can see whether your strategies are resistant to fire-proof or if it is a strategy against the CPU: easy but too much predetermined to be considered as a good strategy.
 
Is this game played with 1.01 or 1.01.1? SOV has a way bigger starting army in those patches compared to 1.00

You see it does not really matter. With using some strategy you can crush them by encircling the soviets in 3 months. I posted it to the awesome screenshots, in 5 months they had just 8 units.

My strategy is to build 1-2 HQs, 6-7 tank and 3-5 mobile armies by 39, 3-4 squadron TAC, 1 squadron NAV (by midst of '39), 4 squadron CAS and 3-4 squadron of INT/FIG to the air fleet. You can start the war in '39 april and crush the polish in 9-10 days. The transfer all your arrmies to the west and by the end of June you can crush everything else. Meanwhile build 3*3 trasnportships and more TAC. Start to bomb the British coasts. With one TAC and 2 tanks and a mobile division take norway, denmark and sweden. By September you should be able to land in England and in a month with tactics you can crsuh them. It is very likely that the English will use their fleet to crush to your transports, use your NAV and TAC to crush them. I usually destroy 20-30 of their ships and it seems the Ark Royal is always among them. By November they will fall. Land in Lerwick, Shetland, Iceland, Greenland and island hop to New Foundland. The Empire will dismantle by the start of '40. Offer the French and Spanish your alliance, if you are lucky you can get both of them, I usually give the French back everything they want and end their war reparations. From 3 games they only denied it once.

Start a huge military build up until '41 summer and take Yugoslavia, Greece and the Afrikas. Attack the USSR in may '41 (as Hitler wanted IRL) and in 3-5 months you can crush all their armies, bitter peace will come around that time as well. If the USA comes into the war, they will white peace you by '42 and the Allies will go to sleep as well.

Now you have 1-2 years to build up for the execution of the USSR, the ride to Vladivostok and to land in Amrica. I usually land in Boston or New York just for fun, but it will take a while to land, so by that time you will have 3-4 carriers, take out the American fleet. After that in 2-3 years you will be the only left superpower in the world with a US and UK puppet, and with a huge Siberian wasetland. By '50-'52 you can reach the biggest fleet and industry in the world as well.

BTW I never go planned economy, I stay as much free as I can.
 
A way to win:

In the start: Abandon everything that is not finished some percent. Then build so much industry as possible up until october 1936.

Early research; infantery, tanks and interceptors. 1936 inf is critical to get early because of upgrading cost goes down.

Build a few ships, 2 BB and maybe two CA/BC. With torpedoes to the other ships, it's actually more than enough to Sea Lion. Just remember transports and AA techs.

As soon as interceptor 1937 is ready I build two lines. And then the next thing is 3x (l)arm, I don't build motorised, I don't see the use. I go heavy on the upgrades now. And in 1938 I start building 6x INF w/art, and make maybe 6-8 lines of art brigades (remember to research 1938 art). Also start making escort fig to my TAC's, and one line with HQ.

When I have researched 1939 INF, I go max on it, it is really just about getting enough INF. With a 3x of ARM since 1937, I have at least 18 for a early Barbarossa (april 1941). I also start building some more fighters, and maybe some more TAC (actually I just make one to make two wings with 4).

I start Danzig early 1939 to get enough time to take out France, Denmark, Switzerland, Yoguslavia and Greece. And UK of course! Norway and Sweden could be taken. As allies I try to get Italy, Japan, Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary (I give Slovakia to Hungary). Finland I first ally when I am at Leningrad, since they get whipped otherwise.

A good tip is to use Romanian, Bulgarian and Hungarian forces to guard your terrority in West, it frees up all the german forces for Barbarossa. It is really about having enough INF, just go crazy on building it.

Three year draft before Austria, partial mobilization before Treaty of Munich. Go central planning on every slider move. Trade supplies with USA for money to get down dissent. For expionate I get the level up to some 10-12 but don't do missions at all.
 
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I am God damn impressed. Good job Kun10kr, on a nearly 4 year old necropost.
 
Dzend, you think you can beat CV with DD and SUB?

I annexed Denmark by 1937, then Switzerland later that year. No international issues. In 1938, was allied with Persia, Italy, and Hungary. Went to war with Yugoslavia, then created Croatia. Still no international issues. I then conquered Albania and Greece, then GB decided to step in. France was screwed, I steamrolled right through Switzerland and conquered them shortly. Didn't even have to conquer the Low Countries (eventually did).
Next, I got luck and could land divisions on GB, conquered her. It's 1939, things are looking good!
Troll level 9999
 
Mods fix this crazy warmongering, dont worry.
 
I did some experiments (with a hacked Brazil) and at least with full CP versus full non-CP after a few years you got lots more troops and they were much more modern with non-CP. The bonuses for CP are just not enough to keep up.
 
CP's main benefit is the effect it has on TC. For Germany this can be a decisive advantage.