United States

Washington D.C.

Democratic, Liberal

Neutral

The United States is one of the largest and richest countries of the globe in 1936, and the only major power outside of Europe and Asia. However, despite its immense wealth in resources and infrastructure assets, the USA is heavily restrained by its laws and national spirits at the start of the game. But should the U.S. remove these restrictions and build up their military might (and optionally get allies by creating or joining a faction), they can easily become a world superpower, in a similar fashion to its real-life counterpart.

EventsEdit

Main article: American events

National focusEdit

American national focus tree.

Main article: American national focus tree

The United States, as one of the seven major powers, has a unique national focus tree, with historical and ahistorical paths.

Continue the New Deal follows the historical route with Franklin Roosevelt remaining as President and continuing his New Deal policy, aimed at getting rid of the Great Depression.
Reestablish the Gold Standard is an ahistorical route, and requires Republican candidate Alf Landon to win the 1936 November elections against Fraklin Roosevelt. In it, Alf Landon would provide alternative strategies in getting rid of the Great Depression.
Limited Intervention, as one of the Democratic routes, will allow the US to intervene in conflicts much earlier in either the European or Asian theatres, against Germany or Japan respectively.
Neutrality Act is the historical route and will isolate the USA, but gives options to build its industry and war machine much more as world tension rises.
America First , which requires Reestablish the Gold Standard, will start the road to Fascism for the USA, giving the government chances to ally with the Silver Shirts, Honor the Confederacy and to Manifest Destiny.
Suspend the Persecution, which requires Continue the New Deal, is the start of the Communism path, allowing the government to Desegregate the Armed Forces and to ally the USSR.
War Plans Division will create War Plans for possible target nations, and should a war break out with a respective nation, will allow the USA to get various bonuses against said nation. This path also allows the USA to intervene in any possible wars within the American continent under the Monroe Doctrine.
War Department opens up the options to build up the Armed Forces, with various mutually exclusive choices in all 3 sections of the military.

TechnologyEdit

The USA starts in 1936 with four research slots, and can acquire two more slots from its National Focuses - Extra Research Slot and Scientist Haven. Compared to the rest of the world's countries, the option to have a total of 6 slots is almost unique.

The 5th slot is part of the WPA & War Propaganda branch, and its prerequisite focusses either require a high amount of world tension (25%, 40% and finally 75 %) or that the U.S. is at war with another country. The 6th slot can only be obtained by completing the Issue War Bonds branch of the focus tree. The first focus in this branch requires the USA to be at war with at least one other major power. The six slots give it a significant advantage in the late-game to be able to research nuclear, jet and rocket technology, and still maintain its research in other areas. Scientist Haven focus represents the scientists and engineers who escaped from the war in Europe and traveled to the USA to continue their work.

Further, as a Democratic nation there is a Decision to grant refuge to scientists from the German Reich and Italy, trading a minor hit to Stability for a boost to research speed.

Army Technology	Naval Technology	Air Technology	Electronics & Industry
M1 Garand (Infantry Eq. I) Engineer Company I Recon Company I Great War Tank 75mm Gun M1897 (Towed Artillery I)	Clemson Class (Destroyer I) Upgraded Farragut Class Brooklyn Class (Light Cruiser II)) Pensacola Class (Heavy Cruiser I) Upgraded Portland Class Lexington Class (Battlecruiser I) New York Class (Battleship I) Upgraded New Mexico Class Upgraded Colorado Class Ranger Class (Carrier II) Upgraded Yorktown Class Porpoise Class (Submarine II) Transport Ship	P-1 Hawk (Interwar Fighter) FF 'Fifi' (Interwar Carrier Fighter) B-18 Bolo (Interwar Bomber) A-17 (Close Air Support I) Northrop BT (Carrier CAS I) XTBD-1 (Naval Bomber I) TBD Devastator (Carrier Naval Bomber I)	None
Doctrines
Superior Firepower	Base Strike	None

DiplomacyEdit

Smaller states do not fit 1-to-1 on the game-mechanic concept. Virginia is combined with West Virginia and Virginia. New England consists of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. Also Maryland has Delaware.

The United States controls several islands in the Pacific such as Guam, Wake, and Midway to name a few. Puerto Rico, Alaska and Hawaii are treated as states in the game. The Philippines is a U.S. puppet.

Every country in North, Central, and South America is guaranteed by the USA under the Monroe Doctrine. This limits the U.S. in its diplomatic options: Guaranteeing one more country would cost the U.S. 550 political power.

The U.S. does not start as a member of a faction.

Diplomatic rulesEdit

The Rules are controlled by their Ideology, the Ideology of their Faction and their National Spirit(s). Due to The Great Depression and Undisturbed Isolation the U.S. requires a higher amount of world tension to join a faction. The later also raises the world tension limit for other diplomatic actions.

Rule	Whether it applies	Reason
Can declare war on country of the same ideology group without a war goal	No	Democracy
Can Guarantee other Ideologies	Yes	Democracy
Can join Factions led by another Ideology	No	National Spirit: Home of the Free
Can create Factions	Yes	National Spirit: Home of the Free
Lowers World Tension with Guarantees	Yes	Democracy
Can puppet a country	No	Democracy
Can justify wargoals against a country that have not generated world tension	No	Democracy

PoliticsEdit

National spiritsEdit

The Great Depression

Daily Political Power cost: +1.00
Consumer Goods Factories: +30%
Recruitable Population Factor: -50%
Join faction tension limit: +20%

Although a worldwide phenomenon, the Great Depression started with a stock market crash in the United States and has caused unemployment rates to soar and tax revenue to plummet. The American people and its government have enough to worry about without getting involved in another war.

Home of the Free

Ideology drift defense: +20%
Cannot join factions lead by another ideology
Can create factions

USA considers itself a bastion and maybe even the cradle of democracy and liberty. Whatever they choose to be, their values are difficult to compromise, however tempting some opportunities might seem.

In the 1936 election, the USA can choose the party to lead it. Depending on the choice, another National Spirit can be added:

If Democratic Party, New Deal
- Infrastructure construction speed: +20%
- Stability: +10%
If Republican Party, there is no change to the national spirits, but:
- They gain the Industrial Concern Standard Oil of California, which gives Industrial Research Time: -10%
- The new leader of the USA becomes Alf Landon, who has the trait Staunch Constitutionalist - Ideology Drift Defense: +50%

IdeologyEdit

USA starts 1936 as a democracy, with elections every four years. The ruling party is the Democratic Party led by Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Elections are held every four years; in-game, this applies to 1936, 1940, and 1944. Each time, the player will be prompted to choose the outcome. FDR, as the incumbent, will run for the Democrats each time even if he has been unseated in a previous election. The Republicans run three candidates: Alf Landon in 1936, Wendell Willkie in 1940, and Thomas E. Dewey in 1944. Each grant different bonuses and the player can select them. Note that the Republican candidate will not change if they won the previous election, as they will be running as the incumbent. For example, if the player were to choose Alf Landon in 1936, they will not be able to choose Wendell Willkie in 1940. The USA has no National Focus that allows it to change ideology. If the player wants to try to change the ideology then they should appoint Political Advisors either:

Charles Coughlin, who is a Fascist Demagogue: Daily Fascism Support: +0.1
Earl Browder, who is a Communist Revolutionary: Daily Communist Support: +0.1

Both cost 150 Political Power to appoint. Support for the fascist Silver Legion of America led by William Dudley Pelley, or for the communist Communist Party USA led by Earl Browder himself, will steadily increase. Because of the USA's National Spirit Home of the Free this will be slower than normal - Ideology Defense Drift: +20%. The result of this will be to convert the USA to a fascist or communist country. The party and leader of the country will change, and they will change the name and flag. Once this has happened, the diplomatic rules applied to fascist or communist countries apply to the USA. There will be no more elections.

Depending on how the player handles this - various events will pop-up asking them on how they would like to proceed - the player may end up in a civil war, against the forces of democracy. The more political support the player builds up, the more of the country they will control if that happens. At 33% support the player will be asked if they would like to have a civil war and at 50% support they can choose to switch governments to either fascist or communist, depending on which ideology is the most dominant.

LeadersEdit

Leader	Ideology	Party	In Power (1936)	Popularity	Country Name	Unique Portrait?	Leader Trait
Franklin Delano Roosevelt	Democracy/Liberalism	Democratic Party	Yes	99%	United States	Yes	Dislikes Germany: AI Modifier: +200 to antagonize Germany
Harry S. Truman	Democracy/Liberalism	Democratic Party	No, can come to power via event (Death of FDR event)	---	United States	Yes	---
Alf Landon	Democracy/Conservatism	Republican Party	No, can come to power via event (1936 Election event)	---	United States	Yes	Staunch Constitutionalist: Drift Defence Factor +50%
Wendell Wilkie	Democracy/Liberalism	Republican Party	No, can come to power via event (1940 Election event)	---	United States	Yes	Willkie's New Deal
Thomas E. Dewey	Democracy/Conservatism	Republican Party	No, can come to power via event (1944 Election event chain)	---	United States	No	---
Douglas MacArthur	Democracy/Conservatism	Republican Party	No, can come to power via event (1944 Election event chain)	---	United States	Yes	---
Earl Browder	Communism/Marxism	Communist Party USA	No, can come to power by coup	1%	Communist States of America	Yes (No, but his generic portrait is him)	---
William Dudley Pelley	Fascism/Fascism	Silver Legion of America	No, can come to power by coup	0%	Free American Empire	Yes	---
Adam Hilt	Fascism/Fascism	Silver Legion of America	No, can come to power via event (William Dudley Pelley challenges Douglas MacArthur)	0%	Free American Empire	Yes	Great Architect: Construction Speed +1%

Staff and DesignersEdit

These are choices of ministers and design companies for the United States.

Political Advisors
Advisor	Type	Effect	Cost()
Earl Browder	Communist Revolutionary	Daily Communism Support: +0.10	150
Charles Coughlin	Fascist Demagogue	Daily Fascism Support: +0.10	150
Harold L. Ickes	Democratic Reformer	Daily Democracy Support: +0.10	150
John Winant	Compassionate Gentleman	Improve relations opinion: +15 %	150
Robert Taft	Silent Workhorse	Political Power Gain: +15.0%	150
Cordell Hull	Smooth-Talking Charmer	Trade deal opinion factor: +10 %	150
Henry Stimson	War Industrialist	Military Factory Construction Speed: +10.0% Dockyard Construction Speed: +10.0%	150
Donald Nelson	Armaments Organizer	Civilian to Military Factory conversion cost: -20 %	150

Tank Designers
Designer	Type	Effect	Cost()
Marmon-Herrington	Mobile Tank Designer	Armor Research Time: -10 % Armor: Max Speed: +5 % Reliability: +10 % By selecting this Design Company it will permanently affect capabilities on all equipment researched while they are hired.	150
Chrysler	Medium Tank Designer	Armor Research Time: -10 % Armor: Reliability: +5 % Soft Attack: +5 % By selecting this Design Company it will permanently affect capabilities on all equipment researched while they are hired.	150
Army Ordnance Department	Heavy Tank Designer	Armor Research Time: -10 % Armor: Armor: +5 % Hard Attack: +5 % By selecting this Design Company it will permanently affect capabilities on all equipment researched while they are hired.	150

Ship Designers
Designer	Type	Effect	Cost()
Norfolk Naval Yard	Coastal Defense Fleet Designer	Naval Research Time: -10 % Carrier: Production Cost: -25 % Deck size: -20 % Max Range: -50 % Capital Ship: Production Cost: -25 % Armor: -20 % Naval firepower: -20 % Max Range: -50 % Screen: Production Cost: -25 % Max Range: -50 % Submarine: Production Cost: -25 % Max Range: -50 % By selecting this Design Company it will permanently affect capabilities on all equipment researched while they are hired.	150
Electric Boat Company	Raiding Fleet Designer	Naval Research Time: -10 % Carrier: Surface Visibility: -10 % Max Speed: +10 % Deck size: -10 % Capital Ship: Surface Visibility: -10 % Max Speed: +10 % Deck size: -10 % Screen: Surface Visibility: -10 % Max Speed: +10 % Submarine: Sub Visibility: -10 % Surface Visibility: -10 % Max Speed: +10 % By selecting this Design Company it will permanently affect capabilities on all equipment researched while they are hired.	150
ฺBrooklyn Naval Yard	Atlantic Fleet Designer	Naval Research Time: -10 % Carrier: Armor: +50 % Capital Ship: Armor: +10 % Naval firepower: +10 % By selecting this Design Company it will permanently affect capabilities on all equipment researched while they are hired.	150
Newport News Shipbuilding	Pacific Fleet Designer	Naval Research Time: -10 % Carrier: Deck size: +25 % Armor: -15 % Max Range: +25 % Capital Ship: Max Range: +25 % Screen: Max Range: +25 % Submarine: Max Range: +25 % By selecting this Design Company it will permanently affect capabilities on all equipment researched while they are hired.	150

Aircraft Designers
Designer	Type	Effect	Cost()
North American Aviation	Light Aircraft Designer	Air Research Time: -10 % Fighter: Agility: +10 % Max Speed: +10 % Carrier Fighter: Agility: +10 % Max Speed: +10 % By selecting this Design Company it will permanently affect capabilities on all equipment researched while they are hired.	150
Lockheed	Medium Aircraft Designer	Air Research Time: -10 % Heavy Fighter: Reliability: +20 % Tactical Bomber: Reliability: +20 % By selecting this Design Company it will permanently affect capabilities on all equipment researched while they are hired.	150
Douglas Aircraft Company	CAS Designer	Air Research Time: -10 % Close Air Support: Ground Attack: +10 % Reliability: +10 % Carrier CAS: Ground Attack: +10 % Reliability: +10 % By selecting this Design Company it will permanently affect capabilities on all equipment researched while they are hired.	150
Boeing	Heavy Aircraft Designer	Air Research Time: -10 % Strategic Bomber: Strategic Bombing: +10 % By selecting this Design Company it will permanently affect capabilities on all equipment researched while they are hired.	150
Grumman	Naval Aircraft Designer	Air Research Time: -10 % Naval Bomber: Operational Range: +10 % Naval Attack: +10 % CV Naval Bomber: Operational Range: +10 % Naval Attack: +10 % By selecting this Design Company it will permanently affect capabilities on all equipment researched while they are hired.	150

Materiel Designers
Designer	Type	Effect	Cost()
Springfield Armory	Infantry Equipment Designer	Small Arms Research Time: -10 %	150
Ford Motor Company	Motorized Equipment Designer	Motorization Research Time: -10 %	150
Rock Island Arsenal	Artillery Designer	Artillery Research Time: -10 %	150

Industrial Concern
Designer	Type	Effect	Cost()
Standard Oil of California	Industrial Concern	Industrial Research Time: -10 %	150
General Electric	Electronics Concern	Electronics Research Time: -10 %	150

Theorists
Designer	Type	Effect	Cost()
Robert Oppenheimer	Nuclear Scientist	Nuclear Research Time: -10 %	150
Robert H. Goddard	Rocket Scientist	Rocket Research Time: -10 %	150
Omar Bradley	Superior Firepower	Army Experience Gain: +0.05 daily Superior Firepower Doctrine: -10 %	250
George S. Patton	Mobile Warfare Expert	Army Experience Gain: +0.05 daily Mobile Warfare Doctrine: -10 %	250
DeWitt Clinton Ramsey	Naval Theorist	Naval Experience Gain: +0.05 daily Naval Doctrine Research Time: -7 %	150
Marc Mitscher	Naval Aviation Pioneer	Naval Experience Gain: +0.05 daily Base Strike Doctrine: -10 %	250
Curtis LeMay	Victory Through Air Power	Air Experience Gain: +0.05 daily Strategic Destruction Doctrine: -10 %	250
Harold McClelland	Air Warfare Theorist	Air Experience Gain: +0.05 daily Air Doctrine Research Time: -7 %	150

EconomyEdit

LawsEdit

Conscription Law	Economy Law	Trade Law
Disarmed Nation 1% Recruitable population	Undisturbed Isolation 50% Consumer Goods factories –50% Factory construction speed +50% Factory (type) conversion cost World tension limit (required for) +20% Join faction +20% Send volunteers +50% Lend-lease +75% Guarantee +100% Generate war-goal	Free Trade 80% Resources to market –10% Research time +15% Factory/Dockyard output +15% Construction speed

IndustryEdit

Factories 1936
10 Military Factories	22 Naval Dockyard	138 Civilian Factories

The United States boasts, without a doubt, the largest construction capability of the major powers by 1936. However, due to the immense 80% consumer factory requirements by the country's national spirits, the U.S. only has 22 civilian factories available for construction. To fully exploit the U.S.'s economic potential, one has to go to war to enable the removal of The Great Depression modifier and to change the economic laws. Another undermining factor for the country's might is the low number of military factories, rendering its army very weak at the start.

ResourcesEdit

Total resources 1936
Oil	Rubber	Steel	Aluminum	Tungsten	Chromium
1058	0	792	262	192	1

These numbers represent the available resources, depending on trade law a certain amount may be traded away.

When it comes to resources, the Americans live in abundance. They have more than enough of Oil and Aluminum, as well as sufficient Steel, and will profit greatly from their exports in the game. However, they lack Rubber and Chromium and so these must be imported. 10 Rubber can be added through a unique National Focus, and several prospecting Decisions are available to expand Aluminum, Tungsten and Steel production as Excavation technologies are researched.

One long-term strategic goal for the United States is to acquire Siamese Rubber or Japanese Chromium by controlling the respective provinces. Also, 792 Steel looks like a lot, but when using only 20% of that under the Free trade law, the massive expansion of military production will lead to shortages by late 1939. Researching Resource gain efficiency can counteract this, but only to a certain point. The United States will either have to move away from a pure free trade doctrine by around 1940, or use its massive reserve of civilian factories to trade for Steel.

MilitaryEdit

The United States military of 1936 boasts of a navy that rivals the United Kingdom, but an army and air force hampered by limited manpower and shortages of equipment.

Army
	Type	No.
	Infantry	35
	Cavalry	1
	Total divisions	36

Navy
	Type	No.
	Destroyer	115
	Light cruiser	10
	Heavy cruiser	15
	Battleship	15
	Submarine	77
	Carrier	3
	Total ships	235

Air Force
	Type	No.
	Close air support	138
	Fighter	408
	Naval bomber	132
	Tactical bomber	204
	Total planes	882

Army: 19 of the infantry divisions belong to the National Guard. These are composed of 12 infantry battalions whilst the regular army divisions are composed of 9 battalions. Four infantry divisions are forward-deployed to the Philippines, Alaska, Puerto Rico and the Panama Canal, with the garrison brigades stationed across several Pacific islands. The rest of the army is scattered throughout the continental United States. The Superior Firepower doctrine has been pre-selected.

Tank Units List
Name	Type	Tech Year
Great War Tank	Great War Tank	1918
M2 light	Light Tank I	1934
M3 Stuart	Light Tank II	1936
Chaffe	Light Tank III	1941
M3 Lee	Medium Tank I	1939
Sherman	Medium Tank II	1941
T20	Medium Tank III	1943
T1 Heavy	Heavy Tank I	1934
M6A1	Heavy Tank II	1941
Pershing	Heavy Tank III	1943
T95	Super Heavy Tank	1943
Patton	MBT	1945

Navy: The U.S. Navy is one of the strongest in the game. It starts in 1936 with a total of 235 ships, the same amount as the UK but with a heavier emphasis on submarines, and slightly fewer capital ships. The United States is able to build all Tier I vessels and is also able to produce the Tier II Ranger-class aircraft carriers, Brooklyn-class light cruisers and Porpoise-class submarines. At the start date of 1936, their naval yards are building a Portland-class heavy cruiser, a Porpoise-class submarine and 13 Farragut-class destroyers. The Base Strike doctrine has been pre-selected.

Ship classes of the United States Navy
Type	Class	Amount	In Production	Tech
CV	Yorktown Class	0	0	Carrier II (Upgraded variant, +1 all parameters)
CV	Ranger Class	1	0	Carrier II
CV	Lexington Class	2	0	Carrier I
BB	Colorado Class	3	0	Battleship I (Upgraded variant, +4 guns, +3 all other parameters)
BB	New Mexico Class	5	0	Battleship I (Upgraded variant, +2 all parameters)
BB	Pennsylvania Class	4	0	Battleship I (Upgraded variant, +1 all parameters)
BB	New York Class	3	0	Battleship I
BC	Lexington Class	0	0	Battlecruiser I
CA	Portland Class	7	1	Heavy Cruiser I (Upgraded variant, +2 all parameters)
CA	Pensacola Class	8	0	Heavy Cruiser I
CL	Brooklyn Class	0	0	Light Cruiser II
CL	Omaha Class	10	0	Light Cruiser I
DD	Farragut Class	8	13	Destroyer I (Upgraded variant, +3 all parameters)
DD	Clemson Class	107	0	Destroyer I*
SS	Porpoise Class	9	1	Submarine II
SS	Barracuda Class	3	0	Submarine I (Upgraded variant, +2 all parameters)
SS	S Class	65	0	Submarine I
	Convoy	400	0

Naval Units List
Name	Type	Tech Year
Clemson Class	Destroyer I	1922
Sims Class	Destroyer II	1936
Fletcher Class	Destroyer III	1940
Allen M Summer Class	Destroyer IV	1944
Omaha Class	Light Cruiser I	1922
Brooklyn Class	Light Cruiser II	1936
Gleveland Class	Light Cruiser III	1940
Fargo Class	Light Cruiser IV	1944
Pensacola Class	Heavy Cruiser I	1922
Wichita Class	Heavy Cruiser II	1936
Baltimore Class	Heavy Cruiser III	1940
Oregon City Class	Heavy Cruiser IV	1944
Lexington Class	Battlecruiser I	1922
Alaska Class	Battlecruiser II	1940
New York Class	Battleship I	1922
North Carolina Class	Battleship II	1936
Iowa Class	Battleship III	1940
Illinois Class	Battleship IV	1944
Virginia Class	Super Heavy Battleship I	1936
Montana Class	Super Heavy Battleship II	1944
Lexington Class	Carrier I	1922
Ranger Class	Carrier II	1936
Essex Class	Carrier III	1940
Midway Class	Carrier IV	1944
S Class	Submarines I	1922
Porpoise Class	Submarines II	1936
Tambor Class	Submarines III	1940
Balao Class	Submarines IV	1944

Air Force: The air force consists of 882 aircraft, including 384 Curtiss P-1 Hawk fighters, 96 Northrop A-17 CAS aircraft, 108 Douglas XTBD-1 naval bombers and 204 Douglas B-18 Bolo tactical bombers. The carriers operate 24 Grumman FF 'Fifi' fighters, 42 Northrop BT CAS aircraft and 24 Douglas TBD Devastator naval bombers. The fighters and tactical bombers are of an inter-war design. There is an ongoing production line for the 'Fifi'.

Aircraft Types
Tech Year	Close Air Support (Carrier Variant)	Fighter (Carrier Variant)	Naval Bomber (Carrier Variant)	Heavy Fighter	Tactical Bomber	Strategic Bomber
1933		P-1 Hawk (FF "Fifi")			B-18 Bolo
1936	A-17 (Northtop BT)	P-40 Warhawk (F3F)	XTBD-1 (TBD Devastator)	P-38 Lightning	B-23 Dragon	B-17 Flying Fortress
1940	SBD Dauntless (SBD-2 Dauntless)	P-39 Airacobra (F4F Wildcat)	TBF Avenger (TBF-1C Avenger)	P-47 Thunderbolt	B-25 Mitchell	B-24 Liberator
1944	SB2C Helldiver (SB2C-1s Helldiver)	P-51 Mustang (F6F Hellcat)	BTD Destroyer (TBY Sea Wolf)	XP-58 Chain Lightning	XB-28 Dragon	B-29 Superfortress
^{Jet Engine Technology}
1945		P-80 Shooting Star			Jet Tac Bomber I
1950		F-86 Sabre			XB-51	B-45 Tornado I

Strategies and GuidesEdit

Waking the GiantEdit

United States has riches in resources that are the envy of any nation. However it must find a way to get past crippling economic limitations caused by The Great Depression which result in shortages in manpower, reduces political power and limits production. They also start out with only 10 Military factories so building land forces will be slow. Patience will be needed to overcome those obstacles.

The production limitations do not affect naval construction. Early construction should be heavy into Naval dockyard perhaps six at a time followed by a single civilian factory, military factory and Infrastructure. Repeat this cycle until the production issues can be solved. The player will need to trade for Rubber and Chromium to start building battleships and carriers. Players may wish to cease submarine production as their fleet is quite extensive at the start of the game. Early research should also include Destroyer II while relegating existing Destroyers to small fleets of 10 to serve as flotillas for Convoy Escort in safer zones. In the Atlantic the older Destroyers may also be used as screens as combat with other fleets will be less likely. Build two main fleets in the Atlantic around a battleship/heavy cruiser units and another around USS Ranger. These fleets do not need to be as large as the fleets in the Pacific. Do not include Submarines in these fleets. In the Pacific three main fleets should center on the Asiatic Fleet in the Philippines, a Hawaiian Fleet and one on the West Coast. Assign your best Admirals to those fleets, especially the Phillippines. The goal is to make carrier groups of 2 CV, 3 BB, 4 CA, 4 CL and 20 DD. By the time the war starts you may have five or more of these fleets created. Move the additional fleets to other bases in California to avoid taxing the capacity of the bases. A second reserve fleet may be needed in the Phillippines to combat losses of ships and swell the ranks of the Asiatic Fleet.

Do not try to train troops until sufficient equipment is produced.

Preemptive InterventionEdit

The first national focus group to be studied is Reaffirm Monroe Doctrine branch which will lead to Preemptive Intervention, which results in Gain Puppet War Goal against Venezuela. This action does two main things. It accumulates 600 political power and put the US at war to unlock Early Mobilization. Be sure to save 150 political power when the war starts for this. Another suggested political purchase is the Political Adviser Henry Stimson to stimulate production.

For the invasion select ten National Guard units led by a competent general. In planning select the westernmost port for the invasion site as the port near the capital may be more heavily guarded, plus you may not have enough victory points to puppet the country if you take the capital too early.

It should still be early in the game when Venezuela is vanquished, perhaps mid 1937. Continue building Naval dockyards until around 50 are reached. It will be necessary to trade for Chromium to build carriers and battleships. On the national focus tree WPA is probably the next choice, although War Propaganda may be a choice to increase manpower available. The branches under those will lead to free factories and an extra research slot but they will not be available until world tension is higher. Additionally begin the Air and War Plans Division and Fund the Navy focuses should be sough to help research air and naval doctrines. The most important focus is War Bonds as that erases the remaining effects of the Great Depression.

Preparation in the PacificEdit

When able begin building air bases in the Pacific to ward off naval invasions. 100 each of naval bombers and heavy fighters should do. Suggested locations would be Midway Island, Attu Island and Guam. Radar stations and coastal defenses should be constructed as well. Japan will especially attempt to take Guam but the naval bombers and defenses should keep them at bay. Keeping a naval presence there is not suggested until the player plans to invade as Japan has their own significant air presence there.

While at peace it is a good strategy to occasionally send naval units to scout the Japanese islands to see which they are defending. If a single commander is chosen for all the defense brigades in the Pacific then extra units will be able to take those islands to save on the amount of time needed to take control in the Pacific. Wake Island and Palmyra make good staging areas for those invasions. A small amphibious force of say 9 divisions should be created to take the defended islands when war comes. Splitting them into small groups allows for faster planning and multiple assaults. Its should only be necessary to leave a garrison on islands with an airbase or urban area.

The Philippines are the lynchpin of the Pacific. A buildup of coast defenses near ports, anti-air, and a large buildup of naval bombers and heavy fighters are needed to guard the South China and Philippine Seas from naval incursion. This will also have the added effect of bringing the Philippines to direct autonomy. Keep in mind the Philippines will be generating units for its defense which will stop when annexed, although annexation will allow the player to build radar stations.

Once the war begins Japan will have their own formidable air presence in both the Philippine and South China Seas. Stay in port unless necessary. The problem in the Philippine Sea can be taken care of by taking the island of Peleliu to the southeast. Be careful when launching a naval assault from Manilla as it will not show the route going through the South China Sea. If that portion of the trip is not defended an entire convoy of troops could be lost.