• We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
I've enjoyed the interplay of priorities and expectations among the various factions in the government, and you do an excellent job of invoking a sense that the war is inevitable.

Well done!
 
NiseJapanses:
Thanks for your comments and praise! More diplomacy will be coming up, but I digress. Yes, the poem is what was read historically at one of the 'pre-war meetings.' I've never been very good at making up my own poetry :( .

As to the US, Yamamoto would rather not be at war with them, at least until the southern operations are finished and he can focus the navy on them. Given the undeniable and unstoppable glorious success of His Majesties military, once the southern resource area has been subdued and effectively defended, I think that Yamamoto will prefer to strike the first blow in any resulting war. The question is, will the US give Japan all that time or will other events bring them into the war.

Yes, HOI 1's tech tree is much larger and more complicated than HOI2's. This difference is even greater when you consider that I am playing using the C.O.R.E. mod for the game. Essentially, there are so many different kinds of ships and unique units that customization of your fleet to mission is possible, sortof analogus to the Doctrinal customization in HOI2. To take cruisers for example: relatively early on you can choose to research into scouting, battlefleet, or commerce raiding cruisers. This choice will allow you modifiers on your ships stats to represent this conceptual change as well as limit or expand your hull types (For example: you must have commerce raiding to build pocket battleships). As to upgrading ships: You can only upgrade improvements to your ships -- radar, new anti-aircraft guns, etc. The tech's spell out how this works. So a carrier hull capable of carrying two wings of CAGS cannot be upgraded to carry more, BUT you can improve the ships radar and anti-aircraft guns which will make the ship more survivable, etc.

As you might expect this is long and complicated and means it is difficult to assess the viability of various strategies. In this particular game, I'm experimenting by using scouting cruisers and relying on my ships superior spotting tendences to deliver crippling air assaults to sink ships quickly. The downside is, if I get surprised, lots of sailors may be dying for the emperor in a relatively short time.

I hope that helps give you some information on that subject. Let me know if you buy the game and have questions! I'll be glad to use you as a guinea pig for strategy...I mean, suggest possible avenues of naval construction. ;)

Chesterton:
Thanks for the best wishes, I'm expecting to hear back from them before the end of the month. Oooo! Excitment! :cool:

Director:
:eek: :eek:o QUICK! Roll out the red carpet!

It is an honor sir that you've read my humble AAR and I am especially pleased to hear a "well done" from such an esteemed writer as yourself! Anyone out there, I heartily recommend this man's work as well worth your reading time.

Thanks for stopping by and making my day. Have some sake on the house.

News:
I plan to write the next update tonight or tomorrow and post on Sunday afternoon. Stay tuned!
 
As promised...

Brag about Next Year and the Devil Laughs

It had all seemed so easy. At the end of the first week of war, Domei, the Japanese news agency, began referring to the “marvel” of Japan’s successes. Compared to them, “the famous naval engagements such as Trafalgar and Jutland are as sailing exercises on a lake,” said the official government news service. A neutral would have to forgive Domei for this boasting. The British naval base at Singapore was still burning and under threat of Yamashitas forces. The Japanese crowed as London announced the sinking of the Dutch relief fleet. As London gave details, they were transmitted by the wire services to Buenos Aires, and there the Domei correspondent had them to send home. The Japanese newspapers ran pictures of the sunk British cruisers. Artist Ken Matsuzoe painted for the government a stirring scene of a sky full of Japanese planes and Dutch ships burning and sinking below. All Japan was agog in these first days of the war, and the newspapers led the pack. The eight major Tokyo newspapers sponsored a national “Rally to Crush Britain” at Korakuen Stadium. The editors made speeches, promising to do everything possible to bring all the world under one roof. Hakko ichiu! Banzai!

It was easy enough for the Japanese to tell the truth about the war just then, for everywhere they were winning. The war “is to emancipate the East Asian Nations from Anglo-Saxon domination and to construct a new order.” That was the new Japanese government line. Many people in Asia were more pleased with this Japanese promise to eradicate colonialism then the Anglo-Saxons have ever known. They cheered as the Japanese rolled up their victories. The Thai government pledged its unwavering support to The Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. Wang I-hung, chairman of the North China Political Council, pledged Chinese support for “the emancipation of the Asian peoples by driving out the Anglo-Saxons.” A Taiwanese banana dealer named Sei Suigen sent the Japanese Ministry of War Y 2000 to further the cause. Manchukuo Prime Minister Chang Ching-hui praised Japan for “establishing the new order.” Prince Teh, chairman of the Federated Autonomous Government of Mongolia, pledged “the full support of six million people.” The natives on Celebes “greeted the Japanese with joy.” Wang Ching-wei, the president of the Nanking China government, congratulated Japan on her initial victories. In Indochina, Governor Vice Admiral Jean Decoux pledged cooperation with the Japanese against the Anglo-Saxons. To be sure, many of these leaders were de facto captives of the Japanese, but the sentiments were often real. From Timor and other South Pacific islands came indications that the Japanese were being welcomed. From Argentina, which ostentatiously declared its “neutralism,” came report after report of pleasure in the victories of the Japanese.

The world seemed turned upside down with the sudden victories of the little brown men over the Europeans. So quickly were the victories coming that the Japanese propaganda machinery was unable to keep up. In future months Tokyo would begin to capitalize on the reservoirs of anti-colonial feeling, particularly in the Dutch East Indies, where Holland’s rule had been among the most unenlightened in the world. In Tokyo, the Diet met in special session to promise efforts to win the war quickly. That same day a drive to sell war bonds was begun in the Japanese capital in spite of the cold; that day marked the last snowfall of the winter. All sorts of changes accompanied the outbreak of war, including changes in terminology. The government declared the word Kyokuto (Far East) to be obnoxious. Hereafter, said a government announcement, that world would not be used, but the phrase Dai-Toa (Greater East Asia) would describe the area.

At the end of the first week, Kowloon had fallen, and Hongkong, across the bay, was under attack. The Japanese army was marching down the Malay peninsula toward British forces rushing north from Singapore. On March 19, the Japanese fleet transports under Admiral Yamamoto landed the rest of General Yamashita’s troops at Singapore. This daring operation was made possible by British General Percival’s decision to move the bulk of his army north to deal with what he believed to be the main Japanese thrust. The single division holding the town and port was overrun in a series of brilliantly executed night landings which resulted in extremely low casualties to the attackers. Japanese troops in Thailand joined Thai troops to fight off British forces on the border. Japanese tanks clanked through Shanghai. That day Imperial Headquarters announced the landing of Japanese troops on Java Island. In the second week, Hongkong surrendered.

The really big news occurred during War Minister Sugiyama’s speech to the Diet:

At daybreak on March 21, Imperial forces reached the northern part of the island of Borneo…The Japanese units report that the enemy had destroyed the oil refineries and taken out machinery as early as three months ago. However out of the total of 150 oil wells it will be possible to extract oil from 70 wells in a month’s time, enabling a daily production of about 1700 tons. It is further reported that during the next year there is a possibility of extracting 500,000 barrels of oil.

The war had been going on for just two weeks and Japan had already accomplished her major aim. For the first time in her history, she controlled her own source of petroleum. “Japan is no longer a have-not nation,” boasted the Japanese planning agency. On April 1, Imperial General Headquarters announced the fall of Ipoh, the tin and rubber center of Malaya. The army drove on.

The navy and the Japanese media were crowing ever more loudly about the enormous successes achieved. Admiral Yamamoto was annoyed at the new braggartry of the Imperial General Headquarters publicity machine. “The mindless rejoicing,” he called it. Imperial Headquarters adopted the practice of accompanying their naval boasting with a rendition of “The Battleship March,” and Yamamoto came to flinch every time he heard the piece on the radio. “All this talk of guiding public opinion and maintaining the national morale is so much empty puff.” Admiral Yamamoto knew that the war was not going to continue so easily, and that difficulty would come when the easy victories stopped. Then what of the shouting?

But the puff grew every day. Yamamoto could not escape it himself, even though he spent most of his time at sea and none of his time seeking publicity. Yomiuri Shimbun compared his exploits to those of the Great Admiral Togo. He was called “the father of the Japanese Naval Air Force,” which was more or less true; credit was given him as developer of Japan’s enormously successful carrier tactics, which was true. When the emperor issued a special Imperial Rescript honoring Yamamoto, that was enough for press and public. Overnight he became Japan’s greatest war hero.

The day was not far off when the Anglo-Saxons would cease to dominate Asia, said Professor Toshiyoshi Miyazawa of Imperial University, in an article widely reprinted in the Japanese press. “The Anglo-Saxon influence is rapidly waning and in its place a rapid rise is being witnessed in the Asiatic countries. The war of Greater East Asia will create a new and glorious page in the history of the world.”

“The war of Greater East Asia,” said General Sugiyama, “is only in its primary stage and the major battles are yet to be fought. The officers and men of the Imperial Forces are fully aware of this fact and are resolved to exercise their utmost efforts in attaining the objects of the holy war, thus serving the cause of the Japanese Empire.” The end of spring saw Japan beginning to implement its Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere as a diplomatic and propaganda weapon against the Western powers. The victories continued, with startling rapidity. Japanese troops landed in Sumatra and began to attack Palembang and Banda Aceh.

The government’s plan in the late spring of 1942 called for the rapid expulsion of the Anglo-Dutch powers from Asia. Next would come the manning of defenses and the strengthening of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, which would encompass all the conquered territory. Once the territory was occupied, then the economic strength of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere was to be increased by sending the zaibatsu into the new territories to start industries that would bring profit back to Japan and supply all her needs. As speedily as possible, the conquered territories would be turned into allied nations, with friendly governments that would contribute to Japan’s defense and power rather than draw on it. Once that was accomplished, the United States could be dealt with, according to circumstances. At the very least, the United States would have to remain outside the Western Pacific. Perhaps Hawaii and even more American territory might fall under the great Japanese roof. Then Soviet Russia could be dealt with, and ultimately hakko ichiu would be secured. How Japan would deal with her allies remained to be seen. Perhaps hakko ichiu would have to be adjusted, but at least the Pacific basin would belong to Japan.

Just now, in May 1942, the war had moved into what the Japanese army termed the “second phase.” The Sumatra and south Burma operations were next. No one had expected the war to proceed so rapidly, but with the Anglo-Saxons falling like gingerbread men, Marshal Terauchi had recommended that the second phase be advanced. So it was done. The center of Japanese attention moved to Burma, where the great invasion of British India would begin. Japan’s most serious problem at the moment was the assimilation of all these victories.
 
Last edited:
No update?

My apologies...work/school/interview stuff have conspired to keep me from updating. I wish I could say that I would be adding to the story soon ( :( ), however, I will be out of the country until the second week of March. Look for an update after that...

In your spare time, you could:

Read War and Peace
Learn to play the obo
Meet a woman
Start a new Paradox game (EUIII anyone?)
...and / or...
Furiously write updates in your own AAR to show me how its done!

See you all when I get back! :cool:
 
TheExecuter said:
In your spare time, you could:
Read War and Peace Does reading other's AAR's count?
Learn to play the obo It would interfere with the HOI soundtrack in the background
Meet a woman And take away from my warring time?
Start a new Paradox game (EUIII anyone?) Machine too Slow
...and / or...
Furiously write updates in your own AAR to show me how its done! Deal!


Very well written work, I'm amazed I had missed it before now. Its nice to have the HOI1 forum still going strong.
 
After a Victory, Tighten Your Helmet Strap​

The fall of Singapore, coming so much more quickly than anyone had expected, and with so little difficulty, brought a whole series of complications to the victorious Japanese army. Primary among these was the question: what was to be done with the enormous number of prisoners of war? At Hong Kong about 1,000 had been captured, but in Malaya more than fifty times that number were taken. By May, fighting in the Dutch East Indies brought the capture of thousands more British and Dutch troops. The Japanese army was in no way equipped to handle this new difficulty. In Tokyo, the generals devised a policy to meet the occasion, a policy that would control Japanese attitudes during the whole war. Everyone in the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere must earn his keep by working for the war effort. This included prisoners of war. They would be put to work. Some prisoners were sent up to Korea, where General Itagaki was now in command. He made a point of parading these ragged men through the streets of Seoul and Panmunjom. “Low, how the mighty are fallen” was the message for the Koreans. The great Japanese army conquered all. Hakko Ichiu!

On May 5, 1942, at a liaison conference between government and Imperial General Headquarters, a new policy was settled. The communications routes and the major cities of the Southeastern Asia mainland were now in Japanese hands, with the exception of a handful of straggling forces in Burma, On that very day the Japanese army had defeated the British-Indian forces in a battle near Rangoon. The city would be occupied the next day. The British were retreating through central Burma toward the Chindwin River. The war in the Dutch East Indies was proceeding satisfactorily. The Allies had written off Java and Sumatra and their own Pacific fleets, and the sea command of the few scattered ships here had been given to the Australians. The only conceivable threat the Japanese could see was from the British base at Trincomalee on Ceylon, where the British Eastern Fleet lay. But that fleet’s main object was to protect India and Ceylon, and its principle weapon was the light aircraft carrier Hermes. Already it was certain that the Allies had nothing to stop the march of Imperial Japanese forces in Southeast Asia. The oil fields now belonged to Japan. What now were Japan’s military aims? All at the liaison meeting agreed that the pressure must be kept on the Commonwealth and that to do so the war gains achieved must be supplemented. On this basis, the conference agreed that the army and navy should operate together to take New Caledonia, Fiji, Samoa, and British New Guinea. Navy and army would operate from the main southern bases at Rabaul and Truk. This movement, army and navy officials agreed, should be ridiculously easy.
 
Last edited:
Just glommed onto this AAR this weekend and finally caught up to the final post. Man oh man this is awesome work! There's not many Japanese AARs out there and even fewer well-written ones. I like this style - historical basis with the game influencing the overall work. Not too specific - I don't need to know necessarily how many men died in attacks A, B, and C - but with just enough specifics to make it very interesting. Please keep the faith and the good work...I'll be awaiting the next installment.

It's also got me wanting to start up HOI1 again and play as the Japanese, something I toyed with just once. I found playing as a naval power somewhat difficult...for instance I have limited experience in how to properly use CV assets.
 
Feedback:

Jorath13: Thanks for the praise. Glad you like the style. I hope to update again soon, but first I need to play some more. ;)

Miral: Let's keep up the good work and fight the good fight, etc. Ra Ra!
Thanks for the PM on the content issue. The relevant sections which might offend the administrators have been removed. Hopefully they (the sections deleted) will not be missed!

For all those who've helped this AAR reach 1,000 views...THANKS, and keep reading!
 
After those fairly minor operations in the South East are completed, it seems that Japan must necessarily set its sights on a larger objective(unless I'm mistaken; perhaps their are other little-defended lands to be taken). An offensive into India perhaps...
 
Chesterton said:
After those fairly minor operations in the South East are completed, it seems that Japan must necessarily set its sights on a larger objective(unless I'm mistaken; perhaps their are other little-defended lands to be taken). An offensive into India perhaps...

Yes, exactly...I keep hoping that a worthy opponent will step forth (yes, yes, I see the sleeping monster to the east; but if he prefers to stay asleep...what can I do?)

The next post will detail these movements and some other strategic maneuvering...

My apologies for not posting, I've been distracted by my job hunt (I've been offered and accepted the position in the DC area) and finishing up my Masters degree. I'm also adjusting the direction I was planning on taking the story as the game engine keeps throwing me curve balls. We shall see how things go. Thanks for sticking with it!

I hope to have a post by the end of the weekend!

[whispers to himself] Making the promise will surely bump this up my priority list... [/whisper]
 
Hehe, I've been using this AAR as inspiration for my own...playing as Japan and everything is going along as planned using the latest CORE mod. Actually had to restart a couple of times as my HOI skills were severely lacking and I forgot a thing or two (or twenty).
 
A Thorn in One’s Flesh

A Thorn in One’s Flesh

In the spring of 1942 the Imperial Japanese Navy’s basic task was to prevent enemy attacks inside the defense perimeter established by Imperial General Headquarters at the May meeting. On May 6, Rear Admiral Tanetsuga Sosa gave an interview to the Japan Times in which he revealed the basic navy strategy of the period: The only possible Allied attack on Japan could come from bases in Australia and New Zealand. Such attacks would probably not be staged until the end of July by which time Japan could expect the Allied fleets to have reorganized. The Australians were busy trying to improve their facilities in the Bismarks for this purpose, said the admiral. “But their plan can be smashed beyond recovery because the ANZACS lack a navy strong enough to block the Japanese attempt to reduce the possibility of attack from the south to a myth.” Admiral Sosa noted that the Australians had already attempted to launch amphibious campaigns against the Caroline Islands from Australia. “But that attempt is hardly worth apprehension, since it meant the total destruction of the land forces involved…once the Japanese forces have under their domination the Bismarks, it will mean total destruction of the rest of their navy. It will then be a simple matter to pound the Australian costal cities from bases lying within hailing distance.” Britain, said the admiral, might try to hamper Japanese movements in Burma by dispatching her Eastern Fleet from Ceylon. “The Japanese forces by using the newly acquired bases at Shonanto (Singapore) can chase the British armada into the Mediterranean.” There, laid out in public print was the Japanese naval plan for the next six months.

Admiral Yamamoto, however, chafed under the inherent defensive nature of the plan. Its principles clashed with his own belief that now was the moment to attack. The Japanese navy enjoyed undisputed control of the Southern Pacific, why not use it? He then began working on the details of an attack on Port Moresby, which would then become the advance Japanese naval base in the Pacific for an invasion of Australia. At the same time, the Combined Fleet would escort an army amphibious force to New Zealand, to seize the bases and population centers there and thus safeguard the southern approaches to the empire. This attack would come in June. Meanwhile, the Combined Fleet had other tasks. The clean-up of the Sea of Greater East Asia would continue, and Allied vessels would be sunk or driven away. Admiral Nagumo’s carrier striking force was operating these waters, paving the way for further attacks and protecting troop transports shuttling forces to Burma and Truk. Four carriers were employed in protecting the army landing at Port Moresby in British New Guinea (Papua). The capture of Papua was followed by the move into the Bismarks and the building of seaplane and land air bases at Bougainville in the Solomon Islands. Then Australia was within easy bombing distance of the southern perimeter. These operations were well under way in the first week of June.

At this point, the Japanese army began to believe its own propaganda, and it is hard to blame them. For as in Malaya, the Dutch in the East Indies – an army 100,000 strong – had allowed themselves to be so disorganized that they ended up surrendering en masse to a Japanese force of 30,000 men. In due respect to the Dutch, they had an enormous problem, brought about by their own colonial policy. The Indonesian troops of the army had little desire to fight for the Dutch, and the Japanese propaganda line – Asia for Asians – was very effective. It was no great wonder, then, that the Japanese military men in Southeast Asia had slight respect for the Europeans and this attitude was carried home where it proliferated.

There was one fly in the ointment. The Japanese high command was not happy to learn that the army in Burma was not projected to reach Calcutta until September at the earliest. The army was reporting great difficulty in traversing the jungles in Burma and that the difficulty of forward supply was hampering offensive action. The railroad from Rangoon to Mandalay was still months from completion and the retreating British forces could now be expected to have the time to form good defensive positions ahead of the most likely paths of advance. The army requested navy transports to use to speed the advance with flanking landings; however, these transports were all being used in the operations against Australia and New Zealand and were unavailable.

Only hints, such as the statements by Admiral Sosa, gave any indication to the public that the war was not already won and the peace assured. At the end of May, with fanfare the Economic Federation of Japan (a zaibatsu creation) established a special committee to study the ways in which the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere could begin bringing greater co-prosperity. At a meeting attended by high-ranking officers from army, navy, foreign ministry, and many zaibatsu officials, at the Tokyo assembly hall in Marunouchi on May 25 the program was laid out: Malayan tin and rubber, Borneo mercury, rice from Burma and Indochina were now all Japanese. All that was required was that the best methods of extracting and organizing the distribution of these raw materials be established. This was to be the task of the new committee. It went without saying that the newly secured resources existed for the greater glory of Nippon. Day after day the zaibatsu gloated in the press about the bright new future: the bauxite deposits of the Indies would create a new aluminum industry for Japan, just one of scores of new enterprises. Before the end of May, the military government at Batavia had laid down a whole set of regulations forcing the immediate revival of the various industries established by the Dutch. In Tokyo the Ministry of Commerce and Industry was working on legislation to bring all these new affairs within the structure of the ministry. Nobosuke Kishi, the minister, held a meeting at the Industrial Club with the Key Industrial Council (read zaibatsu) to guide the organization in the right direction. At the meeting he also announced creation of a Machinery Manufacturing Industrial Council. Dr. Mazatoshi Ohkochi, one of the leaders of the zaibatsu, would be chairman. Chief operating officer would be Vice Admiral Tomisaburo Ohtagaki. It was a symbol of the cementing of relations between militarists and zaibatsu for a greater Japan.

The next problem was to eliminate military government of the “liberated” territories just as soon as possible. The procedure everywhere, directed by the foreign ministry, war ministry, and the new Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Ministry was to find local leaders and make governors of them. At Batavia, General Hitoshi Imamura freed Achmed Sukarno from a Dutch prison in Sumatra, where he was being held on political charges, and had Sukarno brought in to headquarters. The general suggested that Sukarno might want to cooperate with the Japanese and that if he did Imamura would consult with him during the period of military government. That course would certainly be in the interest of the Indonesians. Sukarno thought it over and decided to cooperate. He held one reservation: at the end of the war, he would maintain his freedom of action to choose his own course. So a Japanese general and an Indonesian patriot came to terms. The result was the rapid appointment of Sukarno’s followers to a large number of important government positions that had previously been held by Dutchmen only. Imamura chose a supreme military advisory council on which served five Japanese officials and ten Indonesians. Sukarno was one of them. Within weeks after the conquest of Indonesia by Japan, the Indonesians were telling one another that they had, indeed, been liberated from colonialism. In every way the Indonesian adventure was one of the most successful of Japan’s colonial excursions.

In Japan at the beginning of June, the excitement of constant victory seemed to accelerate. Port Moresby and New Britain both fell during that first week, but more electrifying news was to come. On June 13, Imperial headquarters announced the sinking of New Zealand’s only remaining capital ship (the cruiser Diomede) and many small ships in a large scale raid on the port at Auckland. The next day four-inch headlines screamed “Auckland Falls” and “New Zealand Collapse Imminent.” Admiral Yamamoto’s daring plan (to leapfrog the Solomon Islands and invade New Zealand directly) was bearing fruit. The islands were minimally defended by half-trained units preparing to embark for the war in India. These forces offered minimal resistance. By July 3, with Wellington also occupied by a second amphibious landing, the government of New Zealand surrendered unconditionally and agreed to become part of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.
 
Great update. Fantastic results in New Zealand. I like Yamamoto's aggressive philosophy.
 
Yes, a sudden, bold move in seizing New Zealand. I imagine that the Allies are really becoming nervous. Now Australia seems rather defenseless (it's army notwithstanding) except for the fact that its enormous size would probably require a relatively large amount of Japanese forces and a good deal of time to conquer.

The restructuring of the Indonesian government also appears, somewhat, to be a stroke of brilliance diplomatically speaking.
 
Wow! And the Japanese roll onward...hopefully they will not get mired in too deeply with the fighting in Australia or India to ignore the threat from the East.
 
Feedback!

Jorath13 said:
Hehe, I've been using this AAR as inspiration for my own...playing as Japan and everything is going along as planned using the latest CORE mod. Actually had to restart a couple of times as my HOI skills were severely lacking and I forgot a thing or two (or twenty).

Really? Could you give a short synapses of your game? Or a long one in the form of an AAR?

Good luck...I understand about the mistakes, I've had several in this game too...makes for a more fun experience I think when you have to deal with the consequences...<announcer>For more on this subject -- stay tuned to the next update</announcer>

Miral said:
Great update. Fantastic results in New Zealand. I like Yamamoto's aggressive philosophy.

Thanks, after reading the previous post and looking again at the map, I decided that NZ could be taken that way. Glad it worked. You shall see more of this type of action ahead...

Chesteron said:
Yes, a sudden, bold move in seizing New Zealand. I imagine that the Allies are really becoming nervous. Now Australia seems rather defenseless (it's army notwithstanding) except for the fact that its enormous size would probably require a relatively large amount of Japanese forces and a good deal of time to conquer.

The restructuring of the Indonesian government also appears, somewhat, to be a stroke of brilliance diplomatically speaking.

Despair may be a good word to characterize the Allies. No US in the war...Russia still teetering on the brink...Italians still fighting hard in north africa...and the Aussies screaming for naval support which the Brits are unwilling to give.

And yes, Australia seems rather defenseless...stay tuned.

I can't take credit for the Indonesian thing...that is what actually happened.

Jorath13 said:
Wow! And the Japanese roll onward...hopefully they will not get mired in too deeply with the fighting in Australia or India to ignore the threat from the East.

Drive on...Drive on. What? You doubt the abilities of His Imperial Majesties Armed Forces?

Seriously though, I am keeping a wary eye on those peace loving Americans.
 
Negligence is a Powerful Enemy

Negligence is a Powerful Enemy​

The navy perceived that their plan to defeat the ANZACS was proceeding satisfactorily. New Zealand had been captured and was in the process of being pacified. The Australians had been driven back to their island, and there would be no escape for them. It was simply a matter of time. All their bases in the Solomons and Gilberts had fallen. All that was left was to land in the major population centers and force the Australian government from the war. On July 10, Imperial Headquarters indicated that the Australians would not last much longer, amphibious landings had been carried out at Brisbane and at Sydney. Capture of those key port cities was imminent. Then for a whole week, nothing was said. Finally on July 20, the newspapers announced the fall of both Brisbane and Sydney. Imperial Headquarters reported that the cities had been surrendered after days of bitter combat and the “total destruction of their defenders.” That was all. Nothing was said about any potential peace overtures. The Australians, were not, in fact, in rough shape. Short of naval and aerial support, they had recognized the folly of attempting to defend every beach on the island, and were merely marshalling their mobile forces for a great counterattack designed to push the Japanese back into the sea.

A total of six divisions had been landed, three at Brisbane and three marine divisions at Sydney. They began the onerous task of pacifying the city and setting up defenses. The plans for each group were for one division to guard the ports and the other two divisions to fan out and defeat any Australian force foolish enough to tangle with them while securing the other populated areas to the south. But this amount of troops was totally inadequate for the task. A week into the campaign, the troops ceased their advance and began strengthening their defensive positions in the face of increased Australian military activity. Reinforcements were requested and denied as the army was making the final push up to the British Imphal line in northern Burma and the navy was busy accomplishing more minor landings at Perth and Darwin.

On August 1, Imperial headquarters received news that the Australians had counterattacked the Sydney garrison of marines in “great force, with tanks and aircraft support.” General Homma reported that he was outnumbered more than two to one and requested reinforcement and naval support as soon as possible. Homma was told by Imperial General Headquarters that the continued holdout of the effete, cowardly Australians was becoming embarrassing, and to get it over with, no matter the cost. A few days earlier the Japanese had been bragging that a handful of troops had utterly defeated the Australians, now they realized that “every sort of modern arms” were being used by the Australians on Japan’s under armed and supplied marines. Initially, the navy was not worried by the reports of the Australian offensive, however, when General Homma signaled that he was retreating back into Sydney and preparing defenses around the port on August 3, the navy immediately began the loading of reinforcements from Japan. Unfortunately, these men would not be able to arrive in Sydney for five days, and even more telling, no naval support would be available for three days as the carriers had been away pursuing operations against Darwin.

The Australians were relentless in their pursuit of the marines. Their use of light tanks and aircraft could not be matched by the marines who would be outmaneuvered time and again over the first few days of combat. Losses were heavy on both sides as the marines lacked heavy artillery and consistent food and medical supply while the Australians were deficiently armed and their tankettes were notoriously easy for the lighter Japanese artillery to destroy. General Homma soon realized that he had too few troops to defend the large perimeter he had originally envisioned. He chose to pull back into the city and set up defenses around the harbor. This had the advantage of nullifying the Australian mobility advantage and denying him the optimal use of his tanks, but exposed his men to the rigors of urban fighting in an environment that virtually guaranteed an increase in casualties. Driven back into the city, running low on ammunition and food, the Japanese had no recourse but to continue to fight. From Tokyo came messages intended to exhort the troops in the name of the Imperial General Staff to fight to the end and, if necessary, die valiantly for the Emperor. By August 4, 50% of the marines had fallen and help was still days away.

The morning of August 6 dawned to the roar of aero engines. The carrier planes of Admiral Ozawa’s second fleet arrived and began to engage the Australian army attempting valiantly to exterminate the marines last tenuous holds around the port. By the end of the day the ANZAC offensive had been stopped, and over the course of the next several days the Australians took such a beating from the air that they had to withdraw from Sydney. The newspapers were able to announce the successful conclusion of the battle on August 9. In this case, however, ‘success’ meant 80% casualties among the marines. The reinforcements shipped barely made up for the losses. IGHQ had to divert 90,000 men intended for the fighting in India to Australia to ensure that the advance could be continued. Over the next month, the Australians would launch several large scale assaults on the Sydney beach-head, but none came as close as the first to succeeding. The presence of naval air support and reinforcements had turned the tide of the battle and doomed the rest of Australia to a slow invasion.

The heavy casualties in the battle had been Japan’s first experience with heavy loss since the initial stages of the war with China. Normal fare in the daily newspapers in magazines began to be filled with patriotic stories of the heroes of Sydney. All of these heroes had had the distinction of dying for the Emperor. Sub lieutenant Tatsuo Yamanouchi of the Imperial Navy air arm was lost on a bombing mission over Sydney. When his mother received word she wrote a grateful letter to the navy:

Look up and see the aeroplane in the sky. In that plane Tatsuo lives forever. I have three more sons whom I love dearly; I am educating and encouraging them so that they might one day offer their humble service to The State…
Your Obedient Servant,
Yasu Yamanouchi​

Yes, Yasu’s sons, too, would go to die for the Emperor, as had Major Horigane, mortally wounded by bomb fragments at Sydney. His captain came to him as he lay dying and asked if he had any last wishes to relate. Major Horigane could no longer speak, but he smiled and traced the characters with his finger:
Tenno Heika banzai!
Hurray for His Majesty The Emperor!
And then Horigane died.

Captain Kasahara was ordered to assault an apparently impregnable Australian position at Sydney. When he received the order, he organized a ‘death band’ of men wearing white sashes as they charged the enemy. “Captain Kasahara drew his samurai sword and dashed into the crowds of resisting enemy…mines exploded in the dark…they slipped and fell in the trenches…Captain Kasahara charged on and on, stepping over the corpses of his comrades, not caring for his safety. His face looked terrible, and his eyes and saber sparkled as he advanced through gunfire, commanding his force. But Alas, an enemy’s bullet pierced his heart and he fell.”

With the brave captain was soldier Masamune Tani. “He received a piercing bullet in his left femoral region. He was smeared with blood. He had to repress his anger when he was taken to a hospital. But it was too late, the doctor’s operation was of no use. He stared at the battlefield from the bloodstained bed, and all of a sudden he began to sing the national song (Kimigayo). When he reached the words Chi of Kimigayoowa chi…he breathed his last. The doctors and nurses who were present solemnly prayed for the soul of the brave soldier Tani…”

The great sacrifice of the marines at Sydney had not been in vain. The Australian forces engaged in the assault on the city suffered grievously, with some units exceeding 50% casualty rates. The Australians had ‘shot the bolt’ and had failed to dislodge any of the amphibious landings. By September, the Japanese had enough troops on the island to resume the offensive and by late October would force the Australian government to seek terms. These events, however, were overshadowed by news from the Indian front.
 
Oh, I'm SOOO loving this AAR! The stories "from the front" are also what I look forward to. Good work and thank you for inspiring me to write up my own AAR of the Japanese efforts.
 
Jorath13 said:
Oh, I'm SOOO loving this AAR! The stories "from the front" are also what I look forward to. Good work and thank you for inspiring me to write up my own AAR of the Japanese efforts.


I am loving it as well... keep up the good work