Treading the Narrow Path help

[Wayfinder]

This achievement puzzles me. It requires you to maintain full control of all your core states until 1945 when playing as non-German-aligned Netherlands.

So:

• I don’t borther building factories at the start since with -80% construction speed modifier from Civilan Economy and Crisisjaren it’s just a waste of time. Instead I build landforts on eastern and southern border up to 4 lvl for -60% attack penalty.
  
  
• I rush first political focus to get rid of Weak Government, then go down to Zuiderzee to mitigate Crisisjaren and receive extra research slot (I don’t do Zuiderzee because it takes way too long). Then I rush War on Pacifism for additional fortifications, war support and manpower, then do army foci up to Secret Staff Talks, and in the end complete Maintain Trade Neutrality. Don’t bother with colonies part of the tree at all.
  
  
• I go Orange Boven for extra defensive bonuses and more manpower down the foci tree later on.
  
  
• My division template is 20 width infantry division. I tried both 10 and 7-2 templates in my two attempts, and 7-2 proved to be much more effective. My support companies are recon, engineer, artillery, anti-air to mitigate German aerial superiority, and field hospital to preserve precious manpower.
  
  Engineers and recon are level 2 when Germany strikes. Support Weapons/Infantry Weapons are researched to level 3.
  
  
• Before war I usually have ~20 trained divisions because that’s the absolute max you can afford even without Shellshocked Spectators national spirit. Extensive Conscription and all manpower foci require you being in war.
  
  
• I task one factory with fighters production and usually have two 100 planes airwings by 1939 to intercept German planes bombing my fortifications. Fully trained and equipped with modern fighters.
  
  
• I hold secret staff talks with French/British. The outcomes are totally random and it's very annoying, but usually I manage to secure some extra defensive/entrenchment bonuses thanks to it.
  
  
• I go Grand Battleplan doctrine down to 4th technology for even more defensive bonuses.

And despite all of this Germans just melt my troops in a few days before Allies even get to enter my territory. And it isn’t even armor, just infantry divisions. The frontline usually stabilizes after losing Friesland but that means achievement is no longer obtainable.

What am I doing wrong?

[Evilcheesewheel]

7-2 is an offensive template, so there's no reason to use them in a defensive war.

[Wayfinder]

Originally posted by EvilCheeseWheel:

7-2 is an offensive template, so there's no reason to use them in a defensive war.

Extra soft attack depletes attackers org faster. Attempt with 7-2 divisions was more successful than an attempt with 10 inf division. It took them months instead of weeks to capture Friesland.

[Mikey]

Originally posted by Wayfinder:

Originally posted by EvilCheeseWheel:

7-2 is an offensive template, so there's no reason to use them in a defensive war.

Extra soft attack depletes attackers org faster. Attempt with 7-2 divisions was more successful than an attempt with 10 inf division. It took them months instead of weeks to capture Friesland.

That doesnt matter when the enemy has vastly more men and material than you. It is about staying power as the German AI will relentlessly attack your lines until they crumble, with little to no time inbetween attacks for your forces to recuperate meaning you will want as much organisation as possible.

Having a mix of both 7/2 and 10 inf divisions might actually be beneficial as the main reason your line collapses is that forces tend to deplete at the same rate. If you have different templates defending then some will retreat at a different time compared to each other giving meaning you may be able to reinforce the line before the other has to fall back. Note I haven't tried that out, it was just a brain fart that came to me.

[Wilf]

Do you have the Together for Victory DLC?

If yes, as Netherlands, you can use extra manpower from the Dutch East Indies. As they are an integrated puppet, you can use all their manpower to create colonial divisions (lesser puppets use some of your manpower in a 10% to 90% ratio I think from memory).

You need to copy a template from your puppet which you can then edit using your army XP or produce as is and it uses your weapons cache/production but your puppet's manpower.

Click on Recruit & Deploy tab, then click on the crown icon next to the Division Designer and then select the template you want to use (e.g. Infanterie Division) by selecting Copy, which copies it to your usable templates. The template has the flag icon form your colony to show it uses their manpower.

You're still limited by your equipment/production and by your colony's manpower but Dutch East Indies has a lot of manpower (900K+at game start I think).

[ViktorHark]

Why not just go communist, join commintern and be protected by non-agression pact between SU and Germany? You get a few additional years of buildup and there is a chance that France will stay in the game protected by Maginot line and mountains in the south.

[DarthHammer]

A super easy way to get this achievement is to cave to the UK as fast as you can, then choose the 'Lead the Minor Democracies' focus and follow that path. You get to annex and core Belgium and Luxembourg, as well as potentially (basically guaranteed by improving opinion) get Czechoslovakia, Switzerland, Ireland, and all of Scandinavia in a faction with you. They aren't the strongest militarily but it adds up. Get it done before Germany demands the Sudetenland and you can take them out before they build up. Even if they try to be cheeky and don't declare on the Czechs you get a focus to attack them anyway. Once Germany is out of the way the achievement is in the bag since nobody else will threaten you on the continent and you have a decently strong faction and Germany's industry either directly or as a puppet.