72 Rule the Waves 3 | Germany 1935 | New war begins

A new war with France starts, so we take a look at the prospects for victory and engage in the first battle.

[@Benjamin-xv9le]

The second line in the battle generation screen is "Expected enemy forces" not your own forces (which are on the right). You could have taken all of those battles.

[@RvTWargames]

Oh dear. You take a few weeks off for the holidays and it all goes to shit. Of course you are right. Silly me!

[@Benjamin-xv9le]

@RvTWargames we've all had worse mistakes. 😂

[@louisr6560]

Happy new year! I love the new overlay graphics for the Divisions. I would wait with the strike though, as long as you haven`t been spotted you can afford to get a few more reports.

[@RvTWargames]

I'm pleased you liked how I tried to make the organisation of the fleet cleaer. I'm obviously too implusive. But I feel that reports in the 1950s ought to be more accurate than they might have been in the 1930s, what with better navigation and all. Not sure if that's true of the game.

[@pterrok5495]

I'd launch coordinated on that area. Ah, you came to that conclusion a bit after you posed the question! But yeah, being coordinated is 'new' in that now you can actually do it instead of of it taking all day to gather it up! BTW, when you are looking at the battle generator left panel, the top line is ENEMY forces known to be in the area. The second line is also ENEMY forces expected to be in the battle, NOT your forces like you had been saying. Your forces are always the big list in the right panel.

[@michaelwilson5866]

I’m suspicious of the accuracy of that location. That report was outside the search area. I’d put something small and send it to a near location and hope they find something. But I acknowledge that I’m not great at carrier battles.

[@pterrok5495]

@@michaelwilson5866 The thing is, by the time the strike is ready, he should have much better intel on all the area. So when it says strike ready, he can then choose a new destination and such--as long as it is the same distance or closer.

[@antonisauren8998]

@@pterrok5495 How quickly autosearch is adjusted? I noticed that with just few helos they tend to not launch for any apparent reason and sending individual crafts on recon missions by hand gives much better results. |Those planes do have radar I hope so they could find enemy fleet even if directed hundred miles off.

[@pterrok5495]

@@antonisauren8998 Hmmm, no idea how fast they change their pattern when you change the search zone like he did. But I more meant he would be sailing that way and like you mentioned, radar will spot stuff, so he should be fine by the time it's actually strike ready.

[@RvTWargames]

I "feel" that the reports "ought" to be more accurate now we are in the 1950s, compared to the accuracy of navigation in the 1930s. What with radar and navigation aids. Not sure that is really true of the game. But it's the hunch I'm going with.

[@Tom-pt5wm]

Playing selective battles is too easy🥴 It is more realistic and more interesting to agree to each proposed battle😌In general, I am talking about the fact that it is not interesting to refuse the proposed - generated battles, even if they are unfavorable for you, you need to agree, because in life, when faced with a test, you do not always have an advantage...

[@castiel9328]

agree with you👍🏻

[@RvTWargames]

Well, no. There is no reality in which Germany would fight a battle off the Brittany coast or the Bay of Biscay. There is no strategic object there. There is easy route back for damaged ships. Battles in the English Channel, North Sea and North Atlantic Ocean are all fine, and I will accpet them. But the AI is frankly a bit bonkers about where it positions its battles.

[@Tom-pt5wm]

@@RvTWargames and what about operation Rheinübung and Royal Navy operations against the battleship Bismarck🤷🏻‍♂ you, like me, are not new to this game and I think you have already understood that in the fight between AI and humans, the former has no chance. And these constant victories with practically no losses are so tiring... zero intrigue.

[@fury1151]

@@Tom-pt5wm I understand you, because I also agree to all fights even when the advantage is not on my side. It makes the gameplay more interesting for such veterans of the game rtw3 how are we.

[@b1laxson]

Manual search seems a must. Really wish they implement the request to show where the current air target is. Doing manual scouting is a must if you miss the initial search as the enemy is both in a random direction and may be sailing into the wind for their planes rather than in the initial game start direction. Finding the enemy forces in the CV age is a huge part of the battle and itself can prove decisive.

[@RvTWargames]

Thinking about the wind direction and CVs sailing into is an excellent search tip. It should really narrow down the serach area once any kind of report is in.

[@TinyDragonLair]

Happy new years mr RvT!

[@RvTWargames]

Thanks TDL. Lovely to see you power through your series with such enthusiasm.

[@TinyDragonLair]

@@RvTWargames Yup! Almost finished with the Japanese playthrough at this point, getting very near to 1970. Unfortunately, the government has crushed the naval budget in favor of social programs, so it's not the gigantic end of times battles I was hoping for.

[@b1laxson]

On land air power as much as Ive tried to have 60+ airbases helping they rarely do much in large battles. They do seem to be helpful in medium battles when even 8 MBmbr launching 8 HSSM can turn the tide.

[@rbfishcs123]

Happy new year Dickie! I look forward to seeing how this save progresses into 2025, and as always, your detailed analysis and insights. BTW - I enjoyed the pre-war presentation you displayed at the beginning of this video, good stuff.

[@b1laxson]

On how to load airbases be sure to check the tab "Area Overview" to see where enemy subs are and aren't. Use that to suggest how to load up patrol planes. Though for roleplay I sometimes have fighters, float planes or dive bombers they are very rarely useful in tactical battles. They do still provide support to the resistance to invasion. Land air bases are a rare way to surge up defense of an invaded colony. When invaded the colony can't build a new gun battery but can increase its airbase. Risky if its captured. Either way where you might have had only 4 patrol planes can be maxed to the current airbase of 20/40/etc planes which boosts the colony defense score. A good thing to do as you will get tactical battles related to the land battle with a trend to getting closer to the air base to do shore bombardments etc. Colonial air bases in peace time are typically 4 or 6 planes in a Patrol boat and sometimes a medium bomber. For your northern Europe its your home waters and the enemy (France, Britain) home waters so lots of subs and planes will be about. Iceland is a bit far making long range planes needed.

[@RvTWargames]

I had NO idea there was a report of how many enenmy submarines were in a sea zone! Though I guess in hindsight I should have remembered that it is also listed on the map too!

[@Tom-pt5wm]

I really like your analytics🥰

[@RvTWargames]

It's "The Thing" I like to think I do differently from most. And that, obviously, I enjoy doing 😀

[@b1laxson]

Some thoughts on this age. By now the CVs are the main fighting power. There are battles were its only air strikes or so dominated by airstrikes before even HSSM. BB/BC are useful as a >second< line force as you need to hide them from the air and HSSM strikes then they can come out and club anything without old school guns and armor. Destroyers are the most common by far as they give efficient HSSM launch plus resistance to air and HSSM by various HAA/RdrMAA and by having sheer numbers of low value targets. In this era I rarely build a BB and keep refitting the ones from the earlier years. BC being built for HSAM/MSAM use. CLs and DDs are built in number as good enough to toss missiles in offense and defense.

[@pocheesy73]

CVs aren't quite there yet. This week I fought a 1954 war and a 1961 war and I think the results show where the powerspike is. Mid 1950's can be extremely rough for air power because the AI absolutely loves light jet fighters, often fielding over 90% of their carrier capacity as LJF. This results in very dense CAP that tends to slaughter DB and TB on approach. The upside is LJF are terrible at striking so the daylight hours are kind of a stalemate. I didn't have Night Air Operations at the time so there was no cheesing them in the dark (curse that 10% chance to be researched). In the 1954 war I managed to sink only one enemy carrier with a LJF/DB/TB mix, and most big ships died to HSSM spam and/or gunfire. 1961 was a completely different story. With a full HJF/LJF/JA mix I nearly wiped out France in 14 months, sinking 1.1 of their 1.3 million tons including 7 CV and 11 CVL which were all exclusively killed by air. Never laid a gun or surface-to-surface missile on any of them. In the final battle I killed a BC, a CV, and 4 CVL for the loss of just one plane. Just. One. Plane. The dawn is breaking on the era of carrier supremacy though. I can't wait for the Europas to show up with full air wings.

[@RvTWargames]

I feel the carriers are unprepared at the moment. The big ones are still building. The (now) little ones are awfully little, only able to muster one weak strike. The Jet Attack aircraft aren't there yet so we have piston engined TBs and DBs taking terrible losses, and presumably difficult to escort because of the huge speed differential with the jets. And the JA's will only be first generation, so presumably have their own evolution to go through. I'm going to look at the pilot quality in the next video because I fear the strike squadrons might have become very poor and need resting. I'm sure this is the twight of the BCs and I fully expect to lose some, if not all. But I am reluctant to get rid of them while the CVs are in such a state of transition.

[@natehancock9663]

Happy New Year!

[@RvTWargames]

Thanks Nate. Right back at you and for staying with the series all this time!

[@leon2206]

Happy New Year

[@RvTWargames]

And the same to you, Leon. Thanks for watching all this way (and all this time).

[@richardprivate5568]

Happy New year. What a great pre battle summary - really good to have that. I'd go for a quick hit and run too. Looking forward to Episode 73

[@RvTWargames]

Thanks Richard. Spoiler alert: you might well be right in your hunch. Glad you enjoyed the analysis.

[@MrFalconos]

It was good to see you again. I hope you and your family have a wonderful new year.

[@RvTWargames]

Not bad at all, MrFalconos. Shame about the day-job starting up again! Hope you enjoyed yours too.

[@GreenKnight2001]

Your Reykjavik pronunciation is epic 😅😅

[@RvTWargames]

Pretty much like how the natives should all it. Just call me Dickieson!

[@GreenKnight2001]

@ Or Dickie-san when you're playing Japan! :D

[@b1laxson]

On Jet planes off Iceland land bases. The speed of jet attacks is so high that if they do start attacking enemy ships they will cycle many times in one battle. For CVs there is a side affect of getting barely no time to steer any direction other than into the wind due to the frequent launch and landing cycles of the strikes and CAP.

[@RvTWargames]

Yes, I noticed I had to turn off night CAP to get the fleet to sail to base because of sailing into the wind all the time.

[@rmdomainer9042]

Happy new year to you too.

[@RvTWargames]

Thanks very much! Just recovering from the whole New Year thing 😀

[@fizzbronson4279]

happy new year!

[@RvTWargames]

And to you too!

[@michaelbucht9476]

happy new year

[@RvTWargames]

Happy New Year to you too Michael. Just getting on top of my New Year To Do List!

[@MrFalconos]

In one of your previous battles, you had the Japanese fight with you even though you could not control them. it can happen when the French and the Russians fight you?

[@RvTWargames]

So now the Italians have very unexpectedly joined the war on my side, it is quite possible they might turn up in a battle but not be under my control.

[@siliconkain700]

Happy New Year!

[@RvTWargames]

Thank you very much, and for sticking with the series all this time!