The Franco-British Union - Multiplayer AAR

[Pang Bingxun]

Land Forts
AA
Radar
Airbase

All that can be build by UK and be placed in France, so France has only to repair them.

Infrastructure in front line provinces

More important is the infra between Paris and the designated front line. Donnot forget to build an ESE-highway to Dunkerque for the UK!
Imo France should build lots of Infra and some factories. Later France should build some Int and many Inf-SpArt to utilze the tc of France. The UK should mobilize its manpower into motorized or even mechanized divisions in order to utilize the higher tc of the UK. The UK should also build Infra as it has many provinces deserving better Infra. And the UK should build many Int or MRF. If the UK has abundant ic it may start to build up a bomber force or a navy.

 

[Tomnoddy]

I don't make any special effort to build infra between Paris and the front line, yet my forces have ESE > 130% in most games - at least while defending anyhow. There's no benefit to ESE > 100% surely? But it might be worth building infra in land fort provinces that get attacked, to speed repair times (Metz, and Strasbourg, if you've decided to hold it). The Maginot provinces are pretty nice for resources too, so building there doesn't hurt.

UK forces in France have much poorer ESE. 75% or so. In my most recent games, where I build enough industry pre-war to military control uk, I put the UK troops in quiet sectors or give them to the controller of the province (France) if somewhere hot.

In my solo France games I manage to get around 140 base IC, 8 interceptor wings, level 10 land fort in Rheims and radar installations across the Maginot line before the war starts. I think offloading the burden of the Interceptor force is sufficient, or the UK itself will struggle. Don't forget, the UK will be expected to take the lead on research with its better tech teams, with peacetime modifiers, full free market and open society, it can barely afford to build anything after the tech teams have been paid.

 

[Cybvep]

There's no benefit to ESE > 100% surely?

Why not? ESE serves a combat modifier.

 

[Marshall18]

The arrival of those British tanks was a godsend, if the Germans capture Rheims a breakthrough seems possible.

As Cypvep has noted, this does seem to be very much like WW1 - its been a very tense conflict so far and I'm enjoying the break from 'regular' blitzkreig warfare.

There is one glaring difference from WW1; the Germans do not face an enemy in the East yet. Does this look likely to change?

It is likely. The question is when will Stalin attack.

so its already 1942? that time sure passes fast, sovai is used to dow ger on 1943

The Soviets don't seem very interested in the war for some reason. :glare:

The Hearts of Iron 2 Wiki site says not to build any industry as France. In my first game as France (HOI 2) I held the Germans in 1940, but ran into a similar problem with falling further and further behind on reinforcement on upgrade costs, till I got pushed off the continent in 1942.

What's the optimal division of labour in a UK & FR game vs AI Germany?

You could say, just have UK build the Navy and Airforce, and France only build army units. However , that leaves UK's manpower pool (which is larger than France's) unused, while France on its own does not have enough. So perhaps have the UK knock out a load of cheap INF divisions while pouring most industrial resources into the RN and RAF.

France builds

Land Forts
AA
Radar
Airbase
Infrastructure in front line provinces
Infantry
Motorised/Mechanised units

UK Builds
Navy
Airforce
Infantry

I Generally do 3 rounds of factories as France, have a panic build/upgrade in 1939 and 1940, when all IC is going on military units, then once the front is stabilised, I start to build more industry again to raise my TC. As my TC rises, I start to build more motorised/mechanised units, but since I have no free manpower, I have to disband a leg INF for every MOTO built. In 1940 the army is only 25% mechanised, by 1942 it's like 65% mechanised.

All that can be build by UK and be placed in France, so France has only to repair them.



More important is the infra between Paris and the designated front line. Donnot forget to build an ESE-highway to Dunkerque for the UK!
Imo France should build lots of Infra and some factories. Later France should build some Int and many Inf-SpArt to utilze the tc of France. The UK should mobilize its manpower into motorized or even mechanized divisions in order to utilize the higher tc of the UK. The UK should also build Infra as it has many provinces deserving better Infra. And the UK should build many Int or MRF. If the UK has abundant ic it may start to build up a bomber force or a navy.

Interesting!

Just for reference:

In this game France built:
- Land forts
- Infantry
- AA

UK:
- AA (to put in France and Italy)
- Land units (MOT, ARM, INF, MAR, MNT)
- Air Units (mainly INT)

I don't make any special effort to build infra between Paris and the front line, yet my forces have ESE > 130% in most games - at least while defending anyhow. There's no benefit to ESE > 100% surely? But it might be worth building infra in land fort provinces that get attacked, to speed repair times (Metz, and Strasbourg, if you've decided to hold it). The Maginot provinces are pretty nice for resources too, so building there doesn't hurt.

UK forces in France have much poorer ESE. 75% or so. In my most recent games, where I build enough industry pre-war to military control uk, I put the UK troops in quiet sectors or give them to the controller of the province (France) if somewhere hot.

In my solo France games I manage to get around 140 base IC, 8 interceptor wings, level 10 land fort in Rheims and radar installations across the Maginot line before the war starts. I think offloading the burden of the Interceptor force is sufficient, or the UK itself will struggle. Don't forget, the UK will be expected to take the lead on research with its better tech teams, with peacetime modifiers, full free market and open society, it can barely afford to build anything after the tech teams have been paid.

Why not? ESE serves a combat modifier.

I would say that the main advantage of Germany is their higher IC.

He produced more submarines than I could manage to sink. I was constantly building interceptors and still his planes were all over France and Italy (destroying quite a few of my INT divisions).

He also had SO MANY UNITS!

We tried to attack him quite a few times, but he had too many units everywhere so we always stopped it immediately.

 

[Marshall18]

 

[Pang Bingxun]

I don't make any special effort to build infra between Paris and the front line, yet my forces have ESE > 130% in most games - at least while defending anyhow. There's no benefit to ESE > 100% surely?

Org regain is proportional to ESE. Speed of unit repair and unit upgrade is proportional to ESE.

UK forces in France have much poorer ESE. 75% or so.

This is why you need to build Infra in London, Dover and Dunkerque. The highway for ESE is quite crucial.

Why not? ESE serves a combat modifier.

That modifier does not depend on ESE, at least not directly. The modifier depends on the ratio of units supply stockpile/max stockpile. ESE is the speed to supply units with supplies where 100% ESE means that speed of resupplyment equals the supply consumption in battle. So under ideal conditions more than 100% ESE gives no advantage here. But if for some reason(interdiction just to name one) the supply stockpile is below 100% higher ESE will help. And if there is tc overload it is really nice to have a sufficient reserve.

 

[Tomnoddy]

That modifier does not depend on ESE, at least not directly. The modifier depends on the ratio of units supply stockpile/max stockpile. ESE is the speed to supply units with supplies where 100% ESE means that speed of resupplyment equals the supply consumption in battle. So under ideal conditions more than 100% ESE gives no advantage here. But if for some reason(interdiction just to name one) the supply stockpile is below 100% higher ESE will help. And if there is tc overload it is really nice to have a sufficient reserve.

Thanks.

With 140 base IC or so (actual, 170, 180?) TC stays nice and green when defending. By the time I start attacking IC is even higher, it doesn't go into red till i'm starting to occupy enemy territory. As for Interdiction, the air-ground part of the Luftwaffe gets pretty much destroyed during the "phony war" sending unescorted CAS and TAC through Alsace Lorraine for 9 months, full of radar and interceptors and airbases every other province. It never recovers.

The AI sends all its fighters over the German North Sea coast, which is a good way to stop UK STR raids if France falls. Not so good when it's still there and your poor Stuka jocks are left without cover.

Incidentally, as UK, I've tried holding Denmark and contesting Air Superiority over Kattegat, and damn, is it hard. However many air bases I build and however much I tech rush I always seem to be outnumbered. OFC, Kolding -> Freiburg is a very neat way to put an end to things, when the time comes. Much harder to achieve a breakthrough otherwise.

 

[Marshall18]

 

[Tomnoddy]

Finally some signs that the attacks are taking their toll - understrength German divisions. I normally start to see those as the Summer of 1940 turns to Autumn, I'm wondering if the level 10 land forts cause less frequent attacks?

I normally play with the game set to open a popup message and pause whenever a battle starts and whenever a land battle ends. In UK/France games, I have to turn this off from Autumn 1940 - whenever I finally go on the attack myself. The spam is just too annoying otherwise.

 

[Marshall18]

1942, not 1943. I apologize. Apparently this and the next chapter have this mistake

 

[MagooNZ]

Marshall, it is surprising that you werent able to hold in the forests of Hamar with 2 mountain / 1 marine against the two paras & two half strength infs. Early marines are weak for their cost, but the mountains should be ok. The big difference is probably the brigade type, yours engineer, theirs artillery in the paras. Presume also you just arrived in Hamar, might have low infrastructure, & not dug in.

Very daring to use unbrigaded garrisons to defend the front line in France, however so far it has paid off. I have also done this as Japan in China.

I hadn't thought of making province improvements and then laying them down in an allies territory. Must check that out. All the best.

 

[Seelmeister]

That is a relatively rapid change in fortunes on the Norwegian front, less bases for those U-boats to operate from and, for the time being, a small is dealt with. Do you intend to leave any forces stationed there? Even a few extra brigades held in reserve in France could be useful to thwart German assaults.

 

[Marshall18]

Marshall, it is surprising that you werent able to hold in the forests of Hamar with 2 mountain / 1 marine against the two paras & two half strength infs. Early marines are weak for their cost, but the mountains should be ok. The big difference is probably the brigade type, yours engineer, theirs artillery in the paras. Presume also you just arrived in Hamar, might have low infrastructure, & not dug in.

Very daring to use unbrigaded garrisons to defend the front line in France, however so far it has paid off. I have also done this as Japan in China.

I hadn't thought of making province improvements and then laying them down in an allies territory. Must check that out. All the best.

Yeah, I had also hoped to kick the Germans out of Norway once and for all.
The problem is that my units arrived with almost no organization to a province that the Germans had Scorched (really low infra).
The garrisons was just a measure to "fill up" the french front. I thought they would be the weakest point in the front, but was proven wrong...

That is a relatively rapid change in fortunes on the Norwegian front, less bases for those U-boats to operate from and, for the time being, a small is dealt with. Do you intend to leave any forces stationed there? Even a few extra brigades held in reserve in France could be useful to thwart German assaults.

The plan was to leave as few troops as possible in Norway.

Spoiler

Finland looks tempting after Norway

-----
Most of the German forces were understrengthed. We had 2 theories: Either they weren't doing enough reinforcements or were running out of manpower

I apologize for no new chapters. I have no internet at home ATM. As soon as it is fixed you shall have the last few chapters of this AAR

 

[Marshall18]

 

[Mr_B0narpte]

I wonder how the USSR will respond to an Allied invasion of Finland.

 

[Marshall18]

I wonder how the USSR will respond to an Allied invasion of Finland.

Seems like they didn't care. Chickens!

 

[Marshall18]

Spoiler

OK, here is what happened:

Spoiler

you really want to know?

Spoiler

seriously?

Spoiler

After having played 2 sessions (and written 20 chapters), I realized that I had overwritten the save game. A big bummer (specially now that the US was pushing into Italy and I was moving into Finland...
I thought that it was still worth sharing what I had done and with the last few screenshots I made this final chapter. I hope you enjoyed it

 

[Mr_B0narpte]

I certainly enjoyed the final chapter, and all of the AAR. I've never really played as the UK or France so it was interesting to see what can be done with both. Who was controlled by humans, just the UK and France or Germany as well?

How did you make the world map picture? It's impressive.

 

[Pang Bingxun]

The last 2 sentences regarding Ulbricht make perfectly no sence. Ulbricht deserted 1918 in the west against the second Reich. After Hitler seized power Ulbricht was an enemy of the state and a political partisan. He flew to Moscow and after Barbarossa started he was part of Radio Moskau and asked german soldiers to desert to the red army. Ulbricht is was some sort of a prototype stalinist. The socialist united party was founded to prevent nazi-idealogy and war.

 

[Seelmeister]

Sorry to see this end somewhat prematurely and through a frustrating loss of save game, although in terms of the game it did seem like it was a matter of time until a German surrender. Very entertaining AAR, thanks very much for sharing it with us.