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To General Bradley, I approve version B of your plans, as less territory loss now means when we go on the offensive we have less territory to regain and more to soley gain.

Senator Randall McGeehan Jr.
 
((Assuming Avindian is pleased with the appointment to Pacific Commander, you have my full support!))

"Bradley has come up with an interesting war plan, similar to what I would have done I think. As Chief of Naval Staff I think I prefer Plan B, however. The United States Navy is the finest in the world and we should make a bold stand against the Imperial Fleets. If our ships can protect the supply lines, the Army can hold the Philippines and the Japanese will realize their mistake soon. I also wish to agree with the Secretary of War regarding the garrisons for Wake, Midway and Guam. We could use the extra support."

"Mr. President, we understand the War Secretary's opinions regarding our wartime budget. I agree with his proposed industrial budget, but I think that we should mobilize more of the economy to fuel the fires of war. We have more than enough money, and in times of war guns are more valuable than gold! I also believe our leadership should be prioritized, reducing budgets to the intelligence and diplomacy departments. A large-scale officer training program as suggested by the War Secretary would be ideal."

~Admiral William H. Standley, Chief of Naval Staff
 
((Chiefs, we need to confirm General Bradley's appointment [i.e. Killer Bob] as Pacific Theater Commander. Saithis votes in favor, but I'd like to see what Chimina and son of liberty think.))

General Bradley,

Thank you for your detailed plan. I agree that a defensive strategy seems best. I would imagine Japan will have its hands full with China for some time. I will leave the judgment of which Buckler variant will be used to our Chiefs, as they are more suitable than I to determine this.

You may wish to examine General MacArthur's plans for Norway and North Africa; it will be easier for our Senators and Chiefs to provide input if they know exactly which forces are being sent where.

President Willkie

((Once we get these plans approved, I'll finish up 1941, and unless something really exciting happens (which I doubt, honestly), I'll put that into one update. From a purely readability standpoint, what would you folks like to see in wartime updates? I'm going to drop the daily reports on which techs we get, but I will summarize any new ones at the end of each post. Battles and maps obviously. Anything else in mind?))

Just realized I forgot to formally close voting last night :rolleyes: We will declare war on Germany as soon as we are able.

Chiefs and Theater Commanders, even if we mobilize immediately, it will take approximately thirty days for our reserve formations to be fully equipped. This is less of a problem for the Pacific Theater, as most of that action will be naval, but for the Atlantic Theater, should we delay operations until our formations are fully outfitted?

President Willkie
 
First and foremost, we are going to fight in Norway yet we still lack arctic equipment. I recommend that tech be added and prioritized.





Regarding the builds. I suggest that we leave the current build queue as is, and allocate our ic as such. This is with all laws implemented except total economy which would give us another +25% ic, but a significant cash reduction. Do we need money? If not, then I recommend we adopt that law as well.

Would you mind formally writing this up? ((When I'm doing updates, I print off the important stuff, and my laser printer doesn't do color. ;)))
 
((Are we going full heavy industry and the total war economy? ))

General Bradley AYE
 
Mr President, Senators, I propose our construction budget to be as follows:

First and foremost, we are going to fight in Norway yet we still lack arctic equipment. I recommend that tech be added and prioritized.

IC Distribution:
Upgrades: 50.00, but divert extra into production as requirements drop.
Reinforcement: 20 but divert extra into production as requirements drop.
Supplies: 6.0 but divert extra from upgrades when requirements draw down our current stockpile.
Production: 358 keeping current build scheme.
Consumer Goods: 5.0, keep to required level if demand rises.

Regarding leadership. Do we really need espionage, aside from home front defense, and diplomacy now? I recommend reducing both to .25 and reducing research to 30. All remaining points to officer recruitment until max of 150% is reached.

Leadership:
Officers: 9.0 or the remainder after the 3 below are allocated to ensure growth of the Officer Corps remains steady.
Diplomacy: .25 to maintain relations.
Espionage: .25 to maintain our spies.
Research: 30.0 remains for efficient study of new technologies.
 
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((Just wondering, what is the ingame date right now? ))

11/6/41 (November 6, 1941). Waiting on your approval for the Pacific Commander as well :)
 
I am happy to approve the appointment of General Bradley as Pacific Theatercommander. As for his proposed Buckler strategies, I can only go along with plan A, as we will lack forces with the overemphasis on our Atlantic campaign against the dastardly German Reich.

Furthermore, I strongly recommend you, President Willkie, to sign an executive order that will mobilize our armed forces.

Also, for now, the proposed Operation Fortitude will be delayed until at least spring has begun, April '42 at the earliest. We shall not risk going into the Norwegian winter, even if we had Arctic Equipment available. Because we shall delay this, there is no need to have Arctic Equipment for at least 10 months, plenty of time to research and implement it.

The timetable for Operation Tinderbox will be set for late December, early January. This is mainly dependent on the speed at which we can mobilize our forces.


Signed,
-Chief of the Army, General Malin Craig
 
...as we will lack forces with the overemphasis on our Atlantic campaign against the dastardly German Reich. Also, for now, the proposed Operation Fortitude will be delayed until at least spring has begun, April '42 at the earliest. We shall not risk going into the Norwegian winter, even if we had Arctic Equipment available. Because we shall delay this, there is no need to have Arctic Equipment for at least 10 months, plenty of time to research and implement it.

"Overemphasis?" With all due respect, General Craig, given Japan's relative weakness on land and its current struggle in China, Germany is a far larger threat on land than Japan, which is primarily a naval and airborne threat (and thus, the proper responsibility of the Navy). Also, I would like to remind you that - as Norway is occupied friendly territory - we will not suffer attrition. Indeed, the harsh winter will hurt the Germans far more than it does us, as the Norwegian resistance will support and supply our landing while hindering the Germans' supply lines.

Sincerely,
General MacArthur, C-in-C Atlantic Theater

((We don't take attrition in Norway unless we're in a front province, since Norway is friendly territory. Even then, we'll only take 1/10th the attrition that the Germans will, so it's more than a fair trade - especially given that the Germans appear to have sent a lot of the Norway garrison to take Murmansk. We can secure all of Norway before the Germans have a chance to react.))
 
Thank you, General Craig, and I will indeed mobilize our troops shortly.

President Willkie

((I was going to play/update tonight, but I want to see how this debate turns out. ::watches with interest::))
 
Mr. Chairman, Honored Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, thank you for allowing me to come before your august body and testify before you today.

I have been given to understand that many of you have reservations about Pacific Command's proposed plan of action in the form of Buckler A. It would be my great honor to explain my views on the matter, and to answer and questions you many have on the subject.

As our forces are currently deployed, we are concentrated primarily in the eastern region of the Pacific, around Pearl Harbor and Southern California, with one venerable surface action group in the Philippines. We have the following available for action under my command:
Capital Ships
3 Fleet Carriers
1 Escort Carrier
8 Battleships
7 Heavy Cruisers

Escorts and Miscellaneous
7 Light Cruisers
15 Destroyer Squadrons
7 Submarines
6 Transport Squadrons

Air Power
7 Carrier Air Groups
3 Naval Bomber Squadrons

Ground Forces
12 Infantry Divisions
3 Marine Divisions
Assorted HQ’s

The majority of our escorts are older models, hardly fit for frontline service. Indeed, several of these ships were entering commission at the close of the previous war. As such, we have a dangerous shortage of escort vessels with which to protect our valuable capital ships, of which we can expect no more for at least nine more months. The Alpha variant of Plan Buckler plays to our strengths, namely that of our surface action groups, while seeking to minimize our relative vulnerability to Japanese air power.

Simply put Mr. Chairman, we were caught off balance by the Japanese attack. We face a situation in which if we decided to implement the Bravo variant of Plan Buckler, we would first need to send our undefended transports back to the West Coast to pick up our dispersed Army units. They would then have to steam the entire length of the Pacific Ocean to transport these units to the Philippines, of which it could only carry six (6) divisions. This process would take nearly a month, assuming they could run the expected gauntlet of Japanese forces. Currently, a Japanese carrier task force stands between them and the West Coast. We may assume that further Japanese units will presently be on station and capable of not only interdicting our Task Forces, but also our supply ships.

The Philippines are currently defended by three under strength garrison brigades of the Royal Philippine Army. While the elan of our ally under no doubts, there is little to recommend the defense of the islands besides as a staging point, which we are currently unable to take advantage of given our relative dispersion. If we throw away the flower of our Navy in the opening battles of the conflict, we risk delaying our ability to deal decisive and concentrated blows against the Japanese, especially in light of our expected commitments in the Atlantic Theatre.

The absolute earliest new production will begin to roll off the line is this summer, with current runs of Somers Class Destroyers being completed in July and Worcester Class Light Cruisers in September. Some of those will likely be sent to the Atlantic Command to envisioned threat of German U-boats to our shipping.

I strongly agree with Admiral Standley’s recommendation that we reinforce the islands of Wake, Midway, and Guam. In doing so, we force the Japanese to come to us, and play to the strengths of our surface action groups by removing the threat of Japanese land based aviation, as well as the defensive capabilities of our Army units. Additionally, I strongly support sending our our submarine squadrons to both harass Japanese supply lines, as well as scout their perimeter with the intention of assessing their naval capabilities.

Allow me to reiterate, Mr. Chairman, that if we take any losses in either escorts or transports, our ability to prosecute the war in the Pacific will be placed in grave jeopardy. This will also greatly hamper operations in the Atlantic, as we would need to divert forces to shore up our Pacific defense line.

We currently have a window of vulnerability in which if we take significant losses to our escorts, or worse, our line of battle, our ability to prosecute the war in a swift manner will be jeopardized. We must husband our strength, if only for a short time to allow new construction to roll off the line. Once we do, we can begin to hammer the IJN. We will batter them if they dare show their faces in our waters, and we will send them limping back to their Home Islands if given half a chance, but we must not throw away our shield while we forge the sword with which to do it. That is why I must again stress my recommendation for the Alpha variant of Plan Buckler.

Thank you very much for allowing me to testify before you, Senators. I look forward to answering any questions or addressing any concerns you may have.

General Omar N. Bradley, C-in-C Pacific Theatre (Designate)
 
May I also use this forum to request your support of our intelligence operations against the Empire of Japan? While presence of friendly held islands with radar stations is of great help in assessing enemy capabilities, having a better understanding of Japanese production capabilities and existing naval strength would greatly aid in our ability to plan future operations against them. Thank you very much for your time, Senators.

General Omar N. Bradley, C-in-C Pacific Theatre (Designate)
 
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General Craig,
I understand your plan for delaying the Norwegian offensive. This does give my command time to upgrade and reinforce, but I do believe we would be ready earlier than the time frame you set forth. I will obey your orders and carry them out to the best of my ability. Also am I to receive any reinforcing formations prior to Operation Fortitude? This is probably a better question for General MacArthur I presume.

General Stillwell C-in-C Atlantic Northern Command.

((Another Corp would be grand but doubtful, I also would like the pacific theater to get the majority of the naval assets as they are constructed for the time being. I think we can handle the atlantic for now))
 
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Also am I to receive any reinforcing formations prior to Operation Fortitude? This is probably a better question for General MacArthur I presume.

General Stillwell C-in-C Atlantic Northern Command.

((Another Corp would be grand but doubtful, I also would like the pacific theater to get the majority of the naval assets as they are constructed for the time being. I think we can handle the atlantic for now))

General Stillwell,

Sadly, we have no reinforcements for you at present, but we believe the forces at your disposal should be sufficient to liberate Norway.

- General MacArthur

((The bad news is that every division we have is already deployed somewhere. The good news is that the German Norway garrison is about half the size I originally planned for, so you can probably take them out with relative ease, as the rest of the German forces are either A) fighting a losing battle near Murmansk, B) on the Eastern front, or C) garrisoning one of the many European ports.

Also, Avindian, just an FYI re: the air units going to Europe - you'll need to rebase them to St. John's, then Reykjavik before you can send them to England. Apparently they won't rebase straight there due to ORG loss.))
 
General Craig and assorted military staff. With the current force levels in the Pacific, we cannot hold the Philippines against the Japanese. Thus we should send the SAG in Manilla to either Pearl or Midway. We should offer the Filipino government sanctuary in CONUS and withdraw their troops to assist in the defense of Guam or Wake. Let the Filipinos know that the liberation of their nation would be high on our list of priorities as soon as force levels permit it. ((I don't know if that is even possible in game)) Additionally, fighter/interceptor cover will be needed in Guam and any other forward port housing a significant fleet presence. Please factor this into your considerations.
Gentlemen, the next few years will be times such as to try men's souls. I pray that each of us is up to the task of resisting the evils we face. Good luck and God bless.

Leroy Grumman,
Secretary of War
 
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General Bradley,

First, it is my honor to confirm you as Pacific Theater Commander given the approval of Admiral Standley, General Craig, and Secretary Grumman. ((Remember, son of liberty, you're Grumman now ;)))

Second, I will direct intelligence assets to get you more information as soon as possible. Thank you for sharing your concerns.

President Willkie

I'm going to set a formal deadline for deciding on which variant of Buckler we choose and when to attack Norway for Wednesday at 10 PM (-6 GMT). That's plenty of time, particularly for those of you enjoying the holiday today or tomorrow, to comment and provide feedback.
 
Adjustments to Plans for Operations Fortitude and Tinderbox

1. The entire 1st Armored Corps will be transferred from Northern Command's First Army to Southern Command's Fourth Army, and sent to Tel Aviv as part of Operation Phalanx.
1.a) The 10th Armored Division will be detached from Seventh Army's 10th Corps and attached to the 1st Armored Corps.
1.b) If transport capacity permits, the 1st Armored Corps will be sent with the first wave of troops; if not, they will be dispatched as soon as Gibraltar is taken and transports are available.
2. The 4th and 13th USAAF Bomber Wings shall be consolidated into a single force, the 3rd Bomber Squadron, and attached to
3. The delivery of troops for Operation Phalanx will take priority over all other Atlantic Theater operations.
3.a) Afterwards, the capture of Gibraltar as part of Operation Antipasti will take priority over all remaining Atlantic Theater Operations.
3.b.) Pacific HQ will loan all of its Marine divisions to Atlantic Southern Command for use in an amphibious assault on Gibraltar.
3.c.) If Atlantic HQ is not loaned Marines, Operations Antipasti and Domino will be cancelled, and Operation Fortitude will be postponed pending the availability of its requisite transport flotillas; instead, all of Atlantic HQ's transports will be used to move as much of Atlantic Southern Command as possible to Tel Aviv. Under this approach, designated Operation Schiltrom, we will then invade Italian-occupied Egypt, deploying available Second Army forces as close to Alexandria as possible, having them push east towards the Suez; meanwhile, available elements of Fourth and Seventh Armies will advance from Tel Aviv-Yafo into the Sinai Peninsula and drive the Italians into the Canal.

- General MacArthur, C-in-C Atlantic Theater

((Apparently, as long as the Italians hold Gibraltar and the Suez, we can send ships into the Med, but we can't bring them back out. We have to take at least one - preferably Gibraltar, as it will massively reduce transit times for our fleets - and since military access via Nationalist Spain is utterly useless here because it doesn't transport supplies, we have to make an amphibious assault. So I'll need to borrow some (preferably all) of Pacific Theater's marines until we take it - as both Buckler variants focus on taking out the IJN rather than capturing the islands, I think we can afford to spare them in order to open up the entire Mediterranean Theater. If we can't take Gibraltar, we probably can't take the Suez - in which case, our next move in the Med will likely have to be based out of India, given the ongoing British failure in the Middle East.))