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Edzako - Things could be worse. One thing to remember is that the Red Army was slowly winning a War with Germany in 1944 and that process was greatly speeded up by an Allied invasion in France. There will be no cavalry arriving on this occasion and they are very much on their own.

Phax - I think I can safely say that only my manpower is a probem and the enemy has no such worries.

Nathan Madien - The year has a long way to go and I will let you do the maths. 20-25 divisions destroyed per month during good weather at a minimum. With that sort of loss rate the Red Army may well be half its current size by 1948 unless it starts to build a lot more troops.

Murmurandus - Thank you :)

Inner Circle - They don't seem to be building too many do they. They do have the manpower to double their army if they wish but we all know the AI won't do that.

harezmi - A draw is a possibility of course. I wouldn't bet on me taking many risks. I much prefer to be certain of success when I am outnumbered.

Deus Eversor - 10 years is not very long :)

robou - The Emperor has a few reasons to be confident. Before he took direct charge of the War Japan was under almost direct threat, that is no longer the case.

cosminus - 12 is probably very accurate with 10 spies. They are all CV's as CVL's come under smaller ships. My ships are also undergoing doctrine research and they do not plan on fighting American Carriers unless they absolutely have to, which is rare.

Argus Eritarami - Correct on all counts. The AI only has so much its allowed to allocate which is why it can be defeated even with overwhelming odds.

harezmi - The last week has been pretty hectic for me hence the lack of updates. Normal service should now resume :)

Kanitatlan - Astute observations all around :) Nothing is going to change quickly thats for sure but I will continue to try and reach Moscow by April 1948 even though that looks to be about as impossible as it gets for the time being. You can be certain I won't be trying anything too dangerous to achieve that goal.

A more extreme ground strategy is, of course, not going to happen. Dissecting an AI controlled Army by various means is not too difficult but I will stick to trying to give the AI as much chance as I can. It will remain a more or less straight up fight between two large armies, one of which knows how to use its airforce.

Concentration of airpower will occur from time to time as required. You will see this demonstrated many times I expect with the little adventure of the Red Army into Datong being the first. For now my airforce is used to break up attacks but that can easily change to massed destruction of retreating forces if the AI gives me an opportunity. Unlike the AI if I find a hole I make sure what I send into it is very safe.

Brad1 pointed out the more accurate losses. All in all I would say the Soviets have lost over 200 divisions given that they are replacing at least some. I am still very much of the opinion that a fair amount, anything from 1/5th to 1/3rd, of the Red Army is still in the west. I have not seen enough troops to think otherwise.

Releasing a major puppet is out of the question as you are 100% correct that it turns the game into a certain victory. I can probably cede territory to my puppets but that falls under a similar veto. The largest problem I can forsee for myself in the long run is trying to control my TC without the manpower to build garrisons.

A stalemate is a concern and trying to paint the World yellow in the timeline allotted is not going to be that easy to achieve. The Russian front is my main concern and will remain so. The little attacks into the Middle East are there to break things up a little and are not any serious attempt to advance too far.

Update to follow ...
 
The Bear
46





0000 April 1st 1947.
Kwantung Army Headquarters. Mukden, Manchukuo.

The improving weather throughout Manchuria and China had already seen the Red Army begin attacks that had been waiting for the snows to melt. Terauchi had spent most of the Winter counter attacking Soviet movements to prevent any force build up in critical areas. April would see this process continue as he gave orders to General Koiso.​

apr1470000gr1.jpg

A larger force than normal had entered Erenhot and needed to be removed to prevent another avenue of attack towards the capital of Mengkokuo, Kalgan, which already had a substantial enemy force to its west in Datong. Koiso led fifteen divisions from Xilinhot with support coming from both Changde and Kalgan to provide an envelopment. The Soviets had been paying attention to the tactics being used by Terauchi and Higashikuni and seized the opportunity to reverse the rolls.​

apr1470400gr3.jpg

At 0400 hours twenty three Soviet divisions assaulted the exposed flanks of the Japanese forces in Xilinhot where General Minami commanded the defence. Terauchi had a major problem on his hands as there was no way Minami could withdraw in order until he could disengage from the attack against Erenhot. Terauchi had few choices and none of them were ones he would wish to make under ideal circumstances.​

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Fourteen divisions halted their attack on Erenhot leaving only Mj. General Komatsuzaki to provide the envelopment on the province from Xilinhot. Minami altered his own troops to a defensive stance in the hope of holding Konev off for long enough to either hold Xilinhot or be able to withdraw in order. Terauchi would react to the Red Army's aggression with some of his own.​

apr1470500gr1.jpg

Field Marshall Zhang Haipeng received orders to attack the Soviet forces in the mountains of Ulan Hot with an initial thirty one Japanese and Manchurian divisions. Half of the enemy troops attacking Xilinhot were coming from Ulan Hot and Terauchi hoped to break up their attack by forcing this half to call off their assault. There was nothing he could do about Konev and his troops in Bayen Tumen.

General Anami took over the attack on Erenhot.​

apr1471000gr2.jpg

By 1000 hours, with dusk approaching, the situation had altered. Anami was making slow progress against Erenhot with the armoured division in particular holding up his attack. He would receive reinforcements from Kalgan over night but would still not overcome the defenders until 0400 hours on April 2nd.

Zhang Haipeng had also had reinforcements but they had arrived an hour after his attack had begun giving him a total of forty divisions as he tried to force the enemy to retreat from Ulan Hot. He would win his battle before Anami forcing seventeen Soviet divisions to retreat from Ulan Hot. The support forces from Mukden remained in that province as Zhang Haipeng continued to advance towards Ulan Hot from Chifeng.

Chifeng would be defended by another Japanese army as Minami had lost his fight with Konev at 1000 hours on April 1st and had been given no choice but to retreat towards the province. The full cost of this loss would not be known for several weeks as Minami had to arrive in Chifeng before he could receive the replacements he would need. Terauchi was certain of one thing. The Red Army could replace its losses with ease but the Imperial Japanese Army could afford very few exchanges of this nature.​





1500 April 1st 1947.
Naval Offices. Tokyo, Japan.

Osami had the full ground forces allotted to Operation Tedious ashore in Siberia in an attempt to divert Soviet troops from the front line to the south. His troops did not have to wait long to be attacked.​

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Lt. General Zhang Yisan's Cavalry forces in the mountains of Khabarovsk were assaulted from four different directions by five Soviet divisions. The snow had inconveniently melted here too giving the Red Army a chance to throw the invaders back out to sea. The night attack would fail miserably as Zhang Yisan held on with relative ease until Shima's Tactical bombers arrived at dawn to end any chance of Soviet success.​

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Mj. General Numata had been picked up from Bogorodskoe and began to unload his troops towards Nikolayevsk to expand the landing zone.​
 
0500 April 2nd 1947.
North China Army Headquarters. Lanzhou, China.

Field Marshall Higashikuni was in a pensive mood as he digested the information he had received from further north. North China Army had requested reinforcements from the Kwantung Army and the defences of Xinlinhot had been weakened as a result. They had discussed this probability at the meeting the previous month and had made plans for just such an eventuality. Nevertheless Higashikuni was not pleased as the Imperial Japanese Army had very rarely been forced to retreat without order as had happened here.​

apr2470500gr1.jpg

He decided to attack Datong to try and lift his mood. The Red Army was still intent on breaking through his lines and he would try and stop that from happening. The attack was short lived and would only last an hour as it was clear from the outset that the Soviet troops were too numerous to be defeated. The Dive bombers would continue to harass the advancing enemy for the time being.​

apr3470000gr1.jpg

His attack on Datong had proved to be a few hours early. Rokossovsky's forces advanced into Baoding at 0000 hours on April 3rd and were greeted by Nakajima and his Dive bombers from Dalian which were in range of the province. The bombing of Datong continued as the second Dive bomber group targetted the divisions remaining in the province. The initial twenty Soviet divisions had been reduced to twelve spread over two provinces. They were doomed of course.​

apr3470800gr1.jpg

The attacks towards Ceylon had stopped as the Imperial Japanese Navy continued to patrol the islands coast. BB Division 1 encountered a large British Submarine fleet trying to enter the waters to the north west of the island and disrupt convoys in the area. None of the enemy Submarines would be sunk but they had been forced to seek other hunting grounds after Japanese convoys had ceased to sail back and forth to the Middle East after a land connection had been established. Trying to raid convoys close to Ceylon was a much more perilous undertaking for the enemy vessels.​

apr4470500gr1.jpg

Numata landed in Nikolayevsk at 0500 hours on April 4th to expand Japanese controlled territory in Siberia. The Soviets had not reacted as had been hoped and did not appear to be moving anything but token forces into this area in response to Operation Tedious.​

apr4470500gr2.jpg

Soviet forces in Datong had dug in making it increasingly difficult to attack them from the air so the Dive bombers operating from Beiping searched for easier targets. They had plenty to choose from. The single division in Yinchuan would not last long but Higashikuni was more concerned with the large Soviet force to the north in Bayan Nur.​

apr4470600gr1.jpg

Things were going much better in the Middle East as Kondo finished off the last remaining division in Persia. The decision on whether to try and annex the Country could be decided on intelligence gathered from across the border as Soviet troops were definately guarding this area. Higashikuni had some influence on what was decided but ultimately he knew that he would be ordered to do what the Emperor commanded.​

apr5470000gr1.jpg

Japanese troops had recovered from their first attempt on Datong and the defences were considerably weaker when the second attack started. This time there would be no reversals as the overwhelming number of Japanese troops forced the Soviets to retreat. Rokossovsky was in a race against time as General Dohihara headed back towards Datong from Taiyuan. Japanese armour had arrived in Beiping to prevent any attack on the airbase giving Rokossovsky no chance of advancing further without risking a flank attack.​





1000 April 5th 1947.
Kwantung Army Headquarters. Mukden, Manchukuo.

The Red Army was clearly intent on inflicting as much damage as fast as possible on Japanese forces in Asia and Terauchi would again be forced to react to their new found aggression.​

apr5471000gr2.jpg

The Japanese High Command knew that Manchuria was critical to Japanese interests in Asia and had to be held in order to stop the Red Army. Terauchi had been given the pick of Commanders in the Imperial Japanese Army. General Tanaka Shizuichi was one of his first choices. The highly skilled General was commanding the defences of Andong which needed to be held to prevent a split in the defences in Manchuria.

Twenty Soviet divisions would try and force him to abandon the mountains of the province. Terauchi was not about to allow a second loss to be inflicted on the Kwantung Army.​

apr5471100gr1.jpg

Field Marshall Timoshenko was leading the ten divisions attacking Andong from Xinjing and he would be on the receiving end of a massive counter attack against his western flank. Terauchi himself led twenty four Japanese divisions to support the defence of Andong. There would be no swift victory for the Red Army as night decended and Timoshenko tried in vain to accomplish what Minami had failed to in Xilinhot.

When the sun rose both battles would end in victory for Terauchi as he routed Timoshenko and forced the Soviets to abandon their attack on Andong. Unlike the previous year the Red Army no longer had overwhelming numerical superiority in this area and any attack was likely to be very costly as a result. The Kwantung Army had proven time and time again that they were not going to allow the Red Army to roll over them and Terauchi was beginning to contemplate what was almost unthinkable twelve months ago. His plans began to switch from a purely defensive position to one of possible attack.​
 
Remble said:
When the sun rose both battles would end in victory for Terauchi as he routed Timoshenko and forced the Soviets to abandon their attack on Andong. Unlike the previous year the Red Army no longer had overwhelming numerical superiority in this area and any attack was likely to be very costly as a result. The Kwantung Army had proven time and time again that they were not going to allow the Red Army to roll over them and Terauchi was beginning to contemplate what was almost unthinkable twelve months ago. His plans began to switch from a purely defensive position to one of possible attack.[/INDENT]

now, we will see some offensive :p

Vladivostok is very important for AI. when you invade there, AI overreacts and they can redeploy a lot of units to that area and you can use this for your benefit. AI redeploys units to the adjacent provinces and when you get those provinces, the units, all go to the capital. then, you don`t need to face a lot of divisions at the same time.

and if you have chance, you can move your Siberian units to adjacent provinces to send back the probable redeploying Soviet units.

and Xilinhot is not a big loss and easier to invade as it is a hilly area.

i think annexing Persia is a good idea. when Soviets move south, 8TACs can do a lot of work for their Emperor, especially in Dasht-e Kavir and Dasht-e Lut.

good luck as always and i hope everything goes OK for you in your civilian life :rofl: then we don`t need to wait too much for your updates :D
 
Perhaps the lack of success of Tedious to attract enemy forces is due to the fact that the landing areas are a bit afar from the main operations area? Or perhaps the IA, erm, Moscow, has discovered the nature of Tedious?
 
alan_le_cowboy said:
Interesting update.

It seems there is no more snow.
May be time to go back to landscape display?

Politcal map mode please... I get confused all the time... :eek:o ;)
 
Kurt_Steiner said:
Perhaps the lack of success of Tedious to attract enemy forces is due to the fact that the landing areas are a bit afar from the main operations area? Or perhaps the IA, erm, Moscow, has discovered the nature of Tedious?

Operation Tedious could be spiced up by small-scale encirclements. Khabarovsk-Iman would cut off Ternei; and maybe, if you move your troops from Bogorodskoe to Nikolaevsk-na-Amure, the Soviets in Komsomolsk-na-Amure would run into that trap.
 
I finally catched up with this.
And I need to say this.
Damnit Remble, why do you make AAR's that good? Keep with the almost-greatest range, and leave the rest some space to live (write) in. :S Anyway, I'm enjoying this. Proceed.
 
The Spring has fully dawned and now the Soviets will throw bodies at you until there are no more to throw. An offensive would be nice to see, but your troops will wear away much quicker than the Soviets...
 
You certainly know how keep us on edge, Remble! If only the vast number of collaborationist Chinese troops from history could be properly represented here, without of course the improbably powerful Chinese puppet state in-game. I also cannot wait for the day that Japanese fleets can sail the Pacific unmolested, although where would be the fun in that?
 
elbasto said:
I can't believe most forces in the Chinese scenario are still two generations old... If you upgrade you'd send the Soviets back quite fast... er.

Of course, that would completely dry your oil reserves...

Good luck!


Capturing Baku would help out with the oil. Texas would be better though.
 
A good update with a nice dash of anticipation at the end. :)

Brad1 said:
Capturing Baku would help out with the oil. Texas would be better though.

I don't think Remble has the resources to invade Texas at this point, although it would be impressive he if could.
 
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Actually I think that Remble would not only be able to take Texas at this point, I think it would be a very easy way to win the scenario.
Pull out of the asian mainland completely, use the sea as a wall against the russians, use the troops liberated from duty on the mainland to invade USA, and overrun the entire north american continent inside a year. Spend another year using the extra industry and ressources to upgrade all units and build lots of aircraft. After this, go kick the russians out of china, asia and europe.

Ofcourse Remble wont do it.... but its entirely feasible. Just too gamey to exploit the american lack of will to defend their homeland...
 
Nice update.
Tough, manpower costly fighting going on... and Terauchi thinks about going forward? How will that turn out? As usual we readers can only wait and see :)

If your bombers in the Middle East have absolutely no problems with the Allied reinforcements there, I would go for Persia. The extra chance to bomb Soviet troops should be used. On the other hand, the second front may let the AI do (more) stupid things...
 
Was that an encirclement I saw in Baoding? Or were those troops mopped up by the air force? Maybe keeping that little corridor open might be useful as long as too many Soviets don't come russian in at once*
An offensive? The numbers look pretty slim on the Korean/Maunchurian border perhaps a push towards Vladivostok is in order? The troops dancing around in Siberia could be good reinforcements for such an attack.



*Bad I know but I saw the opening and I took it.
 
Great AAR

It took me a few weeks but I managed to catch up with your entire AAR to this page. I liked your German Götterdämmerung AAR very much and when I noticed this project and started reading it, I was happy to find that this Japanese story again does you credit.
From the reversal of fortunes in the Pacific, the capture of China, Australia, New Zealand, India and Iraq, untill the perfectly executed defensive war against the Soviet Union, you managed to keep the reading interesting and immersive. Above all you show great mastery of the game and good strategic insight in it. Well done and keep up the good work!
 
Despite that I not suggest to annex Persia, taking them will put your forces close to Baku, the oil fields. If you will hold it long enough the oil produced here will prove useful.
If your ground forces and air squadrons will be able to defend Baku, this will offer also another attack avenue against SU.