Advice needed-Depots

[Sardaukar]

I am slowly getting into this game by playing Husky and Westwall.

In latter, you cannot build new depots unless port, it seems. But that is not the problem.

What sort of priorities you should set for depots? My idea is 2 for ports and 4 for near front.

I am curious to hear about your approach.

[Dereck]

I don't know if this helps.

Depot Priority
4 - Critical to current operations
3 - Reserve, refit, ready
2 - Steady supply
1 - Minimal
0 - No supply

[Sardaukar]

ORIGINAL: dereck

I don't know if this helps.

Depot Priority
4 - Critical to current operations
3 - Reserve, refit, ready
2 - Steady supply
1 - Minimal
0 - No supply

How would you have port depots? I have them at 2.

This is obviously Allied side.

[EddyBear81]

This is something I have always wondered about. I have to definitive answer, and I wish there would be a "How To" on this subject of Depot Priority (and Logistics priorities in general).

One important aspect is that the logistical flow is like this :
National Source ("Star") to Port Source ("Wheel") to Port Depot ("Anchor") to Rail.

=> Maybe that means that you have to prioritise each level (4-3-2-1 for "Wheel", then 4-3-2-1 for "Anchor"...), but I am not sure.

Maybe a Veteran can put some light into this ?

[loki100]

Supply flows from nat supply centre (to a port if needed) out to depots.

Unless you are using your NSS for something else then it can be at #1.

The net will then use rail lines (remember all depots must be on a connected repaired line). Say you are Germany and its 1943.

I'd put most depots in Germany at #1, some at #2 - esp those near the main luftwaffe bases.

Once the French depots are filled up, I'd leave the inland ones at #2 and the coastal ones at #3. Italy to #4.

With the Germans at the start you don't really have a global shortage so this is simply to ensure a good flow.

With the allies, keep the NSS at #1, the main sending ports at #1 or #2, the receiving ports one higher. Then the depots closest to the operations at #4. So that will pull supply. Once you end 1943, leave Italy with mostly #2, perhaps a few at #3.

While the allies globally have almost limitless supply you have two major chokepoints. Port (and shipping) capacity in Europe and getting it to the front. So you need to think much more about how you use #3 or #4 - not just to ensure a supply pull down to the depot but also to starve some sectors so as to feed others.

But its not all about depots.

Corps (to a lesser extent HQ) priority really matters. A #4 will not just have first grab at any supplies but its the only way you way you can over-supply your units (if they are static). So a #4 corps behind the lines will really fill out its cv if there is decent supply flow.

A #3 can only fill up to 90%, a #2 to 70%, a 1 to 50% and a 0 to 30%. So supply priority in your formations indicates both who gets resupplied and to what extent.

Delivery between depots and final combat HQs is mostly truck related. One reason to bomb out the German truck factories. Its also at this point that interdiction starts to bite into supply delivery.

edit: I really recommend playing the Arnhem or West Wall scenarios. Both are really set up as supply tutorials. You can experiment with different supply grids and priorities and see how that gives you differential combat capacity. Also they are short enough to allow replays and so on.

[FireDog]

Does the priority setting have any effect on the outgoing freight/supplies?

I did a fast inconclusive test. Some of the depots, but not all, with higher priority settings seemed as if they may have had a tendency to build supplies. This may have been a coincidence. Does anyone know?