United States
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.
Contents
Geography[edit]
The United States of America is a vast nation in central and north North America. Bordering to the north and east via Alaska is the Dominion of Canada, a British dominion, and the south borders Mexico. Just like these neighbours (neighbors), the US has both Atlantic and Pacific coastlines, with Florida in the south-east of the nation just over Cuba, and the Aleutian Islands of Alaska in the north-west, very close to the USSR. Also in its territories is the Panama Canal, which is used to transit ships.
Events[edit]
- Main article: American events
National focus[edit]
- Main article: American national focus tree
The American national focus tree can be divided into 4 branches and 3 Sub-Branches:
- Continue the New Deal/ Reestablish the Gold Standard Branch
- This branch allows the United States to remove the effects of the Great Depression, increase research, change political leanings or increase production. The closer the focus is to the edge of the branch, the more
Communist or
Fascist the focus is while the closer to the center, the more
Democratic the focus.
- Suspend the Persecution Sub-branch
- The
Communist sub-branch. It focuses on changing the political party to
under threat of Civil War, allying with other Communist Factions and decolonizing the Pacific. It requires
Man the Guns.
- America First Sub-branch
-
- The
Fascist sub-branch. It focuses on changing the political party to
under threat of Civil War and gaining war goals against other American countries and all other major powers. It requires
Man the Guns.
- The
- War Plans Division Branch
- This Branch mainly gives the the United States decisions that give attack and defense bonuses against certain countries.
- War Department Branch
- This Branch gives army and air technology research boosts
- Two Ocean Navy Act Sub-branch
- This Branch gives naval technology research boosts and production cost modifiers
Technology[edit]
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The USA starts in 1936 with four research slots, and can acquire two more slots from its national focuses - Scientist Haven and either American Institute of Sciences or Scientific Research & Development Office. Compared to the rest of the world's countries, the option to have a total of 6 slots is almost unique.
The democratic path of the national focus tree ends with Scientist Haven. This can either crop up halfway down the tree if Alf Landon is elected in 1936, or at the very end if Roosevelt remains. Conversely, Scientific Research & Development Office comes up early in Roosevelt's side of the democratic tree, while American Institute of Sciences is at the end of Landon's side. 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.
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Diplomacy[edit]
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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 colony states at the start, However, the USA can take statehood decisions to grant them cores. 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 USA in its diplomatic options: Guaranteeing one more country would cost the USA 550 political power.
The USA does not start as a member of a faction.
Diplomatic rules[edit]
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 latter 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 |
Politics[edit]
National spirits[edit]
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- Daily Political Power cost: +1.00
- Resource Gain Efficiency: -20%
- Recruitable Population Factor: -50%
- Consumer Goods Factories: +30%
- Join faction tension limit: +20%
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 Speed: +5% and Refining Research Speed: +15%
- The new leader of the USA becomes Alf Landon, who has the trait Staunch Constitutionalist - Ideology Drift Defense: +50%
With the Man the Guns expansion enabled, the United States starts with an additional national spirit:
Ideology[edit]
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 unless Man the Guns is active. 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.
Man the Guns introduces the Second American Civil War branch, which is pursued either by going down the "Suspend the Persecution" sub-branch or the "America First" sub-branch. Regardless of whichever branch is chosen, the same broad path begins as a timer starts ticking down to war - Industrialists begin moving factories to their preferred region (North or South), government arsenals are raided, tax income is withheld from the federal government, National Guard formations are mobilized and trained, until secession is declared. Shortly after this point, unless a specific focus is taken, the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Ohio declare "neutrality" in the war, becoming the "Neutral States of America". They will no longer be controlled by the player, and will sell weapons and equipment to both sides while forming their own defense force and acting as a de facto independent faction. Once the Civil War ends, they will rejoin whichever side won.
Leaders[edit]
Staff and designers[edit]
These are choices of ministers and design companies for the United States.
Economy[edit]
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Laws[edit]
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Conscription Law | Economy Law | Trade Law |
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Industry[edit]
![]() 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.
Resources[edit]
![]() 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 free trade by around 1940 or use its massive reserve of civilian factories to trade for steel.
Military[edit]
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The United States military of 1936 boasts the second largest navy in the world, behind only the Royal Navy, but an army and air force hampered by limited manpower and shortages of equipment.
Type | No. | |
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Infantry | 35 |
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Cavalry | 1 |
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Total divisions | 36 |
Type | No. | |
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Destroyer | 113 |
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Light cruiser | 12 |
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Heavy cruiser | 15 |
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Battleship | 15 |
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Submarine | 71 |
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Carrier | 4 |
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Total ships | 229 |
Type | No. | |
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Close air support | 168 |
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Fighter | 452 |
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Naval bomber | 144 |
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Tactical bomber | 204 |
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Total planes | 968 |
- 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.
Name | Type | Techyear |
---|---|---|
M1903 Springfield | Basic Eq. | 1918 |
M1 Garand | Weapons I | 1936 |
M1 Thompson | Weapons II | 1939 |
M2 Carbine | Weapons III | 1942 |
Name | Type | Techyear |
---|---|---|
GMC CCKW | Motorized | 1936 |
M2 Half Track Car | Mechanized I | 1940 |
M3 Half-Track | Mechanized II | 1942 |
M5 Half-Track | Mechanized III | 1944 |
- Navy
- In
Man the Guns, the U.S. Navy is one of the strongest navies in the game, beginning the 1936 scenario with a total of 229 vessels, emphasizing submarines over heavier ships. The US is able to build all Tier I vessels and produce Tier II vessels of all classes save Heavy Ships (Battleships, Battlecruisers). However, much of this starting potential is hobbled by the London Naval Treaty, which disables a number of the more recent designs without first generating, then expending Naval Experience to remove modules. As of 1936 US naval yards are producing two New Orleans-class heavy cruisers, one Wichita-class heavy cruiser, two Yorktown-class carriers, 13 Farragut-class destroyers and one Porpoise-class submarine. The default Naval doctrine is set to Base Strike.
Name | Type | Count | Production | Techyear | Design note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Clemson Class* | Destroyer | 105 | 1922 | DD battery I, AA I, 2xTT I, DC I | |
Farragut Class | Destroyer | 8 | 13 | 1922 | DD battery II, AA I, 2x TT I, DC I, Sonar I, Engine II |
Omaha Class* | Light Cruiser | 10 | 1922 | 2xCL battery I, AA I | |
Oglala Class | Minelayer (CL) | 2 | 1922 | CL I, AA I, mines | |
Brooklyn Class | Light Cruiser | 1936 | 3xCL II batteries, 2xAA I, scout plane I, AA II, Secondary I, Armor III | ||
Pensacola Class* | Heavy Cruiser | 8 | 1922 | 2xCA I battery, AA I, scout plane I, Secondary I, Armor I | |
Portland Class* | Heavy Cruiser | 2 | 1936 | 2xCA I battery, AA I, scout plane I, Secondary I, Armor II | |
New Orleans Class | Heavy Cruiser | 5 | 2 | 1936 | 2xCA II battery, 2x AA I, scout plane I, Secondary I, Engine I, Armor II |
Wichita Class | Heavy Cruiser | 1 | 1936 | 2xCA II battery, 2x AA I, scout plane I, Armor III | |
S Class* | Submarine | 59 | 1922 | TT I | |
Barracuda Class* | Submarine | 9 | 1936 | TT I, Engine I | |
Porpoise Class | Submarine | 3 | 1 | 1936 | TT I, Engine II |
Lexington Class* | Carrier | 2 | 1922 | 3xHangar, AA I, Secondary I | |
Ranger Class* | Carrier | 1 | 1936 | 3xHangar, AA I, Engine I | |
Yorktown Class | Carrier | 2 | 1936 | 3xHangar, AA I, Secondary II | |
New York Class* | Battleship | 3 | 1922 | 2xBB I batteries, AA I, scout plane I, 2xSecondary I, BB Armor I | |
Pennsylvania Class* | Battleship | 9 | 1922 | 2xBB I batteries, 2xAA I, scout plane I, 2xSecondary I, BB Armor II | |
Colorado Class | Battleship | 3 | 1922 | 2xBB II batteries, 2xAA I, scout plane I, 2xSecondary I, BB Armor II | |
* marks a variant as "obsolescent". |
- Without Man the Guns
- 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 (no )
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
Name | Type | Tech Year |
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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
- As of
Man the Guns, the air force consists of 968 aircraft, including 384 Curtiss P-1 Hawk fighters, 96 Northrop A-17 CAS aircraft, 108 PBY Catalina naval bombers and 204 Douglas B-18 Bolo tactical bombers. The carriers operate 68 Grumman FF 'Fifi' fighters, 72 Northrop BT CAS aircraft and 68 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'.
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) | PBY Catalina (TBD Devastator) | P-38 Lightning | B-23 Dragon | B-17 Flying Fortress |
1940 | A-20 (SBD-2 Dauntless) | P-39 Airacobra (F4F Wildcat) | PBM Mariner (TBF-1C Avenger) | P-47 Thunderbolt | B-25 Mitchell | B-24 Liberator |
1944 | A-26 (SB2C-1s Helldiver) | P-51 Mustang (F6F Hellcat) | PB4Y-2 Privateer (BTD Destroyer) | 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 Guides[edit]
Waking the Giant[edit]
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. To overcome the effects of the great depression, as early as possible go down the WPA line in the national focuses list. Please note that passing the each stage, starting with Agricultural Adjustment Act, there is a 230 day wait period to pass the next stage. That means that you can pass three other national focuses and then will have to wait 20 days for the next stage to be available. Its worth the delay even though you are not continually running a national focus.
The production limitations do affect naval construction. Early construction should be a mixture Infrastructure along with civilian factories for the first two years. Repeat this cycle until the production issues can be solved and to grow your economy. 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 and light cruisers to small fleets, perhaps 1 CL to 15 DD, to serve as flotillas for
Convoy Escort in safer zones. The older DDs will not be able to last long as screens against the Japanese Fleets. 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 Philippines. The goal is to make carrier groups of 2 CV, 3 BB, 4 CA, 4 CL and 15 DD. Try to avoid building larger fleets than that or you will not be able to guard enough areas, South China/Philippines/Bismark Seas plus enough to move onto new areas in an island hopping campaign. By the time the war starts you may have four or more of these fleets created. It should be more than sufficient especially if you have a mixture of level 2 ships in your Task Forces. A second reserve fleet may be needed in the Philippines to combat losses of ships and swell the ranks of the Asiatic Fleet.
Do not try to train troops until sufficient equipment is produced.
Preparation in the Pacific[edit]
When able begin building air bases in the Pacific to ward off naval invasions. 115 each of strategic bombers and heavy fighters should do. Suggested locations would be Midway, 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 lynch-pin of the Pacific. A buildup of coast defenses near ports, radar, anti-air, and a large buildup of strategic 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 Manila 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. Try to protect these convoys with 2x the number of DD than the number of divisions. It is also necessary to move newly-trained divisions to defend the Philippines.
It is also recommended using your carrier and naval forces to help defend one's land. More divisions will have to be based, too. Note that this may NOT ward off invasions that are formidable.
Avoiding the Pacific War[edit]
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Available only with the Together for Victory DLC enabled. |
As of 1.7 Hydra patch (it is not clear whether this is achievable in an earlier patch), it is possible for the player to avoid going to war with Japan entirely, if one so wishes.
The usual war between the U.S. and Japan begins with the Japanese Focus Secure the Philippines, upon the completion of which Japan gets a wargoal against the Philippines. The player can reduce the autonomy of the Philippines beforehand by building factories and/or sending lend-lease, and later annex them using the puppet system. This can be done much earlier than the aforementioned Japanese Focus under historical AI, given the industrial capacity that the U.S. possesses. This way, Japan will get a wargoal against the non-existent Philippines and therefore cannot declare a war, thus allowing the U.S to focus entirely on the war in Europe.
It should also be noticed that this strategy does not stop Japan from declaring a war against the Allies(namely, it gets wargoals against Dutch East Indies and
British Malaya through the focus Strike on the Southern Resource Area), which the U.S. is usually a member of. However, The player can simply stay out of this war by refusing any call to arms.