I have put a lot of hours into this game playing USA 1936 and still don't think I'm doing hardly anything right as far as my strategy to build my forces for the war are concerned. I've looked at how to videos online and taken what I think would work. What are your goals for units built/air force/navy/factories/research going into 1941 are concerned? I think the most galling thing is trying to put together division templates with the limited amount of army experience you can get pre-war, especially since training uses up manpower and material so harshly and once you make changes in the template you lose much of the benefits you gained from extra training.
Construction: I watched a video that claimed that concentrating on civ factories pretty much exclusively until 1939. I can see that such a strategy would lead to greater production later on, you would get into 1939 having hardly produced anything with the paltry amount of mils and docks that the US start with, even taking into account the national focuses that give free factories. So I do mix in some mils, dockyards and find that to do so I need infrastructure and synthetic refineries to keep ahead of material needs, especially steel and rubber. After I increase the basic army needs, I try to develop each type of aircraft as even a little production will lead to huge airfleets later on. I will also begin early production of motorized as I use them heavily in recon units, motorized infantry and for my armor units. I build towards having two lines of five for DD, CL, CA, BB and CV with some production of SB and convoys. I put the convoys in as the least important in case ship repair curtails production.
Navy: As the US I feel its a better strategy to concentrate first on Japan as its easier to knock them out with most of their forces concentrated in SE Asia. I consider the Philippines to be the lynchpin of the Pacific defense as losing it allows Japan free reign to move men and material to SE Asia. Towards this end I have a goal to create at least three full carrier TF in the Pacific prior to the war, in the Philippines, Hawaii and the West Coast and to be working towards a fourth as a reserve. My task forces consist of 2CV, 3BB, 4CA, 4CL, 20DD. I build several naval fortresses across the Pacific in key invasion spots like the Philippines, Guam, Wake Island, Hawaii and Midway. Those fortresses have extensive radar nets air protection with long range fighters and naval bombing units mixed with some tactical bombers for port strikes. I also place some fighters and CAS in the Philippines in case of invasion. I place extra garrisons on those islands. I have usually at least three sub groups of 20 or more to cut off Japanese supplies. I build five destroyer escort groups of 1 CL, 15 DD. In the Atlantic I have one carrier group with a single carrier and a scouting force that can protect my submarine groups which attack to cut off supplies going into the Mediterranean Sea and Africa. I build two destroyer escort groups. I usually have enough ships for the escort groups at the start of the game. I train each navy as it is completed.
Army: This is the hardest to do as the US doesn't even have enough materials for the forces it already has. When there are sufficient supplies I start training more garrison units at the start along with six marine units for island hopping. I use the following templates:
garrison 3 inf\\\\ art, eng
marine 4 marine\\\\ eng, art
infantry 7 inf, 2 art\\\\ hosp, eng, recon
nat guard 14 inf, 4 art\\\\\ hosp, eng, recon
mobile 7 mob, 2 art\\\\\\ hosp, eng, recon
mech 7 mech, 2 art\\\\\\ hosp, eng, recon
lgt armor 2 light, 1 dest, 2 arm art, 4 mob\\\ mec, recon
med armor 2 medium, 1 dest, 2 arm art, 4 mob\\\ mec, recon
I find that medium armor aren't really needed in Japan if you attack early enough while I can generally phase in heavy armor towards the end. I ignore Norway and generally help in North Africa for experience until Operation Barbarrosa, usually in 1942. Then I invade Europe. Usually the Brits try and fail several times before I am ready to help them. I need one main army for Japan , mostly infantry, along with a few light armor, mobile and mech inf. I find the weak spot is usually Tokyo, which I can use to split the country in half. If I have to start a European invasion I keep a light group ready to take Brest and then land my heavier forces without having to take the extra time for a naval invasion for those groups.
TBC
Construction: I watched a video that claimed that concentrating on civ factories pretty much exclusively until 1939. I can see that such a strategy would lead to greater production later on, you would get into 1939 having hardly produced anything with the paltry amount of mils and docks that the US start with, even taking into account the national focuses that give free factories. So I do mix in some mils, dockyards and find that to do so I need infrastructure and synthetic refineries to keep ahead of material needs, especially steel and rubber. After I increase the basic army needs, I try to develop each type of aircraft as even a little production will lead to huge airfleets later on. I will also begin early production of motorized as I use them heavily in recon units, motorized infantry and for my armor units. I build towards having two lines of five for DD, CL, CA, BB and CV with some production of SB and convoys. I put the convoys in as the least important in case ship repair curtails production.
Navy: As the US I feel its a better strategy to concentrate first on Japan as its easier to knock them out with most of their forces concentrated in SE Asia. I consider the Philippines to be the lynchpin of the Pacific defense as losing it allows Japan free reign to move men and material to SE Asia. Towards this end I have a goal to create at least three full carrier TF in the Pacific prior to the war, in the Philippines, Hawaii and the West Coast and to be working towards a fourth as a reserve. My task forces consist of 2CV, 3BB, 4CA, 4CL, 20DD. I build several naval fortresses across the Pacific in key invasion spots like the Philippines, Guam, Wake Island, Hawaii and Midway. Those fortresses have extensive radar nets air protection with long range fighters and naval bombing units mixed with some tactical bombers for port strikes. I also place some fighters and CAS in the Philippines in case of invasion. I place extra garrisons on those islands. I have usually at least three sub groups of 20 or more to cut off Japanese supplies. I build five destroyer escort groups of 1 CL, 15 DD. In the Atlantic I have one carrier group with a single carrier and a scouting force that can protect my submarine groups which attack to cut off supplies going into the Mediterranean Sea and Africa. I build two destroyer escort groups. I usually have enough ships for the escort groups at the start of the game. I train each navy as it is completed.
Army: This is the hardest to do as the US doesn't even have enough materials for the forces it already has. When there are sufficient supplies I start training more garrison units at the start along with six marine units for island hopping. I use the following templates:
garrison 3 inf\\\\ art, eng
marine 4 marine\\\\ eng, art
infantry 7 inf, 2 art\\\\ hosp, eng, recon
nat guard 14 inf, 4 art\\\\\ hosp, eng, recon
mobile 7 mob, 2 art\\\\\\ hosp, eng, recon
mech 7 mech, 2 art\\\\\\ hosp, eng, recon
lgt armor 2 light, 1 dest, 2 arm art, 4 mob\\\ mec, recon
med armor 2 medium, 1 dest, 2 arm art, 4 mob\\\ mec, recon
I find that medium armor aren't really needed in Japan if you attack early enough while I can generally phase in heavy armor towards the end. I ignore Norway and generally help in North Africa for experience until Operation Barbarrosa, usually in 1942. Then I invade Europe. Usually the Brits try and fail several times before I am ready to help them. I need one main army for Japan , mostly infantry, along with a few light armor, mobile and mech inf. I find the weak spot is usually Tokyo, which I can use to split the country in half. If I have to start a European invasion I keep a light group ready to take Brest and then land my heavier forces without having to take the extra time for a naval invasion for those groups.
TBC
