I need some guidance or a guide of some sort for all the choices that are coming up in game between military doctrines of one sort or another. I don't understand the choices I am making and therefore am surprised by the results. Can anyone point me to a guide that reveals the outcome of those choices. One example of this is the superior crew vs. naval hero choice early on in the game.
Here is a smiley
Just cause my daughter who is reading over my shoulder wants one.
Your question was answered in the previous posts, but in case you are interested the historical bases of them is based on 2 figures from the Napoleonic wars, Jomini and Clauswitz.
Jomini was a French officer who wrote that many of Napoleon's French victory were based on 'elan' or very high motivation of his troops, this spirt of attack and national pride carried over to victory in battle where since ancient times the army that wanted victory more usually won, even against enorums odds.
Clauswitz on the other hand believed in careful planning and staff work including provisions for logistics and what we call today 'command & control.' Keeping your military under tight command with great discipline. His unfinshed book (he died before it was published) 'On war' is considered one of the most important works on military theory.
Throughout the 19th century these two schools of thought competed, but no decisive advantage was seen from either until 1914 when the two schools were put to the test by their two biggest supporters, France (jomini) and Germany (Clauswitz).
In the early days of August 1914 the French counterattacked the Germans with tremendous vigor all along the front trying to break the German army, and while they caused the Germans worry they of course failed, with horrendous losses, France lost 250,000 men in the first month of the war, BEFORE there were trenches.
The Germans used their carful planning to nearly reach paris, but failed due to heroic French resistance on the Marne river and mistakes made by Molke, the German over all commander who weakened his attack to send troops to resist the Russians in East Prussia.
In game terms a Jomini army will often times cause the enemy to rout before they lose a lot of men.
A Clauswitz army will usually destroy the enemy army (if it is superior, otherwise it will be destroyed).
