Chapter Four, Part Seven: Sino-Japanese War / Japanese-American War
Apr 1942 - Jun 1942
Previously in the Influence Wars...
The Imperial Navy repulsed another US naval strike, but our submarines spotted 16 light carriers in the US port. In China, the enemy pushed us back in the South and approached Gullin, the capital city of the Guangxi Clique, our only ally...
And now, the conclusion...
War in China
Southern battles
In order to stall the Chinese offensive, our troops made many local counter-attacks. The battle of Xinhua is the most representative example of the problems faced by the Japanese troops at this stage of war. It began as an attack coordinated with our Guangxi allies, but poorly trained Guangxi's militia soon left the battlefield and we were on our own. Progress was extremely slow due to harsh terrain - the Chinese infantry was entrenched in the mountains and it was very hard to dislodge them. However, the situation turned from bad to worse when the enemy brought reinforcements and the Japanese soldiers became outnumbered 1:4. The enemy's militia can be easily defeated, but due to the enemy's strategic reserve, they can always bring fresh troops into battle - something which is beyond our capabilities at the moment. The end result was that more than 3500 men were lost for nothing.
Fall of the Guangxi Clique
Despite our efforts,
on 18th of April the enemy forces captured Gullin and on 19th of April the entity known as the Guangxi Clique ceased to exist. Japan was deprived of the only ally in the region. Moreover, several of Japanese divisions were trapped in a pocket and the Chinese gained access to a port.
It is ironic that not that long ago the Guangxi Clique's leadership was negotiating the post-war borders with our government. It appears that they severely overestimated their capabilities...
Fortunately, thanks to the bravery of our soldiers, we managed to rescue the trapped divisions and we even encircled two Chinese formations which we managed to destroy eventually, although not without suffering significant losses of our own first. We also managed to recapture the enemy port.
In late May, the enemy managed to encircle more than 20000 of our soldiers. Only about 1800 men gave their life for the Emperor - the rest of Japanese soldiers surrendered, which was a disgrace and a sign that the Japanese morale is not as high as it once was. As of 1st of June, the situation is the South remains uncertain, but the frontline is stable. There is no risk of imminent collapse, but nobody believes that the war will end soon anymore.
Our airforce has been very active in the recent months, but the efficiency of its actions is debatable. The Administration believes that we should focus more on direct support of the troops and less on interdiction, as the Chinese reserves are great and we will not be able to significantly delay them with aircraft alone.
Deadlock in Central and Northern China
Not much happened in Central and Northern China, but recently the enemy has started an attack on Xi'an. The Chinese are exploiting the fact that the supply situation in Central China is dire. They will be unable to make rapid advances because of harsh terrain, but it may be hard to hold every province we currently control.
Intelligence
According to our spies, the Chinese economy is much stronger than it was several months ago. Our strategic bombing campaign continues to be rather inefficient, although the enemy is not completely immune to its effects. The Administration believes that the Chinese potential will be increased even further if they reconquer more of their territory, although it is unlikely that they will be able to supply and maintain many more divisions than they currently have. It is probable that they will invest more heavily in advanced weaponry (advanced for Chinese standards).
The Imperial Administration's assessment of the logistical situation in China
The supply situation in China varies wildly from region to region. In coastal areas, where supplies can be brought relatively easy and trains, trucks and horses do not have to travel long distances in order to reach our troops, the logistical situation is relatively stable. However, deeper inland our troops suffer from periodical (sometimes even almost constant) supply shortages. Despite all the significant infrastructure developments we have made, the Administration believes that the supply network is overloaded and if the situation does not change, we will not be able to support the current number of troops we have in China. This is especially true in case of Central China, where supply shortages are critical and since most fighting is taking place in Southern China, the troops stationed in Central China often have to wait for supplies the longest. Naturally, the situation is the best in the far north, where relatively few units are stationed.
Overview of the situation in China
The Pacific Theatre
Both sides have been busy with reorganisation and not much has happened in the Pacific Theatre since the last report was published. However, the American submarines have renewed their attacks on our supply and trade lines. Various convoys both in the Central Pacific and near western Mexico have been attacked. The Navy will have to come up with an efficient way of dealing with the American submarines if we are to continue trading with North and South American nations.
Other matters
War in Europe and in Africa
The Axis forces in Sevastopol have been cut off from other units and now have to rely on the sea supply route only. In North Africa, the Axis has been more successful and the Commonwealth forces were pushed back several hundred kilometres away from Tripoli.
Japanese economy
Thanks to our trade agreements with South American nations and thanks to the efforts of the Kempeitai in China, our resource shortages have been reduced. However, the economy has been mostly stagnant during most of 1942 because of the lack of new, economically important conquests and lost territory in China. The Pacific islands are a drain on our economy, as we have to supply troops stationed on them and do not get much in return. Our merchant marine is hard-pressed and in spite of the fact that we are producing transports at a constant rate, the number of spare convoys is decreasing - our trade agreements with the nations of the Americas are contributing to this greatly.
Our planners and quartermasters finished their sketches and we are now ready to form mountain infantry divisions. Moreover, several important technological advancements have been made, including drop tanks and more modern engines for battleships and light cruisers.
List of researched techs:
Infantry Training, Cruiser Escort Doctrine, Battleship Engine, Drop Tanks, Naval Air Control Doctrine, Mountain Infantry, Light Cruiser Engine, Special Forces Training.
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Emperor's Speech
*You realise that you have not seen the Emperor in person for months. General Tojo has been serving as the spokesperson of the Emperor during that time. It also seems that there are more Kempeitai officers everywhere.*
Gentlemen,
We have found ourselves in a peculiar position. Our Empire stretches from China to the Hawaiian Islands, but we are more vulnerable than ever. The situation in China is most worrying. I believe that we have to face the hard facts - we are overstretched and the prospects of ending this war quickly are non-existent. We are losing men in pointless battles over places with little real strategic importance, hoping for a miracle which will not come. This has to end now.
I expect the Army to rethink our strategy in China. Given the circumstances, the conflict will not last months more, but YEARS more and the sooner the Army takes that into account in its planning, the better. If necessary, we should consider abandoning strategically unimportant territory in order to reduce the loss of life and materiel.
We underestimated our enemy once and we should do everything that is in our power in order not to make the same mistake twice. We are now fighting a total war, which will largely determine the future shape of our Nation.