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My situation: Italy 1943, crawling up towards Naples + invasion near Anzio. I have created a chain of depots (towns, airfields) all along my way north. Since I move, some depots - mainly those for supplying troops - are "falling back" while new depots are created closer to my frontline. What priority levels whithin a chain of depots are appropriate?
I seem to have difficulties to understand the flow of supplies: is the flow only maintained as long as depots all along the line are all set to high priorities, or should only the endpoints near the frontline be kept well supplied ?

I view it slightly differently but maybe this will help

Priority:

4 - Critical to current operations (the depot could be far in the rear, but near strat airbases or sending ports in Africa)
3 - Ready, reserve, refit
2 - Steady supply (if Allied): Might get bread (if Axis)
1 - I guess I'll feed you
0 - You're dead to me

So it's more about what is near than a chain from the back. It's how much will be at each endpoint.

Some thoughts...

- Priority for Units and Depots is different:
-- Priority for Units effects the maximum freight you can get rather than the order of supply. Higher priority allows those units to get more of the available freight earlier in the allocation cycle (i.e. before it runs out).
-- For Depots it is only the order of supply that priority effects. 4 is allocated before 3, 2 etc. As freight cascades by Depot Type so you need to consider each Type of Depot separately. Set those depots you want filled first to the highest priority.

- Depots draw at up to 50 hexes from each other so you don't need a long chain of them. It is important that the Depots are in the network and make sure you have Depots in Ports as a Level 1 Depot in Caen can't get freight from the UK.

- Port Depots are limited by their collocated Port Capacity. Rail Depots are more flexible - they'll draw capacity from local railyards.

- Trucks are used for all but the shortest distances between units and depots so it best to have depots as close as possible to units. The further a depot is the more trucks and less freight is received. Port Depots 'prefer' to supply airbases rather than units.

- Airfields with Bombers are freight hungry.

- All depots are not equal - look at the black capacity bar to see those depots capable of handling more freight.

- Don't forget to fix rails and repair railyards.

Say I downgrade a depot far from the frontline to increase freight further down the network (closer to the front): is that working ?

This is my 2 cents on depots. Of course you'll have depots where you invade and they will usually be set to 4 to begin with. As the fronts move forward, and depending on whom is going to see the most action or I want to push an area, that depot closest to the front will get the highest supply. A depot to get the stuff into the war zone, and a depot close to the front lines (actually several depending on how wide the front). A good indication that chaining along the same rail lines isn't working is if your seeing that rail line orange or red for usage. Each depot is a stop, so at each stop you have supply attrition, which means less supply. This has always worked for me, but I'm sure there are other ways that work just as well. And a depot in remote areas to help keep your planes supplied.

ORIGINAL: meklore61

A good indication that chaining along the same rail lines isn't working is if your seeing that rail line orange or red for usage.

Good advice, thanks.

Each depot is a stop, so at each stop you have supply attrition, which means less supply.

Clearly whats needed are express-trains that won't stop at each depot [:D]

It would indirectly but you may be misunderstanding the system a little. Depots don't understand frontlines directly but because units draw from them those closer to the front will get more freight.

My advice is that all Depots needs to have a reason. Ports need them to bring in freight or get freight ready to send. A Rail Depot in a rear area, miles from any units, is pointless - disband it. (To distribute freight which would be better elsewhere will need trucks which would also be better used somewhere else.)

Thanks. Now ist becoming clear, your last reply was the answer I was waiting for ("disband")

Using a brief description sort of like Belphegor did, how would you describe the different supply settings for HQs?

Bottom left corner of One Page Guide #11.

If you are main effort - 4
If you are attacking - 3+
If you are defending - 2 or 1
If you are unimportant - 0

ORIGINAL: Red Lancer

... and make sure you have Depots in Ports as a Level 1 Depot in Caen can't get freight from the UK.

Still confused: WitW One Page Guide #5/1 says Port Depots are always Level 2.

You sure that's not a type 2 depot? Per page 177 in rules.

Not talking about the amount of supply priority. The class of depot.

4 -- national suppply
3 -- port supply source (can send/ship out supply)
2 -- port depot (can receive supply over water)
1 -- rail depot

ORIGINAL: Balou

ORIGINAL: Red Lancer

... and make sure you have Depots in Ports as a Level 1 Depot in Caen can't get freight from the UK.

Still confused: WitW One Page Guide #5/1 says Port Depots are always Level 2.

Caen is not a port so it can only have a Level 1 Depot. What I'm trying to explain is that you need Port Depots to ship freight over water as the 50 hex limit doesn't apply in that instance.