Italy Strategy (HoI2)

[Mr Longbowman]

I am playing a 1936 campaign as Italy and have not gotten very far but I am enjoying it, my plan was to focus on my navy and airforce and deny the allies access to the Mediterranean.

I'm currently in 1937 and I find France extremely attractive, Lyon and Marsielles have 14 IC combined and hopefully I could capture enough factories to get a fifth research team. But I have a vague memory reading about someone who tried the same strategy and succeeded but when the Germans advanced through France they triggered the "create Vichy France event" which gave Vichy France back all their land. Can I avoid losing it all or should I just start looking for another target?

[Celsius]

Your navy is gonna have to be one tough sucker in order to put a dent in the RN. There is no way to avoid getting your land takeoff by Vichy, so you should start looking in the Balkans or even the Middle East for good Oil supply.

[Cougar109]

I am playing a 1936 campaign as Italy and have not gotten very far but I am enjoying it, my plan was to focus on my navy and airforce and deny the allies access to the Mediterranean.

Been a while since I've loaded up HoI2, but I wouldn't put much focus in your navy as it's pretty much a waste of IC production. Focus on the air force, sub warfare, and armor. Capture Gibraltar and the Suez to keep the allies from advancing more into the Mediterranean and just let the fleet contained inside to roam about, picking at it with naval bombers and subs.

I'm currently in 1937 and I find France extremely attractive, Lyon and Marsielles have 14 IC combined and hopefully I could capture enough factories to get a fifth research team. But I have a vague memory reading about someone who tried the same strategy and succeeded but when the Germans advanced through France they triggered the "create Vichy France event" which gave Vichy France back all their land. Can I avoid losing it all or should I just start looking for another target?

There are a few mods that allow Italy and any other nations that grab Vichy land before the event fires to keep it, you can dig around on the forum and use that. If modding is out of the question then search for other lands, Yugoslavia is quite nice if I remember correctly.

[hellheaven1987]

Oh come on, just let him build up navy - I want to see his face expression when his navy is sunk by RN like hell.

Italy, when playing first time, should join Allies and attack Germany in right time. Fighting British in North Africa is pretty hard, since even you seize Suez endless British reinforcement would still show up from Upper Egypt and screw you up.

Evil Italy expansion route:

1936~1937: With some skills, you can participate in Spanish Civil War and conquer Spain.

1938~1940: There is a risk, but you can jump on Balkan and Hungary this time.

1941~1942: Attack Vichy and Swizerland.

Edit: It is possible to jump on Romania, so your oil problem can be solved. However a late attack may result Germany attack you. Either way, if really prefer neutral route, Venezula is quite a good target for oil supply.

1943: Jump on Turkey and Middle East.

[Mr Longbowman]

I took your posts into consideration and mostly ignored them, I am in early July 1940 and been in the war for only a little over one month and it's going fairly decent. I managed to launch a successful naval invasion on Malta, I later used my single Marine unit to take Alexandria and right now 8 British and French divisions are isolated in El Alamein waiting for my bombers to destroy them.

My navy has been quite successful, I won several big battles against the French but I just finished a playthrough as the French and know there Navy stinks so nothing to brag about there, no big battles against the British, I managed to sink a medium large group of escorts and transports that was bunkered up in Alexandria but that's about it, my submarine patrols have meet a large British fleet but it was far west and I do not think it will move east without any ports closer to Italy.

If I captured the British Naval base in Israel and Gibraltar the naval war would be over before it even started, Israel is fairly easy and I am planning to send some naval bombers to find out what is inside the port quite soon, I do not expect any big fleet concentrations because my Submarines in the area have not meet any big fleets.

I am not sure how to take Gibraltar, I would like to remain neutral with Spain as long as possible but if the only way to get Gibraltar is to declare war against Spain so be it. I have not had any success with planting spies but taking Spain would obviously be a large operation. Any tips on were to attack and strategies?

[Kamos]

Republican or National Spain? If it's National getting military access might not be impossible.

I went all out land forces myself.
My first game as Italy from 1936(my first game ever actually) I managed to take over all of Vichy France and the Germans didn't create them by the way. My navy sucked so I ended up having to conquer land routes everywhere after losing North Africa. Went through Yugoslavia, Greece, Turkey then through the Brits and French followed by the Soviets then again by the Japanese(somehow got the US in the Axis which caused that war).

It ended with with Germany taking over its usual stuff and the larger part of the USSR as well as some of Africa and China. I ended up with most the other half of Europe, most of Africa, Middle East, South East Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.

[Norge]

The trick is to declare war on Rep Spain and invade the eastern Spanish coast before they get annexed by Nat Spain. It might take a few reloads.

[hellheaven1987]

The trick is to declare war on Rep Spain and invade the eastern Spanish coast before they get annexed by Nat Spain. It might take a few reloads.

That is why you have to guarantee the independance of Nationalist Spain and Republican Spain in same time, then attack Republican Spain. Finally, before finish off Republican Spain, declare war on Nationalist Spain and you can proceed to annex both.

[Norge]

That is why you have to guarantee the independance of Nationalist Spain and Republican Spain in same time, then attack Republican Spain. Finally, before finish off Republican Spain, declare war on Nationalist Spain and you can proceed to annex both.

I don't want to annex any of them. My post were about getting a land connection to Gibraltar.

[midget_roxx]

Only way to take Gibralter is a paradrop or go through Spain. Marines was a waste of IC since Italy really doesn't need them and try to focus on NAV's as your navy will get utterly destroyed against the USN CV spam.

You can try going into Africa but it is a very long process that will stretch your TC badly. Or you can help out in Barbarosssa which is your main priority since if Germany looses, you've got the whole Red Army on your doorstep

[Kamos]

Do what the Red will never expect, smash through Turkey and take their southern oil fields like Hitler failed to do.

[hellheaven1987]

Do what the Red will never expect, smash through Turkey and take their southern oil fields like Hitler failed to do.

Blah, before you do that Iraqi and British would force you a nice two fronts war on Upper Egypt and Iraq - you want a third front on Caucasus?? Fine, just don't cry when American land on North Africa after join Allies.

It is pretty obviouse he is falling into "overexpand" trap now, I would enjoy his report when he find out his force is pushed back by Allies in three fronts.

[Mr Longbowman]

Blah, before you do that Iraqi and British would force you a nice two fronts war on Upper Egypt and Iraq - you want a third front on Caucasus?? Fine, just don't cry when American land on North Africa after join Allies.

It is pretty obviouse he is falling into "overexpand" trap now, I would enjoy his report when he find out his force is pushed back by Allies in three fronts.

This is a little how it probably end up looking, I conquered Greece, parts of Yugoslavia, Turkey, Israel and Syria ( Iraq are neutral ) which leaves me with a front to the Soviet Union in Turkey and one against the British in Egypt. I sent some reconnaissance aircraft over Ukraine to see what type of defenses they had and it only contained single divisions with the main focus on the front lines against the Germas so I decided to launch a minor invasion in Crimea in order to reach the energy fields before the Germans, the Soviets were quick to reinforce the area which ended all offensive movement and I am considering to pull back.

The border against the SU in Turkey was not guarded at all and I will seize the oil fields in Baku quite easily.

I tried to hold the British forces in Egypt but their Tank divisions were extremely effective and they pushed me back. It looks like I'm going to be able to hold them at Alexandria/Suez.

Naval wise I'm kicking British butt, I have not any immediate plans to attack Gibraltar but my Subs are patrolling the area around Gibraltar ( at least 25 ships are in Gibraltar ) and have not detected a fleet worth mentioning for months.

To summarize it's going quite well but except Caucasus any attempts to go on offence has been stopped.

Edit: I thought I dodged a bullet, I was going to post this in the main CM forum but saw the sub forum in the last second but guess what, Hearts of Iron got a sub sub forum

[Kamos]

Blah, before you do that Iraqi and British would force you a nice two fronts war on Upper Egypt and Iraq - you want a third front on Caucasus?? Fine, just don't cry when American land on North Africa after join Allies.

It is pretty obviouse he is falling into "overexpand" trap now, I would enjoy his report when he find out his force is pushed back by Allies in three fronts.

Worked out well for me. Then again I somehow ended up with America(who didn't do ****) on my side and we were fighting Japan who had become a monster but that wasn't until after I had the Suez and Baku.
Of course the end result just looked terrible. /sarcasm
http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/2621/screensave0.jpg
http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/3310/screensave1.jpg
http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/8353/screensave2.jpg
http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/834/screensave3.jpg
http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/9592/screensave4.jpg
Somewhat ironically I overpowered the Republicans by political conversion and made them Facist hence the whole Axis deal.

[Frederich Barbarossa]

Do what the Red will never expect, smash through Turkey and take their southern oil fields like Hitler failed to do.

LOl I actually did that. This is my campaign.

1938: extreme build up of my army around 300,000 new recruints.
1939: Invasion of Poland, France invades me but I stop them near Stuttgart, Italy takes over all of France while I stall which pisses me off! No molotov ribbentrop pact!
1940: I invade Soviet Union in mid July, this becomes a stalemate, but for Romania my partner they capture Ukraine in a jif and are less than 300 km from Moscva. Finland and I invade Norway. Sweden and I invade Denmark.
1941: My worst year. A joint Bulgarian, Yugoslav HUngarian force invaded and forced Rumanias capitulation which they refused. My army though small occupied Moscva for a week but was destroyed. Yugoslavs and Hungary attack my forces unexpected in AUstria and Slovakia. Soviets start to push my forces back which only managed to take 100 km deep of Soviet territory. Lithuania attacks me. Latvia and me kill them though. I destroy HUngary, Yugoslavia, and BUlgaria eventually through a new reserve army I make. I liberate Rumania. and invade Greece which attacked Albania. The situation in the ostfront is kinda bad since Soviets are 150 km from Warsawa. Spain attacks Italy and is 50 km from Paris! Finland is hit by soviets and capitulates.
1942: Due to German intervention, the Italians make a blitzkrieg through France, and invade Spanish homeland in less than half a year! In the Ostfront after making Poland, HUngary, Norway, and Czechoslovakia puppets, around 500,000 new soldiers are introduced into the wehrmacht, and even before the situation was improving. Literally rapid German advances through Rumania which had been freed cause the fall of Ukraine again though not as near to Moscva like before, but wider now to Rostov na Don. Greece Surrenders and Turkey attacks.
1943: Germany hits Turkey and invades the Caucus by the south, Iraq, and Syria in a row. It is a success and Stalingrad is taken. German advances hit and capture Moscva. Finland is liberated. Soviets refuse to surrender. Basically im now in a Guerilla war with the soviets but the frontline is around 1500 Km from Moscva!.

[Jonny1234]

I recently started a new game with Italy, I have gone Italy in the past and i always find that if you want to build up your navy without submarines the only really effective way to do it is it build aircraft carriers, they should be at least upgraded to III and i managed to destroy any British Navy and with the experience gained they managed to destroy any USA Navy when they later arrived.

I find its good to hold onto Ethiopia with a few militia just to guard the boarders and use your main army to destroy the british in the middle east and egypt, then just push south and link up with the Ethiopian troops, works like a charm every time. Also i like to use loads of close air supports and tactical bombers cause on the african landscape its so easy to just destroy tank division after tank division which makes the job alot easier for militia troops when trying to take the whole of Africa.

[Odium]

It has been a few years since I have played HOI2 but I have played Italy more than any other country. Having a good navy is never a bad thing and more ships are always better, but planes did the real killing for me. I built lots of boats and had them everywhere in small tough fleets. Then I had a massive naval bomber force in each of the "sectors" of the Med. As soon as my little fleets got in a fight the planes would sweep in and kill everything. Get boats with high DEF and use them to pin fleets while the planes kill.

I would not avoid France but you won't get any land there. Italy to me is all about support Germany. Grab the stuff in the Med that you can but you MUST help Germany in whatever she is doing. If she is still attacking France, attack France so you can end that front quickly. Then I would attack Russia from the middle east until Germany can finish her off. Getting Germany to attack the UK the correct is always hard since the AI fails at naval landings. You may have to do that yourself.

If you are interested in multiplayer games nothing is more fun than Germany + Italy. Since you can work together it makes the game really fun. The most fun I ever had in HOI2 was doing MP with Germany and Italy.

[Jonny1234]

Its pretty good if you go Italy but dont ally yourself with Germany, i did that, took ethiopia in 1936, took saudi arabia and Iran during the war and was left alone with a massive supply of oil, also if you time it right you cant take over greece and yugoslavia without ever having to declare war on the allies or joining with Germany leaving you with easy pickings, then just wait till the closing days when germany starts to crumble and declare war and get all of austria, southern germany and the balkans, its pretty tough to take load of territories without usa declaring on you but if you do it right and get enough garrison troops to handle dissent, you can form a pretty good empire