GAME MANUAL - Steam

HEARTS OF IRON DARKEST HOURstrength. Again, keep an eyeon the weather, and on anyenemy AA and fighters in thevicinity.Sea TransportA sea transport mission isused to transport land forcesto a friendly port once theyhave been loaded on boardthe vessels. They will automaticallyunload uponreaching their destination.Amphibious AssaultThis mission is used to instructtransport vessels to take theland forces they are carryingto a sea zone just off anenemy province in preparationfor an invasion. When thetransports arrive in position,the land troops will automaticallybegin their invasion ofthat province. To invade aprovince from the sea, theprovince must have a suitablearea for the troops to land,indicated by the presence of abeach icon on the province’sshoreline.It is not possible to invade aprovince that does not have abeach. If you prefer, you mayload troops on the transportand then manually position thevessels in the adjacent seazone. Click the unload buttonon the transport and select theprovince you wish your landforces to invade.Amphibious assaults areconducted in the samemanner that normal landbattles are handled. However,there are significant penaltiesfor the invading forces,although these are considerablyless for marines, andit is a province’s coastalfortifications rather than itsland fortifications that willassist the defending troops inrepelling the attack. Be awarethat launching a successfullarge scale naval invasion isextremely difficult since eachdivision participating in theinvasion will increase the totalamount of the invasionpenalty. If the beach is welldefended, you will probablyneed to conduct a very strongaerial and naval bombardmentcampaign in support.Sneak Move: Ships on aSneak Move mission move tothe target trying to avoid beingdetected. Because sneakingforces fleets to use longerroutes, it takes more time toreach the target, but alsoreduces the chance to bedetected by the enemy.Naval Scramble: NavalScramble missions assignsyour fleets to stay in homeport and engage any enemyships detected in adjacent seaprovinces.AdvancedNavalStrategiesIt is arguable that DarkestHour’s greatest combatemphasis is on land battles,though you should notdiscount the importance ofyour navies. Land troops arenearly useless without supply,and in many cases this supplymust be traced across waterand is in constant jeopardy ofenemy anti-convoy activities.Those same actions will alsocut off sources of naturalresources and greatly reducetrade efficiency, resulting in ashortage of the materialsneeded to keep your industrialbase operating at maximumcapacity. It is thereforetactically prudent to patrol yourconvoy routes and dispatchany enemy vessels you mayfind there, and to employ thistechnique to weaken yourenemy before attacking.There will be instances whereyour land combats take placein coastal provinces withbeaches. Don’t underestimatethe potential impact of launchingan amphibious assault aspart of that combat, andsupporting it with navalbombardment, particularly ifyou can arrange for a largenumber of capital ships toshell the enemy position. Theextra shore bombardment andenvelopment penalties to theenemy land force’s effectivenesscould easily swing thebattle in your favour.Naval invasion is a risky affairbut one that may reap greatrewards if the location andtiming are well chosen.Remember that land forceencirclement will cause greatlosses to enemy organisation,so it may be worth consideringa naval “flanking” manoeuvreto get behind an enemydefensive line rather thantrying to assault it directly. Ifyou are forced to make adirect assault, usually becausethe target is an island with noalternate means of approach,it is better to be patient. Tryblockading the target for awhile with a fleet devoted todestroying convoys. Theenemy supply depot willprobably dissolve fairly quicklyand his organisation will beginto drop. After a little preliminaryaerial bombardment,your forces can then move inwith support from your capitalships’ shore bombardment.Just as land divisions mayblock a handful of narrowstraits, naval vessels are ableto prevent land forces fromcrossing them. Don’t miss thisgreat opportunity to hold anenemy at bay, particularly inthe Pacific island chains, untilyou are able to assemble thenecessary forces to beginmaking direct attacks againstthose pockets of resistance orlaunch a full scale invasion ofyour own.140