Okay from my experience I have the following suggestions and questions.
S1. Don‘t try for a recreation of the real life Ardennes push, for it to be successful in real life required the French (and to a lesser extent the British) to be really incompetent and for the Germans to be very lucky. The Germans had barely contested air cover, were facing troops who were new to the area, massively disorganised, poorly equipped and unmotivated even by the standards of the second line divisions they were classed as. They also had poorly designed and incomplete fortifications that did not cover the main push of the advance in any meaningful way relying on natural barriers that their own army had proved in war games could be easily penetrated by armoured/mechanised/motorised forces. Their high command also had received a Contradicting plan that the Germans had switched from after the Belgians/French recovered it from a plane wreck and ignored all intelligence that pointed to the attack. Basically the French AI cannot be as stupid or poorly prepared as they were in reality, the way terrain and fortifications are modelled are not granular enough to represent historical reality and also the Germans even with all this still almost failed several times.
S2. In reality the Germans had way more divisions (albeit probably less well equipped and trained then yours) and had drawn the majority of the best allied troops into Belgium and the Netherlands so it’s not surprising they are faster to respond then reality.
S3. The reason it’s probably easier in 1939 starts is because the French armed forces are probably closer to the real life French armed forces which had a lot of problems, from the 1936 start instead the French military/military industrial industry has been in the control of the ai which will be more rational then the actual forces in charge in reality.
S4. When I’m invading France I tend to go for around Maginot and invade the Dutch before declaring on Belgium, it’s way easier to take out the Dutch first before going for Belgium/france as you don’t have to worry about an extra force and there’s less territory to take. I tend to leave Luxembourg till after France has fallen unless it swings allied as I find it useful to have it anchor one end of my swing into northern France. I also tend to leave Scandinavia till after France
S5. My divisions tend to be built as follows
Armoured=6 medium tank, 2 motorised infantry, 1 motorised AA, 1 motorised Artillery
20 width infantry=6 infantry, 2 artillery, and either 2 AA or 1 AA and 1 AT
40 width infantry=above doubled.
For support companies I go for all but mp and signals with armoured having light tank/AC/mot inf recon based on equipment availability. Support equipment is generally where I’m most lacking equipment wise but I try my best. I basically don’t build light tanks as you get a lot from the Czechs and I’d rather build other equipment/medium tanks
S6. For divisions I tend to have 24 infantry on the Maginot, 12-24 armoured for the Low Countries and depending on width 48-72 divisions of infantry backing the armoured (48=40 width 72=20 width). I’ll also generally have 72-120 czech collaboration government infantry divisions of poor quality. For 20 width ill have maybe 24 more infantry divisions which I used in Poland which I’ll guard against the soviets. I use the Czechs to guard coasts, danish and soviet borders or to throw in if I’m being pushed back by the French Somewhere away from my angle of attack.
S7. I don’t prioritise aircraft that much and use them to support the attack tactically rather then try to win the air war (while attacking France at least) by the time I invade France I may only have 1-3k fighters and the same in tac/cas. I generally have 15-30 factories on fighters and 30-45 on tac, cas and air recon planes together by the time I attack. However due to industry ramp up and rubber shortages a lot of these are new factories and have low efficiency. It’s also a fuel issue, I’d rather keep my tanks moving and fuel is always an issue with germany.
S8. collaboration governments are great, collaboration Czechs will give you so much and save you garrisoning. doing collaboration missions in Poland and France speed surrender, improve resource and industry and save equipment and manpower even if you don’t spawn the governments. Just be careful about costs.
Q1. What are your infantry templates like?
Q2. How is your equipment and fuel supply?
Q3. What techs do you have? Particularly doctrines.
This is just what works for me some will probably call me a heretic.
