Bushido Code - an HOI3:SF Japan AAR

Jin River Valley : Taking the valley - March 13th to 19th, 1938

The battles for the Jin river continued with the Cavalry Corps sundering the Chinese holding the lower end of the river at Xianyang.



Cavalry Corps western attack was successful with support from 5th Corps in the north took the upper end of the river at Xifeng.



5th Corps itself continued it's crush on the Ma Clique almost completing Japanese control of the Ordos Loop.



Motor Corps moving to support the Cavalry Corps flank takes the mouth of the Jin where it meets the Weii.



While the fighting had been hard, the climate of the Jin valley was holding up the Japanese far more than the Chinese. The supplies were holding but not necessarily getting across the whole of the north as they should.



While the supplies were good, the 5th Corps was not going to be held back with weak Ma clique troops to their front.

Pincer in the Center - March 19th to 25th, 1938

Since the action at Haixing had ended around the 2nd, the 1st Army had been consolidating the advances and fully recovering from the wild actions of January. Some units had also been suffering from a general lack of supply, the Army Group's logistics were experiencing difficulties in supporting the 2nd Army's battles in the west.

Being all infantry now, the 1st Army was not deterred from attempting another maneuver to cut out and destroy more Chinese divisions in the center. The goal was to get behind the Chinese and cut them off from the Yellow river, denying them the ability to retreat to safety on the south side.

The 1st and 4th Corps were selected to lead the assaults on the east and west side respectively, with the 3rd Corps reprising a role it had often filled in the past months of pining the enemy's front and preventing them from disengaging to safety.


1st Corps was immediately rewarded with a quick victory over Chinese cavalry holding Pingshun.


The IJAA went into action to support the 4th Corps attack at Linfen, rapidly helping break the resistance there. The 4th Corps plunges in.


At Songyan the Chinese broke under light pressure from the 3rd Corps and 1st Army was afraid that their prey might escape before the pincers were closed.


The Chinese not being fools could see the intent of these developing attacks and attempted to forestall the 4th Corps at Linfen by tossing their cavalry in. 4th Corps would not be denied their victory and made short work of them.


The 1st and 4th Corps were making good progress, but supplies were starting to be an issue for 4th Corps...all across the center from the Cavalry Corps to 4th Corps shortages were becoming the norm.

Organizing the China Expeditionary Army

General Yuhi felt that the supply issues in the center of Army Group A were a result of his forces having to get their through the Kwangtun Army's logistical apparatus. For a number of months Yushi and General Nishio of Kwangtun Army had quarreled again and again, finally Yushi felt that it was time to take his complaints directly to Prince Kanin and took a flight to the home islands.

Yuhi forcefully and directly made his case and the solution was to recognize the operations in north China had progressed to such a point as to have the character of being an entirely different theater of war than that of the Kwangtun.

As such this north China theater was labelled the "China Expeditionary Army" with Yuhi being placed in charge. Several promotions were also made to recognize specific generals from the past months campaigns. Kuribayashi was made the new Army Group A commander for his dynamic command style, the commander of 1st Corps was elevated to commanding 1st Army while 1st Corps itself was taken over by MGEN Ueda.

With these changes Yuhi took direct control of the logistic situation, however the general found himself unease as he realized that he had made a bitter rival in Nishio of Kwangtun Army.





China Expeditionary Army's theater scope

Pincer in the Center, Part 2 - March 26th to 31st, 1938

The 1st Army was well advanced on their central pincer movement, the 1st Corps had achieved it's objectives, but the 4th Corps was lagging due to it's supply issues. Yet on the 26th it appeared as if the trap was going to close on a substantial number of Chinese units.


The Chinese command issued a general retreat, attempting to withdraw as many troops from the closing jaws as possible...reckless and heroic actions are taken by the Chinese to hold open the gap for as many troops as possible to escape.


Sacrificial heroics pay off as more and more Chinese escape the trap and make for the south side of the Yellow river.


Finally only two Chinese divisions end up in the trap for sure due to MGEN Mutaguchi driving his men like a wedge through Zhangzi and cutting off those Chinese from escape to the south.


The absence of fast maneuver forces were the downfall of this central pincer movement, however the 1st Army was not done yet. Appealing to the CEA command the Motor Corps was transferred back to 1st Army control. Already having a foothold across the Weii (and thus south of the Yellow) the Motor Corps was directed to strike east below the Yellow and destroy the retreating Chinese there. The Japanese Army was not going to be denied it's mighty victory!

Status Update : War in China


Southern Landing Force


Chinese Expeditionary Army


Air progress central front


1st Army


Army boundary


2nd Army along the Weii


2nd Army in the North West


Overview

Yushi's Port

The supply situation was not magically alleviated by the creation of the Chinese Expeditionary Army and General Yushi was not amused.

CEA Supplies

He was concerned that his grand expedition to IGHQ being found out as a total bust in practical operation. Yushi decided, on his own authority and initiative, to create another port at Cangzhou. Would IGHQ, and more importantly his new rival at Kwangtun Army, find out?

New port under construction at Cangzhou

Pincer in the Center, Part 3 - April 1st to 10th, 1938

The ad hoc operation centering around where the Weii empties into the Yellow river was continuing on. The transfer of Motor Corps to first Army's control provided a strong maneuver element "punch" that was focused south of the Yellow river proper. The slower infantry corps were tasked with keeping a relentless pressure in a southerly direction on the enemy.



The IJAA continued their exemplary combat support of the 1st Army in the region.



The infantry corps make the most progress at first as the Motor Corps has not all arrived to the front as yet, so their efforts are not as strong yet.



As the remainder of Motor Corps did reach the front, the cumulative shock rolled the Chinese back.



The pressure from the north continues...




...as does the penetration by the Motor Corps



On the eastern side of the pincer movement more infantry moves into action, blasting the Chinese aside and moving towards the muddy banks of the Yellow.

Campaign against the Ma Clique - April 3rd to 10th, 1938

In the far west the 5th Corps was slogging its way through the abysmal conditions and the occasional Ma Clique resistance.

CEA Overview and Supply Status

Pincer in the Center, Part 4 - April 11th to 16th, 1938

The Chinese had been putting up stiff resistance to those crossings of the Yellow by IJA infantry on their north flank, however the deep Motor Corps penetration had obliged the Chinese to withdraw eastward or risk encirclement.



Most escaped, however the 1st Army had not given up on catching their prey now that they had flushed them out, and another attempt was made to trap the retreating Chinese between the Motor Corps hammer and the infantry anvil.



Battlefield intelligence revealed that there were a good number of top line Nationalist troops that could be eliminated if they could be isolated.



The encirclement of those forces was nearly complete...



...when the resistance collapsed, sending the Chinese streaming for the remaining gap in their rear.



Fighting desperately they maintain an open escape route through the 16th.




On the 18th the overall CEA situation looked like this:



With the fall of Tongchuan to the constricting Japanese forces, the 1st Army staff saw an opportunity on the map which only the Motor Corps could exploit.



It was time for a new grand plan to be launched!

Air development and a look at Germany


The IJAA had been pleased with the performance of their interceptors in China so far, but the overall lack of any real resistance in the air and the always present need for more CAS for the troops had brought the idea of a more rugged type of fighter aircraft, capable of dealing with rare interception yet be always-useful when on station as an Army support aircraft also.

The resulting design specification and competition produced the Ki-44


Ki-44





On the other side of the world, information from the Japanese mission in Berlin was revealing a large military buildup in the Whermacht.



Japanese diplomacy was not otherwise idle either, the command authority having taken steps to placate any uneasiness by Yunnan, the IGHQ having no interest in expanding the Second Sino-Chinese War (as it was being called) to the borders of India and the UK.

It was hoped that assurances and influence on Yunnan would prevent them from allowing support to flow into China from the west.



On the 22nd, after reviews of the supply situation so far on the North China front, the armaments cabinet minister was selected to take the public fall for a situation he did not create. His replacement is a high ranking member of the Army connected Mitsui zaibatsu.

Operational Plan Kuro

The main objective of this new grand plan from the fertile minds of 1st Army's staff was to get to the ocean and cut off the Chinese either in the Shandong peninsula or north of it. This would be accomplished by the Motor Corps taking the whole of the Huai river valley to the ocean with their north and south flanks covered by the infantry corps of the army.

Securing the Weii River - April 18th to 22nd, 1938

The Chinese were holding tenaciously to the upper reaches of the Weii river, and the 2nd Army's objective was two-fold, taking the ground from the Chinese and keeping those forces occupied in the west so they could not move east to flank the 1st Army.



The Japanese permanently severed the Ma Clique from the Nationalists at Minxian, which provided a secure point for 5th Corps to move into the Ma lands and the other parts of 2nd Army to secure the Weii.



The 5th and Cavalry Corps straightened out their mixed lines with cross supporting each others attacks in such a way that they would end up in the proper locations.

Operation Kuro - April 20th to 30th, 1938

Operation Kuro's first successes came along the still active Yellow river front at Yuzhou.



The Motor Corps made their breakthrough at Tanghe to start their planned dash to the sea.



Operation Kuro planned movements...



Huai river's source is taken by the Motor Corp's northern prongs.





Operation Kuro progress



Air support for Operation Kuro



Detected Chinese movements...seems they are moving *into* the trap, perhaps they have not detected the Japanese intent.



A week into the operation the Motor Corps was making good progress down the Huai river.



The infantry supports the Motor Corps advance as planned.



The Chinese attempt to make a stand along the Huai in the hills around Fuyang, but the Motor Corps and IJAA reduce their hopes to nothing.



Further north the progress down the Yellow continues.

Operation Kuro - May 1st to 7th, 1938

Well established on both sides of the Huai, the Motor Corps rushes to the east and the sea.



The IJAA continues pounding all along the frontlines, being so ever present as to cause the Chinese at this time to refer to their ever swiveling heads and eyes combined with the need for taking cover as the wushi, in reference to the traditional Lion Dance.




Diving headlong towards the sea the Motor Corps leaves tens to hundreds of miles between themselves and the nearest infantry.



Which did not appear to be a danger as air reconnaissance revealed the Chinese to be either in flight before the Japanese, disarray south of them, and attempting to form a line of resistance between the Japanese and the Sea.



What resistance they attempted to muster was brushed aside by the Motor Corps, Chinese militia attempting to cut off the dashing Japanese were being slowly intercepted by the infantry filling in behind.



In the early hours of the 7th, the Motor Corps had it's objective within reach and the infantry of 1st Army had the flanks and pining of the Chinese forces along the Yellow well in hand.

Central China - May 3rd to 10th, 1938

Kuro-Go was not the only action in China, in the west-central portions along the Yunnan border the 2nd Army was performing it's own advance to the south, keeping the Chinese engaged there.







The overall competency of the IJA was noted by foreign observers, the three-year conscripts enlisted prior to the China War were now seasoned "old hands" as those troops which had been on North China duty before them.



As if to demonstrate this the 6th Corps, composed mainly of those three-year soldiers, was executing a complex advance at the pivot point of the central front advance.



By the 10th with the reversal of the Chinese at Chengdu, the whole west-central Chinese front was in retrograde movement and only the vast, primitive nature of the terrain slowed the Japanese advance.

Operation Kuro - May 11th to 19th, 1938

The Motor Corps had nothing between themselves and the sea...



The 12th had their feet in the ocean surf with Obata's division taking the north bank of the river and crushing hopes of a Chinese breakout.



With the drive to the ocean complete, the 1st Army expanded on the Kuro plan to detail the 3rd Corps to attempt to cut off the Chinese, the bulk of whom were still facing the Japanese along the Yellow, from the Shandong peninsula. At the same time the Motor Corps and the southern infantry were to expand and reinforce the position along the Huai.



The 3rd Corps objectives, with apparently no one to stop them. However, the logistical situation behind the Japanese advance was bordering on chaos.



Meanwhile, MGEN Obata's motor division is detailed to take the south side of the Shandong Peninsula and remove all hope of Chinese resupply, reinforcement, or escape.

IGHQ Liaison Committee - May 16th, 1938

The Inspectorate General of Military Training, LGEN Viscount Kazumoto Machijiri, announced that he had released three divisions of mountain troops to operational army control. They were presently at Nagoya working up for deployment.



Prince Kanin declared that two groups of the new Ki-44 fighters would be built and pilots trained for the IJAA, these units earmarked to replace the interceptors currently serving in China, most of which would be brought back to the home islands when the Ki-44's deployed.

Shigeaki Ikeda, the Armaments and Finance Minister, presented an analysis of his economic and production projections before bringing the committee's attention to his discovery of around 8% of the overall budget being demanded by the CEA for some miscellaneous project which communications with General Yushi had not made any clearer.



The assembled officers and the Emperor all expressed concern about these financial irregularities, which Prince Kanin promised to get to the bottom of.

Operation Gotu, the planned isolation of Nanjing - May 20th to 26th, 1938

First Army thought to undertake the investment and capture of the Chinese capital at Nanjing with a direct approach from the north supplemented by a wide motorized sweep around to the south of the city.



Intelligence revealed that the Chinese eastern flank rested on the capital and that there was nothing to impede a dash through the Yangtze bottom lands to ensnare the forces defending the city.



However on the 25th at the Yangtzee, Shima's division ran headlong into Chinese forces swinging out to the right of the capital to secure that flank.



While Koiso's division was engaged in harsh fighting along the cities northern perimeter, both he and Shima were awaiting Nishi to gain the Yangtzee on the west side of the city and hopefully relieve some of the pressure or at least take the forces they were fighting in the flank.

Operation Kuro progress, Ando at Golmud, Oil and Diplomacy

As the month of May came to a close, Operation Kuro was proving to be a brilliant success for Kuriyabashi's 1st Army. The dash to the sea had gone as planned and there was really no conceivable way the Chinese were going to extract themselves from the trap.

The 3rd Corps bisecting the area and keeping the Chinese main body from the Shandong Peninsula had failed, but not for want of trying but for want of supplies. The 1st and 2nd Corps had sprung their part of the operation when the trap had been successfully closed and after some fighting they were in command of the Yellow river for the most part and had even isolated some units here and there.



In the far west the 5th Corps' MGEN Ando was attempting to force his way into the Ma capital at Golmud, but was far ahead of any kind of friendly support, essentially waging a one division war which if successful would bring great glory on Ando.



On the diplomatic front Foreign Minister Arita was directed to do his utmost to woo the "old dragon" of Yunnan, General Long Yun, who had strategically kept himself apart from the KMT.



Finally the Japanese strategic reserve of oil was estimated to be nearing depletion within a month. The IJA assured the IGHQ that they were confident that if Nanjing falls the war in China would come to a rapid end within a month, in the meantime the interceptors over China, and those ships no longer needed on station were recalled to conserve as much fuel as possible.



The IJN supported this quick end to the war through victory, but there was no answer to their question about how the strategic reserve would be replenished to support any future operations of the navy, the air force, or the motorized army.