ORIGINAL: mdsmall
Hi - glad you liked the post! It is the case - this is what I think explains what you are seeing. All regular ports have an underlying value of 10. Occupied ports have the Occupational Efficiency factor is applied first and then reduction in their maximum to 5 for not having a rail link to a friendly Major Capital etc. The same sequence applies to occupied overseas ports as to occupied ports on the mainland of Europe.
This is why if the Axis captures Leningrad and establishes a rail link from Berlin through Finland to Norway, the Norwegian ports on a rail line, like Oslo, rise to 8, while those Norwegian ports not on a rail line, like Kristiansand, remain at 5. The same thing would happen if the Axis occupies Egypt and the Middle East and then brings Turkey into the war on the Axis side. The occupied Egyptian ports on a rail line, like Alexandria, would rise to 8.
OK, got it! That makes sense.
It might be worth expanding your point 1 on "why Supply matters" - something along the lines of:
Supply is crucial in sustaining your units' ability to fight. A unit's Combat Readiness affects how much damage it deals, and Readiness is determined by the lower of Strength and Supply.
This means that a unit with Supply 5 will gradually fall to 50% readiness and stay there - dealing half damage. At Supply 3, it will fall to 30% readiness. Further, units in low supply lose one Action Point, making them more difficult to handle - particularly in adverse terrain. Units in low Supply fare very badly against well-supplied units in combat.
If a unit is eliminated in low Supply, it costs full price to rebuild, not 50%.
