Military personnel Hearts of Iron IV Guide
Last update: 29 June 2016
The last part of the politics panel allows you to get support from various military experts. You can decide about and recruit into your government commanders of land, air and navy armies. Aside from that, you can decide about the high command, for which you have three slots. In each case you can select and change military experts in accordance to your actions and your playing style.
Below you can find a detailed commentary about specific officers.
Army commander
In this case you have a single slot and two candidates to choose from. Depending on whether you want to focus on offensive or defensive actions you will be given different benefits associated with your style of play. Selection of the officer depends solely on whether you will be an aggressor in the upcoming conflict, or if you will be on the defensive. Each expert requires a specific amount of political power and the decision whether you want to use the one centered around defense or offense can be postponed to 1939.
Description | Benefits |
Attack expert Cost: 150 | Attack of the army +10% |
Defense expert Cost: 150 | Defense of the army +10% |
Navy commander
Navy commander allows you to gain more diverse benefits to the navy than the one available for the land army. You should wait before you decide to select one of the following officers before it is absolutely necessary. In the meantime you should think whether you're going to be using your sea forces and what you want to achieve with them. It is important that the decisions in this regard are consistent with political focuses and other development decisions.
Description | Benefits |
Decisive Battle Cost: 150 | Battleship attack +10% Battleship Defense +10% Shielding ship attack +10% Shielding ship Defense +10% |
Convoy attacks Cost: 150 | Effectiveness of Convoy attacks +15% |
Air commander
In this case the air commander is also selected for a single slot. The benefits of those officers are purely situational. If you want to develop air units, you should appoint Aviation Reformer as soon as possible, who will be generating air unit experience from a very early point in the game. On the other hand, the commander responsible for night missions will be useful when planning surprise attacks. In both cases you should think twice which one will be more useful for your playing style. You should start with using the Aviation Reformer, as you will be using night missions a lot less often.
Description | Benefits |
Night missions Cost: 150 | Night missions penalty -20% |
Aviation reformer Cost: 150 | Air units experience gain +10% |
High Command
The last slots of the panel are devoted to the high command, which can be appointed from five candidates and selected for three slots. You should select them in accordance to your own preferences, your army and your playing style. You should postpone this selection until you've developed your army and you are ready to strike. Below you can find commentaries about all of the available officers.
Description | Benefits |
Armored units Cost: 150 | Armored units attack +10% Armored units defense +10% |
Commentary: If the armored units are the foundation of your army, you should select this officer immediately. Regardless of whether you will be the one attacking or defending, the bonuses provided by this officer, coupled with the ones from other fields can tilt the balance of units on the battlefield in your favor.
Description | Benefits |
Cavalry Cost: 150 | Cavalry attack +10% Cavalry defense +10% Mechanized infantry attack +10% Mechanized infantry defense +10% |
Commentary: Aside from developing your tanks, you can focus on increasing the effectiveness of your mechanized infantry. Your deployed units will gain several beneficial modifiers, regardless of your current situation. Note that the bonuses also apply to the cavalry, increasing the attractiveness of the officer.
Description | Benefits |
Paratroopers Cost: 150 | Paratroopers attack 2% Paratroopers defense 5% Paratroopers health 5% |
Commentary: The actions of special forces can often lead to beneficial results, which is why you should spend some resources to acquire the above officer. Thanks to that all of the actions performed by paratroopers will be more effective.
Description | Benefits |
Air domination Cost: 150 | Attack - domination 3% Defense - domination 3% Health - domination 3% |
Commentary: If you've decided to use fighters, you should definitely use the additional modifiers that come with this officer. The values aren't high, but they can still increase the effectiveness of your units.
Description | Benefits |
Amphibious Warfare Cost: 150 | Amphibious landing speed +10% |
Commentary: You've probably expected an expert associated with navy units, but in this case the developers prepared an officer increasing the amphibious landing speed of your units. If you are planning domination on several continents you should definitely select the above officer.