The Pearl of the Orient - A Philippines AAR (1936)
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"... and that concludes our review of conditions in the field as of January 1, 1936. Any questions?" the General continued to puff on his corncob pipe in defiance of the humidity. "All in all gentlemen, Commonwealth forces are well in advance of our initial goals as stipulated in the National Defense Act of 1935. Not too shabby of a job after just a short two years of labor but the Commonwealth's naval capacities remain confided to patrol boats for the next three to two years. It'll be one hell of a struggle to control the island sea without more naval projection. But Washington remains adamant that the United States will continue provide for the naval needs of the Commonwealth for the foreseeable future."
"That's Roosevelt's usual line but regardless I believe it to be prudent develop something with more punch than a mosquito fleet. We have enough of those bugs flying around as it is." The President's quip elicited a small round of laughs. "As long as we are reliant on American aid our situation will hardly change once this 10 year transition period expires. And if our American friends expect us to be in a position to defend our interests and their interests against... say a Japanese invasion or a Moro insurgency, this Commonwealth must be ready to stand on its own two feet.”
Over all it was a productive meeting between the Quezon Administration and General Douglass MacArthur’s ‘Office of the Military Adviser to the Commonwealth Government’ (OMACG). Filipino officials and their American counterparts traded statistics and chatter in the Executive Office, oblivious to the storm clouds gathering in Asia and the rest of the world. Both the Commonwealth of the Philippines and the United States of America continued to hold fast to a policy of isolationism. Meanwhile the world around them was changing.
The Washington Naval Treaty did nothing to impede the growth of Imperial Japan. Her fleets with an emphasis on a qualitative advantage based on carrier warfare gave her mastery of the Pacific. On land her armies moved unstopped over China in a never ending quest for more land. Ironically the major source of Japanese war material was the United States. Without American supplying scrap metal and oil the Japanese would be forced to look towards Siberia and South-East Asia for the materials to fuel their war machine. Overall considerations had set the young Commonwealth and Japan on a collision course that could only lead to war.
Welcome to my modest second attempt at an AAR. ‘Pearl of the Orient’ chronicles the development of the Commonwealth of the Philippines (later the Republic of the Philippines) in the years following and after World War II. I have, most obviously, changed Industrial Capacity, OOBs, provincial resources, starting, and tech teams to reflect more accurately the Philippines of the 1930s. The driving theory behind such changes if the fact that the Commonwealth did not lack technical knowhow nor industrial capability but it did lack time to get its act together historically (blame the Japanese ).Such changes put the Philippines in the league of a minor, comparable to a more thoroughly industrialized Thailand. But the purpose of this AAR remains first and foremost to tell a story. The lack of in-game events for the PI necessitates the need for quality narrative. And besides, minors, in my humble opinion, don’t need an event for every random occurrence in their lands (which has become the norm for most ‘Country Improvement Projects' and AARs).
Once I complete this AAR I plan to make my changes to the Philippines into an improvement pack that will give potential players both an accurate and stronger base from which to guide the Philippines to her place among the family of nations.
This AAR is written using ARMA 1.1 and of course my own modifications to the Philippines.
The Pearl of the Orient
Table of Contents
Act I - The Land at Peace: 1936 to 1941
I. The Beginning
II. Under the Morning Sun
III. "Our goal is to grasp Neptune's Trident..."
IV. New Realities
Entr'acte
V. Padre Manuel's War: Part I
VI. Padre Manuel's War: Part II
VII. Padre Manuel's War: Part III
VIII. The Best of All Possible Words: Part I
XI. The Best of All Possible Worlds: Part II
X. Wielding the Trident
Act II. - East Wind, Rain: 1941 to 1942
XI. The Hammer Falls
XII. The Northern Watch: Part I
XIII. The Northern Watch: Part II
XIV. The Northern Watch: Part III
XV. The Drawn Sword
XVI. The Duel: Part I
XVII. The Duel: Part II
XVIII. The Duel: Part III
XIX. Southern Cross: Part I
XX. Southern Cross: Part II
XXI. A History Lesson
XXII. Towards the Day of Liberation
Act III. - Red Skies: 1942
XXII. XXIII. The Beginning of the Air War
Table of Contents
Act I - The Land at Peace: 1936 to 1941
I. The Beginning
II. Under the Morning Sun
III. "Our goal is to grasp Neptune's Trident..."
IV. New Realities
Entr'acte
V. Padre Manuel's War: Part I
VI. Padre Manuel's War: Part II
VII. Padre Manuel's War: Part III
VIII. The Best of All Possible Words: Part I
XI. The Best of All Possible Worlds: Part II
X. Wielding the Trident
Act II. - East Wind, Rain: 1941 to 1942
XI. The Hammer Falls
XII. The Northern Watch: Part I
XIII. The Northern Watch: Part II
XIV. The Northern Watch: Part III
XV. The Drawn Sword
XVI. The Duel: Part I
XVII. The Duel: Part II
XVIII. The Duel: Part III
XIX. Southern Cross: Part I
XX. Southern Cross: Part II
XXI. A History Lesson
XXII. Towards the Day of Liberation
Act III. - Red Skies: 1942
XXII. XXIII. The Beginning of the Air War
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"... and that concludes our review of conditions in the field as of January 1, 1936. Any questions?" the General continued to puff on his corncob pipe in defiance of the humidity. "All in all gentlemen, Commonwealth forces are well in advance of our initial goals as stipulated in the National Defense Act of 1935. Not too shabby of a job after just a short two years of labor but the Commonwealth's naval capacities remain confided to patrol boats for the next three to two years. It'll be one hell of a struggle to control the island sea without more naval projection. But Washington remains adamant that the United States will continue provide for the naval needs of the Commonwealth for the foreseeable future."
"That's Roosevelt's usual line but regardless I believe it to be prudent develop something with more punch than a mosquito fleet. We have enough of those bugs flying around as it is." The President's quip elicited a small round of laughs. "As long as we are reliant on American aid our situation will hardly change once this 10 year transition period expires. And if our American friends expect us to be in a position to defend our interests and their interests against... say a Japanese invasion or a Moro insurgency, this Commonwealth must be ready to stand on its own two feet.”
Over all it was a productive meeting between the Quezon Administration and General Douglass MacArthur’s ‘Office of the Military Adviser to the Commonwealth Government’ (OMACG). Filipino officials and their American counterparts traded statistics and chatter in the Executive Office, oblivious to the storm clouds gathering in Asia and the rest of the world. Both the Commonwealth of the Philippines and the United States of America continued to hold fast to a policy of isolationism. Meanwhile the world around them was changing.
The Washington Naval Treaty did nothing to impede the growth of Imperial Japan. Her fleets with an emphasis on a qualitative advantage based on carrier warfare gave her mastery of the Pacific. On land her armies moved unstopped over China in a never ending quest for more land. Ironically the major source of Japanese war material was the United States. Without American supplying scrap metal and oil the Japanese would be forced to look towards Siberia and South-East Asia for the materials to fuel their war machine. Overall considerations had set the young Commonwealth and Japan on a collision course that could only lead to war.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------From: Philippine Army General Staff, Manila
To: United States Asiatic Fleet Command, Manila, Marsman Building
Per Admiral Murfin’s request, enclosed is the current status of all standing forces, naval assets, and airplanes currently in service of the Commonwealth of the Philippines. All entries are accurate as of January 1, 1936.
Order of Battle:
I. Philippine Army [Manila]
a. Philippine Army Headquarters
b. 1st Infantry Division
II. Philippine Constabulary: 10,000+ men functioning in garrison and public order duties throughout the archipelago.
III. Philippine Army Air Corps [Clark Field]
a. 1st PAAC Fighter Wing
b. 1st PAAC Bombardment Wing
Naval Assets:
I. Offshore Patrol Force – 4 destroyers [Manila]
a. CPS Luzon
b. CPS Abra
c. CPS Danday
d. CPS Agusan
Welcome to my modest second attempt at an AAR. ‘Pearl of the Orient’ chronicles the development of the Commonwealth of the Philippines (later the Republic of the Philippines) in the years following and after World War II. I have, most obviously, changed Industrial Capacity, OOBs, provincial resources, starting, and tech teams to reflect more accurately the Philippines of the 1930s. The driving theory behind such changes if the fact that the Commonwealth did not lack technical knowhow nor industrial capability but it did lack time to get its act together historically (blame the Japanese ).Such changes put the Philippines in the league of a minor, comparable to a more thoroughly industrialized Thailand. But the purpose of this AAR remains first and foremost to tell a story. The lack of in-game events for the PI necessitates the need for quality narrative. And besides, minors, in my humble opinion, don’t need an event for every random occurrence in their lands (which has become the norm for most ‘Country Improvement Projects' and AARs).
Once I complete this AAR I plan to make my changes to the Philippines into an improvement pack that will give potential players both an accurate and stronger base from which to guide the Philippines to her place among the family of nations.
This AAR is written using ARMA 1.1 and of course my own modifications to the Philippines.
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