Video summary

The Strongest Germany Build! (No Wehraboos Allowed) | Hearts of Iron IV

Main summary

Key takeaways

Gaming

Storyline / Campaign Goal

Play historical Germany (1936 start) with a build focused on:

  • Rapid conquest of France/UK, including a power-drop/capitulation of the UK before puppets can join the war.
  • Then turning full attention to the Soviet Union, using:
    • Collaboration government
    • Spain-trained specialists
    • Tank-heavy encirclements
  • Win the Eastern front decisively and quickly enough that winter slows you less than it historically did.

Gameplay Setup (Early Game Priorities)

Mods / Rules

  • Uninstall the 1936 German flag mod from the Steam Workshop (presented as unnecessary).
  • Follow multiplayer restrictions—specifically:
    • Some communities may block UK invasion unless certain access conditions (e.g., Gibraltar/Suez access) are met.

1936 Opening Focus / Intel / Espionage

Political Focus

  • Set focus to Rhineland.

Immediate Infrastructure & Spy Plan

  • Build an intelligence agency immediately.
  • Use spies/operations as soon as available:
    • Send the first buyer/spy to France and build the network.
    • Recruit Soviet spies so you can later place collaboration governments in the USSR.
    • After reaching sufficient intel strength (notably 50 Intel strength), start collaboration government missions.

Spy Agency Research Emphasis

  • Prioritize:
    • S pills localized training centers
    • Invisible ink
    • Cryptology focused toward machine-assisted decryption

Production & Research Highlights

Production Lines (Targets Mentioned)

  • Infantry equipment: 15 factories
  • Trains: +1 factory
  • Support equipment and trucks: 2 factories
  • Anti-air: +1 factory
  • Artillery: +1 factory
  • Fighters: shift heavily toward air power:
    • Add ~5 factories on fighters from the beginning to enable the UK air “power drop”/air campaign plan.
  • Tanks:
    • Delete tank production early
    • Re-add/transition later (after rushing tank chassis research)

Research Path (Major Waypoints)

Industry / Economy

  • Prioritize dispersed and correct construction timing
  • Use the four-year plan bonus to reach level 3 Industry faster

Air Survival Tech

  • Get survivability studies in the air tree

Tanks

  • Rush toward 1938 medium tank chassis
  • Later upgrade to 1940/updated chassis and specific tank design changes

Cryptology for USSR

  • Specifically start Soviet cryptology first (longest research time)

Division / Army Formation Strategy

Infantry / Training

  • Use one standard infantry training stack:
    • Keep about 12 divisions “training at all times”
    • Deploy to the front when they hit the training threshold (e.g., 20 training)
  • After adjusting infantry templates:
    • Remove engineers from the infantry template to prevent support equipment stockpile shortages (claimed to create surplus to fund operations)

Volunteers → Specialty Units

Spanish Civil War

  • During the Spanish Civil War:
    • Send volunteers, including air volunteers
    • Train/optimize for XP and later conversion of forces

Conversions

  • Convert early divisions:
    • Convert 4 divisions to Mountaineers (volunteers returning from Spain)
  • Later:
    • Convert Mountaineers into Paratroopers for port seizure/power drops

Tank Doctrine / Template Notes

  • Fully motorize early main army (explicitly calls out historical Germany mistakes).
  • Tank template progression includes switching into a Panzer IV line (mentions removing Panzer III usage).
  • Adds features (as described in tank build steps), including:
    • Three-man turret
    • Radio
    • Smoke launchers
    • Ammo storage
    • Interleaved road wheels
  • Doctrine choices mentioned:
    • Maneuver warfare (tank speed)
    • Entrelhcentment/flexible org options depending on preference and combat behavior

Fast Veteran Tank Training Trick

  • “Duplicate and train” method:
    • Duplicate a tank division (matching combat width)
    • Exercise up to veterancy 3
    • Convert to Panzer divisions without losing veterancy

Decisions Tab / Political Power Priorities

  • Do not cancel “Mepfo bills” / decisions bonuses—use them while available.
  • Use political power efficiently:
    • Get stability for political power and factory output boosts (video highlights a jump to 100 stability)
  • Advisors:
    • Martin Bormann (“Silent Workhorse”) for more early political power
    • Rudolph Hess for additional PP (presented as worth it to meet early requirements)

Collaboration Government / War Economy Path

France → Poland → USSR Setup

  • Time operations and focuses so you can:
    • Max collaboration in France
    • Gain collaboration in Poland depending on operations/factory timing
    • On the USSR side:
      • Build collaboration using Soviet spies
      • Run the mission as soon as eligible

Treaty / War Economy Timing

  • After Rhineland complete, go to the Army Innovations line and push toward treaty with USSR.
  • Use economic focus timings to ensure bonus windows aren’t missed:
    • Emphasis on not losing the Industry/dispersed/construction bonus windows
  • “War economy first, then elusive gentleman” for Spanish war timing

Spanish Civil War: XP and Air XP Engine

  • Send:
    • Volunteers (including an attaché after PP threshold)
    • Air volunteers
  • Use air support settings:
    • Set tactical bombers to Close Air Support
    • Assign them across regions to cover as much front as possible
  • Lend-lease usage (air XP trickle):
    • Delete your CAS in the queue and lend-lease 100 fighters + CAS
    • Use this to generate additional air XP trickle

Mid Game: Conquest of UK (Power Drop Plan)

Key Requirements

  • Build enough paratroopers transport planes:
    • 50 transport planes per paratrooper division
  • Must have air supremacy in all regions the drop passes through

Power-Drop Execution (High-Level)

  • After taking France, justify war actions toward the UK.
  • Ensure ports and staging:
    • Position paratroopers near eligible ports/airfields, then execute the drop.
  • Use multiple paratrooper waves:
    • ~10–12 divisions total, split in the “three divisions per tile” style landing described.
  • Target ports:
    • Encirclement around Dover and Portsmouth
    • Secure whichever landing succeeds, then push toward London

Late Mid Game: Eastern Front Transition

Build-up After UK/Europe

  • Stop some infantry production once equipment stockpiles rise from conquests.
  • Shift production emphasis to:
    • Mills (munitions/production capacity)
    • Tanks/mechanized output
  • Notes:
    • Integrate war economies via focuses for large factory/manpower benefits.
  • Reminder:
    • Replace motorized with mechanized

Soviet War Tactics (Encirclement / Winter Awareness)

Operational Style

  • Attack with tanks and special forces, not broad-line infantry assaults.
  • Use encirclement opportunities:
    • Look for Soviet line “key points” to trap many divisions
    • Use air supply for paratroopers so they don’t get erased immediately

Paratroopers into the USSR

  • Use paratroopers to take supply hubs / VP clusters to create pockets.
  • Mentioned behavior:
    • AI tends to defend key points, so drop near but not necessarily directly onto every VP.

Results / Outcomes Claimed

  • Use pockets plus tank drives to close around Soviet units.
  • Claimed outcome:
    • Moscow falls quickly even during snow/winter, contrasting historical German issues.

Key Tips Mentioned (Quick List)

  • Build fighters early to win air control over the UK and support para drops.
  • Time economic/industry focus completion carefully so you don’t miss bonus windows (avoid “don’t wait 8 days” type errors).
  • Keep ~12 infantry training divisions active; deploy when training completes.
  • Remove engineers from infantry to free support equipment for operations.
  • Run collaboration government as soon as eligible; Soviet spies are mandatory for USSR collaboration missions.
  • Before declaring war on a major power:
    • Run cryptology “scramble/decryption” actions first so their cipher is decrypted longer.

Gamers / Sources Featured

  • No other gamers, channels, or external sources are explicitly credited by name in the subtitles.

Original video