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Eurasia

HoI3 AI ExperimentAAR
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Jun 21, 2014
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AI Experiments In HoI3
Prologue : In The Beginning...

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Rise Of The AI

As many of you may know, I have been very interested in how the AIs work in Hearts of Iron 3 (and in other games such as Dwarf fortress). So I promised, one day, to start a AAR where I test out certain ideas about how to use the AI properly in the game.

I tested some ideas out in a German game where I was designing and redesigning a Chain-Of-Command. In the end I came up with a lot of bad ideas and something that kind of worked that looked like this:

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In this American HoI3 AAR, I have designed the military forces based on the above. In fact, I have played the early years of the game right up to where I have been invited into the Allies. Then I stopped and saved and started my Crusader Kings II story. But that had come to a halt due to game issues. So why not work on the American AAR while the CK2 AAR is on the backburner?

First, let me state that I focused Research and Develop as best I could on certain areas I knew the USA just HAD to have. The Air Craft had to have long range abilities. In the Navy I wanted to focus on Cruisers - we still have Battleships and Destroyers but during the war I hope those will slowly be replaced. Transports have been put into Fleets with Escorting warships as have Aircraft Carriers.

I tried to build up industry while also trying to release as much Manpower for military duty as I could. Sadly, our Manpower is dangerously low. Also our overall equipment and training is not as advanced as I would like.

The Army AIs can not change the Chain-Of-Command nor reshuffle the way the units have been set up. Only the NAVY HQ has direct control of many of its Units due to the distances involved in its operations.

The AIs will also be given limited goals. I don't want to overwhelm them with a million tags all over the globe.

So, with that in mind let me start to show you some of the events heading up to the moment where we will have to decide to join the Allies. Warning - the first few chapters will be data dumps.

The War in Europe pretty much started on time. Poland was absorbed and before you knew it German Tanks were rolling into France. Soon France was being stabbed in the back by Italy.

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Knowing that the USA would be joining soon I took actions. We switched to a Two-Year Draft and Full Mobilization.

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By then we were helping both the UK and France as best as we could. I think maybe too much as it did slow down my own production. But I knew that FDR was very much a "Germany First" kind of President and would want to do his best to support those fighting the Axis.

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This also shows you the names of the Theaters. As you can see the Navy REALLY wants more and I can't blame it as it was given the OCEANS to guard. Poor thing.

The USA is a Social Liberal Republic whose elected officials, at the moment, were mostly Democrats. As you can see by this time we have switched to a Three-Year Draft and we are preparing for WAR!

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By August France had fallen as the Japanese demand French Indochina and Vicky France was created.

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The USA had Elections in November 1940 and the Democrats were still in power.

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By January 1941 the Lend-Lease Act was passed. Flavor text really. But whatever.

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Then things got a tad strange. Guatemala joined the Axis. Okay. I went and asked Mexico for Military Access and got it.

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And on November 7th, 1941, the USA was invited to join the Allies. Which is where I stopped the game and saved.

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So in my upcoming chapters I will show you the different Theaters. Their set up, tags, equipment, and so on. Then...well, we go war.
 
This is fun. I look forward to the sort of results you can achieve with this setup. So many questions come to mind.
Will you give Marine Theatre islands as objectives and try to get the AI to make naval landings?
I'm sure this will be a worthy successor to 'War of the machines'.

Warning - the first few chapters will be data dumps.
As you surely know, I don't mind data...
 
Axis Guatemala is ... well just wonderful quirky tbh.
 
AI Experiments In HoI3
Chapter One : Navy

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You're A Weirdo Lady
So if we are going to start let us start with the US Navy. The head of the Navy Theater was Field Marshal Malin Craig stationed in Honolulu. He was in command of all Navy operations - in other words his AI had been switched on. He had been ordered to go on a defensive Stance, for now, and he wasn't really happy about it. With over eight areas he had been ordered to defend plus pitiful Garrisons all over the world he wanted a lot more material. And he wasn't going to be getting it.

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A Veteran of the Spanish-American War and World War One I really have no clue how he is now in charge of the Navy as a Field Marshal. As an army officer and a man who had served in the cavalry and the artillery as well as the infantry I have no idea why he was acting as an Admiral in the US Navy.

Under him, in command of the Naval Infantry Group, is Field Marshal Alexander Vandegrift, based on Christmas Island. At LEASET he was a Officer in the Marine Corps. He knows how to handle a rifle!

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Under him is the 1st Naval Army commanded by General Baker who was also stationed on Christmas Island. The Army was made up of two Corps. The 1st Corps was under Lt. General Markham. It was made up of two Infantry Divisions and two Cavalry Divisions which protected the Islands of Christmas Island, Phoenix Island, and American Samoa.

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Each Infantry Division had three Infantry Brigades and one Artillery Brigade while the Cavalry Divisions had three Cavalry Brigades and one Artillery Brigade.

The 2nd Corps was under Lt. General Anderson J.W. which was made up of two Divisions which were still on the West Coast of the US. Both Divisions were only made up of THREE Marine Brigades each, fresh out of training, and already heading to the nearest port to meet up with some Transports.

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The Navy HQ also directly controlled Three-Brigade Garrisons in Honolulu, Midway Island, Panama, and two Three-Brigade Garrisons in Anchorage.

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There were also a Two-Brigade Garrisons in Anchorage and Guam while single Garrison Brigades were in Attu Island, Wake Island, and Puerto Rico.

Then there was also a Infantry Division made up of three Infantry Brigades stationed on Palmyra. Called the "Philippine Force" it had likely been pulled back to Palmyra out of fear it was not being properly supplied. I really don't know.

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Now, on to the floating stuff. First the Submarine Fleets. There are four, all stationed in Honolulu right now. As each Submarine Division equals ten Subs that is forty Subs per Fleet or a total of one hundred-sixty Barracuda-Class Submarines. Not a lot to be honest but they may pack a punch in the first few weeks of the war.

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Now, onto the Battleship Fleets. The 1st Battleship Fleet, as the others, seems to be on patrol. The main core of the Fleet is made of the Nevada, the Arizona, and the Pennsylvania, all of them Nevada-Class Battleships. Their screens are three Destroyer Divisions made up of Clemson-Class Destroyers.

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As you can see these ships are somewhat outdated. Wait till you see the 2nd Battleship Fleet! Also on patrol the core of the Fleet is made up of the Idaho, the New York, and the Texas which are all Nevada-Class Battleships. And among them is the Arkansas which is a Arkansas-Class Battleship.

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Escorting this ships are three Destroyer Divisions made up of Sampson-Class Destroyers. To be honest they look more like 19th Century gunboats to me. But we play with the cards we are dealt. And there are not really enough of them to properly screen the Capital Ships.

On to the 3rd Battleship Fleet which is approaching Honolulu. The core of this Fleet is the Oklahoma, the Tennessee (the Pride of the Navy), and the California which are Nevada-Class Battleships. They have been joined by the Colorado which is a Pennsylvania-Class Battleship.

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Too bad they are escorted by four Destroyer Divisions made up totally of Sampson-Class Destroyers.

Now the last of the Battleship Fleets, the 4th, had a core made out of the West Virginia and the Maryland, both Pennsylvania-Class Battleships, and the New Mexico and the Mississippi, both Nevada-Class Battleships.

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They were escorted by four Light Cruisers of the Omaha-Class. A interesting mixture of warships if I say so myself.

Now, onto the Carrier Fleets. We only have two so it will not take that long to describe. The 1st Carrier Fleet has the Lexington and the Saratoga, both Lexington-Class Carriers, escorted by four Light Cruisers of the Omaha-Class. So far so good.

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Sadly the Carriers had four Wings of Grumman FFs which were many years out of date. YET in great demand over the early part of the game - many nations purchased rights to produce it. Go figure!

The 2nd Carrier Fleet has the Ranger and the Wasp, both Yorktown-Class Carriers, being escorted by four Light Cruisers of the Brooklyn-Class.

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But once again the Carriers had four Wings of the aging Grumman FFs.

Now on to the MASSIVE 1st Transport Fleet. A Fleet designed to protect the ground troops while carrying out invasions or just navigating the oceans. Which I hope the AI uses properly. I doubt it. Which is why it has as much firepower as I could put into it without feeling silly.

The core of the warships are the Enterprise, a Lexington-Class Carrier, the Yorktown, a Yorktown-Class Carrier, along with four Destroyer Divisions made up of Farragut-Class Destroyers.

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These warships only had one job - to protect the four Transport Flotillas. Of course the Carriers had four Wings of Grumman FFs.

Talking about aircraft the Navy HQ did, in fact, have a misnamed Bombing Wing of four Wings of Catalinas. It was stationed in Honolulu and these Naval Bombers should be useful if the Japanese ventured too far into US waters.

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They also had a Fighter Wing, once again misnamed, made up of four Wings of P-36s. Also stationed in Honolulu.

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The reason I called them both misnamed is they should be called "Groups" not "Wings". To me the Aircraft Units are "Wings" but maybe that is just me. Maybe I will change the names later?

So that is the US Navy. To be honest it does not look like, on paper, that is can take on the Japanese. But please remember that they would be acting as the Shield. Next chapter I will be showing you the Sword. The Marine Theater!
 
I’ll be following with great interest too. One of my back burner projects is also based on the use of AI for a large HOI3 power, though with some other twists. Apart from being interesting in its own right, this will be very useful indeed to refine some ideas for operational AI control.

I wonder, other than the command and control system, do you manually control everything else, pretty much? Research, production, diplomacy, politics, Intel, etc? Part of my planned approach involves experimenting with as much AI control as possible of all game aspects. Just curious as to the scope you give the AI.

Hope Road of Queens is up again soon but that you will keep this going on the side when it does. And I’m sure the US AI will be a bit harder to beat than France in March of the Machines! :)
 
I wonder, other than the command and control system, do you manually control everything else, pretty much? Research, production, diplomacy, politics, Intel, etc? Part of my planned approach involves experimenting with as much AI control as possible of all game aspects. Just curious as to the scope you give the AI.

Hope Road of Queens is up again soon but that you will keep this going on the side when it does. And I’m sure the US AI will be a bit harder to beat than France in March of the Machines! :)

In My Spanish AAR I learned that the AI can control some parts of the government well and others badly. The AI is controlling the Politics and the Intel. The rest is set on manual/player control. I found the AI was pretty bad at Research and Production and had no idea to do with Diplomacy. I do allow it to trade but I do make sure to embargo Nations I don't want it dealing with. Giving Germany and Japan stuff when I am playing the USA is a no-no. Just like when I am Germany I will break ties with the USSR. :D
 
As an army officer and a man who had served in the cavalry and the artillery as well as the infantry I have no idea why he was acting as an Admiral in the US Navy.
I find it funny that it makes a lot of sense to set up a high level HQ for your navy, especially if you like role-playing, or are using the AI, but that there is no way to place one of your admirals in charge of said HQ... I see two possible solutions, which may or may not exist in mods already. 1. Allow the creation of a 'navy HQ unit, which can only be lead by an admiral of appropriate rank, and have the traits trickle down to the fleets... land units can also be attached, but don't receive any benefit from the admiral, except for supply usage linked with skill at the AG level. (the same could exist for the Air Force, though that's less of an issue...)

the Cavalry Divisions had three Cavalry Brigades and one Artillery Brigade.
I'm guessing these Cavalry Divisions will be static. Otherwise their Artillery will render them no more mobile than standard Infantry... strange choice... why not upgrade the Cavalry to mobile units and replace them with Inf or Gar, which do a better job at defending stuff anyway...

As each Submarine Division equals ten Subs that is forty Subs per Fleet or a total of one hundred-sixty Barracuda-Class Submarines
I like this, making assumptions on how many vessels are in a Flotilla... IRL this varied wildly across nations, so it's a bit tough to pin down...

As you can see these ships are somewhat outdated. Wait till you see the 2nd Battleship Fleet! Also on patrol the core of the Fleet is made up of the Idaho, the New York, and the Texas which are all Nevada-Class Battleships. And among them is the Arkansas which is a Arkansas-Class Battleship.
Escorting this ships are three Destroyer Divisions made up of Sampson-Class Destroyer
That fleet is going to do badly due to the big 'lack of screens' penalty introduced in FTM. If your fleet has fewer escorts (units) than Capital ships, the latter are considered improperly screened, and you take a serious naval combat penalty. This even happens if you had enough screens before a battle, but 'too many' screens are sunk during the battle.

The core of the warships are the Enterprise, a Lexington-Class Carrier, the Yorktown, a Yorktown-Class Carrier, along with four Destroyer Divisions made up of Farragut-Class Destroyers.
It seems somewhat strange to me that this kind of fleet would have no shore bombardment capability, not even Light Cruisers. If you really want to help the AI out, add your 2 oldest Battlehsips, or 3-4 old Heavy Cruisers, so that AI naval landings actually have some navy gunnery support. If you don't plan on having the AI do naval landings with this fleet, you should disregard this advice...

The reason I called them both misnamed is they should be called "Groups" not "Wings". To me the Aircraft Units are "Wings" but maybe that is just me.
That's funny, because when you play as the UK, your Air units are automatically called 'Groups'. As for why I thought you indicated they were 'misnamed'... I thought it had to do with USAAF Fighter Wings being under Navy command...

In any case, a good, data-packed start...
 
It seems somewhat strange to me that this kind of fleet would have no shore bombardment capability, not even Light Cruisers. If you really want to help the AI out, add your 2 oldest Battlehsips, or 3-4 old Heavy Cruisers, so that AI naval landings actually have some navy gunnery support. If you don't plan on having the AI do naval landings with this fleet, you should disregard this advice...

In any case, a good, data-packed start...

I have been warned to never, ever, mix Carriers and Battleships into a fleet. The AI gets confused, seeing them both as just genetic Capital ships, and the Carriers end up going forward with the Battleships during naval combat. And get blasted.
 
So the real conundrum of the campaign already is Malin Craig - that seems appropriate for a Paradox game :D
 
AI Experiments In HoI3
Chapter Two : The West Coast Marine Theater

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Here Comes The Sword

The idea behind the Navy was it was designed to hold some important islands and make moving through US controlled waters very dangerous. The idea of the West Coast Marine Theater is they will be launching offensive operations against Japanese held islands and, slowly, pushing their way into Japanese territory.

They had to be a balance of ground troops and naval transports and air support. Only a combined arms method, is I feel, going to work when it comes to taking islands. Thus the AI would be activated on an Army Level of command.

They have a few Tags in the Pacific, only three in fact, Eniwetok, Kwajalein, and Truk. The reason for so few is I didn't want them to feel overwhelmed. I want them to have a large amount of resources and only a few objectives.

The top two ranks, Field Marshal Wainwright who was a Logistics Wizard and Field Marshal Riley who was a Fortress Buster, were selected for just those traits which would be passed down to all the lower rank officers. In the wide open ocean the importance of needing LESS supplies and having ADVANTAGES at taking fortified positions were be a must. In other words they were selected to support the Army level commanders.

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You may notice the two Divisions attached to the Theater HQ. This is my way of reminding me that those units will be joining two other Divisions and becoming another Marine Corps. Most Armored Divisions will end up on the East Coast with the Army Theater. In other words these two are Light Armored Divisions earmarked for the Marines and are going to be fighting against the Japanese in the future. I don’t wish to send them East by accident.

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The man in charge of the West Coast Marine Theater was General Richardson. Stationed in Toledo he was in command of four Marine Corps and all the Marine Fleets. I have found two famous American military leaders linked to the conflict in the Pacific named Richardson during World War Two and none of them look anything like the one pictured. And knowing how messed up these games get their histories I'm not even trying to figure which one it is. At least he seems positive about his chances against the Japanese.

So let us move onto the Marine Corps. Please remember not all of this units are MARINES but all will be fighting in the Pacific Theatre. Also there are no standards between the Corps. As a experiment I want to see which combination of units and brigades work best.

I Marine Corps is commanded by Lt. General MacArthur. Under him are two Infantry Divisions and two Cavalry Divisions. The Infantry are three Brigades while the Cavalry are three Cavalry Brigades and one Artillery Brigade.

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II Marine Corps is commanded by Lt. General Herren. Under him are four Infantry Divisions. One of which, the 40th Sunshine Division, was on Johnston Island. Not even sure how they got there - that island was under the responsibility of the Navy Theater. The Sunshine Division has four Brigades but is suffering from supply issues.

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III Marine Corps is commanded by Lt. General Lejeune and if you are a US Marine you know who HE is. His Divisions are made up of three Infantry Brigades and one Artillery Brigade. Making his Divisions the most balanced units for going into the conflict right now.

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IV Marine Corps is commanded by Lt. General Middleton. He has a interesting mixture of Divisions because these are units General Richardson were asking for early in the game. So I gave him a few. Two Mountain Divisions with three Brigades each and two Marine Divisions with three Brigades each. Both will likely prove very valuable in both island fighting and some of the mountain fighting in Asia.

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Now for the Marine Fleets. First there are two Transport Fleets. The 1st Marine Transport Fleet was based on the Navy version. Big with a lot of warships. Twelve Destroyers Divisions and Twelve Transport Flotillas.

The Destroyers are Sampson-Class Destroyers. Normally I would complain about that but when you take into account I think of a Destroyer/Transport/Submarine Unit as equaling ten ships that makes for one-hundred-forty Destroyers. That’s not bad to protect as many Transports. And should carry A LOT of ground units.

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As the West Coast Marine Theater is moving it to a new port it must have plans for it.

The other Transport Fleet is the 3rd Marine Transport Fleet. The 2nd Fleet was added to the 1st Fleet so that one disappeared and the Transport Fleets have not been renamed yet. This is an experiment to see if the AI will use small Transport Fleets even if they can’t move all the units at once. As the Fleet has units already on board I think the answer looks like it is willing to cut up Chains-Of-Commands/Theaters to move them piece by piece.

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The four Destroyer Divisions in the 3rd Marine Transport Fleet are made up of Sampson-Class Destroyers.

Now, to help secure sea lanes and protect the Transport Fleet and to, I hope, help in island invasions, the 1st Marine (Army) has also been given some Escort Fleets.

The 1st Escort Fleet had four Heavy Cruisers. The Quincy, a Pensacola-Class H. Cruiser, was accompanied by the Northampton, the Indianapolis, and the Chicago, all Tennessee-Class H. Cruisers.

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The Light Cruisers that were acting as screens were the Philadelphia and the Brooklyn, both Brooklyn-Class L. Cruisers, and Memphis and the Cincinnati, both Omaha-Class L. Cruisers. The result was a very powerful Fleet IF used properly. And an experiment on how a all Cruiser Fleet might work. Or not work.

The 2nd Escort Fleet also had four Heavy Cruisers. The Chester was a Tennessee-Class H. Cruiser which was accompanied by the Astoria, the Minneapolis, and the San Francisco which were Pensacola-Class H. Cruisers.

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They had four Destroyer Divisions to screen them made up of Sampson-Class Destroyers. Oh well, nobody is perfect.

Now, for the Air Elements of the Marine Theater. The idea being once they take an island they could use the enemy’s own airfields against them. There are four Groups. The 1st Marine Fighter Group is made up of four Wings of P-36s.

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The 1st Marine Tactical Group is made up of four Wings of Douglas B-23 Dragons. They also had a 1st Marine CAG made up of four Wings of...Boeing F4Bs. Yes, Biplanes.

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They also had the 1st USMC Bomb Wing (which needs to be renamed to Group) made up of four Wings of Caralinas. Naval Bombers in other words.

You have likely seen the mayor flaw in this Theater. No Aircraft Carriers. There are still a few Carriers in reserve which are still being assembled into Fleets. In fact a large amount of units have not been assigned to any Theater as they are waiting for other units to be finished. But Divisions and Groups and Fleets will NOT be assigned to any AI until they are ready to be deployed. To be honest I thought I would have a little more time.

For our next chapter we will be moving over to the East Coast and seeing the Army Theater.
 
Good explanations.
 
I have been warned to never, ever, mix Carriers and Battleships into a fleet. The AI gets confused, seeing them both as just genetic Capital ships, and the Carriers end up going forward with the Battleships during naval combat. And get blasted.
Now for the Marine Fleets. First there are two Transport Fleets. The 1st Marine Transport Fleet was based on the Navy version. Big with a lot of warships. Twelve Destroyers Divisions and Twelve Transport Flotillas.

To clarify, on adding shore bombardment capability to your transport fleet+Carriers. Big gun ships with a similar speed to the Carriers (or higher), would be preferable in naval engagements. It's only if you have a slow capital ship that you're really risking your Carriers. However, be warned, in naval action with a CV-BC/CA-CL/DD fleet, BC/CA will do some serious damage, but they will also be the main target of your enemy and thus the first ships to be sunk. In a pinch, Light Cruisers also have some shore bombardment capability.
I'm not sure the AI will be using it's SAGs to provide shore bombardment while marines are landing from a transport fleet, which means that, with your current setup an amphibious assault from any of your transport fleets will have 0 shore bombardment. Even the addition of a CA or swapping out DDs for CLs will help here. Unless, of course this is a test to see if the AI will actually use SAGs for Shore Bombardement, if the transport fleets don't provide any on their own...

And an experiment on how a all Cruiser Fleet might work. Or not work.
Theoretically Cruiser Fleets are great, if they are modern (read fast), and if they are large. Their nemesis is probably the modern CTF.

Looking forward to what the AI does with all of this...
 
This looks great - concise, well explained texts and interesting graphics. I look forward to seeing how this develops. The AI throws up interesting results in land heavy powers such as the USSR, and I am interested to see how the AI handles a maritime challenge given the AI US is typically dormant in the Pacific.
 
This looks great - concise, well explained texts and interesting graphics. I look forward to seeing how this develops. The AI throws up interesting results in land heavy powers such as the USSR, and I am interested to see how the AI handles a maritime challenge given the AI US is typically dormant in the Pacific.

If this works for the Americans I am thinking Japan would be even a bigger challenge.
 
AI Experiments In HoI3
Chapter Three : East Army Theater

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Sadly, That Poster Looks Like My Army

Now to the East Coast where the East Army Theater is waiting for war to start. The Army Theater is almost a mirror of the Marine Theater as it has already been assigned its Transport and Escort Fleets. After all, how can it plan for the invasion of enemy territories if it did not take into account the naval assets?

Otherwise they would be complaining, "We need boats, we need boats, we need boats. We can't walk on water. BOATS! BOATS! BOATS!"

Also the top two commanders, Field Marshal Somervell of the East Army Theater was a Logistics Wizard and Field Marshal Bowley of the 1st Army Group who was of the Old Guard and great at Defensive Doctrine, were picked for just those traits.

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Under them are TWO Armies. Let us look at the largest first.

The one in charge of the 1st Army is General Thomas Holcomb. His structure is the oldest of the two Armies and has been given the goal of freeing Europe. His objectives are Amsterdam, Bruxelles, and Paris. As all these are now deep in German occupied Europe he has a long and hard road ahead.

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He seems to think he can handle it. As he was a member of the US Marine Corps who achieved the rank of General during World War Two I feel at least he is fit to be in charge of such operations.

First let us explore his Infantry Corps. The 1st Corps is commanded by Lt. General Drum who has four Infantry Divisions. Each is made up of four Infantry Brigades.

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The 2nd Corps is commanded by Lt. General Bolte who also has four Infantry Divisions. These Divisions are ALSO made up of four Infantry Brigades. For some reason it is stationed in Chicago. No doubt watching over the troublesome territory of Ohio.(1)

The 3rd Corps is commanded by Lt. General Lear who had four Infantry Divisions which are also made up of four Infantry Brigades. Like the 1st Corps it is on the East Coast.

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The 4th Corps is commanded by Lt. General McNair and breaks out of the pattern as it has three Infantry Divisions and a Cavalry Division.

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The Infantry Divisions have four Infantry Brigades while the Cavalry Division has only TWO Cavalry Brigades. I am not too sure WHY but I plan to leave it alone for now.

The 5th Corps is commanded by Lt. General Haskell and only has two Infantry Divisions. This is a Corps that is still being built but added anyway to bring the numbers of the 1st Army up. Additional Divisions would be added later. I hope.

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While the 27th Division has four Infantry Brigades the 2nd Division only had three. *sigh*

Now to the 1st Army’s naval assets. The 1st Army Transport, which seems to be already moving troops, is made up of four Destroyer Divisions, of Farragut-Class Destroyers, guarding four Transport Flotillas.

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The next Fleet was designed to hunt down enemy ships and protect American waters. The 1st Army Escort Fleet’s core is made of up the Vincennes, the Pittsburgh, the Quincy, and the Wichita which are all Pensacola-Class H. Cruisers.

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They are escorted by four Destroyer Divisions made up of Farragut-Class Destroyers.

THEN there is the 1st Carrier Fleet (Army). Oh yes, the Army Theater was given Carriers. In fact there core of the Fleet is the Independence and the Princeton both of which are the first of our Long Island-Class Escort Carriers. Not to be confused with the Iced Teas. Each Escort Carrier can only hold one Wing - half of what the bigger Carriers can carry. Right now they each carry a Wing of Boeing F4Bs.

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They are accompanied by the Helena, the San Diego, the Savannah, and the Nashville which are all Brooklyn-Class L. Cruisers. It was ALSO designed to hunt down enemy ships and protect American waters.

The 1st Army was also assigned a few Air “Groups”. The 4th USAAF Tactical Bombing Wing is made up of three Wings of Douglas B-23 Dragons.

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They also have the 1st USAAF Strategic Bombing Wing made up of three Wings of Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses. As you can see while both groups are assigned to the 1st Army they are not yet complete.

The 1st Army was also given the gift of having TWO Fighter “Groups”. The 11th and 84th USAAF Fighting Wings. Both are made up of four Wings of P-36s.

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Now to the little brother - the 2nd Army. Commanded by General Allen R.R., who is a Battle Master, was in charge of the 2nd Army which is still being formed. Mostly from old leftovers and whatever brand new equipment I can toss its way. I can’t find a General Allen R.R. - there is a Terry de la Mesa Allen Jr. but that name is so far off, once again, I am not going to even pretend this makes any sense. The photo kind of looks like him but its so small it can look like anybody. Papa Smurf for example.

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His only objective is Guatemala which was set when that nation joined the Axis. With access via Mexico I figure he could march down there. Maybe. The problem is the 2nd Army have no Aircraft and no Ships and are somewhat outdated. Not that it seems to bother the 2nd Army but then he thinks he is stationed in Washington and that’s not Washington.

First there is only one Corps, the 6th Corps commanded by Lt. Allen T. - HEY! There is Terry de la Mesa Allen Jr. Well, what do you know? The Corps is made up of four Divisions. Each Division had three Infantry Brigades and one Artillery Brigade fresh from the Great War. No, really, look at them.

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On the other hand how hard can it be to take over Guatemala? Well, don’t worry by the time the war starts and everything starts to happen they will be getting more Corps.

As you can see both Armies need a lot of equipment.

And the 1st Army needs more ships if it plans to get involved with the events in Europe. And maybe some Armored Divisions. And Support Brigades. At first, to be honest, I thought of having it go after Africa but that would not help the Allies very much.

As for the 2nd Army it might be able to carry out the capturing of Guatemala once it has a few more Corps and gets into gear.

Now, in the next chapter, FIRST BLOOD! And we enter war somewhat later than I thought we would.
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Author's Note:

1. Did you know when Ohio became a state? Many of you would say March 1, 1803. But in FACT the paperwork was not officially signed to make it a state until March 7, 1953 by President Dwight Eisenhower. Congress had to retroactively admit Ohio into the Union on March 1, 1803 OTHERWISE many of our Presidents were not Americans! As Ohio is also known as the "Mother of Modern Presidents" including, but not limited to, Ulysses S. Grant, James Garfield, and William H. Taft, this makes them a bunch of foreigners! *GASP*

Also Ulysses S. Grant’s real birth name was Hiram Ulysses Grant but he didn’t want to be called HUG at West Point so changed it. True story! But this is a Hearts of Iron 3 AAR and not a Victoria 2 AAR so enough of that.
 
One hopes the 2nd Army doesn't become like the British 14th Army.
 
His objectives are Amsterdam, Bruxelles, and Paris.
I'm looking forward to his liberation of my home town... Those Germans aren't being very nice... they're eating all our chocolate, drinking all our beer, we've had to start eating Polish chocolate, can you imagine the insult... at least give us the Swiss stuff, Polish chocolate is the worst... At least we are getting Czech beer, as the Germans will never admit to themselves that Czech beer is at least as good as, if not better than, theirs...
 
AI Experiments In HoI3
Chapter Four : First BLOOD!

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WAR!

On the 7th of November, a little bit before midnight, I ordered all forces to mobilize. But for some reason I was told that this was not a good thing to do during peace time. Wait, I thought we were at war? Oh no, had I failed to join the Allies?

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Yes. Yes, I had. It seems I saved right when I got the offer so many months ago. Yet we all know loading up a save can act like a reboot in some cases. The UK had withdrawn their offer. So not only was I not a member of the Allies yet but the UK was still trying to influence me. So I had to ask them - once I had a diplomat available to make a request.

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So while I waited I peeked around the world. Why is Malta under Italy's control? Oh no, Italy was controlled by a AI based on my own MIND! We're doomed! WE all know how I love to invade Malta!

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Okay, okay, don't go crazy. All is well. We can still win. Even if the Italians are acting like me. Anyway, by the 11th of November the USA joined the Allies. Of course now things would start to go our way. Well, kind of. We now triggered the Day of Infamy in which...well, we were not attacked. I guess this is just us going to war with the Axis or something like that. Switching from Peace To War in other words.

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Of course at this point almost all AIs were told to go all out - including the 1st Army which not pictured. Only the 2nd Army was not told to be aggressive with its ships and planes. Because it had none.

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So we were now part of the MIGHTY ALLIANCE! Sadly, no light sabers were issued to us. *sigh* Anyway, time to go to war for real.

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I also told the East Army Theater and the West Coast Marine Theater to tell their folks to be a tad aggressive. This means that certain tactics are more likely to be used by the AIs under their control than others.

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Field Marshal Craig was already on the ball the second war was declared. Even before the ink on the paperwork to join the Allies was dry the Navy announced the sinking of a Japanese cargo ship and its escort.

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Looks like one of the patrolling Battleship Fleets ambushed the convey before they realized that the Panama Canal was now closed to the Axis powers. Sorry guys, only open to our Allies now.

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In fact we will close this chapter with the image of one-hundred-forty Barracuda-Class Submarines moving out into the oceans. The hunt is on.(1)

Next chapter we will get into some of the details of starting a war. You know - LAWS!
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Author's Notes:

1. Truly an amazing sight. Because the US Barracuda-Class Submarines, at least the ones I know of, were made during the Cold War as a Attack-Submarine to counter Soviet Submarines. Which were about as Soviet as the AK-47. In other words, Soviet made Submarines based on German designs.
 
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Hey ho, let's go! No light sabres maybe, but may the Force be with you! Nice little nuance re bumping up tactical aggression - will have to remember that.
 
AI Experiments In HoI3
Chapter Five : Hot Law Making Action!

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Now We Have Tanks! Wait, that's just a Christie T4E1! What Are YOU Trying To Pull GAME?

While I watch over production and over what the AIs are slowly doing the Allies decide to create the United Nations. Its sole purpose is, of course, to organize the war and kill all our enemies! Or something that.

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The Japanese respond with their own little declaration of war. Too late. We threw the first punch. Nyah-Nyah!

By entering the war I realized I could enact a whole bunch of changes in our laws. So I switched Politics to manual and pushed all the buttons. Then switched it back to AI.

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The new Laws will really help in all areas. Industry and Manpower will be much improved along with Resources and Officer Recruitment.

Talking about improving things I noticed that the West Coast Marine Theater had two issues. It wasn't getting the supplies it needed. And I wanted it closer with the rest of the Chain-Of-Command. So it was ordered from San Francisco to Portland.

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I will have to keep an eye on the HQs without AIs and make sure to move them when needed. The West Coast Marine Theater and the 1st Marine Group HQ will likely end up on one of the Pacific Islands just so to keep in touch with the advancing front. If we are lucky.

On November 12th I was alerted that I had lost the effects of Neutrality. The decrease in Research Efficiency is nothing to laugh at.

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I was also told by the UK that they were no longer trying to romance me. Awww. No more Jaffa cakes!

The new Laws meant that a huge amount of resources flooded the factories and a bunch of fresh Divisions flowed out, finished ahead of time. So I was able to form a few new Divisions or add to already existing Divisions who needed to be filled up.

First I focused on making new Corps. The 7th Corps was made out of four Infantry Divisions and attached to the 2nd Army (East Army Theater). Each Division was made up of three Infantry Brigades and one Artillery Brigades. Armed with surplus weapons. Well, welcome to the 13th...er...I mean 2nd Army.

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But at least the 8th Corps, made up of two Light Armored Divisions with have four M3 Stuart Brigades and one Medium Division which had three T4E1s Brigades, was also attached to the 2nd Army.

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I am not too happy about the Christie T4E1s to be honest. They do have a more powerful punch when it comes to the attack when compared to the M3s. But they are heavier, use up more supplies and fuel, SLOWER and seem to be more vulnerable to air attack. Not that I see them running into Tactical Aircraft in Latin America. But these same tanks will also be fighting in the Pacific. In hindsight I should have gone for more M3s.

The 5th Corps of the 1st Army, as you know just had two Infantry Divisions. So I gave it two Cavalry Divisions. Each had three Cavalry Brigades and one Artillery Brigade. I doubt Lt. General Haskell was happy with me about it.

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Then the V Marine Corps were formed from two already existing Armored Tank Divisions and two new Cavalry Divisions. The Armored Divisions were made out of three Medium T4E1s each while the Cavalry Divisions were made out of three Cavalry Brigades and one Artillery Brigade each.

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In other words the most horrible combo for any Corps going into combat in the Pacific. Have fun!

Of course one of my problems is I have not unlocked Motorized Divisions yet. Once they are available I can create them and replace the Cavalry units who can then be upgraded Stateside. And all those crappy Artillery Brigades can be upgraded to Self-Propelled Artillery. But until then let us see what the Theaters can do with what they have.

In our next chapter we will take a look at the world map and also show you what I hope the AIs will be able to do and why. And the problems we may have to overcome.