Influence Wars - Japan 1936 HPP Interactive AAR - GAMEPLAY THREAD

[Gensui Yamamoto]

Exactly.

It has been made mention of every time I've talked about this. You loose some of the total bonus given to each, but with a duel selection you get a wide upgrade of abilities, at the expense of a single specific aspect with the CAGs. (See values above) Arguably if we had a bomber wing I would suggest we follow the air and naval branches because CAG will never be used for bombing. As it stands the army appears to lack in this department and so it is prudent to follow this specialisation path instead.

These will only be 'one off' researchs.

[Cybvep]

*Except that you have been asking first and foremost for CAG Land Focus (or freaking "ground attack roll", whatever this means - can't you use the real tech names?) and mentioned CAG Naval Focus only sporadically. Your latest research plan for the aiforce looked like this:

Air Research:
-In Research CAG Ground Attack Roll '40
-Central Air Command Structure '38
-In Research Small Air Search Radar '40
-In Research Maritime Attack Ordinance
-In Research Interception Tactics
-In Research Fighter Pilot Training

and the one before that:

Air Research:
-Top Priority CAG Ground Attack Roll <--This is top priority and this training should have been done ages ago!
-Central Air Command Structure '38
-Small Air Search Radar '40

an even earlier one:

Air Research:
-Top Priority CAG Ground Attack Roll

[Holy.Death]

I can agree with the view of Admirals Yamamoto and Baltasar. Tanks could be of use only in vast quantities against the U.S.R.R. or in territories we have no access to currently. I think we can make anti-tank weapons and tank destroyers instead. Mountain Infantry coupled with these weapons can stall Soviet advance in Manchuria and North Korea for a very long time. That's another reason why I insisted on recruiting unit specialized in defending the high ground. I wonder if it could be worthwhile to send some medium tanks as expeditionary force to Italy to help capture Egypt and the Suez Canal, but the whole affair seems too risky and we shouldn't show Stalin where our political sympathies lie.

I support Operation Pāpurumonkī in full. Mountain Infantry is to bolster the defenses of Army Group Center (which should, probably, be given a new commander. The one who'll be more capable of fulfilling orders to defend what was ordered to be defended. There can be not a step back now) before we'll be able to plan offensive operation with the strength of three combined Chinese fronts.

[Baltasar]

I do not agree regarding the dual specialisation. Speculating that we will always operate under landbased air cover is too much a risk. Assuming that our land based air cover, if it is there at all, will be able to withstand enemy air assaults is another risky proposition. If our CAGs are caught in the air by anything capable flying, they're as good as dead. Heavier payload doesn't mean anything if the aircraft can't reach their target. Furthermore, losses among men and equipment of CAG wings would be unbearable. We'd run out of pilots and planes quite soon. Instead, we need more durable aircraft. If they can't sink enemy ships in one go, that's ok as long as they return to try again. We're short on the industrial side and this so called strategy would mean a much larger burden with just trying to keep enough planes in the CAG wings operational for their suicidical missions.

[Surt]

Gen. Holy,

I think you missed the point, our TD are obsolete the moment they are build and we would have to research M.Arm tech to upgrade them, where it would them make more sense to build M.Arm.

[Baltasar]

Memorandum for the Daihon’ei (Imperial General Headquaters)

This war started out as a relatively simple operation against China. The navy supported the army as much as they could, providing close support and blockading enemy ports. When the National Chinese fleet was dealt with, the navy couldn’t do much except provide air support with their CAG wings as far as they could. Afterwards, it was a matter of the army while the navy, anticipating war with the western powers, tried to get as many ships operational as possible. However, the USA declared war on us first. In a perfect world, we would have more of everything and we would’ve been done in China by now. However, as an old Christian saying goes, if you want to make god laugh, make a plan.

This early declaration of war meant that we had to do with what we had. The early mistakes of the USA went a long way to buy us time when we managed to sink a great portion of their ships and drive them back. The fact that we managed to take Hawaii is certainly something neither the USA nor we thought realistic that, at least not that early in the conflict. While Hawaii is a formidable base of operations for us, it is also at the end of our supply lines and close to the US mainland. Dangerously close, if I may say so.

Despite all odds, our ships managed to perform well and I believe that this is a direct result of our building policy combined with our efforts to keep our ships up to date. Tactical doctrines also allowed our ships to outperform our opponents time and again, even when circumstances were stacked in favour of our opponents, eg at the battle of Kiska Island. Our ships and their crew can win the war for us, but we have to give them the tools to do so. I believe that they have what they need already and while we certainly need to give them more modern equipment and refine the doctrines, it is the operational practice that has gone on without change yet: The big guns knock out the enemy, the carriers provide air cover, the escorts finish off the stragglers.

This has worked well so far and although we aim to operate under land based air cover as well, we will never be able to do so all the time. The enemy will try to force us into battle under his terms and while we try to, we will not be able to avoid it every time. Seeing that we have a dramatic disparity in numbers, we have to save our ships and planes as much as possible. Hence it is vital for us to continue to use our carrier based aircraft for air support roles. We have seen what aircraft can do to ships already. They might not be able to sink them alone, but when they operate with a fleet aiding them, they can damage or disable them. While a decisive factor, they can contribute by sapping the enemy’s strength by slowing down parts of their fleets, bringing us into a position where we can attack their individual fleets rather than their combined strength. It is a finely tuned cooperation between the big guns, the aircraft and the escorts. Everybody has his role in this and together, these branches work smoothly. So smoothly in fact that we managed to sink 1,5 times as many ships than we actually had at the start of hostilities and 5,5 times more than we lost.

My office has worked through the battle reports and found out that the heavier the ship was which we lost, the heaver it’s opponent was. Three out of four battlecruisers lost were sunken by enemy battleships, the last one being sunk by destroyers. Enemy carrier based aircraft only accounted for one heavy cruiser, one light cruiser, one destroyer group and two transport fleets. This means that our own carrier based wings, combined with anti aircraft artillery, were successful in providing air cover in most cases. It also shows that airplanes are not likely to cripple a heavy capital ship quickly enough to stop it from sinking our own units.

When we look at offensive roles, we see a similar picture. Many enemy capital ships were sunk by our own big guns (4 BBs, 1 CV, 2 CVL) as well as lots of enemy escorts. Preferring to knock out the biggest threat they see, our battleships often enough damage enemy vessels severely, putting them out of the fight effectively and leaving our own escorts to sink enemy vessels. Though this may seem relatively time consuming, it actually is an economical way to use our forces. On a humanitarian note, it also gives the crews of the striken ships more time to evacuate. The carrier aircraft have accounted for several sinkings themselves, but their most important contribution is certainly the air cover, combined with their ability to damage enemy ships and persue fleeing enemies, though they are also effective in anti submarine roles.

If we now change this operational doctrine, it will have a profound effect on our operations. While the aircraft may carry more payload, they will be much less likely to survive contact with the enemy. Even worse, our own planes will be much less able to deter enemy attack aircraft from damaging our own ships. This would indeed prove fatal for our operations. Furthermore, we have to assume that due to their much worse dogfight capabilities, our planes and their pilots would suffer much larger losses, losses we can ill afford. The CAG wings are in constant need of replacements already and neither can our flight schools provide the necessary pilots nor can our industry produce even more planes as replacements. The finely tuned weapon which our navy now is will get jagged, unbalanced and blunt.


It will become useless.

[Holy.Death]

Regarding CAG I'd advise to concentrate on air-sea operation doctrines as the main field of operations of carriers will be the sea, also the sea will be the most important field to ensure the safety and prosperity of our country.

To General Surt:

To be effective fighting force I'd advise researching (and producing) Tank Destroyers and Medium Tanks to provide some maneuverability when we'll be forced to fight the U.S.R.R. in Siberia and Mongolia later on. Smaller numbers of armored units can be used where the terrain is feasible to use them, mostly against the British, but they won't be the main contributor in Pacific theatre. In such light armor is not top priority of the IJA, but it should be researched from now on, to allow us to remain competitive against the major land-based powers.

[Surt]

To Gen. Holy, you realise we have 1 L.Arm and we already can research M.Arm, so no use in researching L.Arm???

[Holy.Death]

To General Surt:

Yes. I didn't mention light armor at all. I meant that armor in such light isn't our priority as navy and infantry currently is. It's advisable to research Medium Tanks and Tank Destroyers, but our main focus should remain elsewhere.

[Cybvep]

*Plans approved.

The next update should be posted tomorrow.

[Cybvep]

Influence Levels

Air assets

IJA

12 H-FTRs
3 LBs

IJN
15 CAGs
1 NAV
1 MB

Common
4 L-FTRs
2 HBs
1 TRAN

One new H-FTR was formed.

IJN Land Troops

1 SNLF Corps - 5 MAR divisions (15 brigades) - all are fighting on the Malayan Peninsula
29 GAR divs

IJA Reserve

We have no strategic reserve. All troops have been transferred either to China or to the Southern Pacific.

Pacific Defence Perimeter

Most of our GARs divs are composed of 2 GAR brigades, with the exception of GARs stationed in Japan, on Taiwan and on Truk.

Japan - 10 GAR divs (8 have support brigades - either ARTs or AAs)
The Philippines - 5 GAR divs
The Hawaiian Islands - 4 GAR divs
Phoenix Island - 2 GAR divs (there was never enough time to move one of these divs to other places)
Other islands - 1 GAR div per island


Other
We lost 4 convoys. Our subs managed to sink 22 Allied convoys and 6 convoy escorts - this success can be attributed to the increased number of targets for our subs. However, we lost one sub.

I decided to drop the idea of dual-specialisation. The risk is simply too great, as we cannot hope to operate under full and effective land-based air cover all the time and our IC is too limited in order to cover even higher CAG losses.

[Cybvep]

Chapter Five, Part Two: Sino-Japanese War / War with the Allies
Oct 1942 - Jan 1943

Previously in the Influence Wars...


The Aleutian Campaign resulted in several naval clashes and despite the fact that the American losses were more severe than the Japanese ones, the operation had to be aborted. The end result was a strategic and operational victory for the USA. Moreover, the USA joined the Allies.

In China, the Japanese forces counter-attacked in the South and the North, destroying several Chinese divisions and pushing the enemy back. However, the Chinese managed to conquer Changde.


And now, the conclusion...


The Pacific Theatre





After the the United Kingdom's declaration of war, the number of potential targets for our submarines increased dramatically. Even though their main role now is to patrol hostile waters and gather intelligence, the Japanese submariners made the most of the beneficial situation they found themselves in and destroyed many Allied merchantmen. However, the Americans are becoming more and more efficient at finding our submarines, which results in more frequent clashes between the US surface ships and the Japanese submarines. In one such engagement our submarines engaged the whole American task force.





When our submariners and pilots reported an increasing enemy naval activity near Hawaii and spotted several transports, our reaction was swift. The 4th Fleet was hastily formed and sent to Honolulu, where it would serve as a deterrent against the invasion of the Hawaiian Islands and engage the enemy fleets when necessary. Soon enough, our fleet encountered a small American task force. During the battle, the USN lost one light cruiser, while the IJN lost no ships. Unfortunately, we did not manage to find the American transports.

In November and December the Japanese land-based aircraft engaged the enemy's CAGs several times, but there were no further clashes between surface ships. Much to our surprise, it appears that the Americans have no intention of attacking the Hawaiian Islands at the moment and that their real goal is to support the Commonwealth forces in the Southern Pacific. Alternatively, the Americans may simply be trying to bring our attention to the Central Pacific in order to force us to station our ships there.





The marines who were stranded on Kiska were rescued by our fleets and the Americans were most likely too weak to intervene. Still, the whole operation took a lot of time because of the reorganisation of our fleets and poor logistical situation on Kiska. Therefore, the attack on the Malaya began only in December. Further delays could be fatal, as the enemy would have been able to bring much more significant forces to the region.

The first phase of the operation went flawlessly - the Japanese marines secured the local ports and airfields in northern Borneo and soon enough the Japanese heavy fighters were patrolling the skies, covering our troops and fleets. The enemy's naval bombers harassed our fleets, but failed to cause significant damage. Our infantry disembarked in ports and started to move deeper inland, but still remained close to the coastline - just as it was planned.





The problems began when our marines landed in the Malayan Peninsula. Two marine divisions secured the northernmost port on the Peninsula and pinned enemy troops there, while three divisions attacked Kuala Lumpur. Unfortunately, the enemy's resistance was stiffer than expected and despite heavy air support the marines failed to take Kuala Lumpur in a frontal assault. Having only limited supplies, the marines decided to encircle Kuala Lumpur and attack it from several sides and capture the port located west to the city if possible.

On the 31th December the Allied task force appeared out of nowhere and engaged our fleets stationed in the Singapore Strait. The battle lasted several hours and the enemy lost one destroyer flotilla, while we lost no ships. Nevertheless, several of our ships were damaged and it was deemed too risky to remain in place, so a decision was made to withdraw the fleets to Borneo, while most of our CAGs would continue to support the marines fighting on the Peninsula. In an unexpected turn of events, the Allied task force returned with doubled strength. Neither our submarines nor our planes managed to locate the enemy before the battle began, so our fleets were caught by surprise by several British capital ships and hundreds of enemy planes while most of our CAGs were still bombing the enemy in Kuala Lumpur. This was a disaster - the enemy's aircraft swarmed our ships and several British battlecruisers opened fired against our destroyers and cruisers. The crews of our screening ships fought valiantly and it is only their bravery that saved IJN Kaga from certain destruction. When our CAGs were returning to their carriers, they spotted flames from afar and responded by adopting the battle formation. They were soon joined by our heavy fighters and a fierce but short air battle ensued, the shortness being caused by rapidly deteriorating weather conditions. Heavy rain brought the end to the naval battle as well and ships from both sides were consumed by fog. The end result was that we lost several destroyers and cruisers, while the Allies lost 2 cruisers, a destroyer flotilla and 2 transport groups.






Three of our SNLF divisions are now facing an increasingly difficult supply situation and they are still far from port. We do not know how many troops the enemy can bring to the area, but our pilots say that they cannot have many more divisions there. Still, Kuala Lumpur is heavily defended and it is doubtful that the marines will be able to capture the city without additional supplies. What is worse, the Royal Navy now controls the waters around Singapore. Our pilots spotted several heavily damaged ships docked at Singapore's port, but we are certain that it is only a part of the Allied naval strength in the region. Most of our ships that are combat-ready are still docked at various ports in Japan or in Honlulu. Fortunately, our CAGs are in a good condition.


War in China






In South China, our troops moved forward, although the price in bodies and materiel was high. The battles in Lipu and Binyang alone resulted in about 12 thousand casualties and although the supply situation in the South is stable, the terrain is harsh, the enemies - numerous and the air support - now limited. At least the Chinese are no longer on the offensive.

Several additional divisions have been transported to the South, including 4 new mountain divisions. We will see how they will affect the situation there.






Further north, our troops managed to reconquer some of the lost territory and the Chinese are now clearly on the defensive. Our main goal was to recapture Changde and the Japanese soldiers are entering the province as we speak.

The supply situation in Central China has been improved significantly, although it still remains relatively the worst in all of China.





Despite the fact that Hong Kong was defended by a single garrison division, three assaults were needed in order to capture the city. The Japanese forces triumphantly entered Hong Kong's streets on 15th of November and our merchantmen have been transporting cargo to Hong Kong's port since then. It is the biggest victory against the British that we have managed to achieve so far.


Other matters





On 15th of October 1942 the German troops entered Leningrad. It was a major symbolic victory and a morale boost for the Axis, but its real strategic significance is unclear. In Ukraine, the Axis managed to reconquer Odessa, but the Soviets succeeded in forming a local encirclement and trapped several Axis divisions. Their fate is unknown to us. Excluding these events, the general frontline has remained mostly static, with provinces changing hands back-and-forth.





Lack of any authority of the pro-Axis French government resulted in a coup d'etat. The Germans intervened and annexed the French State within a month. In Africa, Spain made a pre-emptive strike against Morocco in order to prevent the newly created state from supporting the Allies at the most inconvenient moment. However, the Axis frontline in Libya collapsed and the Allies were steadily moving forward.





As of 2nd of January 1943, the Allies are approaching Oran and are steadily advancing in Spain. The Axis still controls some regions in Central and Western Africa, but it appears that strategically war in Africa has already been won by the Allies.






Our submariners and spies gathered some intelligence which may be useful. Apparently the Americans are investing heavily in their airforce. Several of the Allied Pacific possessions appear to be lightly guarded, but we know that the Allies have some ships there. Our deep cover agents gave us limited reports from the UK and it looks like the potential of the British economy has been dramatically increased by the American support, although the exact accuracy of the reports is disputed.

The Chinese potential appears to be lower than it once was. The Administration believes that it is the combination of our recent gains, our strategic bombing campaign and increasing war exhaustion among the Chinese.






The government and the intelligence have started a propaganda campaign in order to boost the morale of the Japanese population and the results are already visible. However, the activity of foreign spies is visibly increasing and their actions have a negative effect on our research and production capacity.

Recent army recruitment surge and heavy casualties suffered in China have dramatically decreased the available manpower. Moreover, supply production needs to remain high in order to cover the needs of the ever-increasing Army. The Navy has shrunk in size because of the losses suffered in the Malaya, but the construction of one new light cruiser has been finished and a new cruiser was ordered, which means that we are constructing 4 modern warships (1 battleship and three light cruisers). The budget has been heavily strained, so cuts had to be made. Radars received top priority (we already have two radar sites which we will be able to deploy quickly in Singapore when the city is conquered). Construction of a rocket test site was prioritised over aircraft production after the new fighter wing was formed. Trade agreements with the Americas have been cancelled in order to avoid an increase in merchantmen production. Reinforcements and supply production received a bigger share of the budget than the modernisation of the military. None of this was pleasant, but we cannot just pretend that we can do everything at our leisure.

Secret cooperation between Germany and Japan is showing its first results. German blueprints arrived by submarine and they will greatly aid us in the development of rocketry, where we lag behind the other great powers. It is a long-term project, but a one which we cannot ignore even if it puts us at a short-term disadvantage.

Admiral Yamamoto's idea of a dual specialisation of our CAGs (close air support and naval attacks at the expense of dogfighting capability) has been definitely rejected. We cannot just hope that our CAGs will have the luxury of land-based air cover all the time and they need to put up a fight in the air when faced with serious opposition. Moreover, General Tojo believes that our CAG losses have already been unacceptably high in many cases and such a risky change could increase our aircraft losses to the levels that could be extremely dangerous.


-----

Addendum

[Cybvep]

*Check the tech screens here.

[Baltasar]

To the administration:

- Can our planes (NAV, TAC and CAGs) reach Singapore from Kunching? If not, what is the furthest province in a north-easterly direction our CAGs can operate from, assuming they are operating from carriers?
- Am I correct to assume that Kunching has only level 1 port facilities?
- Can fleets based at Kaohsiung (Taiwan) operate near Singapore?
- Are there already supply routes established towards Kunching (Borneo), Kuala Belait (Borneo) and Kotha Bharu (Malaya)?

[Cybvep]

*Answers

To the administration:

- Can our planes (NAV, TAC and CAGs) reach Singapore from Kunching? Yes.
- Am I correct to assume that Kunching has only level 1 port facilities? No. It's a 3-level port.
- Can fleets based at Kaohsiung (Taiwan) operate near Singapore? Yes.
- Are there already supply routes established towards Kunching (Borneo), Kuala Belait (Borneo) and Kotha Bharu (Malaya)? Yes.

[Holy.Death]

Malaya:

Our transport wing should supply Marines south of Kuala Lumpur from Kuching by air. I'd also like the Imperial Japanese Navy Admirals to evaluate the possibility to send additional 3-5 regular infantry divisions to ensure swift conquest of Peninsular Malaysia. These divisions can then station in Malaya to assist newly formed puppet government and make sure no British forces will be able to recapture of the port of Singapore.

China:

I'd require more detailed maps of terrain and our current logistic capabilities. I am not sure if we should press the Chinese in the north. Attack of the Army Group South should be directed towards the enemy capital to cut off the enemy supply routes and create panic in the enemy lines. Any reserve forces should be transferred south to assist in magnifying the strength of our attack there. Then we can press from the north to encircle and destroy the entire Chinese army.

[Cybvep]

*Logistical situation in China and the Malaya

[Baltasar]

Generals and Admiral,

I propose the following general course of action. This will be fleshed out if approved by the majority. The aim of this operation will be to reinforce our Marines and force the British Navy into battle.

1) Reorganisation of the fleets. The aim will be to form two (2) battlegroups, one (1) carrier group and one (1) escort / backup group. The administration will be asked to handle transports and may assign further escorts if it deems them neccessary.
2) Transfer of the NAV wing and the TAC wing to Kunching.
3) Transfer the TRA wing to where it can deliver supplies to the Marines around Kuala Lumpur, preferably somewhere else than Kunching / Borneo.
4) Transfer of all CAG wings which are servicable but not deployed on carriers to Kunching.
5) All air wings will commit to port strikes on Singpore. The goal is to inflict as much damage to the RN ships as possible while they are still in port.
6) The infantry corps currently located at Kuala Belait (Borneo) will be transported to the Singapore Strait, to invade at the following locations:
- three (3) divisions will land at Batu Pahat and attack Singapore from land.
- one (1) division will land at Padang Endan, thereby establishing a land connection with the SNLF divisions further north. This unit will then either reinforce the attack on Singapore or the SNLF encirclement of Kuala Lumpur. The corps HQ will land here as well to coordinate the bulk of it's forces.
- one (1) division will and at Dungun and march northward, establishing contact with the two SNLF divisions in the area around Kotha Bharu.
7) The two battlegroups and the carriergroup will be based at Kaohsiung (Taiwan) and blockade Singpore. They are based that far off in hope to alleviate supply issues for the forces in Borneo. Should this deployment prove too dangerous, the administration should base the battlegroups where they can still effect the blockade without running out of supplies.
8) The damaged ships currently at Kunching will withdraw to Japan for repair and refit. Once Singapore is blocked they should be able to do this at a lower risk of being intercepted. The CAGs deployed on the carriers, under the condition that they are servicable, will remain at Kunching and participate in the air attacks on Singapore.
9) Should the air attacks run out of targets, they should prowl the neraby seas.
10) Once Singapore is taken, it will become the main base of operations in this area.
11) Once Malaya and Singapore are taken, the SNLF corps will continue to occupy the Dutch East Indies. The newly arrived infantry corps will remain in Malaya and Singapore to protect our interests there.

[Baltasar]

Memorandum to
Gen Surt
Gen H.Death
Adm Yamamoto


Production:

We will finish training one (1) garrison divsion and three (3) infantry divisions by end of January, two (2) further infantry divisions by the end of Febuary and yet four (4) more mountaineer divisions as well as two (2) additional infantry divisions by the end of March. This means another garrison division and a total of seven (7) infantry and four (4) mountaineer divisions ready for war. With the exception of the garrison, none of these are scheduled to continue raising more divisions as of yet. Furthermore, the rocket test site will be finished by the end of March as well.

Gentlemen, all in all we will have 73,9 IC worth for planning by the end of first quarter '43. Might I suggest that every one of us forwards a plan to make the most of this.



Research:
Preliminary research plan for the navy:

Naval Research
Carrier Escort Role Doctrine ('37)+ (under research, to be continued)
Central Air Command Structure ('38)+ (under research, to be continued)
ASW Tactics ('39)+ (under research, to be continued)
Naval Air Coommand Structure ('40)+ (under research, to be continued)
Commander Decision Making ('41)
Small Warship ASW ('42)
Large Warship Radar ('42)
Scout Planes ('42)
Maritime Attack Ordinance ('42)
Radar Training ('42)
Light Cruiser Design Principle ('43)
Fire Control System Training ('43)
Battleship Taskforce Doctrine ('43)
Capital Ship Crew Training ('43)
Carrier Crew Training ('43)
Cruiser Escort Doctrine ('43)
Cruiser Crew Training ('43)



Common Techs:
In light of our recent losses, I suggest to research Agriculture ('40) and First Aid ('39) as well as common (imperial) research project. Further common project would be:
Small Navigation Radar ('40)
Small Air Search Radar ('41)
Fighter Ground Crew Training ('42)
Night Mission Training ('42)
Central Fighter Command Structure ('42)
Officer Training ('42)
Aerio Engine ('43)
Single Engine Aircraft Armament ('43)
Single Engien Airframe ('43)
Small Fuel Tank ('43)
Light Bomb ('43)
Electronic Computing Machine ('43)
Decryption Machine ('43)
Encryption Machine ('43)


Adm Yamamoto, should we put efforts into Destroyer technologies? CL seem to take awfully long to build and we could do with more escorts to swap around.


Edit: Put the research items where they belong.

[Cybvep]

*Air techs are common projects, except CAG ones.