[2023] Best strategic deployment against the SU? Beginner questions.

Mantriel said: 2. I have an army of light tanks (24 divisions), I started producing medium tanks.
3. My divisions are 7 infantry & 2 artillery, 20 width wide for my infantry armies. The tank divisions are 5 tanks & 5 motorized infantry. Support companies are for both: Engi, Support Artillery, Support Anti-Air, Logi & Hospital.

I would be producing medium tanks either before France falls or immediately after. We want medium tanks with 8 kph speed on them so they are going fast enough to overrun and encircle. Light tanks are simply not going to cut it against the Soviets.

(And yes, I know I literally have a livestream where I defeat the Soviet Union with light armor spam, but that's highly advanced tactics, not something a beginner should think about or try.)

I would also dump the 2 line ART for the infantry divisions and put some of that MIC that you have on ART on either planes or tanks. I also loathe HOSP as a support company. I don't think it helps you that much. Use LOG instead.

Mantriel said: 5. I don't understand the spy mechanics. What upgrades should I have? None of them seems to be especially good.
6. I have 3 "collaboration governments".

If you have at least one collab on the Soviets, then don't worry about spies right now. If you don't have one on the Soviets, still don't worry about it. Let's just focus on solid tactics right now.

Mantriel said: Q2: Should I build radar stations, or anti air stations?

Not for fighting the Soviets. It's wasted investment as you advance. You have other things to build.

Mantriel said: Q3: Should I build hubs? Are level 3 rails enough? Should I buff them up to 5?

I would upgrade a few key supply pipelines to the front to at least level 3. Keep in mind that as long as supply hubs can reach your capital with some kind of railway line that is high enough level, they are fine. You don't need to turn every railway east of Berlin to level 3. I wouldn't build any supply hubs on the front, though.

Mantriel said: Q4: I have several puppet countries, should I take all of their troops and put them on the frontline? If yes how? Should I mix them into the "normal" army groups? Or put them into their own army?

No. Instead, send those crappy puppet troops to cover the west and defend against Allied landings. Also, don't be shy about asking puppets for garrison support. Let them eat bullets from the French and Yugoslav resistance.

Mantriel said: Q6. Where should I push? Should I push against the baltic states, or go for the southern planes?
Q7. How many divisions/armies should I have? 3 full army groups (3x5x24). I guess is more than enough?

You should make one armored thrust in a hook to trap Soviet forces along the Baltic coast. Another armored thrust should be trying to encircle Soviet divisions facing Hungary and Romania. If you tie down Soviet forces along the mountainous Hungarian border, you can bag a ton of them by just cutting them off with an armored thrust.

When I run Barbarossa, I have 2 FMs with 5x24 under each of them (infantry divisions) with 10+ fat panzer divisions (40 or 42 width) in a panzer army. The panzer divisions will probably contain a total of 5000+ medium tanks (not counting TDs or recon tanks or flame tanks or MECH or trucks) by the time I start Barbarossa.

Mantriel said: Q11: How do you build your airplanes?

You're still new, so let me give you some easy designs.

(Ignore that these look Soviet; I already had the Soviets loaded up when replying to you)


This plane should kill anything the RAF or VVS can throw at you. It has enough range to be useful. It has enough air defense to win duels.

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For CAS:



I know a lot of people love their anti-tank cannons, but this is simpler to produce. You don't need anything from the AT tree. It can also bomb ships with the bomb locks and bomb ports with the bomb bays. So, the RN and Soviet fleets aren't safe from this.

Some players are going to tell you to use self-sealing fuel tanks. But that increases the rubber cost of the planes. You are still new, so you don't need the added headache of trying to build enough rubber plants to build planes that cost 2 rubber per factory.

Mantriel said: Q9: What division is best for tanks? 10 tank, 10 motorized inf?

Let's not go with what's "best." Let's go with something good that I can actually justify with logical arguments.




Now, why in the name of Guderian do I have a division like this?

To understand this template, we need to understand the tanks it has: (Again, Soviets were loaded up already)

Let's start with the medium tanks in the tank battalions:



Upgraded to this:




We start with the Close Support gun because Germany starts with that. We can upgrade to Howitzer guns as you get them, but note for the record that if you can't afford the tungsten for howitzer guns, I won't make fun of you for just using the close support gun and using only steel.

This tank meets our speed requirement, has decent armor (but not too much) and has tons of soft attack. The only thing it's bad at it piercing other tanks.

Because it's bad at piercing, it needs some TD's to help out. We get the piercing from these guys:



This TD utilizes the heavy cannon to get both piercing and SA. It's a resource hog and more expensive. But we only have 1 battalion of these in each division. It is good enough to give the template the requisite piercing. I stack armor on this tank to boost armor values on the whole division.

Stats (in the field, not just on the template designer):



Note that these stats do not count Guderian's bonus to speed or some bonuses from Mobile Warfare. You will get some better ORG as Germany with enough progress on your doctrines.

Why did I choose those support companies?

It would take 30 minutes to explain all the details, but the short version is that recon tanks speed up panzers in open terrain, LOG will reduce supply and fuel consumption, support ART is the best source of SA in the entire game for the cost, AA guns deter enemy air attack (which really hurts armored formations), flame tanks make it easier to fight in cities (which you sometimes need to do as panzers even if you are trying to encircle), and engineers have terrain bonuses that offset the terrain penalties the tanks have when trying to cross rivers or fight in certain places. I don't like using panzers in bad terrain like rivers and forests, but sometimes it's got to happen.