No problem, however because I would like to keep this thread related to this AAR I will bump my old HOI2 related thread.
Thread:
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=179168
(to any mods, could you link my older HOI2 thread with the one raptor linked in it?)
Edit: Just to answer your question;
This game is really good if you sit down and think about what you're doing. Jumping into it like a FPS will make you very bored and you'll probably drop it.
From what I've read, HOI2 is a little bit better (with mods like CORE) and the like. Last I checked HOI3 had a few stability issues, but the CORE team was working on it as well. The only reason I would personally choose HOI3 is the flexibility involved in building Divisions.
Because this is a grand strategy game, there is no way to replicate platoon/company based warfare. The smallest unit available (on ground warfare) is a brigade which in itself does not fight. The actual units you move around the map are divisions which you can put together to form Corps, Armies, Army Groups and Theatre Groups.
As for staying Historical, I plan on playing "historical" in the sense that I won't take all available divisions and pile them through one province, but will instead opt for a more realistic strategy.