How to create a challenging Sea Lion?

[Anthonest]

Sea Lion is still a ways away in my campaign. However, as of know i know in Hoi3 sea lion is ridiculously easy. I want to know how to make it hard for me, as in not capturing a port with para's and sending mass units. I was thinking of maybe forcing myself to keep a lane to Britain under control of my navy before I start the invasion, but even this seems like not enough. Im also worried about how prepared the Brits are, is it true that they are disorganized when you land? Historically they had 25 divisions on the mainland, perhaps I can cheat them in some divisions and arrange them in a front?

What are the other ridiculously easy parts of Sea Lion? How can i make it as realistic and hard as possible? Thanks.

 

[Matt the Czar]

Not sure. I recommend keeping the Kriegsmarine weak and mostly comprised of submarines.

 

[Anthonest]

Not sure. I recommend keeping the Kriegsmarine weak and mostly comprised of submarines.

Too late, I went ahead with Plan Z in 1936 and started building up the Kriegsmarine and IC exclusively. It was a gamble but it really payed off, I have a pretty large fleet, 4 carriers being built currently and with the almost 100 extra IC my army is rather large as well.

 

[marxianTJ]

I'd say a *fairly* realistic representation of what would've been required for a sea lion would be to force a decisive engagement with the RN if you sink rather a lot of their fleet at some point you'll want to then lock the channel at either end in tandem with a massive air campaign - which will actually help you in the long run as the UK AI often LOG bombs the UK once you get up into Scotland and CAG bombs your fleets pretty intently. At least then it would be *somewhat* more realistic - the problem of a sea lion was never the fighting that would take place *in* the UK but the matter of getting the troops there in the first place without it being a catastrophe.

I've had a few fun games as Italy where I *purely* convoy raided with a rather large fleet and forced the UK into complete starvation by 1943 - that is to say they had 0 supplies inside the UK and had almost no IC and no units with more than 4-5% ORG. That was fairly challenging and feels less gamey - although it was fun having all of my MILs just walk over the barren wasteland that was once the UK lol. It also assured Axis world conquest post fall of the USSR because the RN and USN were all at the bottom of the Atlantic because they threw literally everything they had at me starting in mid 41'. It also played right into Italy's strengths since land-warfare is hard for them given the lack of manpower.

That particular invasion was also more challenging from a supply perspective - as usually you've got the capture of London with its supply stockpile that will feed any and all troops inside the UK for months and months at least - but in this case every province I took was devoid of supply and taking London netted me almost nothing - so I had to rely VERY heavily on air supply to keep my units functioning.

 

[Anthonest]

I'd say a *fairly* realistic representation of what would've been required for a sea lion would be to force a decisive engagement with the RN if you sink rather a lot of their fleet at some point you'll want to then lock the channel at either end in tandem with a massive air campaign - which will actually help you in the long run as the UK AI often LOG bombs the UK once you get up into Scotland and CAG bombs your fleets pretty intently. At least then it would be *somewhat* more realistic - the problem of a sea lion was never the fighting that would take place *in* the UK but the matter of getting the troops there in the first place without it being a catastrophe.

I've had a few fun games as Italy where I *purely* convoy raided with a rather large fleet and forced the UK into complete starvation by 1943 - that is to say they had 0 supplies inside the UK and had almost no IC and no units with more than 4-5% ORG. That was fairly challenging and feels less gamey - although it was fun having all of my MILs just walk over the barren wasteland that was once the UK lol. It also assured Axis world conquest post fall of the USSR because the RN and USN were all at the bottom of the Atlantic because they threw literally everything they had at me starting in mid 41'. It also played right into Italy's strengths since land-warfare is hard for them given the lack of manpower.

That particular invasion was also more challenging from a supply perspective - as usually you've got the capture of London with its supply stockpile that will feed any and all troops inside the UK for months and months at least - but in this case every province I took was devoid of supply and taking London netted me almost nothing - so I had to rely VERY heavily on air supply to keep my units functioning.

Ive already more or less neutralized their home fleet, perhaps more. They invaded Norway in 1940 and only 3 provinces before I surrounded them in the mountains, they have about 15 divisions in those provinces with the remainder of the RAF in there port provinces airfield (RAF is pretty nonexistent in Britain continuously trying to bomb Germany with massive losses for 2 years) so its become a stalemate. I sent my fleet to blockade the port and the RN have thrown almost everything they have at the fleet for years (3 H+ battleships plus ultra-modern destroyers) until the home fleet became pretty extinct. Their carriers still survive though, all of them. They sent their battleships and others against mine without carrier support so naturally my superior ships obliterated theirs. So only their carriers are lurking around in the atlantic.

On a side note I still can't break the stalemate in the mountains, everytime I start to win the battle they overwhelm me with tons of air power, so much to force a 92 back down to a 0. I have 4 CAG's, 3 tactical bombers and 4 close support aircraft, they all get completely torn up and I have to call them off to avoid destruction. Also for some reason they still have plenty of supplies, even though I have there port blockaded and ive destroyed god knows how many convoys.

 

[yamato2cz]

you can try to get brits before france? or both at once? that will be pretty hard. or remove overseas modifier malus. UK will be horribly OP.

 

[Anthonest]

you can try to get brits before france? or both at once? that will be pretty hard. or remove overseas modifier malus. UK will be horribly OP.

Too late, I already have France and just started Barbarossa.

 

[yamato2cz]

Too late, I already have France and just started Barbarossa.

then there is nothing you can do. AI cant adapt that fast. but in next game try to remove overseas malus in common/static_modifiers.txt
UK is soo stupidly overpowered it hurts.

OR if you are capable of it, change production AI of UK and france to more OP build order.