Noob wondering about Naval Invasions

[warchief_will]

Hello everyone. I recently picked up HoI IV with some friends during the most recent Paradox sale and we have been having a blast with it. The game has easily dominated several late nights when all of us should have been getting some sleep before work. There is just one problem.

Naval Invasions. Specifically, the AI's ability to bum rush us with repeated invasions across mainland Europe (we are fighting the UK) and our inability to effectively counter-invade.

Every other month the UK will somehow manage to push 10+ divisions in repeated invasions (through a massive (100+ boats) anti-convoy u-boat screen mind you) across northern Europe, where it takes less than a week for them to get a foothold. While they are easily repulsed once they land (the AI not being known for it's division creation skills) it is an annoyance which requires me to redirect forces from more pressing fronts to help my garrisons out.

And whenever my friends and I try to counter invade, a single horribly designed infantry division is more than capable of holding up 20+ divisions of veteran marines, even with air and naval superiority established. Oh, and did I mention that while my forces are stuck at the beaches, the Brits have sent another 10+ divisions to their deaths on the shores of Wilhelmshaven? Admittedly, once one of our landings actually succeeds, Britain falls within a month as they have no garrison forces, but it tends to take a long time to get to that point. All because there was a single infantry division in the middle of some flat plains with no naval forts stymieing a massive kraut invasion with air and naval support.

Is there an effective way to counter this naval invasion BS and to make it a bit easier for my devil dogs to succeed?? Or are naval invasions just another thing on the growing list of problems that needs to be addressed?

 

[Daliena]

I can't say I'm a huge fan of the whole naval invasion business either, but what works (at least USUALLY) for me is giving those marines a good division design, shore bombardment, close-air support (from CAS planes or tac bombers depending on range) with invasions spread out across multiple ports, and if I can get close enough.. Some good old paradrops. Even if the jägers aren't wowing anyone with their combat ability, whether the AI likes it or not with it's annoying evade tactics, that will help widen the combat front letting your marines push more firepower onto the beaches.

 

[Culthrasa]

Since you are new to the game, some general pointers...

- don't invade the harbor itself, it's defended most of the time. Make a few landings on either side, throw some troops in the surrounding provinces (to prevent reinforcements and cut off supply) then take the harbor.
- use para's if possible (you need to have air superiority for that) but works wonders. Again, don't land on top of them, but beside them, then attack (after you got your ORG back)
- for defense, just block your harbor provinces with a few troops, can be almost anything at long as they are fairly large divisions with ample infantry. You just have to wear them down, not kill them.
- is you fleet set to convoy intercept, and if so, are they hitting those convoys or supply convoys? splitsing you fleet might help.

there is other stuff that can be done, like coastal fortresses, but these are the basics.

 

[SteveStevenson]

use the garrison order, set to garrison ports, around all of the area that you want protected. Naval invasions will fail if the enemy cannot capture a port.

As for landing opposed, either do as they say and land adjacent to the harbor and take it over land or you need marines. Even then, group of marines will often times be repelled in an opposed landing. To reliably win you need close air support from CAS or TACS and air superiority from fighters to win.

Also pure marines are generally not very good. I recommend something to the tune of 7xMAR 2xART. If you want to go overboard go with 7xMAR 2xART 1xMT. The medium tank gives your division armor and typically the ai (and players for that matter) doesn't give a lot of their divisions any kind of anti tank so you get a powerful bonus attack.

Another method is to stagger naval landings on the same spot. Instead of engaging with 20x MAR divisions at once, stagger your invasions so that the port guards are always fighting something. The reason this works is because CAS target org directly so the longer you are in battle the more org damage they can do, even if your infantry aren't doing very much damage themselves.

 

[warchief_will]

Thanks all, I'll try some of this stuff out next game I play.

 

[Daliena]

use the garrison order, set to garrison ports, around all of the area that you want protected. Naval invasions will fail if the enemy cannot capture a port.

Speaking of this matter, if you're a gambling fella (or just desperate, heh.. I know I was a few times doing these..) you can do a naval invasion into a sector without a naval base. Once you take control of even one area, you can then start rapidly building up a naval base there yourself to provide supply - but this counts on your marines being able to keep the enemy at bay until construction is done (preferably at a cordon some distance away so construction isn't being constantly interrupted) and survive the supply starving until the naval base starts bringing goodies in.

It's.. Not exactly -ideal-, but it worked for me in my Germany playthrough for taking South Africa (no range for the ships to patrol all the way to their naval base so no landing near it) and again landing in Labrador to prepare an assault on the US.

 

[TheOrangeGuy]

In our last multiplayer session I successfully invaded Hawaii that was garrisoned by 11 divisions. In my experience to break a strongly defended port is constant assault by many rotating Marines and adjacent land support. I was lucky that the islands adjacent to the port was unoccupied, otherwise I don't think I could have made it, since the defending troops could not rotate and regain org