Depots

[GARY L]

Where do you Build Depots in Main Land Italy?

[KWG]

As German player

I build them "chain" all the way down the boot. Most have a small capacity so there is plenty of supplies for all. Good for when Allied air interdiction gets heavy, supplies have short hop to next depot instead of a long ride to the next.

Set higher priorities at depots you want to fill first.

Where ever the Allies land I have supplies close. Same for falling back.

Make sure you disband them before they get captured.

[marion61]

Depot Creation and Where

20.1.6. Depots
It is through depots that all supply and replacements are
distributed to units. During the logistics phase, freight
tonnage automatically flows through the supply grid via
naval transport and rail lines to be received and stored
at depots. In the supply and replacement segment,
freight is then drawn upon by units and converted to
provide supplies, fuel, ammo, and replacements taken
from available pools.
Depots can be created and disbanded by the
players, with the exception of type 4 depots, which
are permanent national supply sources (20.1.2),
and temporary depots created by airdrops (17.3.7).
Temporary depots cannot be manually disbanded by
the player, but will be removed from play when the
depot is no longer isolated.
Depots may normally only be created in hexes that
are not in an EZOC and are connected to the supply
grid via a port in the hex or an undamaged linked rail
line in the hex. Depots may always be built in a nonisolated
port, even if there is no rail line link to the
port. In addition, temporary depots can be created
in a hex without a depot by the air drop of freight
through air transport (17.3.7), although the temporary
depot will only remain as long as the hex is isolated.

Look for functioning rail yards for creating a rail depot. Keep the depots as close to the fighting as you can. Some people chain them, and some don't. You'll find what works for you.

[Radagy]

How do you manage priority on a depot chain?
I need supplies flowing to the front, so I guess I should lower priority on all depots but the one closest to the front.
Or it could be the opposite:I should keep the same priority all over the chain to keep supplies streaming along the chain.
No idea right now.

[RedLancer]

It is my understanding that freight cascades from Level 4 depots to Level 3 to Level 2 to Level 1 in a series of steps. My advice is to set the Priority by considering the Depot Levels individually but use the priority to focus the flow in a certain direction. Use the black capacity bars to exploit the optimum line of communication.

Hope that makes sense.

[KWG]

Both. Depots will fluctuate in supplies stored, going out and coming in every week.
Interdiction levels will affect depot levels. A check of depot activity should be done every turn.

To chain depots, a depot doesn't have to be built in every city along a rail line.


Moving troops on rail will lessen the amount of supplies moving along the same line.

Putting depots along different rail paths will keep one rail line from being overloaded.

[MisterBoats]

There have been times when I have been unable to create depots in hexes that fulfill all of the listed criteria. For example, Cefalu in Sicily. Fully repaired rail line connected to a port, a town and no enemy ZOCs for miles. The northern coast of Sicily has to be supplied from Gela or Agrigento.

[RedLancer]

Did you have APs available?

[MisterBoats]

RL, yes -- plenty of APs. I was sure to check all of the requirements for a depot, but I could not create one. It was the same in Enna and Caltanisetta. Both were linked to the American and British beach head/port depots by undamaged rail lines. I'll try it again and triple check it.

[Radagy]

No need to triple check. It happened to me too. Next time I will take a screenshot and I will send the save game file.

[Grotius]

ORIGINAL: Red Lancer

It is my understanding that freight cascades from Level 4 depots to Level 3 to Level 2 to Level 1 in a series of steps. My advice is to set the Priority by considering the Depot Levels individually but use the priority to focus the flow in a certain direction. Use the black capacity bars to exploit the optimum line of communication.

Hope that makes sense.

By "level 4", you mean priority 4 depots, right? So if I want my Allies' freight to flow northward, from Sicily toward Taranto, I want my priority 4 depots nearest Taranto, and my priority 1 depots back in Sicily. But I may also want higher-priority depots near big airbases or HQs?

[marion61]

He's talking about the Type or a Level 4 Depots, which are your national supply sources. Depot priority is 0=lowest priority and 4=highest. These are two different things.

[Grotius]

Ah, right. National supply depots are type 4, ship-wheel type 3, ship-anchor type 2, RR type 1. Whereas I set depot priority myself.

I don't think I've been paying enough attention to the black capacity bars. I sometimes worry that I make too many RR depots, and these typically have small capacity. Just because I can make a depot doesn't mean I always should.

[byron13]

ORIGINAL: MisterBoats

There have been times when I have been unable to create depots in hexes that fulfill all of the listed criteria. For example, Cefalu in Sicily. Fully repaired rail line connected to a port, a town and no enemy ZOCs for miles. The northern coast of Sicily has to be supplied from Gela or Agrigento.

I think I have the same issue in the British islands in the NW corner of the map. For example, Outer Hebrides has a port, Stornoway, and an airfield on the island. The field is not receiving supplies so the a/c are not flying and going into reserve. As I read the rules, both the airfield and the port should be eligible for depot creation to draw supply, but the option is not provided. Airfield is set to priority 3 for supply, but using the "8" key shows no depot is sending supply there.

[Commanderski]

Maybe I missed this part somewhere but I can't find out how many Admin points are required to build a Supply Depot and what keys you use to create them.

What part of the manual is this in?

[whoofe]

20.1.6

also you could watch the tutorial videos, I seem to remember it showed depot creation in them

edit: and also the one page guide #5 - logistics

[marion61]

I don't make a bunch of depots either. Just the ones to get supply to the mainland, a rail hub or two close to the front if one is available, and then several depending on where my attacks are going in at or defense. Your losing supply at every stop, and every depot is a stop. If you wonder when to disband a depot, I usually check the "n" key and if it is not receiving supply (green bar) I'll disband, or if it has no affect on supply, or empty, I'll disband them. Depots are huge areas of supplies, and if you chain supplies all the way to the front, your wasting them imo. Check what your depots are sending out, and if they are just static, I disband them. And watch your rail line colors. Try not to let your rail lines get higher than yellow, but sometimes this is not possible, especially as the axis.

1 admin point to create a depot.