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Great work! Nice terms. Now what?

Rensslaer
 
SUPERB komrade on defeating the Japanese, i knew you and your brilliant strategy could do it! Do you plan to summarize your Pacific war as you did with Operation: Barborossa? I do hope so as it is very informative. Anyhows there lies two more operations for you to commence: The total destruction of the bolshvieks (i spell that right?) and the titantic war with the United Nations to finally usher in a new world order! XD plz continue komrade this is a very awesome aar!
 
Yes, I'll be writing up another summary post. I've got the pictures ready and started on it, but there are many lessons that were learned and can be applied to future conflicts. Oh, and there's a little PI bug I need to figure out how to get around, namely when Japan surrendered, Manchukuo kept all of the expeditionary forces and won't give them back :( I think I know how to fix the problem, but need to try it out. Hopefully PI will put something in FtM so master nations will stop sending their puppets expeditionary troops, as it totally kills some of the surrender events, especially since there's no event command modders can use to force the puppet to return the units.

Future plans include waiting for China to finish unifying (I'll need to prompt this to happen, as the Chinese war plan AI seems to be dead), finishing off the dirty communists, and showing the remaining capitalists the error of their ways :) That is, if I can beat the USN back enough to land troops in the Americas...
 
I just read your AAR up to this point. I must say, it's very interesting. I normally don't find much interest in HoI3.

And your manpower sure took a massive beating against the Soviets. Polygyny session a la Dr. Strangelove, anyone? :D
 
Hey Bromgrev, I'm still here and reading - Great job so far, almost a shame for the AAR that the invasion of Japan went so smoothly, but it definitely has demonstrated your capability to fight a major war away from Europe...Onwards to America! :D
 
Just finished up your awesome AAR! I will follow closely.
 
Chapter 45: Analysis of Operation Setting Sun

To a casual reader, the accounts of Unternehmen Abendsonne may appear to be one-sided. That assumption couldn't be further from the truth. The entire operation was a gamble, one which paid off better than expected. After a careful review of the facts, the reason the Reich succeeded as well as it did lay not with the Reich's superiority in battle, but Japan's increasingly dire circumstances. Japan's example of failing to quickly secure its objectives when conducting an overseas invasion against a stronger opponent, and it's ability to continue to fight in the face of overwhelming odds offered valuable lessons to Hitler and the rest of the NSDAP leadership. These lessons would later be used against the United Nations - the global alliance created by the United States of America.

The first lesson to come from the invasion was one that was already familiar to the Reich: create a large distraction, something the enemy cannot ignore. This tactic was successfully employed during the initial stages of Unternehmen Seelöwe, when the Kriegsmarine's I. Marinekorps landed in Scotland only to retreat after Armee 1 landed in England. In the case of Unternehmen Abendsonne, China served as the distraction. Japan could not, under any circumstances both internally and internationally, allow itself to admit defeat. Suing for peace would have ended the current administration led by the Japanese Emperor and his nobles, as well as greatly reducing Japan's international prestige. The Asian custom of "saving face" ultimately led to Japan committing everything it had to its current conflict. In any normal situation this would make sense, as the United States, Japan's rival, was dominated by isolationist policies, and the Europeans were fighting amongst themselves at the time. To the Japanese leadership, the possibility of Germany creating a navy powerful enough to destroy the UK and reach Japan itself was as likely as watching pigs fly. Even if Germany had built a powerful navy, Japan's leaders felt that, despite the massive amount of military aid Germany provided China, Germany would be too distracted with the remnants of the Soviet Union to attempt overseas operations. In addition, the common belief amongst Japanese military leaders was that Germany would aid China on the ground, where the mighty Heer, the Reich's greatest asset, could be used at its maximum potential. Not once did Japan's government consider a German invasion.

This kind of thinking could very well be applied to the UN. At the time of Japan's surrender, the UN consisted of the 4 former Commonwealth nations, plus the US and the majority of Central and South America. While South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand could easily be dealt with with the Reich's military, the Americas offered a much more difficult challenge. The main lesson learned from both of the Reich's amphibious operations would be applied: create a distraction that the enemy could not ignore.

usa_superpower.jpg

The USA becomes the world's only superpower during the invasion; its armed forces are the most numerous, and its industrial capacity is the greatest in the world

The second lesson lay with naval tactics. The Kriegsmarine was created with the sole purpose of wresting control of the sea from the enemy. At no point was maintaining such control considered. Such was the weak point of the Kriegsmarine; it could not protect supply convoys heading towards the conquered beachheads. During Unternehmen Seelöwe, this weakness was not exploited by the Allies, and any lost German supply ships were easily replaced. However, the Imperial Japanese Navy took full advantage of the fact that the Kriegsmarine was operating far from its home waters. During stages 1 and 2 of the invasion the Reich was supplied by China, and its supply convoys were only beginning the long trek from Sevastopol to captured Japanese ports. However, during stage 3 of the invasion the IJN had finally found the Reich's supply routes and sunk a massive amount of unprotected shipping, totaling at 90 lost German convoys, averaging at 15 per week, which was much higher than the Reich's 10 per week average against the UK. Since the USA has the largest navy on Earth, any invasion of the Americas requires a very large convoy reserve, possibly numbering in the thousands of ships in order to properly supply the Reich's mechanized invasions and accommodate the convoy attrition the Reich knows will occur.

akagi.jpg

The IJN Akagi, whose design the KMS Graf Zeppelin and KMS Peter Strasser were based on, is sinking after being struck by a torpedo

The third lesson also deals with naval tactics, albeit more direct ones. Admiral Raeder and Hitler initially expected to lose many ships, due to the IJN's perceived superiority. The fact that not a single ship was lost baffled the Reich's leaders, until news arrived that the IJN had run out of fuel. The operation also confirmed that carriers would decide the fate of future naval engagements, as shown by the table below listing IJN ships sunk by the Kriegsmarine. Overwhelmingly, the Reich's carriers sunk more tonnage than the battleships, confirming once and for all that the new approach of building carrier fleets was the correct one. Since the USN was known to favor carriers over battleships, just like the IJN, a new focus on improving the Reich's naval aviation arm was made, in order to ensure better performance against the USN.

german_japansunkships.jpg

IJN ships sunk during Unternehmen Abendsonne; no Kriegsmarine ships were lost during the operation

And so, a plan to destroy the UN, which was, despite the Reich's many great achievements, still the most powerful alliance in existence began. While at this point the plan was still in its beginning stages, three things were certain to be included: 1) A massive distraction attack the UN cannot ignore, 2) A massive buildup of supply ships and destroyer escorts, and 3) a massive buildup of carrier task forces.

However, before the plan could be put into motion, China had to consolidate its position amongst the warlords and Manchukuo, then aid the Reich in the conquest of the Soviet Union rump state. The Soviet Union could not be allowed to exist if the Reich was to destroy the remnants of capitalism.

chapter44worldmap.jpg

The state of the world after Japan's surrender

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Whew, took longer to finish this than I thought. I've been pretty busy at work lately and didn't have a lot of free time until now. Anyway, I managed to figure out how to force Manchukuo to return Japan's expeditionary forces, but it took a long time to return everything. Next up, the death of the Bolshevik haven and the Chinese Unification :)

@New posters: Since there are several of you, I decided to make one big welcome! I'm glad you enjoy the AAR! Despite my slow rate of posting lately, this AAR isn't dead, as I have too many things to finish before I call it quits :)
 
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Tackling the USA in their own backyard eh? That should be hard. I do expect some adrenaline during the sea battles :)
 
A broad plan of global domination!

So... forgive me if you've mentioned this in pieces over the course of the AAR, but what does South America look like, alliance-wise? Where's Mexico stand? What kind of bases to you have to use against the USA that might be nearer than China, Japan and Europe? Otherwise, you're right, the USN might have alot of fun with your convoys and supply lines.

Rensslaer
 
Pretty much all the American democracies are in the UN. Of the rest, Peru could join the Axis if I wanted, and Argentina is already a member and will act as my primary base. India and the UK's former colonies aren't involved and have 100 neutrality, so I won't edit the game to put them in the UN. I'll go more in-depth on how exactly I plan to beat the US in chapter 48 or 49, after I finish tying up the lose ends.

Oh, and I didn't mention this earlier, but Italy and China got the Major Power event, so they're 1 step below me when it comes to international standing. I guess I could use this post to explain what that event chain does, since the explanation requires too many game-details to "fit" in a regular chapter.

The HPP has 4 Power events that help to rank each nation and give bonuses based on their specialties. A Regional Power is a nation with at least 50 IC and 150 brigades, and its small MP and LS bonus is meant to help out the minor nations that are strong enough to tip the balance in a fight between majors, but not strong enough to take one out on its own; Romania and Italy are good examples, as they are great support nations for Germany, but could never take out the majors on their own. A Major Power is a nation with at least 100 IC and either 300+ brigades, 100+ ships, or 25+ planes (mutually exclusive, only one applies). Majors gain the same benefits Regionals do, plus a morale bonus for the branch they've specialized in. Five nations start out as Majors - the US, UK, and Japan due to their huge navies, France and the USSR for their armies. Great Powers are nations with at least 150 IC and two of either 375+ brigades, 120+ ships, or 30+ planes. In this game, I'm currently a Great Power due to my army and airforce, and I gain bonuses for air and land org and morale.

Finally, a Superpower is a nation with 250+ IC, 450+ brigades, 150+ ships, and 40+ planes. The US now meets those requirements, which tells me it has at least that many units. I meet the IC, brigade, and plane requirements, but am only halfway to the ship requirement.
 
do transports count or are only "active" ships taken into the equation?

not that I would ever think of abusing such a thing, of course:D
 
Yes, transports count as ships. I'll need to build a bunch more anyway, like 40 or more, if I expect the invasion to work. I expect to lose quite a few, and will need plenty of extras so I can ship my army over intact.
 
In Imperio Novo (v1.3), I took advantage of the fact that any transport -- even lone transports, unescorted -- could quickly dodge away from full carrier battle groups and still deliver their troops onshore within a day or two of the contact.

I PRESUME this has been dealt with, and transport fleets are more vulnerable now. Am I correct? Otherwise, you might have a relatively easy time! :D

Rensslaer
 
Diversions:
Landing in Florida. Relatively easy to occupy, short frontage to the north. Will occupy lots of US troops and will distract them for a few weeks time as they redeploy to face this front.
Mexico would also quailfy, although you'd need to combine tanks and mountaineers for this area. Relatively short frontage with the US plus it will take them a while until they can reach you. Panama channel is also within reach, so you can greatly limit the USN room for maneuver.
Thridly, Alaska. Desolate place, will be a real hassle to supply troops there, but you'll be relatively far away from US deployments initially, which will enable you to land a sizable force even if it might take a bit longer.

Strategic targets:
Panama Channel, to limit USN's ability to shift forces.
Carribean Islands, to gain close-by air- and naval bases.
Argentina - Peru. Hand them a few units and they should easily be able to overrun their neighbours. This will draw in US forces, making things for you easier up north, especially if you wait with the seizure of Panama until the US forces have passed south. While not depriving them of any and all forces, it should draw in a couple of divisions which you then could easily squash between the Panama Channel and the approaching Argentinian / Peruvian forces.
 
@SSmith: Thanks. Despite how anti-climatic the entire operation was, if you were to put yourself in the AI's shoes, the AI's actions make sense.

@Rensslaer: Not sure. I do know that transports are most likely at the top of the combat AI's "target list". You know the techs that add "target choice"? I have no concrete info, but based on my observations, each ship type is given a target value, which represents the priority your ships and planes should give to the ship. Target choice makes it more likely important ships will be hit, and reduces the chance of friendly-fire (positioning helps this too). Based on my experience, transports are right at the top, followed by carriers, battleships, battlecruisers, light carriers, then going down the chain from there. This makes perfect sense to me, and you can see a great example of the high priority given to transports wayyy back when I did Sealion and France tried to help. I sunk the French transports instead of the capital ships, and the transports were targeted first.

@Baltasar: Thanks for the tips, although you'll have to wait a few more chapters to see what I plan on doing :)

@lunchmeat1234: Thanks. I don't want to comment on pay, but when it comes to work slowing down, check out the last paragraph in the Development section of this article. That last sentence is a real downer, because we have to give our test engines and the engine controllers we verify the software on back to the US government :( That's a huge pain in the a$$, because we can't verify that our software works on the target hardware, because we no longer have access to the controllers. The whole thing is stupid, since we were going to finish the software and the engine next month, and do the flight testing in November, completing the development process. Figures Congress would do something dumb like stop funding a program it's been funding for 15 years 2 months before it's finished, and hand over a no-bid monopoly to a competing company whose engine is years overdue, billions overbudget, and performs worse in every respect than the one I'm working on :mad: Then again, politicians aren't known for being competent.
 
Despite how anti-climatic the entire operation was, if you were to put yourself in the AI's shoes, the AI's actions make sense.

You almost have me convinced :) but I would hope (if playing Japan) that I would never consider any overseas commitment important enough to neglect entirely the defence of my homeland.