Chapter Five, Part Three: Sino-Japanese War / War with the Allies
Jan 1943 - Mar 1943
Previously in the Influence Wars...
In China, the Japanese troops steadily pushed forward, although at a high cost in men and materiel. Hong Kong was conquered, but several fierce naval battles near Singapore resulted in severe Japanese ship losses and the marines were left with no additional infantry support on the Malayan Peninsula.
And now, the conclusion...
The Pacific Theatre
Eager for revenge, our pilots bombed the Allied ships in Singapore vigorously while fierce land and air battles raged all over the Malayan Peninsula. Japanese aircraft losses were actually a bit lower than expected, but the damage inflicted on the Allied ships was disappointing. Unfortunately, the final fate of the HMS Hood and HMS Repulse is unknown to us - our pilots claim that they were sunk, but the bombardments were very chaotic and it is hard to determine what really happened. At the very least, the Allies were prevented from repairing their ships effectively.
The performance of the Japanese marines was nothing but impressive. Highly experienced and well suited for jungle warfare, with limited air support and occasional air drops the Japanese marines managed to establish a coherent frontline, secure two ports and encircle the bulk of the Allied troops near Kuala Lumpur, thus preventing them from defending Singapore, while our fleets and regular infantry were still preparing for the final stage of the Malayan Campaign.
At first the infantrymen believed that they were coming to the rescue of the SNLF, but when they finally arrived at Kota Bharu, it turned out that only mopping up operations had to be conducted. Nevertheless, the infantrymen were transported to the Malayan Peninsula safely and soon the real occupation of the Peninsula began.
After the last battles near in the Singapore Strait a decision was made to perform all operations in the region with extreme caution. On several occasions our fleets were aware of the Royal Navy's presence thanks to our submarine patrols, which allowed us to avoid needless naval battles. However, we were surprised two times near Borneo, while the preparations for the expected decisive battle in the Singapore Strait were ongoing. The battles were relatively bloodless, as no ships were sunk on either side, although several naval vessels were damaged, including our transports and two cruisers. It was clear that the Allies did not intend to abandon the region without a serious fight.
On 10th of February, Kuala Lumpur was finally conquered. Yet again the bulk of the fighting was done by the marines. Considering that the Allied troops were mostly just local garrisons, we have to admit that they put up a serious fight.
As our troops were approaching Pontianak on Borneo, our scouts spotted a big Allied task force in the local port. It turned out that the enemy withdrew his ships there after the naval encounters with our fleets near northern Borneo. This was a great opportunity to deal the Allies a significant blow and we knew where and when the battle would take place. Soon enough, our CAGs received orders to bomb ships in Pontianak instead of attacking Singapore, which greatly disorganised the Allied fleet.
As expected, the Allies sailed out of the port when our troops overran the province. Admiral William Edward Perry was shocked when he received a confirmation of a massive Japanese naval presence in the Straits of Karimata, as he knew that he was outgunned and outmanoeuvred. All he could do was to try to save his most valuable vessels. This allowed our mighty ships and swift planes to maul the Allied screening ships mercilessly, while the enemy was desperately trying to disengage. The battle ended in a major Japanese victory and a pursuit was ordered. Unfortunately, even though we found the enemy's ships after the first battle, we did not manage to sink any of them. Since no capital ships were sunk, the enemy was defeated, but not annihilated.
On 12th of February, Malaya surrendered. After the fall of Kuala Lumpur the Malayans did not have any means of resisting us, so this was hardly surprising. However, we are severely disappointed with the way they approached us. They requested full autonomy and full control over their resources, which was simply unacceptable due to our needs. The Malayans rejected fascism, refused to collaborate with Japan and viewed the Japanese as invaders, not the liberators.
Singapore was the last obstacle that we had to overcome in order to gain full control over the Malayan Peninsula. Fortunately, it was a fortress with no soldiers, as the Allies were decisively defeated several kilometres outside of the city. When our marines approached the city, they only encountered British support and logistical staff, which refused to fight and surrendered immediately. Therefore, the city itself was taken without firing a single bullet. Our engineers and technicians started to place and adjust radar sites around the city immediately.
We expected the remnants of the Allied fleet in Singapore to retreat as soon as the city was taken and this was an accurate prediction. Unsurprisingly, we were ready for them, but there was no battle, only pursuit. The Allies lost some ships, including a fleet carrier HMS Glorious, which was torpedoed by our torpedo bombers.
The Malayan Campaign ended in a decisive Japanese victory. Our troops also managed to secure half of Borneo and soon the rest of the island should be taken. Still, we know that the Allies still have a formidable fleet in the area and there is no doubt that they will try to at least harass us before we secure Java and Sumatra. After that, we will have many strategic options - Thailand, Burma, the rest of the Dutch East Indies and New Guinea are all viable alternatives, although each would require a different approach.
Access to the ports in the South Pacific allowed the Americans and the British submarines to attack our convoys near the Japanese coastline. We retaliated by dispatching aircraft and destroyers and achieved some minor successes, as one British submarine group was destroyed and some of the American submarines were damaged.
Excluding these events, not much happened in the Western and Central Pacific. This is both good and bad for us - good because we can concentrate our resources in the South Pacific, bad because it means that in case of the Allied attack, we may not be able to react in time. We also have no idea what the Allies, especially the Americans, are planning to do.
Overview of our naval situation
War in China
In Southern China we advanced relatively steadily, but at a high cost. Casualties were high and neither the soldiers nor the officers are happy about it. The Chinese clearly wanted to make us pay for every inch of territory we captured in order to buy time. As a result, they suffered high casualties, too, and it is not something which can be ignored by the Chinese leadership.
Despite several attempts, we did not manage to capture Bose, which stalled our advance westward. However, we were able to advance northward and recently we have managed to dislodge the Chinese in Gullin, which should allow us to take the city soon. We may be able to encircle some Chinese troops in Central China, but the Administration believes that harsh terrain will prevent us from making rapid advances there. Reliance on grand encirclements is not a mistake we should repeat and the reality of the attrition warfare should be accepted.
In Central China, our main aim was to push forward and prevent the Chinese from massing the troops in the South without overstraining our supply network too much. They could not ignore a threat which our troops posed to Chongqing, especially after Changde was reconquered by our troops. Just as in the South, battles were bloody, but in most cases the casualty ratios were more beneficial to us than in case of the southern battles, with some exceptions, most notably the battles of Yiyang. Neverthless, it should be noted that the nationalists and their allies were more effective at conducting counter-attacks in the Centre than in the South.
In Northern China we adopted a defensive posture after shifting 2 corps to the other fronts. The communists did nothing. We believe that their offensive potential is very slim, especially when compared with their impressive defensive capabilities. Therefore, strategically the communists can be treated as a static obstacle, a dog on a leash of which we must be aware of, but should not be too concerned about it.
As of 2nd of March, our troops are in the vicinity of Chongqing, but we do not have the capability to take the province at the moment, as the frontline is too narrow. It should also be noted that while the supply situation in this region has been improved, it still remains problematic and thus logistical problems cannot be disregarded.
*Overview of our situation in China
China Wants Peace?
A peculiar event has taken place recently.
A representative of the Chinese nationalists made contact with us in Changde (just several kilometres from the frontline) and offered us peace. The conditions are outrageous - the nationalists offer us Shanghai and Shanxi, want to sign a non-aggression pact and request assistance against the communists - and normally such an event would be ignored, but our current geopolitical situation forces us to take this offer into consideration. The Administration believes that the offered terms may be just a starting negotiating position and we may comfortably ask for more, but we must be careful so as not to offend Chiang. It should be noted that this may be just a ruse designed with the intention of buying our enemies more time to strengthen their defences. It is clear that the war is taking a heavy toll on the Chinese - their losses are high, their industrial potential low, the farmers want to return to their fields and the communists and the whole society is exhausted by constant warfare. We might be able to bring the war to a satisfying conclusion within a year, but we cannot be certain that our armies will not bog down somewhere in the Chinese mountains and jungles, as this happened several times before. Therefore, the situation must be carefully analysed.
Other matters
The latest intelligence report is worrying - apparently the Americans are designing Rocket Interceptors as we speak, which proves that they are much more advanced in rocketry than we are. We are unsure when they will be able to finish their designs and how advanced they really are, but if we intend to catch up, considerable investment in rocketry will have to be made.
The situation in Europe is unclear. On the one hand, the Axis are pushing the Russians back in the East, the Soviets did not manage to conquer Leningrad and the Allies seem to be on the defensive in Spain. On the other hand, the Allies have recently landed in France and captured two ports there, which will overstretch the Axis even further.
In Africa, the outcome is clear - the Axis are being pushed back everywhere and they will lose all their African possessions soon.
The only other notable political event was the inclusion of Finland in the Allies, which secured the Allied hold of Scandinavia. However, it is doubtful that the Finns can contribute much to the Allied war effort - the Administration believe that it is more of a sign intended for Stalin than a real threat to Germany.
In January, we received a report from our pilot schools. Apparently, fierce air battles produced many wounded pilots with plenty of experience who can help to train new pilots. As a result, our airforce should become more formidable.
In the second half of February the government formed a plan with the cooperation of a group of bankers and factory owners. The plan was to invest in Asian trade, both openly and covertly. We should be able to buy more food and supplies in the near future.
Our recent conquests have improved our resource situation, although not to the extent we hoped. It is clear that if we want to utilise newly acquired resources to the fullest, we will need a stronger occupation force and possibly an investment in local infrastructure. Whether we can afford it is a matter of debate.
Unsurprisingly, our offensives and the Allied submarines are putting a heavy strain on our merchant marine. Compared to January 1943, the number of reserve merchantmen decreased by about 20%. The only reason why we have not increased the merchantment production drastically is that the budget is already heavily strained.
We have begun the development of our mechanised force - the first division should be formed by January 1944.
List of researched techs: Night Fighting Training, Fighter Pilot Training, Assault Weapons, Base Operations, Rocket Science Research, Mountain Warfare Equipment, Coal Processing Technologies, Combat Radios, Maritime Attack Ordinance.
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*Logistical maps for China are available here.
