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Screenies would slow my lightning-like progress!
The first six months of 1939 were a hard slog. The Japanese won a grudging respect from the Kuomintang military for their dogged defense of Korea. Nearly 500,000 Chinese soldiers would die in the Korean Campaign, but on July 12th, final victory was achieved when the Japanese garrison on the island of Cheju-Do was expelled. The days of the Japanese empire were numbered.
The empire struck back a few days later, when 150,000 Japanese marines and infantry landed behind the Qingdao garrison, threatening to cut it off. A three-pronged attack from Qingdao, the Shanghai Army, and the new Motorized Corps failed to dislodge the invaders. In the end, it took a bloody two-month campaign, and another 200,000 Chinese soldiers killed, to annihilate the invaders. No quarter was given, and none asked; it was the most savage fighting of the war yet.
While the Chinese were exhausting themselves trying to defeat the invasion, another 80,000 Japanese troops poured onto the beaches of Kwangtung, and another 30,000 in Kowloon. The Kowloon beachhead was swiftly slaughtered, but the Kwangtung force lodged itself.
Chiang had defeated the Japanese conclusively on land- at this point, the Chinese military counted 1.3 million combat troops. The Kwangtung Expeditionary Force was all the Japanese had left- after their disasters in north China and the loss of 35 divisions in the ruthless fight for Korea, only a single infantry division remained in the Home Islands. However, the Japanese still ruled the Pacific Ocean. Chiang Kai-Shek needed a miracle- something to divert the Japanese Navy and allow a fleet of transports to disgorge Chinese troops on Honshu itself.
He found it. On October 7, 1939, Chiang Kai-Shek signed a treaty with Great Britain and the Allies. He shortly thereafter declared war on Germany. Japan, anxious to make good its horrific losses, declared war on the Allies, hoping to seize land and negotiate while the ANZAC forces were committed in Europe.
As the campaigning season drew to a close and the shadows of war spread farther across the world, Chiang Kai-Shek ordered the construction of twelve transport flotillas- enough to ship a full corps across the Sea of Japan. He fully intended to make good on his promise to end the war in 1941- if the Japanese would just cooperate.
The first six months of 1939 were a hard slog. The Japanese won a grudging respect from the Kuomintang military for their dogged defense of Korea. Nearly 500,000 Chinese soldiers would die in the Korean Campaign, but on July 12th, final victory was achieved when the Japanese garrison on the island of Cheju-Do was expelled. The days of the Japanese empire were numbered.
The empire struck back a few days later, when 150,000 Japanese marines and infantry landed behind the Qingdao garrison, threatening to cut it off. A three-pronged attack from Qingdao, the Shanghai Army, and the new Motorized Corps failed to dislodge the invaders. In the end, it took a bloody two-month campaign, and another 200,000 Chinese soldiers killed, to annihilate the invaders. No quarter was given, and none asked; it was the most savage fighting of the war yet.
While the Chinese were exhausting themselves trying to defeat the invasion, another 80,000 Japanese troops poured onto the beaches of Kwangtung, and another 30,000 in Kowloon. The Kowloon beachhead was swiftly slaughtered, but the Kwangtung force lodged itself.
Chiang had defeated the Japanese conclusively on land- at this point, the Chinese military counted 1.3 million combat troops. The Kwangtung Expeditionary Force was all the Japanese had left- after their disasters in north China and the loss of 35 divisions in the ruthless fight for Korea, only a single infantry division remained in the Home Islands. However, the Japanese still ruled the Pacific Ocean. Chiang Kai-Shek needed a miracle- something to divert the Japanese Navy and allow a fleet of transports to disgorge Chinese troops on Honshu itself.
He found it. On October 7, 1939, Chiang Kai-Shek signed a treaty with Great Britain and the Allies. He shortly thereafter declared war on Germany. Japan, anxious to make good its horrific losses, declared war on the Allies, hoping to seize land and negotiate while the ANZAC forces were committed in Europe.
As the campaigning season drew to a close and the shadows of war spread farther across the world, Chiang Kai-Shek ordered the construction of twelve transport flotillas- enough to ship a full corps across the Sea of Japan. He fully intended to make good on his promise to end the war in 1941- if the Japanese would just cooperate.
1939 turned into 1940. The horrific slaughter in southern China continued unabated. The Japanese had scraped up a new class of draftees, and poured them into the beachhead, landing at Kowloon and Hubei. While the Chinese dealt with this new round of invaders, the garrison of Hong Kong was slaughtered to the man, shocking the British government. The Allies (especially the puppet states of Nepal and Bhutan, anxious to build a counterweight to the Indian juggernaut that lay dormant behind them) poured a continuous stream of technical advice into China, assisting vastly with the nation's modernization effort. China thanked the British by wiping out the Japanese and retaking Hong Kong (while destroying nine Japanese divisions to the last man) on April 2, 1940.
In Qingdao, Chiang's great ambition was realized, when the Chinese transport fleet was revealed and sent to sea. While the Japanese poured their remaining troops into retaking the island of Cheju-Do and threatening Korea, the Chinese fleet sailed blissfully past them and landed at the port of Pusan. 350,000 Chinese veterans marched onto the ships- the largest fleet ever assembled- and landed unopposed outside the city of Hiroshima.
The Japanese government was shocked. They had left only a pitiful garrison of 50,000 in all of the Home Islands- they had never expected so overwhelming an assault, after riding roughshod over China for so long. Chiang Kai-Shek made sure they understood perfectly what he was capable of, overrunning the last Japanese position on Honshu on June 2, 1940.
The garrison of Tokyo, two divisions, put up a feeble resistance, and the rest of the island none at all. Allied pundits (and Winston Churchill, in a remarkable telegram declassified after the war) warned Chiang that Japan would rise up and that every hill and tree would hide a partisan. What the Chinese troops found was city after city of stunned quiet. As the Chinese marched past, the Japanese citizens quailed- perhaps expecting the same treatment their soldiers had dealt out at Qingdao, at Kwangtung, at Hong Kong and Seoul. The Generalissimo strove to the utmost to prevent pillage or other outrages. He was, by and large, successful. The Japanese occupation was remarkably quiet. Chiang said later "I'd rather have stayed there than Nanjing. Everyone was terribly polite."
The Emperor of Japan was swiftly evacuated to the southern island of Kyushu, but Chiang had seized Tokyo's arsenals, the government's stockpiles of supplies, raw materials, and billions of dollars in bullion, currency, and other forms of wealth, much of which was appropriated by the government (and individual soldiers) as "reparations". The Kyushu holdouts were less concerned with how long they could fight off the Chinese than they were with how long they could fight off starvation.
The answer would come soon.
In Qingdao, Chiang's great ambition was realized, when the Chinese transport fleet was revealed and sent to sea. While the Japanese poured their remaining troops into retaking the island of Cheju-Do and threatening Korea, the Chinese fleet sailed blissfully past them and landed at the port of Pusan. 350,000 Chinese veterans marched onto the ships- the largest fleet ever assembled- and landed unopposed outside the city of Hiroshima.
The Japanese government was shocked. They had left only a pitiful garrison of 50,000 in all of the Home Islands- they had never expected so overwhelming an assault, after riding roughshod over China for so long. Chiang Kai-Shek made sure they understood perfectly what he was capable of, overrunning the last Japanese position on Honshu on June 2, 1940.
The garrison of Tokyo, two divisions, put up a feeble resistance, and the rest of the island none at all. Allied pundits (and Winston Churchill, in a remarkable telegram declassified after the war) warned Chiang that Japan would rise up and that every hill and tree would hide a partisan. What the Chinese troops found was city after city of stunned quiet. As the Chinese marched past, the Japanese citizens quailed- perhaps expecting the same treatment their soldiers had dealt out at Qingdao, at Kwangtung, at Hong Kong and Seoul. The Generalissimo strove to the utmost to prevent pillage or other outrages. He was, by and large, successful. The Japanese occupation was remarkably quiet. Chiang said later "I'd rather have stayed there than Nanjing. Everyone was terribly polite."
The Emperor of Japan was swiftly evacuated to the southern island of Kyushu, but Chiang had seized Tokyo's arsenals, the government's stockpiles of supplies, raw materials, and billions of dollars in bullion, currency, and other forms of wealth, much of which was appropriated by the government (and individual soldiers) as "reparations". The Kyushu holdouts were less concerned with how long they could fight off the Chinese than they were with how long they could fight off starvation.
The answer would come soon.
Another excellent, fast-moving piece from one of the Legends of AAR writing!
Also, it's nice to see how an expert can handle Nationalist China!
Keep up the good work!
Battleline
Also, it's nice to see how an expert can handle Nationalist China!
Keep up the good work!
Battleline
Battleline- Thanks!
I'm going out of town for a wedding, so no updates are likely before Sunday. Hopefully, I'll be able to sit down and play the rest of the game then (and therefore, finish the AAR).
I'm going out of town for a wedding, so no updates are likely before Sunday. Hopefully, I'll be able to sit down and play the rest of the game then (and therefore, finish the AAR).
The blitzkrieg of AARs. Very good stuff. I'm eager to see what're your plans after Japan.
No plans yet, Jopi.
Currently (June 1940), the Germans are just pushing past Paris. I expect the Vichy event any day now. The Soviets are still out of the war. I imagine their dissent is pretty bad- they declared war on Latvia and Lithuania.
If the war continues as it has- and that really remains to be seen- then the remainder of the Pacific War will be a total cakewalk. Imperial Japan is a spent force.
But after that... so many options... We'll see what happens. Stay tuned! Updates Sunday!
Currently (June 1940), the Germans are just pushing past Paris. I expect the Vichy event any day now. The Soviets are still out of the war. I imagine their dissent is pretty bad- they declared war on Latvia and Lithuania.
If the war continues as it has- and that really remains to be seen- then the remainder of the Pacific War will be a total cakewalk. Imperial Japan is a spent force.
But after that... so many options... We'll see what happens. Stay tuned! Updates Sunday!
Bah! I hope you capitalist pigs choke on your own filth! Death to you bourgeoisie scum!
your blitz posting matches your blitz against the Japanese. I think I shoudl take this oppurtunity to bring up "The Great Game" in the vicky forums. I hope this AAR means our return to your unfinished business anyway very nice job!
Seidita said:
I almost forgot about that! So Prufrock, how's the book going and when we expect a start to your "Great Game"?
"The Great Game" as I've conceived it is a much bigger project than I'm willing to take on. The book is going great, but I'd say TGG probably won't start for six months... if ever.
Now, punching out a quick AAR while I play a quick game- that's something else.
Speaking of which-
The game is loaded, and the Pacific War continues...
Now, punching out a quick AAR while I play a quick game- that's something else.
Speaking of which-
The game is loaded, and the Pacific War continues...
Following the conquest of Honshu, Chiang announced a new set of reforms. Chen Li-Fu stepped down as Minister of Intelligence, devoting himself full-time to his new duties as Minister Without Portfolio, and Chiang's eminence grise. His successor was an industrialist who had frankly bribed Chiang for the job, but his knowledge of industry allowed Chinese spies to ferret out technologies and procedures from their listening posts in foreign capitals which improved China's industrial output by five percent.
Chiang himself stepped down as Chief of Staff, declaring that the time had come for him to devote himself full-time to governing China. The news was meant to bolster Chiang's confidence in his newly stable government. Dissent dropped sharply across the nation. The bloodless conquest of Taiwan during June of 1940 stilled any remaining protests.
At the end of June, Chiang faced a dilemma. While he had pushed the Japanese to the brink of collapse, no amount of persuasion could bring the Emperor to the negotiating table. He was convinced that the Japanese Army was on the verge of logistical collapse, deprived of supply and fuel, but the Japanese Navy still ruled the seas. The point was underlined by the Battle of Tokyo Bay, when thirty Japanese battleships and cruisers swept down on the 1st Transport Fleet, destroying a third of its ships before the Transport Fleet could retreat to the safety of Tokyo's coastal gun emplacements.
Chiang needed a target he could strike- one which would cripple the remnant of Japanese power. The obvious choice was Hokkaido- the source of Japan's coal. Without it, Japan's naval supremacy would disintegrate, it would be unable to deploy its still formidable reserves of manpower, and the pitiful amount of supplies the Japanese Army had salvaged from the conquest of Honshu would be quickly devoured.
Chiang ostentatiously moved a quarter-million men to northern Honshu, threatening an invasion from the south. Meanwhile, Chinese transports loaded a single division in Korea and slipped into the waters of the Sea of Sakhalin. While the Japanese focused on the massive force in Honshu, the 2nd Motorized Division unloaded in northern Hokkaido, cutting off retreat routes for the Hokkaido garrison. The transports then swung around the island to load 120,000 men and deposit them in Asahikawa, the center of the Chinese foothold. The Transport Fleet was intercepted again by the Japanese Navy, but despite heavy losses the ships landed. The Japanese garrison had left its fortifications to assault the small Chinese presence- but now it was outnumbered 13 to 1. The Japanese returned to their bunkers, but it was too late- they had no time to prepare for a full assault and were quickly destroyed. The conquest of Hokkaido was complete by September 17, 1940. Chiang sent small detachments to island-hop in the Kurils and to accept the surrender of Sakhalin. He also organized a new invasion in the south, massing 400,000 men to threaten an invasion from southern Honshu- and then landing an additional 90,000 men from Korea in Fukuoka and occupying the last of Japan's coal mines. This campaign went flawlessly until the transports sailed back to Korea- into the waiting arms of Admiral Yamamoto, who mauled the Transport Fleet so mercilessly that Chiang dissolved the Fleet, sending the last thirty ships into the Merchant Marine.
As the bitter November winds blew from the north, Japan waited grimly for the end.
Chiang himself stepped down as Chief of Staff, declaring that the time had come for him to devote himself full-time to governing China. The news was meant to bolster Chiang's confidence in his newly stable government. Dissent dropped sharply across the nation. The bloodless conquest of Taiwan during June of 1940 stilled any remaining protests.
At the end of June, Chiang faced a dilemma. While he had pushed the Japanese to the brink of collapse, no amount of persuasion could bring the Emperor to the negotiating table. He was convinced that the Japanese Army was on the verge of logistical collapse, deprived of supply and fuel, but the Japanese Navy still ruled the seas. The point was underlined by the Battle of Tokyo Bay, when thirty Japanese battleships and cruisers swept down on the 1st Transport Fleet, destroying a third of its ships before the Transport Fleet could retreat to the safety of Tokyo's coastal gun emplacements.
Chiang needed a target he could strike- one which would cripple the remnant of Japanese power. The obvious choice was Hokkaido- the source of Japan's coal. Without it, Japan's naval supremacy would disintegrate, it would be unable to deploy its still formidable reserves of manpower, and the pitiful amount of supplies the Japanese Army had salvaged from the conquest of Honshu would be quickly devoured.
Chiang ostentatiously moved a quarter-million men to northern Honshu, threatening an invasion from the south. Meanwhile, Chinese transports loaded a single division in Korea and slipped into the waters of the Sea of Sakhalin. While the Japanese focused on the massive force in Honshu, the 2nd Motorized Division unloaded in northern Hokkaido, cutting off retreat routes for the Hokkaido garrison. The transports then swung around the island to load 120,000 men and deposit them in Asahikawa, the center of the Chinese foothold. The Transport Fleet was intercepted again by the Japanese Navy, but despite heavy losses the ships landed. The Japanese garrison had left its fortifications to assault the small Chinese presence- but now it was outnumbered 13 to 1. The Japanese returned to their bunkers, but it was too late- they had no time to prepare for a full assault and were quickly destroyed. The conquest of Hokkaido was complete by September 17, 1940. Chiang sent small detachments to island-hop in the Kurils and to accept the surrender of Sakhalin. He also organized a new invasion in the south, massing 400,000 men to threaten an invasion from southern Honshu- and then landing an additional 90,000 men from Korea in Fukuoka and occupying the last of Japan's coal mines. This campaign went flawlessly until the transports sailed back to Korea- into the waiting arms of Admiral Yamamoto, who mauled the Transport Fleet so mercilessly that Chiang dissolved the Fleet, sending the last thirty ships into the Merchant Marine.
As the bitter November winds blew from the north, Japan waited grimly for the end.
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Tricking the AI is easier then pushing a blind guy of a flight of stairs!So, do you have a cover for the book yet and how widely will it be distributed? Will it come to Canada?
No cover. As for distribution, I'm not certain, but I do believe some copies will be making their way up yonder north.
With the capture of Fukuoka, Chiang declared an end to major combat operations. Without coal, Japan could not function, and its surrender was only a matter of time.
Even so, the Japanese proved remarkably resilient. It was not until May of 1941 that the rump government in Kyushu surrendered. The Kuomintang annexation of Japan occurred two months later, after the Chinese Navy sent a few divisions to inform the last few garrisons in Micronesia.
After a vicious four-year war, which had left four million Japanese and ten million Chinese dead, China had finally prevailed. The bittersweet victory parade in Nanjing was shown across the world, except in the remaining Axis nations, which maintained a studious quiet. "What the Asians do amongst themselves is no concern of the Reich," commented a curiously subdued Goebbels the day after the annexation.
1941 went quietly for China. The end of the war had created a shortage of transport and of fuel; a third of China (and Japan's factories) sat shuttered for lack of coal and oil. Chiang remained technically at war with Germany, and showed no sign of wishing to relinquish his emergency powers. A crash course of modernization was launched, and by the beginning of 1942, China had vaulted back into competition with the major powers. The nation's first artifical rubber plant went into full operation on February 22. Working at full capacity, the plant could barely keep up with orders, but within weeks, the fuel shortage was over. As Germany declared war on the Soviet Union, and the United States entered the Allies, China was stronger than ever, firmly committed to its great alliance with the democracies... and at a crossroads which would change the course of history.
Even so, the Japanese proved remarkably resilient. It was not until May of 1941 that the rump government in Kyushu surrendered. The Kuomintang annexation of Japan occurred two months later, after the Chinese Navy sent a few divisions to inform the last few garrisons in Micronesia.
After a vicious four-year war, which had left four million Japanese and ten million Chinese dead, China had finally prevailed. The bittersweet victory parade in Nanjing was shown across the world, except in the remaining Axis nations, which maintained a studious quiet. "What the Asians do amongst themselves is no concern of the Reich," commented a curiously subdued Goebbels the day after the annexation.
1941 went quietly for China. The end of the war had created a shortage of transport and of fuel; a third of China (and Japan's factories) sat shuttered for lack of coal and oil. Chiang remained technically at war with Germany, and showed no sign of wishing to relinquish his emergency powers. A crash course of modernization was launched, and by the beginning of 1942, China had vaulted back into competition with the major powers. The nation's first artifical rubber plant went into full operation on February 22. Working at full capacity, the plant could barely keep up with orders, but within weeks, the fuel shortage was over. As Germany declared war on the Soviet Union, and the United States entered the Allies, China was stronger than ever, firmly committed to its great alliance with the democracies... and at a crossroads which would change the course of history.
Great!
Q1: How much IC do you have?
Q2: Are you planing on going after the CCCP?
Q3: Did you get to ocuppy Idochina and any other (Netherlands) former allied territory in Asia?
Q1: How much IC do you have?
Q2: Are you planing on going after the CCCP?
Q3: Did you get to ocuppy Idochina and any other (Netherlands) former allied territory in Asia?
1. About 300, after I got artificial rubber and I could breathe easy about my coal supplies again.
2. You'll find out.
3. Nope. Germany went with "Occupy it all" in the Vichy event.
2. You'll find out.
3. Nope. Germany went with "Occupy it all" in the Vichy event.
Alright, I'm playing again. It's been interesting this evening.
China sat out most of 1942 and 1943, slowly increasing its forces and focusing its effort on improved technology. A prominent army general spoke out against the so-called "Phony War", demanding that China honor its commitments. Chiang noted in his only public reply that "I have shared with our Allies the wisdom our armed forces gathered from four years of war against the common foe. Chinese advisors were a common sight in the Commonwealth during this period, sharing Chinese innovations in return for the superior technology of the West. While many derided Chiang's comments, it cannot be denied that both China and the West benefited from the exchange.
At the same time, Chiang was concerned. There were no more easy victories for China or for the Allies on the horizon. The British had bogged down in the Balkans and southern Italy, and the Americans could not establish a third beachhead. Meanwhile, the Soviets were steadily pushing back the German Wehrmacht. It became obvious as 1943 wore on that the Allies were doomed; the Soviets would reach Paris well before they did. Chiang was convinced that if the Soviets succeeded in conquering Europe, he would be next. He took the step of reinstalling his bloodthirsty Security Minister Huang Mu-sung, who lost no time in rebuilding his apparatus of terror.
Without consulting the Allies, Chiang began building up his army and moving it to the Soviet border. On April 15, 1944, Chiang Kai-Shek declared war on the Soviet Union. The Western Allies were outraged, and the United Nations nearly split apart. In the end, however, the British and Americans honored their treaties, and the Allies were at war with totalitarianism in all its forms.
The stalemate in Europe swung in favor of the Germans, who overran Leningrad and began a grueling push eastward. The Chinese crossed into Mongolia, annexing it on July 30th. To the east, the Soviets were proving China's most resilient foe yet.
While the Kuomintang scored early victories, notably in the almost bloodless conquest of Vladivostok, the Chinese push to the Amur quickly became a bloodbath. Thousands perished in the bitter cold, and partisan attacks took their toll. For every Soviet killed, the Chinese lost five. It took six months- and nearly half a million dead- for Chiang to push from Vladivostok to Khabarovsk. However, a lightning winter offensive in January of 1945 put the Chinese on the north side of the Amur.
Chiang was convinced that the war's worst fighting was over, and that the Chinese would be able to push aside further resistance in Siberia.
China sat out most of 1942 and 1943, slowly increasing its forces and focusing its effort on improved technology. A prominent army general spoke out against the so-called "Phony War", demanding that China honor its commitments. Chiang noted in his only public reply that "I have shared with our Allies the wisdom our armed forces gathered from four years of war against the common foe. Chinese advisors were a common sight in the Commonwealth during this period, sharing Chinese innovations in return for the superior technology of the West. While many derided Chiang's comments, it cannot be denied that both China and the West benefited from the exchange.
At the same time, Chiang was concerned. There were no more easy victories for China or for the Allies on the horizon. The British had bogged down in the Balkans and southern Italy, and the Americans could not establish a third beachhead. Meanwhile, the Soviets were steadily pushing back the German Wehrmacht. It became obvious as 1943 wore on that the Allies were doomed; the Soviets would reach Paris well before they did. Chiang was convinced that if the Soviets succeeded in conquering Europe, he would be next. He took the step of reinstalling his bloodthirsty Security Minister Huang Mu-sung, who lost no time in rebuilding his apparatus of terror.
Without consulting the Allies, Chiang began building up his army and moving it to the Soviet border. On April 15, 1944, Chiang Kai-Shek declared war on the Soviet Union. The Western Allies were outraged, and the United Nations nearly split apart. In the end, however, the British and Americans honored their treaties, and the Allies were at war with totalitarianism in all its forms.
The stalemate in Europe swung in favor of the Germans, who overran Leningrad and began a grueling push eastward. The Chinese crossed into Mongolia, annexing it on July 30th. To the east, the Soviets were proving China's most resilient foe yet.
While the Kuomintang scored early victories, notably in the almost bloodless conquest of Vladivostok, the Chinese push to the Amur quickly became a bloodbath. Thousands perished in the bitter cold, and partisan attacks took their toll. For every Soviet killed, the Chinese lost five. It took six months- and nearly half a million dead- for Chiang to push from Vladivostok to Khabarovsk. However, a lightning winter offensive in January of 1945 put the Chinese on the north side of the Amur.
Chiang was convinced that the war's worst fighting was over, and that the Chinese would be able to push aside further resistance in Siberia.
I've just read this AAR and I think it is very good Prufrock! I indeed look forward to your next update! Also, I was wondering, will you book perhaps hit Britain aswell or is it just for The American Continent? Anyway, update soon!
Anyway, update soon!