Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is a nation located in the Central Caribbean. The IC is 6. The first thing I noticed was the total lack of IC, capable leaders, and the small army. You start off with a outdated army, that needs reinforcements.

Tips

Fix up the army, upgrade to Infantry '36, and build 3 militia divisions at the least by the time '36 ends (be sure to start off the new year with 1936 Infantry Research, as it is vital to compete with other powers). Also, put the slider towards standing army as far as possible. It's the only way to compete with the South American 'Giants' in war.

The country

It first appears as though the Republic is a total waste of time. Don't be fooled. This country has the ability to become one of the greatest countries of Central America/Central Caribbean. You may have noticed you share the island of Hispaniola with a not so friendly neighbor, Haiti. Haiti has claims on the only 2 provinces you own, Santiago and Santo Domingo. You are relatively well liked by your neighbors, however, which includes Great Britain, The U.S. France, Northern South America (Venezuela, and Columbia). These relationships are vital to Imperialistic ideas.

[ ]{#Expansion_Westward!} Expansion Westward!

Well, as you may have expected, Haiti will be your first target. Haiti must be attacked from your two provinces. Once Haiti is annexed, it is not wise to recreate them, as they take up the entire island. Your IC increases from 6 to 11 and this is a huge jump for your expansion. You may have noticed the United States canceled their Non-Aggression pact with you. This is not to fear, just something to remember. Haiti needs all four of your divisions to quell the possible partisan activity. This is the time to begin building convoys, a transport fleet, and a larger army. Your next target is very close to home. Once all is built up (you should have at least 2 transports, 30 convoy ships, and 3 regular infantry divisions), you pretty much have to rely on luck. Save the game before the invasion. I calculated a 50% chance that the United States will declare war on you once you attack Cuba. If luck is on your side, you can land at Guantanamo and march through the island until you reach Havana. The Cubans have a navy, so be sure to have your troops on the ship off the coast of Guantanamo, ready to launch the attack. The navy generally stays around the north of the island, focusing around the Santa Clara area, so you should be OK with transferring troops and goods to Guantanamo. Always keep a mobile force on the island, 4 divisions strong. If the United States declares war, they will ALWAYS land at Santiago. They land one division at a time, so defending the shores isn't a huge problem. Defeating the U.S. is. Eventually, you will either win or lose, depending on if the United States ever joins the Allies, or if Landon is elected. Depending on Germany's situation, it is a smart idea to join them, as they have a surplus of energy, metal, and some good oil. If Germany is a failing country, don't join them. You'll go down fast. Remember: The Non-Aggression pact between you and the States is gone, so don't trick yourself into thinking you're invincible. Cuba and Haiti were the easy part. Now we expand Southward!

[ ]{#Expansion_Southward!} Expansion Southward!

South America is more difficult. Venezuela, Columbia, and Great Britain may come into play this time around. This isn't an easy task. Hopefully, with proper military buildup, transport fleets, and more convoys, you will be able to combat some serious firepower. The important thing is to not get ahead of yourself. Too many invasions can lead to a country like France or Great Britain to declare war, and strike swiftly. Britain doesn't play games with you. They send their slave nation, Canada, to do their bidding. If you declare war on Columbia in 1939, the U.S. declares war on you, and lands all over your new empire. If it is declared in 1940, not much action is taken against you. The U.S. AI is fairly neutral until '42 or '43, and The British don't want their lands taken over. Timing is crucial in the Southern Expansion. Venezuela is a good first target, because of the oil-rich province Maracaibo. The Venezuelan Army is fairly well put together, with cavalry units, and an armored unit by '43, stationed at Caracas. Fortunately, we're not attacking in '43, are we? If you maintain good relations with Columbia, and Central America, you may be able to have a flowing alliance. If you join Germany, they will send 1-2 Air divisions just to patrol your skies, and bomb Belize. If you make an alliance with Columbia, and Central America, you have many more troops committed to your cause. It's your choice what you want. There is a 25% chance the U.S. will declare war during WW2, although if Landon is elected, if you have an alliance with Columbia and another Central American country, or if you and Germany are allied, they never declare war(on you at least. There is always a risk of war between Germany and the United States). With the Alliance secured (or not secured, depending on your timing), it is time. Before landing, scope the beaches for the least fortified province, and load up. Use your most able commander with the most experience, and establish a strong beachhead. If you capture Maracaibo, the Venezuelans will sue for peace. Do not accept it, because if your troop level reaches two divisions in the occupied area, they will invade these taken lands. Also: be conscious. If you join Germany, the British and the Canadians will be around the Caribbean a LOT, and the French will begin making incursions once they are defeated in Europe. Once Venezuela is defeated (it is best to corner them in a jungle of your choice), gear up for an invasion of Columbia. If you are allied with Columbia, get ready for war against Central America. Columbia's Army is relatively small (5 divisions, 3 infantry and 2 cavalry in '40, and '41), and you should have no problem with them. Once the Colombians are dealt with, the United States problem will no longer haunt you. They risk losing their pride and joy: The Canal. Now Britain will begin influencing you by trying to turn you democratic. They don't want their interests in the Caribbean to go down. But we won't worry about them for now. We need to focus on some Relations with Bolivia. That's right. Bolivia has a very large military by '43 (close to 10 divisions, and a respectable Air Force). If you have an independent alliance, Bolivia may become a great ally. They provide rare materials to a small extent, and their military is invaluable. Your next target will be Ecuador. These guys are a joke. 2 Divisions, and one province of victory points aren't a match to you. Once Ecuador is down, you need to prepare for the worst. Brazil has become aware of your expansion, and they fear you, yes. If you declare war on Peru, Brazil will overrun you with the massive amounts of Military they have amassed at your borders. Brazil is no doubt the power of South America, with 41 total IC. If you begin expanding at a seemingly alarming rate, the Brazilians will increase their army drastically. We will cover them more soon, though.

Fighting Superpowers

Let's face it. If Landon doesn't win, and the Brits hate you, we have a problem. The thing to remember is that you have many islands to defend, with very little IC. By creating resource convoys, you may increase your IC dramatically, and, unfortunately, this is a point not lost on other countries. They know you get power from other lands, so don't rely on these provinces to get you an empire while an increasingly angered U.S. and U.K. stand there doing nothing. Every time war is declared, the other countries of the world calculate your risk against them. France usually keeps their image, and they stay away from you. The British are definitely one of the countries to fear. With an impenetrable Navy, a well regarded Army, and a large Air Force, they don't fear a small country like you. The United States always poses a threat, as they have all countries of the Americas guaranteed with Independence. Brazil is a superpower in the fact that it has the ability to completely destroy you in South America. They stack 4 Divisions per province along your borders, and once you hit too close to home (by attacking Chile or Peru) they unleash some serious whooping on you. With that said, defense must be taken. When not in any war, it is absolutely crucial to increase the military. Without a sizable army, you can be defeated by the smallest of nations (El Salvador, Costa Rica, etc.).

When combating the U.K. and France, the U.K. sends its Navy and Army to you with some scattered Air Force units, while France sends most of its' Air Force. Do not fear. Once The Brits lose France and The Soviet Union is pushed back, the majority of your trouble is over. France and Britain lose interest and only attempt very rare beach incursions. This is your chance to shine! Take all Caribbean Provinces owned by these countries, but watch for Canada's navy (Although much of it's navy is in the Mediterranean fighting the Italians). Now that these countries' provinces are lost, they lack military strong points, naval bases, and air bases. You have the Caribbean. The only way to beat the Caribbean forces is to be patient.

When combating the U.S., you are in for one hell of a ride. They can be held off at best. Any landing in Florida, Louisiana, or along the Eastern Seaboard will result in total annihilation. Luckily, if the U.S. DOES declare war, they are in a sluggish position to do so, and usually it takes a fairly long time (anywhere from 2-12 months) to get an army to attack. They attack with one division of Infantry every time(although if you do not destroy the one division, more divisions will land). I have never been attacked by Mountain, Marine, or any other type of Infantry (or anything else, for that matter!). You can keep destroying their divisions, and sooner or later, they will just leave the war by either never landing again (although they will land if they notice lack of troop presence), or asking for a white peace (which I would recommend accepting promptly). This solves the U.S. problem. Occasionally, they will influence you as well, which I found amusing.

Brazil is a South American superpower. The largest IC is located in the easternmost part of the country, and you must fight a large war with them. You cannot beat the Brazilian Army by yourself unless you have increased your IC to 41 or higher. This is why alliances with local countries are crucial. Bolivia can defeat many of the Brazilian divisions, and this will cause them to fight a two front war, which, as we all know, is a terrible thing to fight. With enough divisions from both countries, and proper encirclement, Brazil can be defeated within a year of their declaration of war. Once Brazil is defeated, you will feel more empowered than ever. Believe me, defeating Brazil is no easy task. Now you have secured South American expansion and can have a field day with Peru, Chile, Paraguay, and Argentina(and Argentina isn't all too difficult because of the vertical shape of the country).

Central America

Your first Central American country is the hardest. Granted, it's one province for every Central American country, so you may be tricked. Central America is rich with resource, and rich with victory points. It is best to land at a country that has a port facing the Caribbean (like Guatemala) so you can be supplied with less convoys used up, as well as the always possible threat of war with the United States. You can then advance in whichever direction you need to invade. You will have a rare material resource base, and a lot of the supplies you need to keep your country running.

In conclusion

When you control all this land, just build military and technology up. Always use your slider points for a standing army. For technology, you can create that Navy you've always wanted. You should have completed all this by late '43 to mid '44. Then you can have some fun with invasions of Mexico, a very far landing (such as Hawaii, or Australia) and just be sure to enjoy your newly founded empire.

-- UberBenny 00:57, 21 January 2008 (CET)