Ksim3000 said:
Hey all,
I was wondering, is it actually possible to win against Germany while preventing them from taking France? As France, I am completely over run by German Airpower. If if wasn't for those damned planes, I could hold the line. The same as Great Britain, thus it is practically impossible to hold off The German Luftwaffe.
So, is there anyway to save France from The German menace or will I be retreating "Back to old Blighty" so to speak?
A good solution just to keep yourself afloat is to focus only on building interceptors and infantry until you feel safe. Don't build anything else (cancel anything else you're building), and don't research anything other than maybe a couple infantry or artillery techs that will directly benefit you
now.
Whichever country you are, take military control of the other, and all of your allies (grab all of your colonials as well), and withdraw to a short, defensable border; Eindoven-Brussels-Chaumont-Metz-Strausbourg-Colmar is a very tough nut for the AI to crack, especially if you can knock their bombers back. On this line, the Germans can only advance by crossing a river or assaulting the Maginot Line. Get as many troops as possible in these lines (withdraw any Dutch regiments south); the greater number of troops you have, the less likely the Germans will make an advance. Your line should hold long enough for you to go through a second and third set of infantry/interceptor constructions. And don't put more than three divisions in Colmar, as it probably won't be attacked (to be on the safe side, put at least 4-6 units in the south to border Italy; Spain almost certainly won't intervene.
If you can get enough divisions to defend this front, you should be able to force a stalemate. Once then, prepare for Italy to enter (if France holds they may very well stay out), and slowly build your troop strength. Start researching more techs once you feel safe, and don't neglect the doctrines; you need to catch up here to be able to launch counter-offensives (if you're thinking long-term, start with the next land doctrine immediately). The Soviets will probably enter in late '41 or early '42, and once then, pray that the Germans peel off enough of their divisions to allow you to surge back across the Rhine. The AI will probably keep most of their troops in the west though (either way, Germany will be dead soon), so you'll have a tough race to Berlin. As the British (or French, with military control), you can attempt some naval landings in Northern Germany to try to cut the Russian offensive off.
Once Germany is gone, you'll have little to do other than prepare for war with the Soviets, who will, without a doubt, be much tougher.
It is very costly, but effective, to also invest in a squadron of bombers to help throw back any German assaults on your line. The Germans should have slightly superior equipment and will certainly have superior organization, and you'll need to compensate for this. Dive bombers are preferable, as tactical bombers are extremely expensive at this point in the game, especially considering the urgency of your situation.
Concentrate on holding this line; if you lose it, you'll not find a stronger one, and your odds of survival (esp. as the French) will be very limited. If your line does collapse, France is doomed. Withdraw everything to England, and prepare for Germany to DoW the Soviets. Then launch continuous amphibious assaults, aiming as far east as you can. Cut off as much of Germany from the Soviets as you can. Be warned that once you land, the Germans will redirect a lot of their army to throw you back, which will cause a total collapse of their lines in the east, hastening the Soviet advance.
Whatever you do, wherever, whenever, don't be too cautious; go in with everything you've got.
