GAME MANUAL - Steam

HEARTS OF IRON DARKEST HOURdown the Ctrl key and rightclickon the province in whichit is currently located. You willthen need to set the expirydate for the order to tell thecommander how long youwould like him to maintain thisorder.A field command that isoperating as a reserve willwait until any province that it isadjacent to is attacked, andthen immediately march tosupport it. It does so at itsregular rate of movement,however, so it will take longerto get there. While thereserves order might not seemall that useful in a singleplayer game where you maypause and issue orders anytime you like, this orderbecomes invaluable if you playin one of the many multiplayergames that has a “houserule” that prohibitspausing during the game!PLANNED DEFENCEThe effect of the planneddefence order is that thefield command willautomatically retreat tothe pre-selected adjacentprovince when underenemy attack and theirremaining strength ororganisation is below thechosen threshold.ANTI-PARTIZAN DUTYYou may order any type ofdivision to specifically engagein anti-partisan duty. Doing sowill double their suppressionvalue and thus greatly reducethe effects and likelihood ofpartisan activities in anyoccupied provinces.This order is given just aseach of the other specialorders is done, using the Ctrland right-click OrdersInterface or by selecting itfrom the drop-down list whenyou click the orders box. Youwill almost certainly wish toassign your garrison divisionsto anti-partisan activities, sincethis will maximise theirsuppression abilities.GARRISONSA garrison force is a somewhatunique division that islimited to one very importantspecialised function: antipartisanduties. Garrisondivisions can only move viathe strategic reinforcementorder, which allows themto reach any other provincethat is linked by a friendly landroute to their current location,or by loading them onto atransport and then off-loadingthem at a destination port.They can participate defensivelyin a battle if they areattacked, but otherwise theyare exclusively used forsuppressing partisans, a taskat which they excel.Placing a garrison division inan occupied province andassigning them to anti-partisanduty will provide at leastdouble and sometimes eventriple the suppression value ofany other type of unit. If youare pursuing an aggressivecourse of conquest, makesure you have lots of theseforces available.MARINESMarines are a special type ofinfantry division who aretrained specifically forassaulting coastal provinces,although they also enjoy somebenefits when operating inswampy terrain. While anytype of division may becarried by transports and mayparticipate in an invasion,marines receive greatlyreduced penalties during anamphibious assault.Remember that it is aprovince’s coastal fortificationsand not land forts that areused when defending againstan invasion from the sea. Anadditional consideration is thatthere is a cumulative penaltyfor amphibious assaults whereeach division committed to theattack receives a progressivelyhigher penalty. Thismay be offset by having yourlarger naval vessels conduct ashore bombardment missionduring the assault, which willreduce the defenders’effectiveness.Marines are also treated ashaving a limited degree ofintrinsic self-transportcapability over short distancesof water, allowing them toconduct attacks along chainsof islands without the need fordedicated naval transportvessels. They cannot traverselarge stretches of water, butthey can move short distancesby themselves. If you’refighting in the Pacific, marinesare nearly indispensable.123