Democratic USA - Manpower

[TheMoe]

I'm somewhat new, as a returning player and I have all the DLC. I've been watching an older Man the Guns USA historical playthrough as a democratic nation, and I've noticed that the USA joined GB's faction after Germany took France. It's about 1940, and the US player only had 500k available manpower and around 36 divisions. I've played Germany and I'm familiar with how to gain manpower through puppeting, political decisions, and I've also seen a focus that gives Japan more manpower. I'm not familiar at all with the US democratic focus tree and I'm wondering how a US democratic player might increase manpower at the start of the war.

Would it be through changes that require political points such as "conscription" or is there some set of hoops one must jump through in the democratic focus tree. Thank you!

Edit: the Tuber just mentioned the "Women's Armed Service Integration Act" which I assume is something like the "Women in the workplace" that other factions can activate for political power. Is there anything else?

Edit 2: So, the Tuber just said that the ACT is 2%, and Extensive Conscription is 2.5%, but that still doesn't seem like much at all. He has 36 or so 20 width divisions and he's down to 136k manpower. I'm judging by my limited experience playing Germany, where I start out with over a million manpower without changing the starting recruitment levels, and it looks to me like he started out with around 500k. Maybe the Tuber is not that good and he's misunderstanding some of the game mechanics?

It just seems to me that 1940's USA would have at least 1 million manpower available, not counting all the crewed ships and the anemic starting military.

 

[Bronterre]

If you compare that to real world history that’s actually a lot for that point in the war. In reality the USA had 91 army divisions (unsure if marines counted in that) by the end of the war and 500k manpower is more then the US had in reality in 1940 (albeit at peace). Really as the USA it should be a quality over quantity thing due to your superior industry.

I haven‘t to my knowledge seen this lets play but joining as they have is ahistorical so they might have gone down the intervention route which gets you in sooner but I believe reduces manpower. To my knowledge you have to unlock conscription options and then use pp as normal to up the level after removing the isolation one.

 

[Secret Master]

If you own all the DLC, you can gain manpower outside of conscription laws in a few ways.

1) The Rosie the Riveter decision will add 3% recruitable manpower if you have activated total mobilization. It essentially cancels out the 3% manpower loss from total mobilization.

2) The Women's Armed Service Integration Act focus. It grants additional free manpower, but it's buried deep in the tree and requires congressional support. (Which, to be honest, isn't that hard to get.)

 

[TheMoe]

If you compare that to real world history that’s actually a lot for that point in the war. In reality the USA had 91 army divisions (unsure if marines counted in that) by the end of the war and 500k manpower is more then the US had in reality in 1940 (albeit at peace). Really as the USA it should be a quality over quantity thing due to your superior industry.

I haven‘t to my knowledge seen this lets play but joining as they have is ahistorical so they might have gone down the intervention route which gets you in sooner but I believe reduces manpower. To my knowledge you have to unlock conscription options and then use pp as normal to up the level after removing the isolation one.

Thank you! That's really fascinating about the quality over quantity, but I guess with six research slots that makes sense. I was wondering if you had to unlock conscription options through the focus tree or have a sufficient amount of political support before you get access to them. What a strange Focus tree.

 

[TheMoe]

If you own all the DLC, you can gain manpower outside of conscription laws in a few ways.

1) The Rosie the Riveter decision will add 3% recruitable manpower if you have activated total mobilization. It essentially cancels out the 3% manpower loss from total mobilization.

2) The Women's Armed Service Integration Act focus. It grants additional free manpower, but it's buried deep in the tree and requires congressional support. (Which, to be honest, isn't that hard to get.)

Ahh. Very helpful! Yes, I remember seeing a playthrough a while back where someone did use Rosie the Riveter. It's a PP decision and not a Focus? Thank you. I did see the Women's Armed Service Integration Act, and I was surprised how far down it was.

I didn't seem him activate any Focus that got him into the war sooner. France fell, and he clicked on GB and chose to join faction. Maybe I missed something? He's currently trying to help England save their African colonies, and he's not doing well at all against the Axis armies. He's fighting the Vichy French as well. Luckily, Japan is still occupied in China.

What should the US do if they join GB's faction in 1940? Is this simply the time to garrison the UK if playing historical? I haven't seen too many historical playthroughs as something other than GB or Germany, but I did just finish one where the player was Japanese. AI Germany attacked GB, but only after defeating the USSR. It just seems like at 1940, in the current game that the US is a complete pushover, with very few poorly equipped troops. I do remember reading that if the Japanese had attacked CA in 1941, instead of Hawaii, that they would have made it all the way to OH before our military at the time would have been able to stop them.

 

[noobermenschen]

Thank you! That's really fascinating about the quality over quantity, but I guess with six research slots that makes sense. I was wondering if you had to unlock conscription options through the focus tree or have a sufficient amount of political support before you get access to them. What a strange Focus tree.

Yes, the Selective Service Act is in the army branch and takes you from Disarmed Nation to Limited Conscription (IIRC I don't think you can change your manpower law until you take the focus). You need Congressional support for that as well. Women's Army Service Act is farther down that branch.

If I am still playing when Truman is President I will take a couple of focuses in the Commie branch and integrate the armed forces for another 2% manpower. Even without that if you have to go above Extensive Conscription as USA in singleplayer you screwed up somewhere.

 

[TheMoe]

Yes, the Selective Service Act is in the army branch and takes you from Disarmed Nation to Limited Conscription (IIRC I don't think you can change your manpower law until you take the focus). You need Congressional support for that as well. Women's Army Service Act is farther down that branch.

If I am still playing when Truman is President I will take a couple of focuses in the Commie branch and integrate the armed forces for another 2% manpower. Even without that if you have to go above Extensive Conscription as USA in singleplayer you screwed up somewhere.

Haha! That last part was pretty funny! I've been watching this player scrambling to support his anemic army forces, and I happened to notice that he has over 5000 planes, and he's been building his navy like crazy. I'm guessing those two took some serious manpower as well. Many of his planes are larger, too. Thanks for the help!

Edit: The link below your signature "What type of division are you?" has some very helpful information that I never considered, beyond a panzer expert playing Germany. Thanks for putting that info together!

 

[Spelaren]

As USA you can just make really good quality divisions, you don't really need to cover any fronts. I mean you can but that'd be a waste. Go and make space marine divisions and stuff like that, monstrous tank divisions with every luxury battalion. Mechanized, marines with tanks and so on

 

[TheMoe]

As USA you can just make really good quality divisions, you don't really need to cover any fronts. I mean you can but that'd be a waste. Go and make space marine divisions and stuff like that, monstrous tank divisions with every luxury battalion. Mechanized, marines with tanks and so on

Yes, I see what you're saying. Thank you! You're not expecting to be attacked and you have plenty of oil, so build up your forces through research and build very expensive divisions. How do you mitigate attrition for these supply-hungry 40 width divisions, besides logistics support, having a leader purchased with political power that reduces logistics by 8%, and maybe a general good with supply? I would think some of those units would run into attrition in the smaller Pacific islands and in Africa. Maybe you just use fewer of the divisions?