Chapter Five, Part Six: Sino-Japanese War / War with the Allies
Oct 1943 - Jan 1944
Previously in the Influence Wars...
Two Japanese offensives in China failed to encircle and destroy the bulk of the Chinese forces in the Gullin salient, but we made considerable progress in Northern China. In the Pacific, Oosthaven and Batavia were taken and the Japanese naval blockade resulted in the destruction of many Allied warships, but the conquest of Java and Borneo is not yet over.
In Europe, the Axis pushed the Allies back to the sea in France and regained the initiative in Spain, but was also pushed back itself in the Eastern Europe and is now clearly on the defensive there.
And now, the conclusion...
War in China
The Chinese were unable to exploit the failure of our offensives and mount a strong counter-attack. It was clear that the enemy was too exhausted and demoralised to wage major offensives. The Southern HQ received orders to hold the line and attack only when the odds clearly favoured us, which basically stopped the potential counter-strike in its infancy. We also managed to destroy 5 enemy divisions in Yiyang, although it was a close call. Unfortunately, it was impossible to rescue the two Japanese divisions that were trapped in a pocket in the south-west and they were destroyed.
Our own offensive began in November. It quickly became apparent that the Chinese were in no condition to fight - their troops were deserting and for the first time in years they did not have enough fresh reserves to plug the holes in the frontline. With mounting casualties and economically significant territory being lost at a worrying rate, Chiang's popularity quickly hit the bottom and the agrarian Chinese economy could no longer support the war effort adequately. Nevertheless, harsh terrain and the abundance of mountain forts meant that some battles were still costly and lengthy.
Chongqing fell in December and the fall of the city marked the end of organised resistance of the nationalists. Chaos ensued. The fate of Chiang is unknown. In order to secure our position in the region and increase available manpower, we immediately began conscription of the pro-Japanese Chinese from newly aquired territories and mobilised our reserves in Japan, too. The Administration believes that this action will give us enough manpower to sustain years of warfare if necessary.
With the nationalists out of equation and the communists being confined to a small area in Northern China, it did not last long for the Ma Clique to inherit the mantle of resistance. The clique's centre of power is located in the north-western part of China, a region largely covered by mountains and deserts, with abysmal infrastructure. The Muslim part of the Chinese population in the region is especially ferocious and unruly.
Politically, the fall of the nationalists made Japan much more threatening in the eyes of the world. Some were shocked by the news, but for many it was a sign or a confirmation (depending on the point of view) that Japan has become a great power capable of fighting and winning major conflicts. There was little coincidence in the Japanese victory over the nationalists - it was the result of superior strategy, greater economic and technological potential and military prowess. It may appear strange, but for a moment Roosevelt and Churchill were the happiest politicians in the world, because our victory in China convinced many Americans and British that Japan was a real - and imminent - threat, a country with considerable power, determined and able to project power on a major scale and end stalemates even when they appeared unending. The idea of pre-emptive strikes suddenly gained many new supporters. This was especially important for Roosevelt and the Democrats, because while the British War Cabinet is bipartisan and supposedly represents the united effort of British political elites, it is not the case in the USA, where the role of the President is significant and the lines between the ruling party and the opposition are much more clearly marked. The impact of looming December 1944 elections, which are the source of many heated debates, cannot be ignored, either. One of the American newspapers proclaimed: "If militaristic and expansionist Japan was able to conquer most of China while it was also waging war in the Pacific Theatre, then how can one claim that it was not a lurking predator just waiting to attack us at the first sign of our weakness? What guarantee there was that we would not be next, if the balance of power in Asia and Japan's geostrategic position clearly indicated that the war with the West was inevitable?". Many still blame Roosevelt and his administration for the disastrous American defeats suffered in 1941-1942 and some are demanding his resignation, but there are more and more patriotic calls to continue the war until the USA is clearly victorious in order to avoid the prospect of starting a new conflict within the next 10-20 years.
However, the real question was how would Stalin react and it still remains unanswered. We know that Xinjiang is very closely aligned to the Soviets and that Mao is requesting support from the Soviet Union, but for the moment the Soviet Union remains strangely silent.
The Pacific Theatre
Our troops continued to advance on Java in October, but were stalled at Soerabaja. Despite the support of aircraft and big guns of battleships and cruisers and overwhelming numerical superiority, capturing Soerabaja still took a lot of time and effort. On Borneo, the situation was even worse, because the Allies managed to bring even more troops to the area and achieved local numerical superiority.
In order to crush the Allies on Borneo once and for all, we decided to strike right at Balikpapan, the only port on Borneo still under Allied control. Full strength of the SNLF was assembled and the invasion began in late November. The Allied tanks were a nasty surprise for our marines and prolonged the battle, but when our regular infantry joined the fighting, we gained a significant numerical superiority and used battleships and aircraft to dilute any advantage tanks could provide. The battle finally ended on 8th of December and after that, securing the rest of Borneo was easy.
There were some minor naval clashes with the Royal Navy, but only one major one - on 12th of November we managed to intercept the Allied transport fleet and obliterated it entirely. We believe that it was on a return voyage to Burma or India and contained no troops. Besides that, there were some clashes with Allied submarines and our aircraft managed to destroy several submarine groups.
The Americans took advantage of the fact that we were still embroiled in fighting in the South Pacific and conquered the Wake Island and Hana. Despite the fact that our garrisons were twice as strong as on other islands, the Americans did not have much trouble in overwhelming them. It appears that the enemy built an airfield on Midway, which indicates that a slow, steady and methodical advance in the Central Pacific is the foundation of the Allied strategy in this region.
The western part of Indonesia is secured, but the feasibility of further operations in the South Pacific will be determined by the availability of our fleets, which may be needed in the Central Pacific, where the Americans are roaming free. We are reaching the point where it will not be possible to ignore further intrusions into our Defence Perimeter, but at the same time, it appears that our fleets can now begin a counter-strike in force.
Overall strategic situation
The following months will be very demanding logistically. The Chinese Theatre tied about 70% of our armed forces, but given the state of infrastructure in western China and our needs in other regions, it will neither be feasible nor desirable to keep as many troops in China. At the same time, we can expect a resurgence of partisan activity in the region - it will take years to fully integrate millions of Chinese into the Empire and the Chinese society will be plagued by economic, social and political problems for a long time, all of which makes the prospect of rebellions, strikes and civil disobedience more likely. Soon we may also share a common border with the Allies near Burma, which will open an another front. Redeployment and transportation of troops will take a lot of effort in the following months.
Other matters
Winter slowed down progress in all European theatres, but the strategic situation remains the same - the Soviets are advancing in the Eastern Europe, while the Allies are on the defensive in Spain. The Allies may be pressured politically and strategically to make an another attempt to land somewhere else in Europe in spring - France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy are all viable options.
According to our spies, the Americans are investing heavily in submarines, jet aircraft and nuclear research. Heavy focus on experimental projects indicates that the enemy may try to gain a decisive advantage with superior technology. According to our scientists, the Americans may have enough resources to construct an explosive of unprecedented destructive power in the following years. If the theories are correct, the Americans would become the first nation with weapons that could revolutionise the concept of strategic bombardment. Moreover, the potential power of those weapons would make them a very strong diplomatic tool.
We still lag behind in rocketry, but on the other hand, we have made major strides in the recent years in that field of knowledge.
The collapse of the nationalists considerably increased our economic potential, both in terms of available resources and industrial and agricultural production. This will free some of our domestic industry to produce warships and specialised equipment.
Construction of the sixth rocket test site will be finished in February. Also, two new light cruisers will become available soon.
We've formed our first mechanised division and two new ones were ordered. Hopefully, we will be able to form a first corps by early 1945.
Our shipping capacity remains a major issue. Currently the production of merchantmen and convoy escorts consumes about 10% of our (high) production budget and in the future we may be forced to increase production even further.
*Tech screens are available here.
Oct 1943 - Jan 1944
Previously in the Influence Wars...
Two Japanese offensives in China failed to encircle and destroy the bulk of the Chinese forces in the Gullin salient, but we made considerable progress in Northern China. In the Pacific, Oosthaven and Batavia were taken and the Japanese naval blockade resulted in the destruction of many Allied warships, but the conquest of Java and Borneo is not yet over.
In Europe, the Axis pushed the Allies back to the sea in France and regained the initiative in Spain, but was also pushed back itself in the Eastern Europe and is now clearly on the defensive there.
And now, the conclusion...
War in China
The Chinese were unable to exploit the failure of our offensives and mount a strong counter-attack. It was clear that the enemy was too exhausted and demoralised to wage major offensives. The Southern HQ received orders to hold the line and attack only when the odds clearly favoured us, which basically stopped the potential counter-strike in its infancy. We also managed to destroy 5 enemy divisions in Yiyang, although it was a close call. Unfortunately, it was impossible to rescue the two Japanese divisions that were trapped in a pocket in the south-west and they were destroyed.
Our own offensive began in November. It quickly became apparent that the Chinese were in no condition to fight - their troops were deserting and for the first time in years they did not have enough fresh reserves to plug the holes in the frontline. With mounting casualties and economically significant territory being lost at a worrying rate, Chiang's popularity quickly hit the bottom and the agrarian Chinese economy could no longer support the war effort adequately. Nevertheless, harsh terrain and the abundance of mountain forts meant that some battles were still costly and lengthy.
Chongqing fell in December and the fall of the city marked the end of organised resistance of the nationalists. Chaos ensued. The fate of Chiang is unknown. In order to secure our position in the region and increase available manpower, we immediately began conscription of the pro-Japanese Chinese from newly aquired territories and mobilised our reserves in Japan, too. The Administration believes that this action will give us enough manpower to sustain years of warfare if necessary.
With the nationalists out of equation and the communists being confined to a small area in Northern China, it did not last long for the Ma Clique to inherit the mantle of resistance. The clique's centre of power is located in the north-western part of China, a region largely covered by mountains and deserts, with abysmal infrastructure. The Muslim part of the Chinese population in the region is especially ferocious and unruly.
Politically, the fall of the nationalists made Japan much more threatening in the eyes of the world. Some were shocked by the news, but for many it was a sign or a confirmation (depending on the point of view) that Japan has become a great power capable of fighting and winning major conflicts. There was little coincidence in the Japanese victory over the nationalists - it was the result of superior strategy, greater economic and technological potential and military prowess. It may appear strange, but for a moment Roosevelt and Churchill were the happiest politicians in the world, because our victory in China convinced many Americans and British that Japan was a real - and imminent - threat, a country with considerable power, determined and able to project power on a major scale and end stalemates even when they appeared unending. The idea of pre-emptive strikes suddenly gained many new supporters. This was especially important for Roosevelt and the Democrats, because while the British War Cabinet is bipartisan and supposedly represents the united effort of British political elites, it is not the case in the USA, where the role of the President is significant and the lines between the ruling party and the opposition are much more clearly marked. The impact of looming December 1944 elections, which are the source of many heated debates, cannot be ignored, either. One of the American newspapers proclaimed: "If militaristic and expansionist Japan was able to conquer most of China while it was also waging war in the Pacific Theatre, then how can one claim that it was not a lurking predator just waiting to attack us at the first sign of our weakness? What guarantee there was that we would not be next, if the balance of power in Asia and Japan's geostrategic position clearly indicated that the war with the West was inevitable?". Many still blame Roosevelt and his administration for the disastrous American defeats suffered in 1941-1942 and some are demanding his resignation, but there are more and more patriotic calls to continue the war until the USA is clearly victorious in order to avoid the prospect of starting a new conflict within the next 10-20 years.
However, the real question was how would Stalin react and it still remains unanswered. We know that Xinjiang is very closely aligned to the Soviets and that Mao is requesting support from the Soviet Union, but for the moment the Soviet Union remains strangely silent.
The Pacific Theatre
Our troops continued to advance on Java in October, but were stalled at Soerabaja. Despite the support of aircraft and big guns of battleships and cruisers and overwhelming numerical superiority, capturing Soerabaja still took a lot of time and effort. On Borneo, the situation was even worse, because the Allies managed to bring even more troops to the area and achieved local numerical superiority.
In order to crush the Allies on Borneo once and for all, we decided to strike right at Balikpapan, the only port on Borneo still under Allied control. Full strength of the SNLF was assembled and the invasion began in late November. The Allied tanks were a nasty surprise for our marines and prolonged the battle, but when our regular infantry joined the fighting, we gained a significant numerical superiority and used battleships and aircraft to dilute any advantage tanks could provide. The battle finally ended on 8th of December and after that, securing the rest of Borneo was easy.
There were some minor naval clashes with the Royal Navy, but only one major one - on 12th of November we managed to intercept the Allied transport fleet and obliterated it entirely. We believe that it was on a return voyage to Burma or India and contained no troops. Besides that, there were some clashes with Allied submarines and our aircraft managed to destroy several submarine groups.
The Americans took advantage of the fact that we were still embroiled in fighting in the South Pacific and conquered the Wake Island and Hana. Despite the fact that our garrisons were twice as strong as on other islands, the Americans did not have much trouble in overwhelming them. It appears that the enemy built an airfield on Midway, which indicates that a slow, steady and methodical advance in the Central Pacific is the foundation of the Allied strategy in this region.
The western part of Indonesia is secured, but the feasibility of further operations in the South Pacific will be determined by the availability of our fleets, which may be needed in the Central Pacific, where the Americans are roaming free. We are reaching the point where it will not be possible to ignore further intrusions into our Defence Perimeter, but at the same time, it appears that our fleets can now begin a counter-strike in force.
Overall strategic situation
The following months will be very demanding logistically. The Chinese Theatre tied about 70% of our armed forces, but given the state of infrastructure in western China and our needs in other regions, it will neither be feasible nor desirable to keep as many troops in China. At the same time, we can expect a resurgence of partisan activity in the region - it will take years to fully integrate millions of Chinese into the Empire and the Chinese society will be plagued by economic, social and political problems for a long time, all of which makes the prospect of rebellions, strikes and civil disobedience more likely. Soon we may also share a common border with the Allies near Burma, which will open an another front. Redeployment and transportation of troops will take a lot of effort in the following months.
Other matters
Winter slowed down progress in all European theatres, but the strategic situation remains the same - the Soviets are advancing in the Eastern Europe, while the Allies are on the defensive in Spain. The Allies may be pressured politically and strategically to make an another attempt to land somewhere else in Europe in spring - France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy are all viable options.
According to our spies, the Americans are investing heavily in submarines, jet aircraft and nuclear research. Heavy focus on experimental projects indicates that the enemy may try to gain a decisive advantage with superior technology. According to our scientists, the Americans may have enough resources to construct an explosive of unprecedented destructive power in the following years. If the theories are correct, the Americans would become the first nation with weapons that could revolutionise the concept of strategic bombardment. Moreover, the potential power of those weapons would make them a very strong diplomatic tool.
We still lag behind in rocketry, but on the other hand, we have made major strides in the recent years in that field of knowledge.
The collapse of the nationalists considerably increased our economic potential, both in terms of available resources and industrial and agricultural production. This will free some of our domestic industry to produce warships and specialised equipment.
Construction of the sixth rocket test site will be finished in February. Also, two new light cruisers will become available soon.
We've formed our first mechanised division and two new ones were ordered. Hopefully, we will be able to form a first corps by early 1945.
Our shipping capacity remains a major issue. Currently the production of merchantmen and convoy escorts consumes about 10% of our (high) production budget and in the future we may be forced to increase production even further.
*Tech screens are available here.
