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What measures do you veteran players take to ensure the safety of your supply numbers, particularly when you are depending heavily on maximizing supply granted from a HQ in a strength 6 city?

It seems that if either the city or the HQ get damaged, many of your land forces endure significantly lower supply, and thus it's a no-brainer for (usually Allied) bombers to go after the HQ (or strat bombers can go after the city strength).

What measures do you take to negate this? It seems to me that paying to upgrade HQ AA is quite expensive and I'm not sure if it really reduces the chance of damage or not. Similarly, do you ever upgrade the city-hex AA for key cities (the ones your frontline HQs sit in) in order to prevent their damage from strat bombers? I'm not really sure how to ensure that axis units on the eastern front get their supply = 10 starting point if the allies can always just strat bomb Smolensk or whatever hex happens to be the only base supply = 6 hex in the region.

I'm not even sure parking AA units near HQ really prevents the tactic of damaging them or the size 6 city.

Side question do you guys ever upgrade the mobility of your HQ? Not sure why but it's incredibly expensive for Germany but cheaper for UK etc.

Rarely upgrade HQ mobility - never have enough points. Suppose you could splurge on 1. As for AA, I do upgrade HQ AA sometimes if opponent seems to be going that way. Expensive as well. Also fighter coverage is key.

Use HQ boosting to consistently get supply 8 from your front line HQ
Protect it with a fighter and USSR Tactical bombers will be unlikely to damage it

I've had to upgrade my German HQs with AA to a max of 3 to get fairly good protection from Allied air strikes...but it's really expensive of course. German minor HQs even more expensive to upgrade with AA....
Mobility upgrade...no.

The rest of the belligerents on both sides? I guess it depends. The Americans definitely can afford a whole package of upgrades on their HQs. Probably wise too for them to do so.

You could also have an AA unit tagging along with the HQ, for extra insurance.

Occasionally, I'll pay for Anti-Air for Chinese HQ in the front lines. Same for German HQ, maybe in France. Beyond that, you're broke to buying extras for HQs. Probably a waste to upgrade, Gerry needs to buy more anyhow

You usually don't have to worry about your HQ's getting hit on the Eastern Front until later in the war and if you are in trouble as the axis. However, here are some steps to take to protect your HQ's and the axis homelands.

1. Have the HQ's accompanied by AA unit.
2. Put the HQ's as much as possible in Cities, fortifications, or mountain terrain. Avoid marshes, clear terrain, and coast lines as much as possible. HQ's are sitting ducks on a coast line for aircraft carriers.
3. Probably, by some time in 1941, start putting research into Axis AA guns. You might do it sooner than that depending on your opponent.
4. I usually will send an AA gun to North Africa to protect Rommel if I haven't pushed allies out of Africa sooner in the war.
5. Try to get AA guns to level 2 or 3 by beginning of 1943. This goes for Japs and Italy by the way. The AA guns will do lots of damage to allied airpower and are cheaper way to go than upgrading HQ's AA ratings. They also are great defending incidentally and are cheap to buy.
6. Put one or two fighter units under the command of the HQ's at highest risk of attack.
7. Keep in mind that bombers will attack city first and then there is a chance of hitting a HQ's after the bombing raid. This is why it makes sense to put units in cities for certain defensive purposes.
8. The bad news is that the strategic bombers at level 4 or 5 will and can pretty much level most cities down to zero supply. This is not as bad as it used to be, as there is always at least 1 supply point per city even if it is leveled for supply. So the axis can still move forward in Africa for example, whereas previously this was not the case.
9. If your opponent starts showing a strategy of strategic bomber use, then I would upgrade mines, factories and some cities AA defenses.
10 Fortifications can have their air defenses upgraded!! I think this is especially important in China, as folks forget to upgrade the air defenses and then get wiped out by Jap tac and medium bombers. Fortifications can be upgrade even when in contact with enemy forces.
11. If you get to level 2 AA guns, ships will take way less damage from the maritime bombers, so keep that in mind too.
12. If you can get Malta to level 2 AA guns before the axis try to blitz the place, it will make taking the place a lot more costly to the axis.
13. If on the defensive, I will then look at upgrading the HQ's AA level.


Any way, I hope this helps,

Scott