Ask the DR. your strategy specific questions!

[VPeric]

Here's a quick update...

I decided to build some garrisons, and placed one each in the landable provinces at the Adriatic Sea (hope I got the name right, the one between me and Italy), and 3 at Thesallonica. I've also ordered some police brigades, for uses in Romania. I'm waiting for Small Arms Assembly Line reseach to finish before ordering any bigger amounts of infantry. In the mean time, Germany attacked (and annexed) Poland and is at war with Allies now (withdrawing some troops from my border, thank god). So, I decided to try and see what joining the Axis would do...

Now, I don't know how familiar you are with our history, but, Yugoslavian people stronly opposed pact with the Germans, which is also why we are the only Balkan country to get conqered by them. And, imagine my surprise when events dealing with that were actually in the game! Giving me 10 dissent for joining, and another 10 if I leave the alliance later on (which would make Germany DoW me). At this point I stopped playing. ^_^

One of my reasons for wanting to attack Turkey is that if I get Istambul, I'd have control of the Black Sea, which means I wouldn't have to protect Bulgarian and Romanian beaches against landings of any sort. Still, even if I'm to join the Soviets, I'd wait a while. Dunno. See how Barbarossa is doing.

Thoughts?

 

[pedal2000]

:rofl:
Here's my Situation:

I'm playing Bhutan 1936. (No cheats).
I've taken Tibet, Glunguxi Clique, Yannun and Ummm preparing for war with Sinkaing.
Yet I can't build anything, anywhere? So my first question to start with is: Why Can't I build industry/Infrastructure/Etc.

 

[unmerged(11202)]

:rofl:
Here's my Situation:

I'm playing Bhutan 1936. (No cheats).
I've taken Tibet, Glunguxi Clique, Yannun and Ummm preparing for war with Sinkaing.
Yet I can't build anything, anywhere? So my first question to start with is: Why Can't I build industry/Infrastructure/Etc.

That sounds very odd indeed, my only guess sofar is that you haven't researched the basic construction techs yet?

[EDIT] I found out that you need to research Basic Construction Engineering technology firt to build province improvements.

 

[Pdubya]

Playing Australia in SP: some thoughts & questions DR

Hi DR,
Thanks for all the insights- good stuff.

I enjoy playing Australia for a number of reasons. They are (to my thinking) like baby bear's porridge... "just right!"- not too big, not too small. Being a member of the Commonwealth has its little benefits as well!

Having played AUS in HOI1 and HOI2 I can say that as of HOI2 v1.1, the Aussies have it a lot tougher in the new game. But, maybe I am just missing some things or don't read the forums enough to gain better insight... so here goes: (I usually play all games at normal/aggressive)

Strategic Decisions for AUSTRALIA

Industrial:
Ahhh...factories- can't build enough of them, can't do without them... or can you? I have tried playing both ways and each has its problems. If you try to build 2 factories in parallel after the Perth is finished, it puts a severe strain on the economy. This is exacerbated by the game's "Parlimentary Scandal" events that tend to happen once each year (at 5% dissent) :wacko: . I am aiming to increase the Australian IC base enough to "earn" a third research slot. So far I have yet to reach that goal of fourty IC. I am not sure if it's a realistic goal or not.
Changing gears, I do miss the ability to increase my IC capability like I used to in HOI1, usually to around 90-100 from 70. Now I am lucky if I can reach 30'ish base IC.
Not building any new factories results in tapping out your war machine when things get hairy in 1941+. Hmmm... also (probably obvious, but) remember that you cannot build ANY upgrades on your island territories until troops are stationed there. I don't remember whether naval units in port count. Having said that I usually start on Port Moresby asap with improving infrastructure from 40% to at least 60%.

Navy:
To me the biggest naval question that confronts the Australian player is whether to invest research and IC in developing and building carriers (you start @ zero) and their airwings. I have tried both and have not been able to establish which is the "best" answer here. New Convoy transports (min. 1) are ESSENTIAL prior to ~1938 if you expect to occupy and defend (i.e. buildup) Lae and Rabaul as well as the other islands. Otherwise you can't supply your troops/ships efficiently. At some point you need to build some escorts before the pacific war starts. Some games I will focus on Battlecrusiers as the anchor of the AUS battlefleet. You have an Admiral that has "Indirect Doctrine" that provides bonuses for BCs as well as your other crusiers. I also try to develop submarines to supplement my meager fleet and keep the Japanese busy protecting their assets within 2 to 3 seazones of New Guinea. I don't think you have the capability to do much more with the Navy w/o carriers. I would like to hear other's input re: carriers & Australia.

Army:
First things first. After freezing the game upon start, replace every land unit's General you can with one that specializes in Logistics Wizard. I start building infantry divisions asap in order to have troops to occupy New Guinea and New Britain, etc. Your limited manpower will keep you from launching large scale offensives. You have to balance your MP between the different branches of service. It is useful to develop at least one Mountain division in order to give the Nips fits trying to take the direct route to Port Moresby through the Owen Stanley mtn range. Marines are good for jungle combat. I buy Garrison divisions to leave behind on the mainland and choice island outposts (via TP).

Airforce:
I usually limit my research to Interceptors and possibly Fighters (for increased range) for defense. You start with an advantage in Naval Bomber research- make good use of it and build at least 2 more when possible. I don't bother with SBs, TPs or escorts. I pick either TAC or CAS, not both.

Defenses:
I am torn about whether to bother building coastal forts (or land ones for that matter) in Rabaul and Port Moresby, etc. The new HOI map makes it very easy for the Japanese to flank your coastal forts unless you build enough of them- e.g., Rabaul and its other territory next door. Probably only worthwhile in a limited capacity IMO. Flak installations are something I place more value in- Port Moresby needs a definite upgrade. Not sure about Radar installations... can the DR shed some light on these please?

Well, that's all for now. I have been playing limited length games to get a feel for how HOI2 plays, etc., so I don't have any real "war" results to base any of my decisions on yet. Hoping to hear some good ideas from everyone.

Pdubya

 

[pedal2000]

That sounds very odd indeed, my only guess sofar is that you haven't researched the basic construction techs yet?

[EDIT] I found out that you need to research Basic Construction Engineering technology firt to build province improvements.

Cr**! I'll get my War College right on that. (Only research team :rofl: )

 

[unmerged(11202)]

Cr**! I'll get my War College right on that. (Only research team :rofl: )

There is another thing I found out as well, I am unable to build factories in a province with infra 30 or lower only from infra lvl 40 it is possible to build factories. Also keep in mind to build your factories in your national provinces to get their full IC, non-national provinces yield only 20% of their factories IC.

 

[pedal2000]

Yeah I know all that =P I was just stumped as too why I couldn't build. Even in my Conquer'd Provinces!

 

[unmerged(38211)]

Vperic- Everything sounds reasonable to me. I tend to choose my side early in similar situations so as to absorb some of the tech of my larger allies. Don't see any mistakes in your logic.... also why did you quit the game when you got the dissent? Just another obstacle.

Pdubya- Nice write-up for Aussies. A little feedback for ya as well. Building all those coastal forts seems to make sense being as Australia is one big island... but!.... one busted link in that armor and your huge inestment in forts becomes worthless (read as Maginot line). Large invasions are going to blow through the defenses you can offer. Best thing to do is have a speedy reactionary force ready... actually 2 of them (drive them and seal them). IC is much better spent in setting up a large forward outpost to launch Naval and Air attacks from... fortify this heavily (where is up to the individual commander). Even if they land on you then they will have convoys and support ships bombed.... poor decision by the enemy to do so. Thanks again for the write-up and consider yurself a "leftenant" on yur posts here!

The DR.

 

[unmerged(38211)]

Got a new "strategy expert" quiz for ya all!

Will give a little while for everyone to answer then will give my answers (not sayin I am right and you are not... but... hey! its my thread

Here ya go!

Playing as Russians 36' campaign. You have a larger land army then the Germans. You have a slightly smaller airforce. You have a useless navy.

Germany takes Poland and you split it. Germany takes Denmark, France, Belgium, Neth, Lux, Hung, Czech, Austr, and is close to taking Norway. You took Finland and the Upper Eastern Europe countries. Your peace treaty just expired.

Do you...

1) Declare on them - Dictate the battle on your terms not waiting for them to declare on you.

2) Keep building up and wait for them to declare on you - Attrition will hit them hard. You will continue to have time to build for the defense.

If 1).... do you,

a) Launch an offensive on all fronts smashing them everywhere at once. Breakthroughs will happen and you can punch through.
b) Launch heavy to the North - your main force should be directed at the Germans since they are the biggest threat.
c)Launch heavy to the South - You can get into the minors and destroy them removing them from the battle.

if 2)...do you....

a) build defensive forts and build a largely infanty force to stall while you build up an offensive counter-attack.
b) build mech/armor now since you know you will need a counter-attack force and you can give some ground while they are being made.
c) build heavily into air force... knowing you already have the enemy outnumbered you just need the air force to weaken them before you counter-attack.
d) Build a navy and suprise the germans by landing an offensive behind their lines.

bonus question-
What is the best configuration of your armored/mech units.
a) spread out... offer a little to everyone
b) set in units of 3 - a little less support for everyone but a little more focused firepower.
c) make large units (9-12) to focus the firepower but offer little support to the entire army.

Explain all answers.

The DR.

 

[vimhawk]

Got a new "strategy expert" quiz for ya all!

Will give a little while for everyone to answer then will give my answers (not sayin I am right and you are not... but... hey! its my thread

Here ya go!

Playing as Russians 36' campaign. You have a larger land army then the Germans. You have a slightly smaller airforce. You have a useless navy.

2) Keep building up and wait for them to declare on you - Attrition will hit them hard. You will continue to have time to build for the defense.
a) build defensive forts and build a largely infanty force to stall while you build up an offensive counter-attack.
The DR.

For my first game of USSR HOI2 I chose 2(a) because it is the option most likely to succeed, without knowing the inns and outs of the game system. Being very familiar with such games as 'War in Russia' and with some knowledge of military history, I rely on HOI2 as a reasonable simulation. I therefore chose to trade space for time, plus setting a limit to German expansion (there is an obvious river line to build forts behind, can't remember the provinces, but you need to put extra defence into Smolensk, since it isn't behind the river). I have previously chosen to invest industry etc in provinces further to the east of course, minimising the impact of losing these provinces.

Without knowing the game, I feel other options are too risky. Sure they will have worked for some people, and will have allowed a quicker defeat of the axis overall... but I don't feel its something you can do unless you know you can reload the game. This is something I try not to do! It's not an option that historical leaders had!!! As it turned out this option worked fine for me... perhaps not optimal but it worked. For my bonus option is chose (b), since this provided the firepower I needed for counter attacks, but more flexibly than grouping all together (which you can do as required anyway). No point spreading the armour out though.

Now I know the game, I will probably try a war taking out the German minors first. This stepping stone approach I now also believe to be less risky, since you can probably still maintain a solid defence against the main German assault at the same time. I know a lot of people will argue (brag?) that they went straight on the offensive and destroyed Germany, but as I said before, this is a very risky national strategy. The consequences are too important if you get it wrong! As I said before, in real war you don't get to reload the game.

 

[pedal2000]

If the German's have no men/tanks etc Bordering your Territory, storm into their land. Use your tanks in groups of 9, not 12, to take as much land as possible with infantry covering and consolidating. Also, start building up forts along that river line, as was previously mentioned in VanHawk's post. Just in case. I'd recommend (If I was going with 1. But I'd generally choose 2.) A or B. Annexing the Minor's is a good thing to do. But ONly if you can hold onto the land. Infact, I choose A. Stand your ground. Wait, wait wait, and then try and push the entire line forward at the same time. Often this let's at least one or two breakthroughs come forth, if not the entire line moving up a province. It's risky, but often brings to fruit the required results.

If they HAVE men (Which they usually do), then don't. Set up some fall back areas. Plan to loose some territory, but dictate the terms of the defense. Lure them in with the occasionally "Weak point" And then crush them back, or let them move in, and pincer from the rear. Use your Superior numbers to do this. Punch for Punch German's have Nadda on the SU infantry.
For 2. I pick A. But, I add 2. A. E. Add a mixture of Artillery and Anti-Tank Brigades into your Infantry at random. I've never met a German player who doesn't enjoy a good amount of tanks, and having AT Guns can't hurt. Remember, Tanks take a lot more to repair, and upgrade than infantry. Smash his tanks, and then let him waste IC rebuilding them. As for Infantry, your goal is to drain his MP. The German's are going to run out of Manpower. You know it, I know it, so Use it to your advantage. Let them impale themselves upon your spear, and THEN thrust into them. Have at least 3 lines of forts. But make sure you leave it so that they are vunerable from the rear, so that you can take them back with minor effort. Never build a fort that is stronger on it's Moscow side than on it's Berlin side.
Now hopefully you were smart and built up your IC around the area of just above Afghanistan. (In Provinces with 80% Infrastructure, to make them the fastest possible), thus minimizing the effects of a German invasion.

For Bonus:
C.
Use them to Smash the Germans and cause breakthroughs. Your infantry can often hold the line against the Germans. Any Breakthroughs that occur on your force can quickly be stomped out by your tank forces. The entire army doesn't need support if you've added Brigades throughout. And you can inflict massive (Unsustainable, for Germany) casualties upon his Infantry with your tanks, since most German players don't add AT guns to their infantry. Don't be afraid to fall back either, your just here to hurt the Germans, not loose your tanks to an encirclement.

 

[unmerged(38211)]

Few more.... these servers are up and down like an elevator.


Will answer later today.

 

[unmerged(11202)]

Got a new "strategy expert" quiz for ya all!

Will give a little while for everyone to answer then will give my answers (not sayin I am right and you are not... but... hey! its my thread

Here ya go!

Playing as Russians 36' campaign. You have a larger land army then the Germans. You have a slightly smaller airforce. You have a useless navy.

Germany takes Poland and you split it. Germany takes Denmark, France, Belgium, Neth, Lux, Hung, Czech, Austr, and is close to taking Norway. You took Finland and the Upper Eastern Europe countries. Your peace treaty just expired.

Do you...

1) Declare on them - Dictate the battle on your terms not waiting for them to declare on you.

2) Keep building up and wait for them to declare on you - Attrition will hit them hard. You will continue to have time to build for the defense.

If 1).... do you,

a) Launch an offensive on all fronts smashing them everywhere at once. Breakthroughs will happen and you can punch through.
b) Launch heavy to the North - your main force should be directed at the Germans since they are the biggest threat.
c)Launch heavy to the South - You can get into the minors and destroy them removing them from the battle.

if 2)...do you....

a) build defensive forts and build a largely infanty force to stall while you build up an offensive counter-attack.
b) build mech/armor now since you know you will need a counter-attack force and you can give some ground while they are being made.
c) build heavily into air force... knowing you already have the enemy outnumbered you just need the air force to weaken them before you counter-attack.
d) Build a navy and suprise the germans by landing an offensive behind their lines.

bonus question-
What is the best configuration of your armored/mech units.
a) spread out... offer a little to everyone
b) set in units of 3 - a little less support for everyone but a little more focused firepower.
c) make large units (9-12) to focus the firepower but offer little support to the entire army.

Explain all answers.

The DR.

The answer to question 1 would be going with number 2, if Germany tries Barbarossa you get the Russian industry moved eastwards event, which gives a net increase of IC, I don't the exact number, but it is quite a lot, 20 IC or so.

For what to do next, you are going for an initially defensive war. Option A does sound interesting, but you have way to many provinces which would eat up most of your IC if you want to build fortresses, since you are Russia and have a nearly endless supply of manpower, use piles of bodies wall up your defences instead. Another disadvantage I see in fortresses is that they can't counter attack once you have crushed the Germans. Infantry and armor can take the fight all the way to the west.
I would build at least 100 infantry divisions with brigades. Use the remainder of your available IC to build armored divisions.
As for options c and d, the Soviets are to far behind in naval tech to be able to build a decent navy, and their tech teams suck as well in that regard. Focus on submarines if you want to, but ignore the rest at your leisure. The same also largely applies for aircraft as well. As the Soviets I would focus everything on developing and building groundforces. Combined with industrial and land doctrine research, there is little research capacity left for other projects as the Soviets. Concluding I would go with 2b

The answer to the bonus question would be c imho, by concentrating your armored divisions in stacks with possibly a HQ included and use them as spearheads to break through the German lines, surround them and annihillate them.

 

[unmerged(38211)]

and the DR's. answers are:

1c or 2b.

1a actually allows them to punch through you.

1b is a flaw because the minors are much weaker adversaries...

which leads to 1c. Taking out the minors removes defending units and allows a sweep up to entrap northern units. Good choice.

2a) Maginot line... nuff said.
2b) counter-attacking forces is the way to go. Smash and grab.
2C)boots on the ground are much better then outdated and outneumbered air corps/
2d) yeah right

and the bonus question answer was C

Large units capable of punching holes are much better then smaller less capable units.

So lets see how everyone did:
Vimhawk : close enough for your first quiz. Land forts during WW2 were seeing the last of their relevence. One punch through and you would be wishing you had another 15 divisions to fill the gap.
pedal- must have cheated somehow....
Alkar - obviosly was in cahoots with Pedal...

note to self - must make new test next year

Thanks for answerrin guys. Was all in fun. No right answers of course (unless ya wanna play for money?). Hope ya had fun.

 

[Brasidas]

A late entry: Read your quiz blind without reading anything after.

1)b
Crush the German industry, and you destroy their ability to build up a larger fighting force. The front will be narrower, focusing your troops from their "long front" negating one of your disadvantages.
The enemy is as over-extended and as weak as he is going to get before the Allies can open a second european front for you. This is your best shot before 42. Make Eurasia!


Bonus:
Best grouping: Large.
You want to fight using army groups, no matter how their "official" formations. These groups should be of "fast" units (armour, motor, mech), and therefore at relatively the same speed. That speed is critical, even on the defensive. They fill in gaps, redeploying from one battle to another to give your defenders a backbone.

As obiter dicta,
If 2) then a)
Reasons:
-navy is useless against continental enemies of Mother Russia (go for the states with nuke subs in 45)
-airbases will be captured by the enemy, except possibly in and around Leningrad
-mech and armour are IC intensive for early SU
While b) is attractive, you can wear down the enemy with an elastic defense until he reaches the Volga. Here's where you use it to form a massive, natural encirclement magnet. Get them to walk in and hit a solid wall of forts. Surprise. Panzers walk in, they don't walk out.

Patton was right about forts, except when combined with rivers and TC overload. If the panzers charge across those rivers, a double stack of infantry can be easily reinforced by a single 12 stack from either of its neighbours, outnumbering the panzers. Coupled with with crossing penalties, Germany's in trouble.

When the attack bogs down, Russia attacks when ready. Pincers from North and south, spearheaded by whatever armour you've got. Germany races to get out of the encirclement, and he keeps on running. His org re-gain can't keep up with yours, and he'll have trouble regrouping.

EDIT:
Willing to stack up against eure Doktor using my second choice (2a), even with UK as AI. It's not "the" right answer, but it can serve.

 

[ddiplock]

I loaded my Soviet game as Germany to see what forces they had after they'd annexed Poland.

They appeared to be marching their military across towards the French boarder, leaving their boarder with my Soviet Russia very vulnerable to invasion.

Should I take care of Finland first, so I can free up the 42 divisions that I have on the Finnish boarder? Or should I go to war with Germany first?

 

[unmerged(11202)]

I loaded my Soviet game as Germany to see what forces they had after they'd annexed Poland.

They appeared to be marching their military across towards the French boarder, leaving their boarder with my Soviet Russia very vulnerable to invasion.

Should I take care of Finland first, so I can free up the 42 divisions that I have on the Finnish boarder? Or should I go to war with Germany first?

Grab Finland first, don't attack Germany from the rear until they have Vichyfied France. That way you should be able to grab most of Germany and France without the Allies taking land in the west.

 

[ddiplock]

Grab Finland first, don't attack Germany from the rear until they have Vichyfied France. That way you should be able to grab most of Germany and France without the Allies taking land in the west.

Hmmm. I was thinking of going to war with Germany when they were still fighting France. that way a load of their forces are concentrated in the west fighting French troops while I start my advance.

 

[unmerged(38211)]

Bras - now wait a minute bud. You are using "in-game" logic as it applies to this game. Question was theoretical, although I guess it was in the forum for this game. Ok... you get to join the cheater squad as well.

ddiplock - Alkar is right here my friend. Although your initial push will be strong, (and good to think this way.... taking advantage of your opponents time of weakness) the time will be short. Frace will fall with only a token force on your border, and then you will be getting the full brunt (minus 42 divisions as you said... which will soon be 5). Best to focus your defense and make your own land-grab while you can.

 

[Brasidas]

"in-game logic" is a no-no? My! However might I have been influenced into doing so?

I'm certain it could have nothing to do with

Playing as Russians 36' campaign.