I can't beat France!

[kamenev]

Hi,

I am wondering how people handle France as Germany in the 1936 scenario? I played Hoi2 DD Arma before and I never had any problem with France. Darkest Hour seems much more difficult.

I defeat Poland no problem by the first week of September 1939.

I then redeploy my army to the West and start the invasion of Netherlands and Belgium. I successfully overrun these two countries but the problem starts when my armies reach the French border. It is impossible for me to break through. France goes on the offensive, I take heavy losses and I have to retreat. Then a WWI situation ensues and the border is totally static. Matters are made even worse when Republican Spain and Yugoslavia join the allies.

I am wondering what I am doing wrong.

How do you break through? What sort of army/airforce composition do you have on the eve of the invasion of France (May 1940)? What building strategies do you use? Do you build IC?

Thank you for your advice

[Bogdan.ua]

Try playing the 1940 scenario for practice. DH is supposed to be harder and it will take you a little bit to get used to it.

[Kannon]

http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/...e-to-the-Memel Read this, it was helped me.

[Hopit]

My tactic:
Hold the original French border ( 36 divs or less if you have land forts)
blitz true benelux with tanks and motorized/mechanized infantry and not stop until you get Paris.
That is what I usually do.

[Australiana]

Hi,

I am wondering how people handle France as Germany in the 1936 scenario? I played Hoi2 DD Arma before and I never had any problem with France. Darkest Hour seems much more difficult.

I defeat Poland no problem by the first week of September 1939.

I then redeploy my army to the West and start the invasion of Netherlands and Belgium. I successfully overrun these two countries but the problem starts when my armies reach the French border. It is impossible for me to break through. France goes on the offensive, I take heavy losses and I have to retreat. Then a WWI situation ensues and the border is totally static. Matters are made even worse when Republican Spain and Yugoslavia join the allies.

I am wondering what I am doing wrong.

How do you break through? What sort of army/airforce composition do you have on the eve of the invasion of France (May 1940)? What building strategies do you use? Do you build IC?

Thank you for your advice

Try concentrating every single armoured and motorised division that you have in Koblenz, and then when it all kicks off, advance them through Luxembourg-Arlon-Mons-Lille-Amiens. Be sure to have sufficient infantry following in their wake to hold the ground you've captured. Once you've reached Amiens, leave a small force to protect your ground and keep your tanks rolling. Be looking to exploit any weak spot in the French defenses. If you find one, "hit them hard, don't pat them." Ultimately, the idea is to 'backdoor' the French army by concentrating a massive force at the point of least resistance. You'll find that most of the French army is massed around the Maginot Line, so bypass them completely, and hopefully by the time they realise what's going on, and then move forces in your direction, it'll be too late.

[adiuvat]

Try concentrating every single armoured and motorised division that you have in Koblenz, and then when it all kicks off, advance them through Luxembourg-Arlon-Mons-Lille-Amiens. Be sure to have sufficient infantry following in their wake to hold the ground you've captured. Once you've reached Amiens, leave a small force to protect your ground and keep your tanks rolling. Be looking to exploit any weak spot in the French defenses. If you find one, "hit them hard, don't pat them." Ultimately, the idea is to 'backdoor' the French army by concentrating a massive force at the point of least resistance. You'll find that most of the French army is massed around the Maginot Line, so bypass them completely, and hopefully by the time they realise what's going on, and then move forces in your direction, it'll be too late.

I strongly prer Lux->Arlon->Mons->Hirson->around whichever route to Belfort. That wraps up the majority of FRA's army without a struggle. Then I let them tire themselves out trying breakouts for a month or two while I take the rest of the country.

Note you can upgrade INF -> MOT, it's much easier to get your defenders in place if they're faster. Lately I've been experimenting with producing MOT to upgrade into ARM (you can get 15+ divisions of light tank IIIs by poland!) and building a 3xInf1936 serial forever to upgrade into MOT, MAR, and MTN. It makes production a lot simpler and lets you control what is being worked on more effectively. Eventually I plan to mass upgrade 20-30 MOT into MEC, before Barbarossa.

My install is modded quite a bit at this point, but I think this advice will still be generally applicable.

[AbsoluteZer0]

Remember to use your CAS'es to do intrediction missions,this will speed your advance and stop the french from digging in.

[Leonaru]

So, is the conquest of France possible within the historical time frame?

[SpaceViking]

Yes. I've done it several times.

What it takes is practice and experimentation. Save the game right before you start (or play the '40 scenario) and try out different tactics.

[phordor001]

Takes 3 to 5 weeks. Weather plays a big factor. I use only 8 ARM, no MOT and just the starting INF. I use my air force (24 CAS and 8 TAC) to keep the French ORG low. Once they retreat I send the ARM through and start hitting the secondary lines with my planes. Unfortunately planes don't work as well when it rains and not at all when it storms. I've only had 1 game with no rain (3 weeks - yeah), average is 4 weeks from launch date. Note: because of the large French concentration on my border I use my TAC to do logistical strikes in Sedan, Verdun, Chamaut, Belfort and every province east. I reduce everything to under 10% (takes a couple of month of bombing). This slows the French enough that I don't have to worry about them shifting troops to the west quickly. Took me 8 or 9 trys before I finally got it.

[Döbeln]

So, is the conquest of France possible within the historical time frame?

You can do it in 1939, for sure.

[Hopit]

as long as you get to paris in 2-5 weeks it's possible

[ljigsrb]

finish france before poland. i find this much easier than 1940 attack.