can someone help me understand combat a little better

[AncientHunter]

n00b here (got the game over the steam sale)

can someone tell me where I'm going wrong? I played my first game as the allies and just for example I had a pretty sizable army in Egypt... a few armies/coprs, armor, HQ, anti-tank, arty, and I even operation moved 3 tactical bombers there. Yet I could barely do any damage to the germen units there... Combine my bombers might take take 1 or 2 points of damage off a single enemy infantry unit. My own infantry did zero damage, same with arty, even the battle ships I had on the coast did very limited damage. The tank and the anti-tank did some damage but were quickly wiped out being the only effect unit on the front line.

Clearly I'm missing something, seems like I have to spend whole turns just taking off half an armies worth of points while I get beat back constantly.

Also, this being my first game I had the AI control the USSR for me, but im noticing a lot of MPP building up for them, am I expected to spend it for the AI or is it saving on purpose?

[El_Condoro]

You had 1 HQ only? With the size of the force you describe, I would guess you would need 2 or even 3 to get the best out of your units. Right-click on your HQ units and set them to Manual-Assist and then right-click on each unit you want to assign to that HQ and choose Attach. Do that before you move or attack with any units. You can detach units that you don't need to use that turn and attach ones you do. Should give some better results.

[Elessar2]

I'll just add 2 more clarifications to what El_Condero said:

1. One HQ can boost another's supply distribution level. Typically most people use an Italian HQ as the boosting HQ, and Rommel (once you accept the Afrika Corps event in late '40) as the one boosted. Make sure you park the Italian one on a town.

2. You have to make sure that air units you plan to use are attached the turn BEFORE you plan to use them. The supply rules for them are different than for land units, as they get minimal supply as well as no readiness/morale boosts if they aren't attached to any HQs (land units at least will get the supply boost), and there is currently no mechanism to redo the supply on the current turn (as in we've asked for such, but the devs have given no promises).

[BillRunacre]

n00b here (got the game over the steam sale)

Also, this being my first game I had the AI control the USSR for me, but im noticing a lot of MPP building up for them, am I expected to spend it for the AI or is it saving on purpose?

The AI will use the MPPs to buy units or research technologies, but there is nothing stopping you from interfering and doing it yourself during your turn, should you wish to.