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Division templates:
Make 20 combat width infantry templates (all infantry brigades, at least engineering support company) as standard, you can use 10 width templates for fighting in supply-scarce areas as required. The reason for this is the way combat works - when you attack, click on the little red/yellow/green bubble that pops up, and you'll see a number in the middle that tells you your available combat width.
Max combat width when attacking from one direction is 80 - that's four 20w divisions, or eight 10w (or two 40w). Don't use 40w infantry unless you know what you're doing. They simply require too much manpower and equipment vs their combat ability, and they'll limit how many divisions you can deploy to cover territory. If you can only have one 40w division per tile, versus two or three 20w divisions, at least with the 20w divisions you may get reinforcements during battle.
It's harder to push a 40w division vs a 20w division, true, but it's infantry; even the AI will push 40w infantry around without much problem.
Don't build forts unless you're turtling.
In HoI4, supply is the god that failed. You'll push one supply zone into an enemy, demolish the infrastructure, decimate your supply, and grind to a halt. If you continue to attack without supply, you'll waste manpower and equipment. If you have the requisite DLC, you can build transport planes to drop paratroopers and supply missions over your troops, provided you can get air superiority. Other than paratroopers, this is much less of a game-changer than it sounds like.
When operating in an overseas theater, you have to protect your supply convoys. Press F4 on your keyboard for supply, and F2 for naval, which will also show you your trade and supply convoy routes. If your supply routes run through enemy-controlled naval tiles, you'll suffer losses to those convoys, inhibiting supply to your divisions and overseas trade.
Counter this with convoy escorts. Destroyers can be set up for anti-submarine warfare, which is what's doing the bulk of the damage to your convoys over time. Build them for the purposes of escorting your convoys. You may choose to add cruisers to your escorts, that's a more advanced strat than I can speak to however, so it may or may not be more useful vs players than AI.
Now that you know about protecting your convoys, you know you can employ your own submarines to attack enemy supply and trade convoys and ruin them.
Heavy cruisers and capitals are ponderously slow, consume epic amounts of fuel, and don't really do much against subs - save these fleets for other operations, such as strike forces, shore bombardment, and air cover/attack during naval invasions. Again, more advanced stuff versus players than I can speak about, and I have much less experience with this part of navies.
How to win? Build tankage and wreck face. This game is all about the micro, which means you need hardness in your divisions to prevent piercing, and you need higher combat stats than the enemy divisions you're rolling over. If you can get this, you can attack either side of a tile, encircle the divisions in said tile, and liquidate. Rinse and repeat until you win or they kill you.
Learn how to setup your industry properly to supply the divisions you want to field in the time frame necessary to win. Your guys aren't going to beat any enemy with their fists.
A couple good nations to start off with off the top of my head to get a feel for this is South Africa and Poland. You're almost certainly not winning as Poland, but you're getting into the ♥♥♥♥ fast, dirty, and you have to make hard choices to supply your divisions. South Africa gets more time to develop its industry, but it's still going to be small. Doesn't stop them from fielding heavy tanks, though. Figure out how and these lessons can translate to other countries.
Ensure you use the full combat width of attack.
don't forget to add artillery.
Ensure you have trained your forces as much as possible before starting.
get generals, field marshals, army cmdrs etc with the skill or attack bonuses.
have motorised or cavalry to follow up your armoured so they can push fast.
Air power is also important, fighters / cas or tactical.
Practice this until you get good.
Don't attack the enemy strong points, try to break through where the enemy is weak, and surround / keep pushing. Attack from multiple sectors to maximise, and watch out for
terrain debuffs.
Isolate from the port / blockade to stop reinforcements.
Those tactics work in Poland,
China is a different nut (as USA) to crack, Infrastructure is very low, so you have to watch supplies.
If you can build ports / improve infrastructure do so (You would need to control the territory). I would expect putting large forces in China to be very problematic early war, as Japan's Navy will blockade the ports, and ruin any convoys.. Also China will be low on fuel / oil.
Fight Japan as the USA conventionaly, air power vs navy, island hop etc. maybe gift china weapons and supply the odd division.
Once you have used your air power and Navy to equalise and overpower the Japanese navy, you will have more flexibility.
Look at the combat stats during battle, see the advantage of air / division templates / xp.
I do all combat manually rather than front lines etc, so there is more to learn for that side of it.
Once you have encircled, wait till your enemy is low on supplies before attacking.
Apologies if you are already on top of most of these.
The key to understanding combat is to click on the numbered progress button and use mouse over to read the various numbers and the penalties on your divisions.
Make sure you have Eisenhower as your field Marshal. Look at your supply route and make sure that the port either on the East Coast or West Coast is level 10 from your capital . Remember supplies start at your Capital so if you're going west with them then all the states from Washington DC to the West Coast have to have really good infrastructure. If you have time research the support company that helps you with supplies. Have two or three tank divisions in your 24 division army group. When they're in China make sure you spread them out pretty good so that they get supplies cuz a Chinese infantry divisions will be in the way.
Attack divisions should have armour ( preferably medium though light for germany v poland ) self propelled guns with infantry on trucks/ apc's and ideally have 40 width
20 width will do if you only have a few divisions but 40 width is best for armour one 40 width armour division will attack better than 2 x 20 width
remember they only go at the speed of the slowest unit so don't add any slow units.
Defence divisions should have mainly infantry ( add engineer support the spade / shovel ) you can add anti tank guns and heavy tanks to some if you think you will be facing lots of armour. 20 width early game you can make some 40 width later in the game if you have plenty of divisions and are on the attack
Use your attack divisions to breakthrough lines where troops are unfortified and preferably on plains reinforce the attack with infantry if needed to hold your supply line and encircle the enemy or force them to move back by threatening to encircle them.
Where possible don't attack troops in heavy fortifications just encircle and destroy them after they weaken
If you force a division back it'll reinforce in a short time then re entrench and you'll have to fight it again at full strength if you encircle it it'll die / be captured and be gone for good so it weakens them more if you encircle a few rather than force back a lot of enemy.
Eg you have the option to encircle 3 divisions or force back 12 if you encircle the 3 you only have to face 9 the next time if you force back 12 you still have 12 to face.
Your defensive divisions are for holding ground / defence put them on good terrain eg the other side of a river / mountains / hills if you expect them to have to hold plains / urban hexes build a few fortifications.