Critique my gameplay - base campaign on FM difficulty

[frugivore]

Hi all,

I recently started playing PC again after a long absence. Years ago, I had somehow beaten the base campaign on FM difficulty to unlock the three master levels. I decided to play through FM again to familiarize myself with the game mechanics and the ebb and flow of the battles. My core by the end of the campaign consisted of 12 tanks, 8 infantry, 10 artillery, 8 fighters and 4 strat bombers. I was able to achieve BVs wherever they were needed to advance the campaign and MVs where they weren't needed or let me play extra scenarios (e.g. Moscow 41, Stalingrad). I managed to get a BV in USA West Coast on the last turn despite many rainy/overcast turns toward the end, making my bombers ineffective. And because I gained very little experience - ground units had only 1 star - the US tanks/ATs really hammered my Tigers.

I was hoping to get some critique of my core composition as well as my gameplay before I begin the GC. What units did I not use that could've helped me win more handily? Is my ratio of unit types OK? Are my tactics and strategy sound?

I saved the replay from each scenarios. What would be the best way to have someone review these? Would I need to record the replays and upload them to a site like YouTube?

I'm sure the GC is a different beast than the base campaign. What difficulty level do you suggest I try with the grand campaign?

[heinzrondorf]

It is a very long time since I played the base/vanilla campaign so it is difficult to review your core based on that.

I am currently playing the GC on Rommel difficulty where prestige is reduced by 50% so in my current play through I have tried to go with a very small but experienced core but I would probably do it somewhat similar if I played on General or FM.

Just by looking at your old core compared to how I personally like to set mine up in the GC though I would:

* Not buy so many fighters in the beginning. You will have air superiority in GC39 with only one Bf 109E and 1-2 Bf 110 and there might be fighter aces joining your core later …
* Buy more artillery (I would recommend a minimum of 12) so you have a good mix of self propelled and towed units, cannons, Wurfrahmen/Nebelwerfer etc. I think insufficient numbers of of artillery units is one of the most common mistakes new players make.
* Buy 2-3 anti aircraft units (the 8.8cm in particular since this can be used in the anti-tank role with GREAT effect in the early years of the war)
* Reduce the number of strat bombers to 2, you do not need 4
* Buy at least 3 tactical bombers (mix of Ju 87 and Bf 110)
* Buy some anti-tank units which will later (hopefully if they survive) be converted into Stug, Elefant etc.

In the GC you are awarded (either by High Command or by capturing Russian equipment) a LOT of units so you do not need to buy so many units yourself once you know what, where and when you will get certain units. However, if it is your first play through of the GC you obviously you have no way of knowing this unless you look at the reference docs which can be found on this site which states when/where certain units will be awarded or given but I would advice against it as it takes some fun out of the campaign knowing what is going to happen on your first play through.

I would probably recommend playing it on General the first time and if you find that too easy move up to FM.

[heinzrondorf]

It is a very long time since I played the base/vanilla campaign so it is difficult to review your core based on that.

I am currently playing the GC on Rommel difficulty where prestige is reduced by 50% so in my current play through I have tried to go with a very small but experienced core but I would probably do it somewhat similar if I played on General or FM.

Just by looking at your old core compared to how I personally like to set mine up in the GC though I would:

* Not buy so many fighters in the beginning. You will have air superiority in GC39 with only one Bf 109E and 1-2 Bf 110 and there might be fighter aces joining your core later …
* Buy more artillery (I would recommend a minimum of 12) so you have a good mix of self propelled and towed units, cannons, Wurfrahmen/Nebelwerfer etc. I think insufficient numbers of of artillery units is one of the most common mistakes new players make.
* Buy 2-3 anti aircraft units (the 8.8cm in particular since this can be used in the anti-tank role with GREAT effect in the early years of the war)
* Reduce the number of strat bombers to 2, you do not need 4
* Buy at least 3 tactical bombers (mix of Ju 87 and Bf 110)
* Buy some anti-tank units which will later (hopefully if they survive) be converted into Stug, Elefant etc.

In the GC you are awarded (either by High Command or by capturing Russian equipment) a LOT of units so you do not need to buy so many units yourself once you know what, where and when you will get certain units. However, if it is your first play through of the GC you obviously you have no way of knowing this unless you look at the reference docs which can be found on this site which states when/where certain units will be awarded or given but I would advice against it as it takes some fun out of the campaign knowing what is going to happen on your first play through.

I would probably recommend playing it on General the first time and if you find that too easy move up to FM.

[frugivore]

It is a very long time since I played the base/vanilla campaign so it is difficult to review your core based on that.

I am currently playing the GC on Rommel difficulty where prestige is reduced by 50% so in my current play through I have tried to go with a very small but experienced core but I would probably do it somewhat similar if I played on General or FM.

Just by looking at your old core compared to how I personally like to set mine up in the GC though I would:

* Not buy so many fighters in the beginning. You will have air superiority in GC39 with only one Bf 109E and 1-2 Bf 110 and there might be fighter aces joining your core later …
* Buy more artillery (I would recommend a minimum of 12) so you have a good mix of self propelled and towed units, cannons, Wurfrahmen/Nebelwerfer etc. I think insufficient numbers of of artillery units is one of the most common mistakes new players make.
* Buy 2-3 anti aircraft units (the 8.8cm in particular since this can be used in the anti-tank role with GREAT effect in the early years of the war)
* Reduce the number of strat bombers to 2, you do not need 4
* Buy at least 3 tactical bombers (mix of Ju 87 and Bf 110)
* Buy some anti-tank units which will later (hopefully if they survive) be converted into Stug, Elefant etc.

In the GC you are awarded (either by High Command or by capturing Russian equipment) a LOT of units so you do not need to buy so many units yourself once you know what, where and when you will get certain units. However, if it is your first play through of the GC you obviously you have no way of knowing this unless you look at the reference docs which can be found on this site which states when/where certain units will be awarded or given but I would advice against it as it takes some fun out of the campaign knowing what is going to happen on your first play through.

I would probably recommend playing it on General the first time and if you find that too easy move up to FM.

heinzrondorf, I really appreciate your feedback and insight. I know most people have moved on to the GC or other DLCs but I figure I should at least do the base campaign one more time to hone my skills. I did play through part of the GC once before ('39 to '41 I think) and found the XP restriction very interesting. I think I hit the XP cap frequently with most of my units. With that in mind, I think playing on FM level isn't as much of a handicap as one might think. Playing on Rommel like you might make it more of a challenge as I really enjoy the prestige management of the game. Having boatloads of prestige to play around with takes the challenge out of the game.

As for the unit selection, particularly the air force, was that I wanted to have enough air power to handle the US fighters and US navy. I probably could have completed the campaign with only 6 fighters but even the Me 262s seemed to be outgunned in some cases by the US planes, so I would have needed some luck. The 4 strat bombers were used for two reasons. First, it was to handle the powerful battleships in the US navy in US East Coast scenario. And of course I had 2 of them helping clean up the British navy in Sea Lion. I think this ensured that my transports weren't damaged/destroyed. Second, I wanted a way to handle some of the big, tough Soviet and US tanks/ATs. As I mentioned in the first post, my 1-star Tigers were badly hurt by some of the US armored units. To deal with these, I considered three options: Stukas, ATs or strat bombers. Stukas and ATs would do direct damage, whereas the strat bombers would diminish the enemy ammo so that my weaker units could damage them without getting damaged in return. I also used the bombers for suppression on units behind enemy lines, such as art and AA.

For GC, I do remember that there is a lot of captured equirement and a few hero units given here and there. I'll take your advice on the core for GC. While I tend to favor towed artillery for their higher capacity, I really liked using Wurfrahmen (I had 2 in the base campaign) for their mobility and placing them behind infantry in trucks/half-tracks for defending them. I'll try a few more of these.

The 88mm AAs seem like such a great value. They'll shoot down planes and then shatter enemy armor. I didn't use these in the base campaign as they seem slow to set up and use, but I guess that won't be a problem in the longer scenarios of GC.

I think the first time I attempted the GC was on colonel as it was my first play through. I remember that I bought a lot of units for my core and I ended up having too many to use in most scenarios due to the captured/rewarded units. But I never ended up finishing it and stopped somewhere in '41. I'll play on general this time as you suggest.

One last thing - what are your thoughts on using recon in the GC? I typically use my fighters and tanks for recon, but maybe a dedicated recon or two might be useful. Thoughts?

[Ursulet]

In GC, i usually sell my Panzers and any SE units until oslo, i only keep kerscher and SE tanks from oslo onwards... And then i try to level up panzerjeager to 2/3 * until the end of 1941.
Beginning of 1942, i have rondorf, kerscher and 5 SE tanks. And 4 stugs. Thats enough armor.

[heinzrondorf]

heinzrondorf, I really appreciate your feedback and insight. I know most people have moved on to the GC or other DLCs but I figure I should at least do the base campaign one more time to hone my skills. I did play through part of the GC once before ('39 to '41 I think) and found the XP restriction very interesting. I think I hit the XP cap frequently with most of my units. With that in mind, I think playing on FM level isn't as much of a handicap as one might think. Playing on Rommel like you might make it more of a challenge as I really enjoy the prestige management of the game. Having boatloads of prestige to play around with takes the challenge out of the game.

Yes, one interesting aspect of Rommel difficulty is deciding when/if to use elite replacements or settle for regular replacements. That is a topic for discussion in a separate thread and there are pros and cons to both choices but I think you might find it quite enjoyable and challenging.

As for the unit selection, particularly the air force, was that I wanted to have enough air power to handle the US fighters and US navy. I probably could have completed the campaign with only 6 fighters but even the Me 262s seemed to be outgunned in some cases by the US planes, so I would have needed some luck. The 4 strat bombers were used for two reasons. First, it was to handle the powerful battleships in the US navy in US East Coast scenario. And of course I had 2 of them helping clean up the British navy in Sea Lion. I think this ensured that my transports weren't damaged/destroyed. Second, I wanted a way to handle some of the big, tough Soviet and US tanks/ATs. As I mentioned in the first post, my 1-star Tigers were badly hurt by some of the US armored units. To deal with these, I considered three options: Stukas, ATs or strat bombers. Stukas and ATs would do direct damage, whereas the strat bombers would diminish the enemy ammo so that my weaker units could damage them without getting damaged in return. I also used the bombers for suppression on units behind enemy lines, such as art and AA.

Makes sense

For GC, I do remember that there is a lot of captured equirement and a few hero units given here and there. I'll take your advice on the core for GC. While I tend to favor towed artillery for their higher capacity, I really liked using Wurfrahmen (I had 2 in the base campaign) for their mobility and placing them behind infantry in trucks/half-tracks for defending them. I'll try a few more of these.

Yes, load up on artillery. It is something you will definitely need as the campaign progresses and it is not something you will not be awarded so many free/captured units of.

I try to have 2-3 of each type of artillery (self-propelled, towed and rocket artillery) so I can decide what to bring depending on the scenario (the map, if it is defensive/offensive, number of turns etc). For some of the urban scenarios I will bring every single artillery unit I have as artillery suppression is vital to defeat entrenched units.

The 88mm AAs seem like such a great value. They'll shoot down planes and then shatter enemy armor. I didn't use these in the base campaign as they seem slow to set up and use, but I guess that won't be a problem in the longer scenarios of GC.

Indeed, the 88mm is an awesome unit. I consider it as a must have unit against the heavier allied and Russian tanks in 39-41. After 42 it starts struggling a bit in the anti-tank role but it is still very useful. It is great even with if its base movement of 1 but if you get a move hero on it so that it can move 2 hexes it is a beast. I did find it difficult in the beginning to use it too. I actually wrote a thread about it myself a couple of years ago. I recommend you check it out here:
https://www.slitherine.com/forum/viewto ... 21&t=90397

I think the first time I attempted the GC was on colonel as it was my first play through. I remember that I bought a lot of units for my core and I ended up having too many to use in most scenarios due to the captured/rewarded units. But I never ended up finishing it and stopped somewhere in '41. I'll play on general this time as you suggest.

I think its like that for most people the first time they play the GC .

One last thing - what are your thoughts on using recon in the GC? I typically use my fighters and tanks for recon, but maybe a dedicated recon or two might be useful. Thoughts?

I use recon quite a lot. It is not too bad in an attacking role in GC39-40 but it of course requires some babysitting. I also like using it in a village/hex catching role where your main task clears out hexes that can be captured and then move on and you have a recon coming up afterwards and actually capturing the hex. That way your combat force do not have to waste a turn on capturing the hex. I find it to be a very useful tactics in scenarios/maps where there are loads of hexes to capture.

[faos333]

welcome and this is Good news you have decided to go for the GC campaign play.

On the difficulty level I would suggest General, or Rommel if you like managing your prestige, since on the FM you get less experience and less stars which make a huge difference in a GC laating from 39 to 45.

Or you can variate each year differently eg 39 general, 40 rommel, 41 manstein, 42 guderian etc the point is that you can change in every year.

In case you want to share your play, there are two ways, either you create an AAR topic for each year, where people can comment and or a You Tube broadcast using the OBS studio which captures your screen and produces a video that you upload in You tube.

In terms of core as other players have indicated its year has its own core and you end up in 45 with a target of 50 core units to deploy in the Berlin battles.

[frugivore]

In GC, i usually sell my Panzers and any SE units until oslo, i only keep kerscher and SE tanks from oslo onwards... And then i try to level up panzerjeager to 2/3 * until the end of 1941.
Beginning of 1942, i have rondorf, kerscher and 5 SE tanks. And 4 stugs. Thats enough armor.

Yes, I find that some of the beginning units are not very useful as they are weak and cannot be upgraded, so I sell some of them as well.

I did have a quick look at some of the captured units from each year and there is a large number of tanks and anti-tank units. So I guess combining that with the hero units, I probably don't need many tanks in my car. I would like to experiment with Stukas or other tactical bombers in GC.

I never thought of selling my SE units, even the infantry ones, as they seem to be hard to come by. I guess with the longer campaign that might not be a problem. I know there is a limit of SC units in the GC, right?

[frugivore]

welcome and this is Good news you have decided to go for the GC campaign play.

On the difficulty level I would suggest General, or Rommel if you like managing your prestige, since on the FM you get less experience and less stars which make a huge difference in a GC laating from 39 to 45.

Or you can variate each year differently eg 39 general, 40 rommel, 41 manstein, 42 guderian etc the point is that you can change in every year.

In case you want to share your play, there are two ways, either you create an AAR topic for each year, where people can comment and or a You Tube broadcast using the OBS studio which captures your screen and produces a video that you upload in You tube.

In terms of core as other players have indicated its year has its own core and you end up in 45 with a target of 50 core units to deploy in the Berlin battles.

Thanks for the welcome!!

FM is a funny difficulty level, isn't it? You get less experience, and so end up using a lot of your prestige for replacements. So in the end I think you lose more than you would on Rommel level. FM was quite challenging in the base campaign. I only used Elite replacements in the deployment phase since it's cheaper there. I use regular Replacements on the battlefield as needed.

I never thought of changing the difficulty setting in mid campaign. While I think Rommel is doable for me, the other two Master levels seem out of my reach right now. Maybe I'll try them after I finish the gc.

I have seen a few videos on YouTube with someone playing through the Grand campaign. I like the ones where the player is telling us their thought process and strategy. Perhaps I will do the same as I play through this. I do have OBS studio although I don't have a webcam. I find it much more interesting when I can see the players face in videos.

[captainjack]

One way of dealing with enemy air superiority is to use a very small airforce (one or two fighters and maybe a fighter bomber) and rely on AA to keep them away. Mobile AA doesn't do as much damage as an 88 but keeps up with the mobile units and deters attack. If the enemy does attack, defence for fighters and tac bombers is reduced by 5 so you get good kills and experience.

Now you may ask What about the 88 AA/At switch, and that' a good point. But with smaller airforce, you can field more ground units, and the AA will either prevent the constant loss of a point or two and you will have more prestige for elite reinforcements. Not foolproof, but worth a try.

[faos333]

One way of dealing with enemy air superiority is to use a very small airforce (one or two fighters and maybe a fighter bomber) and rely on AA to keep them away. Mobile AA doesn't do as much damage as an 88 but keeps up with the mobile units and deters attack. If the enemy does attack, defence for fighters and tac bombers is reduced by 5 so you get good kills and experience.

Now you may ask What about the 88 AA/At switch, and that' a good point. But with smaller airforce, you can field more ground units, and the AA will either prevent the constant loss of a point or two and you will have more prestige for elite reinforcements. Not foolproof, but worth a try.

Good points, also regrading the A/A needed units, ultimately for the course of the GC a target of two 88 and two mobile Flaks are fine to deal with all air threats

[frugivore]

One way of dealing with enemy air superiority is to use a very small airforce (one or two fighters and maybe a fighter bomber) and rely on AA to keep them away. Mobile AA doesn't do as much damage as an 88 but keeps up with the mobile units and deters attack. If the enemy does attack, defence for fighters and tac bombers is reduced by 5 so you get good kills and experience.

Now you may ask What about the 88 AA/At switch, and that' a good point. But with smaller airforce, you can field more ground units, and the AA will either prevent the constant loss of a point or two and you will have more prestige for elite reinforcements. Not foolproof, but worth a try.

Good points, also regrading the A/A needed units, ultimately for the course of the GC a target of two 88 and two mobile Flaks are fine to deal with all air threats

I have just started the GC and although I started off with one fighter, I decided to sell my 3.7 cm Pak AT and buy the laudable 8.8 cm FlaK AA. It has done considerable damage to the Polish tanks! I have yet to use it in its AA configuration as the Polish air force has been absent thus far.

I'm now in the Piatek scenario and I remember that there were both tanks and aircraft here. So I buy a second 8.8 cm FlaK or perhaps another unit?

[faos333]

One way of dealing with enemy air superiority is to use a very small airforce (one or two fighters and maybe a fighter bomber) and rely on AA to keep them away. Mobile AA doesn't do as much damage as an 88 but keeps up with the mobile units and deters attack. If the enemy does attack, defence for fighters and tac bombers is reduced by 5 so you get good kills and experience.

Now you may ask What about the 88 AA/At switch, and that' a good point. But with smaller airforce, you can field more ground units, and the AA will either prevent the constant loss of a point or two and you will have more prestige for elite reinforcements. Not foolproof, but worth a try.

Good points, also regrading the A/A needed units, ultimately for the course of the GC a target of two 88 and two mobile Flaks are fine to deal with all air threats

I have just started the GC and although I started off with one fighter, I decided to sell my 3.7 cm Pak AT and buy the laudable 8.8 cm FlaK AA. It has done considerable damage to the Polish tanks! I have yet to use it in its AA configuration as the Polish air force has been absent thus far.

I'm now in the Piatek scenario and I remember that there were both tanks and aircraft here. So I buy a second 8.8 cm FlaK or perhaps another unit?

It all depends on the style of play, there are many ways to win, for the moment I would buy an artillery or a fighter.

[frugivore]

Good points, also regrading the A/A needed units, ultimately for the course of the GC a target of two 88 and two mobile Flaks are fine to deal with all air threats

I have just started the GC and although I started off with one fighter, I decided to sell my 3.7 cm Pak AT and buy the laudable 8.8 cm FlaK AA. It has done considerable damage to the Polish tanks! I have yet to use it in its AA configuration as the Polish air force has been absent thus far.

I'm now in the Piatek scenario and I remember that there were both tanks and aircraft here. So I buy a second 8.8 cm FlaK or perhaps another unit?

It all depends on the style of play, there are many ways to win, for the moment I would buy an artillery or a fighter.

I think you're right. I purchased two SturmPanzers and I love them. You would think their low ammo would be an issue but I found that since they are on double duty (attack and defense), I get a lot of use out of them and great experience.

One question I had about the 8.8 cm FlaK and switch-capable units in general: Do the number of stars a switch unit has apply the bonuses pertaining to that unit class? For example, if my 8.8 cm FlaK has two stars, I would get a +4 bonus to air attack. But when I switch to AT mode, do I get a +4 bonus to hard attack? And in AT mode, does it get have the +3/-3 initiative bonus/penalty when defending/attacking, respectively?

[dalfrede]

One question I had about the 8.8 cm FlaK and switch-capable units in general: Do the number of stars a switch unit has apply the bonuses pertaining to that unit class? For example, if my 8.8 cm FlaK has two stars, I would get a +4 bonus to air attack. But when I switch to AT mode, do I get a +4 bonus to hard attack? And in AT mode, does it get have the +3/-3 initiative bonus/penalty when defending/attacking, respectively?

The game doesn't care that a unit is switchable. When in AT mode it is AT. When it AA mode it is AA.
When an 'AT' has a range Hero, it is ignored, but not removed.

[frugivore]

I started playing the grand campaign now on Rommel level. I wanted to explore how being prestige restricted would affect my decisions. I decided to record my gameplay in case I decided to upload it to Youtube later.

To gauge my success in this campaign, I've been watching GC Rommel videos by Soren Tjerry (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofIgKJ4 ... e&index=20) and compared his prestige to mine in the same scenario. I am now in GC '40 in the Amiens scenario where I have about 3K prestige at the start of the campaign compared to his 11.5K prestige in Calais. Can someone help me understand the big difference in prestige between the two of us? I have lost units along the campaign (3 inantry, 1 artillery) but that amounts to about 500 prestige. Where did he get about 8000 more prestige?

[PeteMitchell]

Maybe he forces many units to surrender?
Plus he usually takes very little damage, so less reinforcements cost?

[captainjack]

It's surprisingly easy to use up prestige without thinking. Even at colonel level, the trick is to use it deliberately for a purpose that suits you
In-game elite replacements, high overstrength and transports are surprisingly prestige-hungry.
When next on my pc I'll add links to prestige management tips (unless somene beats me to it).
Meanwhile, remember that walking is cheap, environmentally friendly and keeps your troops fit!

[frugivore]

Maybe he forces many units to surrender?
Plus he usually takes very little damage, so less reinforcements cost?

Perhaps so, but I too have been forcing units to surrender. And I think I've been playing close to optimal. Even if I had played perfectly, I'm pretty certain that I wouldn't have had another 8K prestige.

Edit: I went through a number of Soren's videos and I think you are right Pete. The intro video says this is a non-blind playthrough, so if he minized damage to his units, it could amount to 500 prestige per scenario. Perhaps when I become more familiar with the GC, I'll be playing at that level too. I was just quite surprised at the discrepancy in prestige!

It's surprisingly easy to use up prestige without thinking. Even at colonel level, the trick is to use it deliberately for a purpose that suits you
In-game elite replacements, high overstrength and transports are surprisingly prestige-hungry.
When next on my pc I'll add links to prestige management tips (unless somene beats me to it).
Meanwhile, remember that walking is cheap, environmentally friendly and keeps your troops fit!

Well, the way I play is that I never using in-game elite replacements and rarely overstrength units. I did overstrength my 8 105mm arties to 11 and my 2 strat bombers to 11 also, but nothing else. The only infantry units with transports are the SE units I was awarded and the one regular infantry that I started with.

I began to think that it had something to do with the 'soft cap', which I'm not too familiar with. I checked my save game and saw that it is at 100%, which I think is ideal right? But it also shows that I am receiving 0 prestige per turn. Is this what one would expect?

It would be really helpful if someone could load a saved game from the Amiens/Calais (Rommel level) and let me know how much prestige you've accumulated. If you have about 11K also, then I know that I need to be demoted and possibly court martialed.

Edit: As mentioned above, the difference is probably the amount of regular replacements during battle. I have been rushing through the scenarios and finishing them early but taking more damage it seems. Perhaps I should slow down.

[heinzrondorf]

Well, the way I play is that I never using in-game elite replacements and rarely overstrength units. I did overstrength my 8 105mm arties to 11 and my 2 strat bombers to 11 also, but nothing else. The only infantry units with transports are the SE units I was awarded and the one regular infantry that I started with.

I began to think that it had something to do with the 'soft cap', which I'm not too familiar with. I checked my save game and saw that it is at 100%, which I think is ideal right? But it also shows that I am receiving 0 prestige per turn. Is this what one would expect?

It would be really helpful if someone could load a saved game from the Amiens/Calais (Rommel level) and let me know how much prestige you've accumulated. If you have about 11K also, then I know that I need to be demoted and possibly court martialed.

Edit: As mentioned above, the difference is probably the amount of regular replacements during battle. I have been rushing through the scenarios and finishing them early but taking more damage it seems. Perhaps I should slow down.

I think you are doing quite what should be expected as it is more or less the first or second time you play the GC right?

I am currently playing the GC on Rommel. It is the first time for me playing on Rommel as well but I have completed the GC on Colonel, General and Field Marshal previously so I know the maps and scenarios quite well.

I loaded up my save from Amiens (turn 1) and I had 5858 prestige. The only units I had overstrengthtened were my 2 Bf 109 fighters and my 88s. Maybe the strat bombers too. Can't remember since they were reserves and not deployed. All other units were at base strength. I had up until then swept every single map and captured every single village/hex which rewards prestige and my situation still was not great.

I had up until that time also not used elite replacements at all and rarely used any in-game replacements, if so it was definitely regular replacements and not elite replacements.

I am playing on 1.14 rules though and I believe you are awarded a lot of prestige when forcing surrenders on 1.20 rules. Maybe someone else can confirm this.

I did buy a lot of units during GC39-40 so my prestige does not look great either. GC39-40 is usually when I buy all my units, I almost never buy any new, green units after 1940 when playing the GC. From GC40 on I only add (maybe with the exception of an anti-tank unit like Stug) captured units or the special units which are awarded by High Command.

FYI I am currently playing Stalingrad Ruins (still on Rommel) and I have >30K prestige which I think is decent considering I started using more over strength and elite replacements in GC42 so my prestige situation improved a lot between GC40-42.

But you are on to something regarding slowing down. It of course depends on the scenario and the amount of awarded turns but sometimes a slower approach is actually quicker since you take less damage and do not have to "waste" turns by bringing in in-game replacements because your units have been shot up so bad. Also be wary of attacking ground units without suppressing them with artillery first, at least until you get the super tanks like Tiger I/II and Panther. Even if your tank (say Panzer IIIF or IVD) can cause -5 damage on an enemy unit by attacking it is not great if it ends up taking 3-4 hits itself so that its strength goes from 10 to 6-7. As you know, when it goes below 6-7 it is becoming dangerous for it to operate and you will probably be tempted to use replacements on it in order to keep it operational. Of course if you do bring in regular in-game replacements you lose a lot of experience for the unit which also decreases its effectiveness and leads to more casualties for the unit down the line so use loads of artillery. Artillery is one of the best ways to preserve prestige and keep your units in decent shape