German-sponsored revolution in South Africa

[Slavicist]

Is there any way to win the civil war? South Africa literally gets the best part of the country; pretty much the vast majority of civilian factories, or better said all but just one. That sole one is the one you get, which means construction is abysmal and both sides get one military factory each, meaning their weapons production's matched. That is, if you didn't opt to do the focuses and construction in the developed part of the country, which would actually in that case make your enemy even more industrially overpowered to the scale of no hope of beating them. Sure, you could delay the Military Factory focuses and then rush them to get a total of 4 military factories, which would quickly bump you up to a total of 5 mils, but that's only if you're lucky because the enemy can likewise use focuses to relatively easily get 3 extra factories, not to mention that they actually have some semblance of an industry meaning they will likely be building them.

There is no perfect army build, as they will literally get half the army, probably including SA's sole starting (rather good, 4 attack) General. Planning out research also doesn't seem to help as the enemy is doing research just as so and they'll quickly go for the inf bonus techs after a while if they are postponed. Delaying the focuses that strengthen them also significantly hamper efforts to get the 3rd research slot. Espionage doesn't seem to be too helpful in this case.

The Germans just send 1 meager infantry division volunteer and occasionally send a 1000 manpower and some arms. That is usually enough to reinforce the frontline, which is luckily defended by forts so it doesn't break. The event text makes it look like this would be a long and arduous war, so that's to be expected, but the AI seems to be vastly overpowered in every conceivable scenario.

And I've also read on the web that some people kept mentioning the war is supposedly easy since encirclement can be quickly used, as if the enemy can't field enough forces or bring them up to the frontline. But that is false. Even if cavalry is used and even if the +10% speed advisor is hired, almost no territory can be grabbed before the stack up all of their armies (and they'll always have more than the player). And then the lines just can't be broken through (especially if they got the very good commander).

What is the solution? Is it a waiting game that could last for years until a way is found to pierce through the lines? Is the tactic to exhaust SA's already relatively low manpower by making them attack and crumble at the line of land forts?

Joining the Axis yields no help as the Germans just don't even send their one tiny infantry of volunteers any more.

The tactic of leaving out pockets to attract the enemy divisions into traps and grind them isn't quite valuable since all territories have land forts, so even if an encirclement happens it's very difficult to fight through, not to mention protect the capital which is like literally the sole victory point that is one step from capitulation.

P. S. And no, please don't write "don't go down the revolution; wait for the fascists to win the election" because that doesn't answer the question how to win the war.

 

[eastcoastceojam]

Not sure where you intend to go afterward, but if you just want to become fascist and join the Axis, the "South Africa First" focus does this, and lets you skip the civil war entirely. You still have to click on Germany, and manually select "ask to join faction" but they will always accept you as soon leave the Allies.

I agree with your point that the South African civil war is a pain in the butt, and I would prefer to avoid it entirely.

 

[Slavicist]

Not sure where you intend to go afterward, but if you just want to become fascist and join the Axis, the "South Africa First" focus does this, and lets you skip the civil war entirely. You still have to click on Germany, and manually select "ask to join faction" but they will always accept you as soon leave the Allies.

I agree with your point that the South African civil war is a pain in the butt, and I would prefer to avoid it entirely.

The question wasn't how to avoid it, but how to deal with it.

 

[jared2122]

Is there any way to win the civil war? South Africa literally gets the best part of the country; pretty much the vast majority of civilian factories, or better said all but just one. That sole one is the one you get, which means construction is abysmal and both sides get one military factory each, meaning their weapons production's matched. That is, if you didn't opt to do the focuses and construction in the developed part of the country, which would actually in that case make your enemy even more industrially overpowered to the scale of no hope of beating them. Sure, you could delay the Military Factory focuses and then rush them to get a total of 4 military factories, which would quickly bump you up to a total of 5 mils, but that's only if you're lucky because the enemy can likewise use focuses to relatively easily get 3 extra factories, not to mention that they actually have some semblance of an industry meaning they will likely be building them.

There is no perfect army build, as they will literally get half the army, probably including SA's sole starting (rather good, 4 attack) General. Planning out research also doesn't seem to help as the enemy is doing research just as so and they'll quickly go for the inf bonus techs after a while if they are postponed. Delaying the focuses that strengthen them also significantly hamper efforts to get the 3rd research slot. Espionage doesn't seem to be too helpful in this case.

The Germans just send 1 meager infantry division volunteer and occasionally send a 1000 manpower and some arms. That is usually enough to reinforce the frontline, which is luckily defended by forts so it doesn't break. The event text makes it look like this would be a long and arduous war, so that's to be expected, but the AI seems to be vastly overpowered in every conceivable scenario.

And I've also read on the web that some people kept mentioning the war is supposedly easy since encirclement can be quickly used, as if the enemy can't field enough forces or bring them up to the frontline. But that is false. Even if cavalry is used and even if the +10% speed advisor is hired, almost no territory can be grabbed before the stack up all of their armies (and they'll always have more than the player). And then the lines just can't be broken through (especially if they got the very good commander).

What is the solution? Is it a waiting game that could last for years until a way is found to pierce through the lines? Is the tactic to exhaust SA's already relatively low manpower by making them attack and crumble at the line of land forts?

Joining the Axis yields no help as the Germans just don't even send their one tiny infantry of volunteers any more.

The tactic of leaving out pockets to attract the enemy divisions into traps and grind them isn't quite valuable since all territories have land forts, so even if an encirclement happens it's very difficult to fight through, not to mention protect the capital which is like literally the sole victory point that is one step from capitulation.

P. S. And no, please don't write "don't go down the revolution; wait for the fascists to win the election" because that doesn't answer the question how to win the war.

I've had good luck with snagging a free territory or two at the very outset with the land speed advisor, who I would consider to be crucial to success. From there, it's about opportunistically counter-attacking with the larger District Force units when your opponent's offensives peter out and hunting encirclements while the brigade-sized units hold the line and/or strategically attack to pin your opponent's units down from moving. I don't know what you consider a long slog but it can be done in less than a year and without too many casualties. I could be misremembering, but it feels like when you go down the civil war path, you end up losing some of your factories that are established through national focuses.

 

[eastcoastceojam]

The question wasn't how to avoid it, but how to deal with it.

Sure- my point was that the best way I've found to win this civil war is to not let it fire in the first place.

You do miss out on some focuses by going down the mutually exclusive "South Africa First" path, but I think that's a fair price to pay for avoiding this wasteful civil war. Just my opinion, of course.

 

[7evenish]

Hello, hope this reply is not too late. But I have found a couple of ways to make the war easy. There is the land route or the sea route. I found the Sea route to work quicker. But there are pros to drawing the war out a little.

I will start with the land route. Your national focus should be straight down to the German coup A.S.A.P. You get half the value out of every piece of equipment you produce until you get the war started, so get it started. The land approach is simply down to speed. Tech wise nothing will help you with this so might as well put it into industry or whatever you like. Political power wise you have enough time to get two advisers under your belt. I would recommend A silent workhorse and a division manoeuvres expert, he will be handy later if your goal is to try conquer Africa before the French capitulate. As I was saying, speed speed speed. Buildings, just build infrastructure in SWA. You need your armies out the gate as soon as the war starts. The Ossewabrandwag national focus will give you 15 mil xp, you'll use this to create a new division, 3 battalions of cavalry, and they'll be the core of your boer-blitzkrieg. Don't create the division until the war starts though. You don't want the AI having cavalry. Put all 6 of your armies in the far south east corner on the border of SWA, the location is important as 3 of them will remain there in position when the war kicks off. On the matter of manpower, you need to save as much as you can. Convert 5 armies to district brigades (3 battalion infantry) and keep one as a district force (6 battalion infantry), when the war kicks off you will keep 1 force, and 2 brigades. Then for the sneaky bit. Train 2 district brigades, put them on max priority so that they get trained up before your armies fill. However don't deploy them. then when the war is a few days from starting train as many district brigades as you can. Until you have 0 manpower. Put those those guys on min priority, you want their manpower requirements to be met but not their equipment. When the war kicks off you'll have 2 units ready to deploy (with only half equipment but fully trained) deploy them instantly on the border. The remaining guys in training, cancel their training, you'll be swimming in manpower (compared to starting with no manpower, as was the case before). Now you will have a total of 8 divisions (1 force, 4 brigades, 3 partisans) Convert them all into cavalry. you need to Bolt east for Pretoria before they block you in. Keep 2 back to guard the border of SWA, send one south to the mountains in the northern tip of the Cape. The other five you sent to Pretoria and then to Natal after that. Use 2 units to camp in two provincial capitals and use the rest to intercept enemies and fill in the gaps, if you get cut off go round and attack with one of your other units until you get round them. If you secure those two locations you will win easily, they will have no mill factories. You can bide your time until your war decs resolve, (Portugal, Liberia or Oman are nice first targets) Let your general Brink work on Mountaineering trait a bit and then drop the hammer when your war dec is near done. There is a benefit to letting the Ai get two or three focuses done for the bonus factories, you'll get out of it. If the Ai goes for the naval focus first you're in luck as you get 3 free docks in Natal but don't take Natal until they finish the focus.

The second approach is the searoute, National focus is the same, no specifics on Political power, but I go with silent workhorse and conscription law. Tech wise, you need to get 2nd level submarines A.S.A.P. and I would recommend some engineering followed by mountaineers as your other research slot. Build 2 dockyards in Natal. and then one infrastructure in SWA, you'll get the 2 yards in before the war start and it is nice to just have something building in SWA to not be interrupted by the start of the war. when your first dock is finished start building convoys, When your 2nd level sub research is 30 days from finishing, Ask the UK if you can get a license on one of their subs, I would suggest the O/P/R class is it is nice and cheap. This licence will cost you 1 civ factory, you can cancel the licence after 30 days. but not before your New Sub tech is done, when it is done your new sub will have the O/P/R Design but being on a fancier hull (You just saved yourself 10 naval exp, which you didn't have). You can cancel the licence. Stop building convoys immediately. Start building your new sub right away assign two docks to the job (even though your 2nd one will not be done yet) and put it at top priority, so it uses max steel. Build only one, when it is done start with another and some convoys, you'll need them for invasions. Do the same trick with training Armies to save yourself some manpower. This time you must camp your armies in the desert to the West of Windhoek, where you get a naval base through a national focus. Have your guys doing military exercise from the start, and training all the way through, you want 20 mil xp by the time the war starts. as Soon as the war starts, Update your mountaineer template to have 4 battalions, and make a new 3 battalion cavalry template. convert 6 of your divisions to mountaineers, and 2 to cavalry. Send one mountaineer south into the cape, as before, to hold the mountain, your two cavalry will hold the desert. Then from your port you will launch a naval invasion of Port Elizabeth with a single mountaineer, he should be able to hold it even if surrounded. You should scout the coast with your sub to make sure it is clear before you do, once you do that the AI will focus on him and not so much on the SWA border and will also stop guarding Natal. Then invade Natal, again with a single mountaineer. The Ai will then focus on him then you use your other mountaineers to either invade Capetown, or walk over the weakened SWA frontline, you'll work it out.

In both cases get marine tech when the war starts you'll want access to them, cause you'll be doing a lot of port invasions leading up to the big war.

Good luck, fash ZA is very fun See if you can get that Cape to Cairo to Vladivostok rail line going!

Edit: if method one is still not working you can try this for an extra speed edge, open up new maps until you get +3 infrastructure in SWA as a starting national focus, then get that before any other focus, it will delay the war by 70 day and it is a bit scummy but hey