GAME MANUAL - Steam

HEARTS OF IRON DARKEST HOURPARATROOPERSParatroopers are lightly armedinfantry divisions that are quiteweak and ineffective when onthe ground, though theirsaving grace is that they arethe only unit in Darkest Hourthat is capable of being loadedon an air transport. It is whenthey are used for airborneinvasions in support of a largeroffensive that they truly shine.As we discussed in theenvelopment subsectionabove, paratroopers presentan additional angle of attackthat will give the defenders anextra 10% envelopmentpenalty to both their attackand defence effectiveness.Paratroopers also ignore thenormal penalty for attacking aprovince with land or coastalfortifications, although they aresubject to an airborne attackpenalty themselves, representingthe rather “hit andmiss” disorganisationof such missions in that era.Airborne assaults can bemade behind enemy lines ifyou feel that you can gain astrategic advantage by cuttingoff supply or capturing anenemy base. Keep in mindthat they will be out of supplyand in a very periloussituation, so their chances ofsurvival will be very slim. Onoccasion, though, the sacrificemay be worth it.MOUNTAIN INFANTRYAnother specialised infantrydivision is the mountaininfantry. These units performjust like regular infantrydivisions in most cases,except that they excel atmoving and fighting in ruggedterrain or bad weather andsuffer much lower penalties tosupply efficiency. If you mustengage in battles in theseconditions, consider assigningthe task to your mountaininfantry.HQ DIVISIONSAn HQ division is a large,mobile command and logisticcontrol centre that must beassigned directly to a seniorranked field officer such as ageneral or field marshal fortheir effects to become active.All three effects will apply to allland forces that are eitherlocated in the same provinceor in an adjacent province,and they will apply even if anadjacent force is attacking amore distant province! Thethree effects are:● All officers will be able tocommand double their rank’snormal limit of divisions beforeoverstacking effects occur (i.e.before divisions that theycommand lose the trait andskill bonuses, or suffer thenasty 75% overstackingcombat penalty).● All divisions will receive amodest boost to their ESE.They will move faster, sufferlower attrition rates, regaintheir organisation more rapidly,have a small combat bonus,and so on.● The chance of a favourablecombat event occurring duringbattle will be significantlyincreased.In Darkest Hour the AI will usethe HQ unit in combat as withany other unit.AdvancedLand CombatsOverviewWhile most players developstyles of their own, I will brieflypresent a few common tacticsthat might be worthy of yourconsideration. I should alsopoint out that there are specialleadership and stacking issuesthat should be consideredwhen ground forces areattacked by enemy aircraft.Those are detailed in the aircombat section rather thanhere.Troops Mix, Terrain andWeatherWhile it might seem aestheticallypleasing to assemblethat “killer” 12-division supertankarmy with heavy armourbrigades attached to each, awell-balanced mix of troopswith support from the skiescan very quickly turn thetables against you. Your tankswill be at the mercy of enemytactical bombers and anti-tankbrigades, and land forts canprovide more than ampleprotection for the defenders toshrug off your attack. Youshould take great care toassemble armies with the rightmix of equipment andpersonnel if you want to winmost of your battles. Forexample, a few brigades ofengineers are invaluable whenattacking enemy fortificationsor crossing rivers, but are onlymarginally effective when onthe defensive. Against adetermined enemy, you cannever underestimate theimportance of controlling theskies and carrying some extraAA defences for those timeswhen your airplanes have torefuel.Terrain and weather shouldnever be ignored. Armour isusually devastating in openplains but more or lessuseless in swamp, mountainsor jungle, and all the tacticalbombers in the world aren’tgoing to help you in the midstof the winter’s worst blizzards.Rivers can be vitally importantas defensive barriers and areoften overlooked as obstacleswhen planning attacks. Thecombat penalties should makeyou think twice aboutattacking across a river,unless you have lots ofengineers to assist you. If youfail to take any of these factorsinto consideration, you arelikely to find yourself on theretreat far more often thanyour enemy. Soldiers andleaders gain very little fromdefeat - dead soldiers andruined equipment aren’t goingto win you any wars - and thishas the additional effect ofbolstering enemy confidenceand adding to his troops’experience, which is often adevastating combination.124