Bushido Code - an HOI3:SF Japan AAR

[malize]

Monrovia's place in History


In the depths of Nigeria, Gamelin's "last stand" had resolved itself.

The NLF troops in Liberia were probing the American defensive line across the Boma river and finding the forests full of paratroopers.

While the NLF on the scene didn't anticipate breaking the American line and said so in their reports to Admiral Yamamoto. Back in Tokyo the Army General Staff was concerned. So far the NLF had been showing up and succeeding to much for the Army's liking...and then there was Admiral Yamamoto himself, the perennial pain in the Army's side.

Their solution to slow down the Navy while showing them up at the same time...

Over the target the delivering aircraft were intercepted by "the morning patrol" of the South African air wing, who not knowing the seriousness of this particular bomb run did not press their attacks to the last full measure.

With their target near the port the weapon was successfully delivered and the destruction had a radius of 5000m.

Of course this did not "help" the NLF troops along the Boma, but totally wrecked the the usefulness of Monrovia and came as a massive shock across the the whole world.

 

[malize]

Battle of Grid 28N

Several hundred miles off the coast from Freetown, CSF 1 intercepts a southward bound troop convoy.

 

[malize]

Battle of the Plata

At the mouth of the River Plata the Haruna and Kongo intercept a Brazillian patrol.

 

[malize]

Liberia: River Cess Landings

At the time of the Atomic bombing of Monrovia, Horiuchi's division was already enroute to land "behind" the city at River Cess. Yamamoto went ahead with his plan, hoping to turn the flank of the crack airborne troops to the north.

 

[malize]

Battle of Blanco Encalada

Admiral Fukudome swung around the Magellan Straits and up the Pacific Coast of Chile after reports of the Minas Gerais being in that area...and he found her.

 

[malize]

Liberia Stands

Even with the landings at River Cess *and* the atomic bombing of their base, the American paratroops were holding firm against the two NLF divisions putting pressure on them.

It was this kind of situation that the "assault at all costs" doctrine caused great casualties among the attacking NLF troops...when the attacks were finally called off the body count was reminiscent of the costly Admiralties Island battles.

Admiral Yamamoto ordered these divisions to rest, hold their ground, and wait for the arrival of the rest of the corps after they finished mopping up Nigeria proper.

 

[malize]

Nigeria Mop Up

Those divisions needed in Liberia were marching to and fro across Nigeria cleaning up residual resistance.

By mid-August the job was done and the only Allied holdings remaining were comprised of empty provinces whose only defenders were local police. It was time to bring the NLF together in Liberia and see the results of the Army's atomic action first hand.

 

[Dewirix]

You dropped your first nuclear weapon on Liberia?! How fast are you able to produce them now?

Strange to see France in central Africa. I'm also secretly happy that the Brazilian battleship fleet escaped to fight another day. Some suface to surface battles would be fun.

 

[malize]

2nd Battle of Ascension Island

CSF 1 was alerted to the presence of a large USN task force heading for Ascension Island by the submarine I 1, who trailed the group. Just before the first Japanese airstrike was inbound, the submarines of both taskgroups made attacks which ended in their sinkings. The air battles were fairly one sided in favor of the veteran IJN air fleet, and the ship attacks were delivered in a demoralizingly devastating fashion. By mid day the three surviving American ships, CA Halsey, and DD Patterson and Trippe, made their escape.

 

[malize]

You dropped your first nuclear weapon on Liberia?! How fast are you able to produce them now?

Strange to see France in central Africa. I'm also secretly happy that the Brazilian battleship fleet escaped to fight another day. Some suface to surface battles would be fun.

I havn't used any until then and I've had the capability to produce them for years...I imagine I've got a good supply built up

 

[malize]

Liberia Falls

By September enough NLF troops had been shifted from Nigeria to Liberia that it was felt the assault on the American position could resume. Yamamoto was especially concerned that the Army General Staff would drop another atomic weapon...however unlikely that would seem.

 

[unmerged(53911)]

Spent some time reading this AAR and have enjoyed it! It did seem to me that some time back your strategy became the victim of your success; as well as that of all of the Axis. By that I mean that it appeared that you hadn't made long range plans to deal with Australia, NZ and the North and South American continents. I assume this was because your initial approach was the RP between the IJA & IJN.

Regarding the RP element: It strikes me that some part of the Venezuelan government in exile would be in Tokyo and constantly chirping about the invasion of South American to free their homeland.

 

[malize]

Operation A

During the October IGHQ liaison meeting a number of issues had come to the fore. The most pressing matter in the opinion of the IJA was their perceived over extension of Japanese holdings and the responsibility that was placing on them to raise useless garrison troops. Something the Chief of the Army General Staff simply was refusing to do, with the Prime Ministers support, in favor of the Prime Ministers' continuing force restructing plan. The Army officers on the IGHQ were accusing Yamamoto of being a "cowboy" with his use of the NLF and urged for his recall to the Home Islands.

The Navy officers, but not their Minister/Chief of General Staff Mr. Oikawa, were vocal in defending Yamamoto. They pointed out that the Admiral had made so much of Japans success possible in his defeat of the British Navy in the Indian Ocean and the American Navy in the Pacific, which the War Minister Mikawa agreed with. There were also questions about the Army's use of the Atomic Bomb at Monrovia, a step that was clearly unnecessary, and possibly even counter-productive, in a strictly military sense and unclear in its political ramifications.

When the accusation and counter-accusations had died down, the new Foreign Minister, Mr. Tani, presented confidential information that the South American country of Chile had been sending out feelers for support from Germany and Japan. Chile felt under threat by Brazil and the Allied countries in general, had seen the occupation of all their neighboring states by Brazil, they were preparing for the invasion of their own territory. In Minister Tani's opinion this event had been likely brought closer to occurrence since his predecessor had divulged to contacts which ended up having foreign connections. Tani felt that they should assume that the allies know of Chile's attempts at getting Axis support and would likely respond with invasion.

While this seemed sensible to all concerned, General Aotsu did not see how the IJA could spare any troops to assist the Chileans. War Minister Mikawa stated that it did not matter, it was dishonorable the fashion in which the Germans had disregarded their South American allies and that now, with Japanese holdings such as the Falklands (where a ragtag group of Argentine, Bolivian, and Uruguayan pilots and submariners were hold up) that Japan should follow the German example was unthinkable. Aotsu agreed in principle, however in fact he said that their ground forces were already stretched beyond capabilities to the point where the defacto "Polish State" in the Sudan was being left up to the Italo-Ethiopians to deal with! If the Chileans are invaded before the end of the next year he felt that that there was nothing the Imperial ground forces could do to help.

A couple days after the meeting, in late October, the report of Brazillian troops moving into northern Chile was received. Again General Aotsu deferred, saying there were no troops to spare, but offered to send a nuclear equipped bomb group, which was relayed to the Chileans who declined having their own population bombed to atoms. Admiral Yamamoto sent the message that CSF 1 was still repairing and refitting from the last Ascencion Island battle, which was the entirity of his update. Of course Yamamoto had been appraised of the goings ons of the IGHQ meeting by the Naval Staff, but it was the secret message from Admiral Mikawa, the sitting War Minister, which really got his attention. Armed with the secret support of Mikawa, the NLF was ordered assembled on the Falklands.

The Chileans were holding the Brazilian forces to the north and even moving into and liberating some of the Argentine border provinces. Yamamoto and CSF 1 arrived in the Falklands to escort the AF 1 task force carrying the entirity of the NLF. At this time, and with Mikawa's written backing, Yamamoto formally detached the NLF from 7th Army's and IJA's administrative command, although in practice this had happened a long time ago. Sending a message back to Tokyo he announced that "Operation A" was underway.

The NLF of "Operation A" landed unopposed around Bahia Blanca, Argentina.

Their orders were to head north and liberate the long suffering Argentines.

Mikawa's objectives had been met as well, with Japanese on the ground in South America, albeit naval troops, the IJA would loose that much more prestige if they did not follow up and support. Aotsu was livid, but Mikawa told him that that "Operation A" had been done at his direction, and he was further directing the Chief of the Army General Staff to find troops to support it.

 

[malize]

Spent some time reading this AAR and have enjoyed it! It did seem to me that some time back your strategy became the victim of your success; as well as that of all of the Axis. By that I mean that it appeared that you hadn't made long range plans to deal with Australia, NZ and the North and South American continents. I assume this was because your initial approach was the RP between the IJA & IJN.

Regarding the RP element: It strikes me that some part of the Venezuelan government in exile would be in Tokyo and constantly chirping about the invasion of South American to free their homeland.

Actually I assumed that the Americans were going to make things a lot more difficult for me in the Pacific, right around the time that Japan was at war with everyone they possibly could be I was thinking that it was going to be a "down in flames" AAR.

 

[Elshar]

Actually I assumed that the Americans were going to make things a lot more difficult for me in the Pacific, right around the time that Japan was at war with everyone they possibly could be I was thinking that it was going to be a "down in flames" AAR.

I had the same thought, and was suprised when you started sinking fleets left and right. Been enjoying reading this.

 

[Warlordtheft]

No updates for while, so just wondering if you called it since it appeared the US/Allied cause is irrovocably doomed?

 

[malize]

No updates for while, so just wondering if you called it since it appeared the US/Allied cause is irrovocably doomed?

Actually I've been involved in RL & MP AOD+IC