Smashing Fortress El Salvador

[CSABadass]

As someone who's been playing since HoI1 (and modding since HoI2), it's not easy to admit the game has beaten me in any fashion, but...I am vexed.

I mostly play as the North American nations with non-historical focus trees. I join the Allies, then kill fascists. Simple, but I enjoy it.

In my games, El Salvador invariably joins the Axis. At first I ignored that, until the major Axis powers started basing hundreds of bombers there and decimating Allied convoys. So Axis El Salvador had to go...

Lo and behold, Axis El Salvador has roughly 200(!) divisions guarding its two provinces. Admittedly, tiny four-brigade ones, but more than enough to thwart every single naval invasion I've attempted.

I've sent in scores of fully tricked out Marine III divisions, backed up by naval armadas, maxed-out encryption/decryption tech, a thousand tactical bombers, Skill 5 leaders, maxed-out landing craft techs, and after strategic bombing its infrastructure to 0. The result never changes: the combat starts out with a red 5, and drops to zero before I run out of profanities.

At this point, all I've got left is to nuke them, and as satisfying as that might be, it seems a little much.

So I ask the HoI hive mind, how does the poor, pathetic United States military take down the mighty, invincible El Salvadoran colossus?

(Thanks in advance for the help!)

 

[Dlin369]

Maybe an invasion through Mexico? If not, keep air superiority over their country and their bombers should be useless/ignorable

 

[loksunl]

bomb it to stone age+ max CAS+ submarine cut off all transport (make her human resource to zero and no equipment). Then air drop+naval invasion. if it did not work, DESTROY all country between you and el salvador, that always works.

But why not just keep bombing the airport and make it stays at zero level?

 

[wildbillhdmax01]

As someone who's been playing since HoI1 (and modding since HoI2), it's not easy to admit the game has beaten me in any fashion, but...I am vexed.

I mostly play as the North American nations with non-historical focus trees. I join the Allies, then kill fascists. Simple, but I enjoy it.

In my games, El Salvador invariably joins the Axis. At first I ignored that, until the major Axis powers started basing hundreds of bombers there and decimating Allied convoys. So Axis El Salvador had to go...

Lo and behold, Axis El Salvador has roughly 200(!) divisions guarding its two provinces. Admittedly, tiny four-brigade ones, but more than enough to thwart every single naval invasion I've attempted.

I've sent in scores of fully tricked out Marine III divisions, backed up by naval armadas, maxed-out encryption/decryption tech, a thousand tactical bombers, Skill 5 leaders, maxed-out landing craft techs, and after strategic bombing its infrastructure to 0. The result never changes: the combat starts out with a red 5, and drops to zero before I run out of profanities.

At this point, all I've got left is to nuke them, and as satisfying as that might be, it seems a little much.

So I ask the HoI hive mind, how does the poor, pathetic United States military take down the mighty, invincible El Salvadoran colossus?

(Thanks in advance for the help!)

Ahhh doom stacks. A all too common problem not addressed very often.

 

[Captured Joe]

This is why Germany needs to destroy Luxemburg before the end of 1940, otherwise they might not be able to stop them!

 

[Gyrvendal]

You've already tried pretty much everything I can think of. Only thing I could suggest is add a medium armor battalion to your marines. It should give them more than enough armor vs pure infantry divisions, plus some much needed breakthrough.
Ah and do staggered naval invasions so not all your divs retreat at the same time.

 

[smurfopax]

A few nukes and the 200 Divisions deorg quite fast

 

[Gort11]

The trick with these situations is never-ending rotating invasions from marines. (plus all the air and sea support you can muster)

As long as you can keep up the attack, your advantages will eventually tell. You could post the savegame and we could try it out, if you like.

 

[UnreadableS]

They probably have no manpower left because they used up scrapping the barrel getting those 200 so all you have to do is send in Super Heavy Tanks and 20 lines of infantry then just keep attacking them until they got no organization or strength left. (this ONLY WORKS if the troops are theirs and not 100's of Germans)

 

[Nelfe]

I have the same problem with USA stacking a big number of divisions on the Isle of Man. I use a combination of strat bomber + CAS bomber + nuke + 3 naval invasion (so when one invasion failed the other follow next) with my best general, and I was never able to take this island.

 

[Gort11]

They probably have no manpower left because they used up scrapping the barrel getting those 200 so all you have to do is send in Super Heavy Tanks and 20 lines of infantry then just keep attacking them until they got no organization or strength left. (this ONLY WORKS if the troops are theirs and not 100's of Germans)

He has to land amphibiously. Probably not so great to use super-heavy tanks.

Probably not great to use super-heavy tanks in any situation, actually.

 

[King Of Heroes]

Have you tried landing on the zone without the port and build a lv1 harbor there maybe? 200 4width divisions shouldn't be able to dislodge one or two proper Marines until its done building.

I'm assuming the other province doesn't have enough guards to keep you out however.

 

[Cheesecakeczar]

I have the same problem with USA stacking a big number of divisions on the Isle of Man. I use a combination of strat bomber + CAS bomber + nuke + 3 naval invasion (so when one invasion failed the other follow next) with my best general, and I was never able to take this island.

USA had 40 divisions on the Isle of Man in my playthrough. Most ended up leaving, though.

 

[Meglok]

Try strat bombing away the port, airfield, and any fortifications that might be there. Then pile on as much ground attack and shore bombardment as you can. Rotate Marines stiffened with either medium or heavy tanks. Salvadoran units will not be able to pierce them, or at least should not be able to. Now if there are German units there, see below.

Are you allied with any of the surrounding banana republics? If you can get one of them to join you so it opens a land attack route. If you can't get one of them to join you diplomatically, you can always invade one of them and then hit El Salvador. Sometimes it is just easier to go around a brick wall than to batter your head against it.

 

[CSABadass]

Thank you everyone for the help--much appreciated!

 

[FOARP]

Division-spam like this is something the devs should have addressed ages ago. There's just no way that historical El Salvador could ever have raised or sustained that many troops.

Nothing to add except option of getting one of El Salvador's neighbours to join the allies, which I'm sure you've already tried.

 

[aono]

Drag Mexico into the war for any side, and you're ok. Just to recall - I believe USA can improve non-owned ideologies (?), so you can improve Facists there.

 

[PG908]

Mix tanks with your marines, and send in and ungodly amount of CAS, even if you have to use carriers and airbases to do it. You also want to send large amounts of marines, so they reinforce into the battle as your first wave cracks and retreats (for this purpose I suggest adding signals).

The marines will basically delete the naval penalty the one or more heavy* tank brigades would have, and the armor and breakthrough it provides will make your marines much stronger (although the cas is going to be doing the damage).

*Medium tanks work too, which ever one gives you the best numbers.

 

[Nelfe]

Have you tried landing on the zone without the port and build a lv1 harbor there maybe? 200 4width divisions shouldn't be able to dislodge one or two proper Marines until its done building.

View attachment 309646

I'm assuming the other province doesn't have enough guards to keep you out however.

Each attack interrupt the construction of buildings. So if Salvador constantly attacks the province, the harbor will never be finished. I experienced it with an invasion of USA.