GAME MANUAL - Steam

HEARTS OF IRON DARKEST HOURDivision TypesYour divisions are used todefend your territories fromenemy attack, or to launchoffensives to conquer and thenoccupy enemy provinces. Onlyland forces are able to captureand hold an enemy province.Divisions can be of a variety ofdifferent types, each onehaving its own specificadvantages and disadvantageswhich vary dependingon terrain, weather, and eventhe type of enemy they arefacing. Divisions can beclassified in three broadcategories: foot soldiers,mounted troops, and armour.Research improves yourtechnology and each unit’sspecifications can beimproved, provided that youallocate sufficient IC toupgrade them. Not all of thedivision types will be availableto you at the beginning of acampaign, since many requirespecific advances in equipmentor achievement of anarmy doctrine. Detaileddescriptions are found in theTechnology Folder todetermine what is required.The most numerous andversatile unit is probably thefoot soldier, with the mostcommon type being theinfantry division. While theywill find themselves at adisadvantage in the open, theygenerally perform better thanmounted or armoured units inless hospitable or obstructedterrains. Infantry is usuallyless expensive to recruit,relatively fast to train, althoughit moves less fast than themobile units and onlyconsumes a little oil later inthe game, Specialist infantrytypes perform particularly wellin certain roles but are moreexpensive and time-consumingto prepare.Marines are particularlyeffective for coastal invasions,mountaineers excel in hillyand mountainous areas, andairborne infantry are the onlyunits that may be used toattack from air transports.Mounted units perform inmuch the same way thatinfantry do. The most basic ofthese is the cavalry division.Not surprisingly, they tend toperform very poorly againstmost other units and have fewadvantages other than a morerapid rate of movement thaninfantry. Motorised infantryare much more susceptible toaerial attack and will run intodifficulties where the roads arepoor or terrain becomes anobstacle. Mechanised infantrydivisions, who use armouredvehicles such as halftracks,are very expensive andconsume even more fuel, andremain easier targets forenemy tactical bombers;however, they have betterattack and defencecapabilities than any otherinfantry unit.Infantry and mounted infantryare no match for tank divisionswhen it comes to sheer firepowerand the ability towithstand punishment. As yourtechnology advances, you willhave the ability to build largertanks with heavier armamentsand armour which will furtherincrease the amount ofdamage that they can bothinflict and sustain. Armouredunits are expensive, though,and consume fuel at analarming rate. They alsoperform very poorly when theterrain is rough or filled withobstacles. There are two otherspecialised division types thatmerit extra attention but aredetailed later in this section.A garrison division is a specialinfantry unit whose solefunction is to suppress theactivities of partisans. Theyare highly restricted in theirmethod of movement and areutterly unsuited to combatsituations, but they areunparalleled at maintaininglaw and order in any enemyprovinces that you mightoccupy. The other unit type isthe headquarters division.These act as large mobilecommand and control centers,assisting very highly rankedofficers (generals and fieldmarshals) to manage largernumbers of divisions, improvesupply efficiency, and provideimproved combat capabilitiesfor any forces that are in thesame province or an adjacentone. They are, however, adivision that is primarilydesigned for tactical andlogistical support and are notheavily armed or suited tocombat themselves.Brigade TypesThere are a variety of brigadesthat may be attached to yourdivisions to enhance theirabilities; however, eachdivision may only have asingle brigade attachment. Abrigade’s area of expertise isfairly self-explanatory whenyou review its details in theproduction interface. Note thatthe specific values are addedto the abilities of the divisionthey are attached to, thususually improving theirperformance quite significantly,although there sometimesis a small trade-off in anotherarea. Brigades may rangefrom tank-destroyers to antiaircraftspecialists, or may beable to support your divisionsby providing withering artillerysupport.Engineers will improve boththe defensive capabilities andmovement rates of yourdivisions, while additionalarmour can be attached tobump up the attack strengthsof a force. The availablebrigade types will dependlargely on what technologiesyou have researched, as willtheir effectiveness.97