Empire Rising - The Fourth Superpower : a neutral Japanese AAR

[RhinocerosMaximus]

Loving this to death. Subbed.

 

[Magnus Imperator Rex]

His Imperial Majesty and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces


MOST SECRET
Senior Commanders only
By hand of Officer only

Imperial General Headquarters

Tokyo, 1st July 1941

7 Copies

Copy Nº 5
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It is the 1st of July of 1941. Our war effort has lasted for two and a half years and we expect it will last even longer. We have made lots of advances in the Far East and our progress has been very swift. Now, this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning. We have found ourselves, willingly, in a crusade against the Soviet Union and its armed forces. It is a battle for the survival of our Empire, our way life and the destiny of all the nations in Asia. Due to the magnitude and historical importance of this war, we must give all our effort to our country within the realms of possibilities to ensure the continuity of our Imperial dynasty.

In 1940, the Imperial Yamato dynasty celebrated 2600 years of existence since their founding by mythical Emperor Jinmu, the first emperor of Japan. National celebrations have flared in every corner of the Empire and the population has been really keen on cherishing their timeless origins. Emperor Jinmu once declared Hakko-Ichiu, meaning "eight crown cords, one roof". In the most magnanimous form, the term was used to indicate the making of a universal brotherhood implemented by the uniquely virtuous Yamato. Because this would bring people under the emperor's fatherly benevolence, force was justified against those who resisted. Founding ceremony of the Hakko-Ichiu Monument, erected upon the site of Emperor Jinmu palace in Miyazaki in 1940:

Naval formations to honor the 2600th anniversary of the Yamato nation.

Emperor Shōwa and Empress Kōjun presiding the celebration of the 2600th anniversary of mythical foundation of the Empire in 1940.​

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In our last classified report, progress was shown up until the 1st of July of 1940. One of our main strategic objectives, denying the Soviets access to the Pacific Ocean has finally been achieved. Now, the Imperial Army, supported by the Imperial Air Force, must make a drive to the Yenisei River to set up formidable defensive positions there to prevent the Soviets from breaking through and at the same time, to establish a new de facto border between our states in Siberia. Only when we have reached the Yenisei Line will our defense perimeter be secure enough to allow us to declare war on the Western Allies and seize their resource rich territories in Asia and the Pacific to feed our war industries. This is our situation by the start of August of 1940.

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The Soviets, supported by their Mongolian and other central asian allies have broken through our lines that were containing them in western Manchuria. It is the first time in the entire war that they have stepped on Japanese soil proper. Our units facing them have low organization, morale and few supplies. To roll back the tide in this sector, we are bringing in 3 corps made up of 15 divisions from our strategic mobile reserve, currently stationed in the Home Islands. Once they land in Manchuria, they will first stop and later push back the Red Army, gaining the strategic initiative to perform their own offensive into Mongolia.

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A spawn of partisan cells have rocked the Vladivostok peninsula. It is important that they are crushed quickly because our Army is supplied through this port and if the rebels cut off access to Vladivostok, our supplies will never reach our troops wherever they might be.

The aircraft carrier Hiryu has been deployed. It is undergoing secret sea trials. It will soon face combat against the Allied naval powers.

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The Soviets keep on penetrating into Manchurian lands with great speed, spearheaded by their armoured divisions. We will try to perform a defense in depth of our territory. Notice the defensive lines drawn.

This is what the frontlines look like from a closer perspective. The green line over the Mongolian and Manchukuo border was the first belt of defense but its has been broken. Our second red line will utilize the mountain range to try and hold the Red Army here. If they make a breakthrough, we have also set up a third blue line of defense. This is our last and final redoubt. Behind the blue line we have the capital of Manchukuo and all the necessary VPs to allow our puppet state to keep on functioning. If the Red Army breaks through here, then Manchukuo will be forced to capitulate. Notice at the bottom port that our strategic reserve has reached Manchuria and is currently redeploying to different points in the red line to mount a defense, absorb the first shock and then perform their own counteroffensive into east Mongolia.

Soviet troops invading Manchuria.

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A year and eight months into the war with the Soviets and we are still making some progress in the North, albeit a somewhat slow grind. In Manchuria, the Soviets have reached their maximum extent into our Empire. Thankfully, the strategic reserve has been redeployed and are currently forming defensive belts behind the red line. Manchukuo will finally be safe now. Our troops have also made some gains against Xibei San Ma.

Soviet soldiers resting in western Manchuria.

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In Europe, the western Allies have rushed to the Netherlands to meet the Wehrmacht. This offers them a better chance of stopping the German juggernaut dead in its tracks due to the terrain and obstacles in the Low Countries. From what our military attaches in Europe are reporting, Germany is having a very hard time defeating the coalition of Belgium, Holland, France and the United Kingdom.

The contested fronlines in western Europe. The Wehrmacht has been stopped at the gates of Amsterdan. Germany has been at war with the Allies for one year now and it looks like it is going to be a long time before either wins this match.

German troops in the Netherlands crossing a destroyed bridge using an ad hoc ladder.

We are building two transport planes to mobilize our Paratrooper divisions around the Far East.
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Our strategic reserve has finally arrived to our second line of defense. They have absorbed the intial Soviet assault and are now performing counterattack operations after picking up the strategic initiative, this will allow us to shape the events in the battlefield to a greater degree than our enemies. In the western part, three Anti-tank divisions are trying to encircle a few armoured and infantry divisions.

Japanese AA squads firing upon VVS forces.

Five Close Air Support wings have been produced and organized in the Home Islands. Their mission is to act as mobile heavy artillery units to counter the numerous Soviet tank columns.

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[Magnus Imperator Rex]

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We are producing two transport planes and four airborne divisions, made up of 9,000 soldiers each. We are also building a few air bases.
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Imperial troops close to encircling some Soviet divisions in the south and north but these Soviet formations are also retreating to avoid the pinzers.
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Imperial troops have failed to encircle the Red Army tank divisions but a few infantry divisions will be encircled in the south.

Soviet artillery shelling japanese positions.

Once these infantry divisions are destroyed, Imperial soldiers will go on the offensive into eastern Mongolia.
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This is what the frontlines look like in Manchuria by the end of the month. In the north around Lake Baikal, our strategy is one of containment behind the rivers, at least for now.
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The strategic reserve has been very valuable in stopping and later on, pushing the Soviets out of Manchuria. They have been gaining ground since they arrived.
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In the north, our armies keep on advancing. Their objective is to reach the Yenisei River (closest green dotted line in map) and set up defensive positions there. If the battlefield situation changes and the odds are in our favour, we shall proceed to advance until we reach the second dotted green line.

Imperial troops inspecting Soviet machine gun.

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In the south, our troops have reached the outskirts of the capital of Tibet, Lhasa but it is very fortified, meaning frontal assaults will fail. This is why we are trying to surround it from all sides before attempting to capture it. Imperial troops are also trying to encircle the capital of Xibei San Ma. Also notice the partisan cells in China.

A lone Soviet tank division has been trapped by our forces here. It cannot retreat because the Mongolian provinces behind have zero infrastructure and their only way out is about to get blocked by a division coming from the east (4-4 XX anti-tank division).

Efforts to bomb Soviet positions have failed due to immense number of VVS formations patrolling the skies.
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By the middle of October, the Soviets have finally been defeated and repulsed from Imperial lands. Now the troops will proceed with a counterattack drive into eastern Mongolia.
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Operation Red Khanate
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Imperial soldiers members of the strategic reserve deployed to Manchuria to stop the Soviet incursion into Japanese territory, numbering three corps composed of five divisions each - an even mix of infantry and anti-tank forces - will now begin a counteroffensive strike with their full fury against the disorganized Red Army and drive into eastern Mongolia until the capital, Ulaanbaatar, is captured by Japanese troops. The forces will take many months to reach the capital but once it does, it must swing north to encircle the pocket around Lake Baikal. If the Operation is sucessful, an entire Soviet Field Army will be trapped and left without supplies to face utter annihilation by Imperial forces.


I therefore, order as follows:

a) Imperial Army: 15 strategic reserve land divisions must penetrate into Mongolia and capture UlaanBaatar, then head north until it reaches Lake Baikal. For their part, the troops in the northern Lake Baikal sector must push the soviets in a southerly direction to form more even lines with their comrades stationed behind the river fortifications. Their objective is to reach the red dotted line.


b) Imperial Air Force: all forces available must be sent to the closest airfield to Lake Baikal to support the troops and pin down Soviet armoured divisions.


c) Imperial Navy: since our Navy is not experience real combat but rather regular patrol missions, all their CAGs available must also be sent to the airfields around Lake Baikal in support of our forces there. Their lighter fighter planes must act in air superiority roles to protect our tactical and close air support bombers from attack by the VVS.​

It is crucial that the Operation begins today at midnight to take advantage of the cover of darkness and the deplorable state of the Red Army after it was defeated in western Manchukuo.





A year and ten months into the Soviet-Japanese War of 1939. Our advance in the northern artic lands of Siberia is a slow crawl of blood, frosbite, cold storms and a lot of Death.

Operation Red Khanate is underway. Our troops are pushing from the north and west. They have already captured some territory in Mongolia.
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Some advances in the north.
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An entire carrier group has been laid down and will be finished by the beginning of the year 1942 in preparation for a showdown with the Allies.
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The government of Xibei San Ma has finally capitulated and have been annexed. No reprisals will be taken against the population as these muslim warriors will be very valuable for the conquest of the Soviet Far East due to their familiarity with the surroundings and their fierce fighting spirit.

A few partisans have disrupted our supply and communication lines in the north. Our march into Mongolia is unstoppable. Victory is never in doubt.
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Projected near term territorial gains.
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[Magnus Imperator Rex]

Partisans have taken control of large swaths of land in the northern Far East. This is very dangerous because it distorts and affects very much our established supply lines. They must be crushed quickly and order restored once again.

The VVS is a major force to be reckoned with. We must take our air formations back to Japan for repairs.
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We have placed an airfield in the north to accomodate a future fleet of planes that are being organized in Japan. They will support our troops against the tanks of the Red Army.
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We have laid down the final capital ship before a strike against the Allied powers. The Musashi is a Super Heavy battleship of the Yamato-class. In the future, we will build more convoys, screen ships and more transports.

The powerful Musashi of the Yamato-class of super heavy battleships

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We start the year with very important news from the geopolitical conflict in Europe. The West has been locked in a virtual state of static positions, exactly the same as in World War One. No power can perform decisive advances. Do not take the production numbers or other factors as true figures in the following pictures from the french point of view because that represents a nerfed France in Very Hard level, so it is not an accurate depiction of the capabilities of the French AI.
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European frontlines

Western Europe

Benelux region

Maginot Line, defended by relatively few forces due to its formidable defenses.

Mediterranean front. Both sides count with strong man made defenses and the Alps is a natural barrier per se.

Finnish front. The Soviets outnumer the allied Finns by much.

Member states of the Allies in light green

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A new year comes in and the USSR has been at war with our empire for exactly two years now. Undeterred by its military defeats in the Far East, the Soviet Union has invaded and annexed the Baltic states. This will provide them with bases for their submarines closer to our shipping lanes with some European powers. We must be careful for our convoys lest they are harassed by the Soviet submarines and surface raiders.

Numerous partisan uprisings have surfaced, on the direct orders of Moscow. Their effects on the established paths of supplies is really worrying. But our march is unrelenting and our Imperial Army only goes forward.

In the south, our armies are about to surround Lhasa. The Fall of Tibet is only a few months away now. For their part, the victorious troops that participated in the conquest of Xibei San Ma are heading rapidly to Sinkiang now.

With these new blueprints we will expand the capacity of the port that supply our entire armies in mainland Asia, Vladivostok.
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The powerful and modern Zuikaku being comissioned into the Imperial Navy.
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Another two airborne divisions being added to the capacity of our forces.
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Our struggle after two years and two months of bloody war. Operation Khanate has taken a long time, as expected but they are close to Ulaanbaatar now. On the other hand, the Soviets have driven into a position north of the river represented as the red dotted line in a few maps below. It looks like they are trying to link up with their partisan cells in the north.

Imperial troops are force marching into western China to Sinkiang. In the south, the capital of Tibet is surrounded by Imperial troops and the long siege has started.
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Imperial troops have captured southern Sinkiang. They have arrived on the outskirts of their capital and are shelling enemy positions there.
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A few days later, the rogue state of Sinkiang has capitulated under formal agreements and their leadership has been captured and deported back to Japan. They will be treated as expected of high ranking diplomatic guests. The Fall of Sinkiang means that the soft underbelly of the Soviet Union in Central Asia is vulnerable to our advance. Western Mongolia is also in serious danger from an Imperial offensive. An invasion launched through here will split their forces and perhaps leave their capital with less mobilized men to resist our Army.

We have drawn out plans to redeploy some divisions to the new frontier with the USSR while the rest will go ahead and invade western Mongolia in support of our forces in the east who are engaged in Operation Red Khanate since October 15th of 1940. Their near term objective is to reach the Mongolian city represented by the green star.

A smaller ring by Imperial soldiers is trying to be established around Soviet positions.
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[Magnus Imperator Rex]

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CAGs being produced to fill the hangars of our numerous aircraft carriers.

We have dropped one airbone division around an area controlled by partisans. These were quickly neutralized by the paratroopers.

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By the end of the month, we have managed to capture Ulaanbaatar and also managed to encircle half of the Soviet divisions in this area. Our troops in Ulaanbaatar must now swing north to link up with our forces to capture the biggest prize yet, about 20 Red Army divisions.

The Germans have finally dislodged the Allies from the Netherlands and have penetrated deep into Belgium. They also made an unexpected breakthrough in the Maginot Line and Paris faces a pincer movement from both directions. Italy, spurred by the sucess of its german ally, has declared war on the Allies and began their land war against France.

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Imperial Officer, a military attache to Germany, in the battlefields of Europe.

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A day later, Belgium capitulated but most of their army is in France fighting along their allies. The position in the Maginot Line has become irrelevant to the defense of France as the Germans are quickly driving through here.

Soviet troops are trying to break out of the encirclement but the window to do so has closed now.

We have dropped airborne troops along the most vulnerable sectors in the encirclement where Soviet troops were most likely to perform a relief operation. Soldiers in the south in Mongolia are trying to link up with the troops around Lake Baikal. Once they meet, an entire Soviet Field Army will be trapped and destroyed, leaving the way open for a further incursion beyond Lake Baikal and Irkutsk.

By the end of April, our troops have reached the new border and started pushing the Red Army out of that zone. In western Mongolia, another contingent of troops are being diverted to capture the new capital of the communist regime. Once they reach it, the leadership of Mongolia is expected to surrender and change sides.

The capital of Tibet, fortress Lhasa is finally being encircled and put under siege for a second time because the first time it failed due to the smaller number of troops concentrated here.

We are only a few days away from closing the gap now.

This is the situation in the frontlines as of May 1st 1941.

In the northern Far East, partisan uprisings are a real concern to our logistics.

By the 9th of May, our troops have linked and trapped an entire Soviet Army made up of more than twenty divisions. After destroying them, the way to Irkutsk will be open and our soldiers will have a lesser burden ahead of them. Operation Khanate has been a wild success and it has saved many Japanese lives for our next major campaign beyond Lake Baikal.

Imperial Officers serving with the Wehrmacht in Europe are keeping our government with up to date information about the situation in Europe. Northern France and Paris have been completely overrun by the Wehrmacht. Only a few fortifications in the Maginot Line hold on to their territory. How long can France keep fighting the Germans now? Only time will tell.

Imperial Officer serving with the German Armed Forces in France. Notice the shoulder patch.

We have cornered the encircled Soviet troops and plan on eliminating them until the last of them surrenders.

In the north, our troops have been resting and organizing for months now in defensive positions behind rivers. They are stockpiling ammo, food, weapons and other vital supplies for warfare. They will launch a major offensive operation very soon. Their goal is to finally reach the Yenisei River and if the circumstances allow it, rest another few months behind the Yenisei Line and prepare for a second and decisive operation for the ultimate control of Siberia.

After some time, Imperial assault troopers have captured the new Mongolian capital. We are only hours away from an armistice.

As expected, Mongolia has surrendered and has been annexed by the Empire.

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[Magnus Imperator Rex]

By the end of May, some divisions are shown pounding encircle Soviet positions. This is their last stand.

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By the beginning of june, our troops have gradually ran out of supplies in western Sinkiang and have been pushed back by Soviet soldiers. An assault on Tannu Tuva has also stalled outside the undefended capital due to the lack of supplies and ammo.

Our troops in the north are preparing to launch a major offensive action soon, codenamed Operaton Autumn Mist. Their objective is to reach the Yenisei River and fortify their positions behind this river.

On the 3rd of June, France has fallen to the Wehrmacht onslaught. A new regime aligned with Nazi Germany has been organized called Vichy France. They are still a formidable military force. Their navy is one of the biggest in the world and their air forces are very modern too. Many in France have not accepted defeat and instead joined the British and other allies to keep on fighting against the Axis.

The last of the encircled Soviet troops are being destroyed once and for all. An entire Soviet Field Army has been annihilated in Operation Red Khanate. It is a blow that the Soviets will take some time to recover from.

The troops defending Lhasa have been beaten and the Imperial Army is entering the city.

Three days later, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has made peace with Japan on the advice of his counselors. The child is very smart and mature for his age. Him and his entourage will be rebased in Japan to the Imperial Shrines. The ancient city and its monuments will be preserved.

With the Fall of France, the Battle for Britain is about to begin.

The United States is supplying Great Britain with lend-lease, weapon systems and other war necessities. Many merchant american ships traveling to Europe have been sunk by Germany with great loss of life and so the U.S. Navy is conducting an undeclared campaign against german U-Boats in the Atlantic

The United States has launched an embargo against the Axis powers.

At the same time, we are trading with the U.S. for oil as we only have 10% of this vital resource stockpiled. But it is not enough to import it due to our war needs at the moment. Our resources keep on dwindling and at this rate, we could run out of oil in one or two years if we do not find a local source.

Our troops in the northern sector are almost ready to launch Operation Autumn Mist. They have stockpiled supplies and ammo for months now for our final push to the Yenisei River.

The Soviets are advancing in Sinkiang and our troops are out of supplies and cannot resist them efficiently. About half of Sinkiang has been lost to them. We are currently performing a tactical retreat to face them in more defensible positions.

Tactical retreat by Imperial soldiers to set up fortified lines. The capital of Sinkiang is being evacuated. Most troops around this sector are specialized anti-tank divisions.

By the end of the month, we have given up some ground to buy some time for our new defensive positions to be consolidated agaist a future shock assault by the Soviets. The plan is to absorb the initial drives, then counterattack and push them out of Sinkiang once again.

In the other side of the globe, the small Grand Duchy of Luxembourg has surrendered to the Wehrmacht.

Operation Autumn Mist
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Imperial soldiers have consolidated their defensive positions in the north and have stockpiled resources, supplies, ammunition and other neccessities for about six months now, since the month of January. The purpose of this stockpile en masse is that the Imperial Army will launch an offensive codename Operation Autumn Mist on the 1st of July. The entire Imperial front will advance and break the enemy's lines and push them into and beyond the river Yenisei, the largest in the region. Once this strategic objective is reach, the troops will stop and immediately start building fortifications to prepare for a future Soviet counterattack. An entire Imperial Field Army will take place in this major operation. Improvised airfields shall be built close to the frontlines to support the early advances of our troops. It is very critical that the Army does not slows the pace of the starting operational tempo because the poor infrastructure of this area means operations can only be launched after lengthy periods of ammasing key supplies. Time will not be on our side if the engagement lasts long enough because our forces could run out of supplies and fail to reach their objective. We must be determined in our struggle and have the will to carry it out to a conclusion.


I order as follows:


a) The Imperial Army must perform a mass assault until it reaches the Yenisei River. Time is of the essence.


b) Troops stationed in western Mongolia must drive northwards in the direction of Tannu Tuva to meet up with the Imperial forces performing the mass assault.


c) The Air Force will support them for as long as is possible but once out of range, they must rebase to Japan to be repaired and fitted for their next operations.

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Troops in Sinkiang performing a tactical retreat to amass supplies and ammo to perform a future counterattack and retake western Sinkiang. Forces in western Mongolia will drive to the north, past Tannu Tuva and link up with forces in the north.
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After-action review
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Two years and a half and our conduct in the war has been very sucessfull from a geopolitical point of view. The territory we have so far conquered is immense and has some resources. The USSR cannot be a threat anymore to our heartlands, their armies are on the defensive with the exception of a few isolated sectors on the long frontline. While we cannot support a war of movement, nor can the Soviets and this was their advantage from the start due to their fast armored divisions but it has been canceled out by the support of our numerous anti-tank corps, poor infrastructure, harsh terrain and bad weather. The Imperial Air Force has also stopped many potential soviet offensives before they even started by serving as mobile heavy artillery units. They were truly important to the war effort by hitting enemy positions that land troops could not and more planes, especially tactical bombers are being produced. The airborne troops were also key assets by quickly reinforcing the weak points of our lines during the mass encirclement in Operation Red Khanate. If they had not been deployed when they were, it is possible that the entire pinzer operation in eastern Mongolia might have failed because some sectors were critically short of soldiers and supplies. The Soviets might have achieved a breakthrough in our lines, perhaps two weeks later on had the paratroopers not arrived just to stop that from happening.


The Imperial Navy is undergoing a massive rearmament in the dockyards of the Home Islands. Multiple carrier groups are being created, each to escorted by a pair of battleships and multiple screen ships. The two strongest carrier task forces shall each be led by one of the two Super Heavy battleships of the Yamato-class. Their air assets are not as strong because they are in peace time and will be so for a long time. Their only enemies, the Republican and Soviet Navy were quickly wiped out and their ports captured years ago. But expecting a showdown with the allies in the future, many CAGs and Naval bombers will be built. Our Pacific posessions will serve as unsinkable carriers and will be the base of the naval bomber wings. If the USN or other enemy navies enter the Pacific, especifically the western zone, the planes will begin to perform sorties and hit them very hard while the Imperial Navy arrives afterwards to deliver the fatal blow.


Our oil resources are critically low and they keep on decreasing, due to the enormous requirements of our war machine. Our imports of it are not enough to offset the deficit in consupmtion and we only have limited central reserves at any one time to purchase them. If this trend continues, the Empire will be forced to extert force upon its colonial neighbors sooner than expected, especially against French Indochina and the Dutch East Indies, one of the biggest sources of oil in the world. Other stockpiles of resources are at optimum or standard levels and are not a source of concern.

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In the next update, we will report on the success of Operation Autumn Mist and the frontlines around Sinkiang. Farewell !

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[guillec87]

a very impressive advance... hopefully, within this year the Wehrmacht will knock the front door of the Soviets and you will finally reach a decent defensive line where dig in your army and then start the conquest of Asia and the Pacific islands

 

[Magnus Imperator Rex]

Enjoying the AAR but please oh please put a table of contents in the first post so it's easier to see if you have updated the ARR

Table of Contents is up! Thank you so much Viper for taking your time to explain how to do it!

Loving this to death. Subbed.

Thank you, I just posted 5 continuous updates for an entire game year !

a very impressive advance... hopefully, within this year the Wehrmacht will knock the front door of the Soviets and you will finally reach a decent defensive line where dig in your army and then start the conquest of Asia and the Pacific islands

Hopefully they will fight each other soon. Its already mid 1941, the historical launching date of Barbarossa but Germany has just finished beating the western Allies so it might take a while before these two titans meet in the battlefield. Even so, we are very confident in our current situation in the Far East. Our plans for war against the western powers might have to be undertaken before planned because our country is running out of oil and even though we import a lot of it from the US, Venezuela and the Middle East, our war needs surpass them by a lot, giving us a very worrysome deficit. If things keep on going like this, we might have no choice but to invade the Dutch East Indies at short notice, independently of our situation in Siberia!

 

[Magnus Imperator Rex]

That is fantastic news...looking forward to the next installment for sure.

They have just arrived! Check them out, its a whole year of epic warfare.

 

[Yearzero]

Wow, I've read this through and I haven't even subbed to this yet A most impressive campaign against the Soviet Union indeed, it looks like you've managed to secure enough Chinese manpower to weather a war of attrition for at least a few more years, assuming your future campaigns against the Allies don't drain too much more on your manpower. Though with those new carriers at your disposal you should be able to implement a Kantai Kessen against the Allies fairly early on I think

 

[Magnus Imperator Rex]

Wow, I've read this through and I haven't even subbed to this yet A most impressive campaign against the Soviet Union indeed, it looks like you've managed to secure enough Chinese manpower to weather a war of attrition for at least a few more years, assuming your future campaigns against the Allies don't drain too much more on your manpower. Though with those new carriers at your disposal you should be able to implement a Kantai Kessen against the Allies fairly early on I think

Thank you! No worries at all

The campaign has been epic in its magnitude, the front is huge and runs from Sinkiang through Siberia until the Artic Ocean. Once we reach deeper into Siberia, many troops will be redeployed back to Japan to prepare for a massive surprise blitz operation in Asia, Oceania and the Pacific. But will also train more troops and raise up new divisions. We have the manpower so it will be possible to fund a few more Armies, perhaps 25% of our total forces to send them to fight the Western powers.

Yes you are right. We are planning a naval strategy on command of the seas. We will not focus much on raiding enemy commerce lines but rather on fighting enemy vessels. Our strategy is simple:

Build an extensive defensive perimeter in the Pacific and the Indian Ocean and use the airfields to bomb incoming enemy fleets while at the same time having smaller naval forces harrass the enemy vessels in the fringes and deeper in the perimter close to Japan will be the carriers and battleships, awaiting to deliver the decisive battle against their worn out fleets. This is a classic naval war of attrition.

 

[RhinocerosMaximus]

:O Awesome. Game related question though, what CB did you use against the soviets? Acquire territory or just conquer? If it is acquire territory, which territories did you select?

 

[sebas379]

That was an absolutely massive update series. I would suggest spreading it out a bit more so people aren't overwhelmed as much But well done, great stuff!

The fighting is fierce and the Soviets don't look like they will break anytime soon. Germany's performance against the western Allies worries me greatly. If that is their level of competence at the moment I am not sure they will even dare to attack the Soviet Union. Especially considering the Soviets have been on wartime economy for years and their forces have build up more combat experience than useual. Even with your army fighting the Soviets I am not sure Germany can pull off a proper attack against the commies. You have a long and bloody war ahead of you.

 

[Nicegil]

Great update, really, though I tend to agree with sebas379. May be you should distill a little bit more.

All in one, nothing to complain about. The counter-offensive has been well conducted, with a smart use of airborne units, and the reward is here.
Spreading units like you did, launching simultaneous offensives (Mongolia, Sinkiang, Tibet...) was quite bold.
But what's the point of an offensive on Sinkiang if you can't hold the ground after that ? Why Tibet right now ? Sure you can see the map better than we can but I'm curious to know the strategic goal behind all this.

For my humble part, I'd rather have my troops being able to support each other and I always try to aim at quick offensives. I would have acted rather like this :

Using the forces assigned for Sinkiang to make my way through Mongolia, seizing the capital AND encirling a greater amount of soviet troops while they're still busy fighting in Manchuria.
After having anihilated the Soviets in Manchuria/eastern Mongolia, with all my troops regrouped south of the Lake Baïkal, it's then possible to drive north along the river, making it easier to dislodge the Soviets from their defensive positions, and/or moving SW to Sinkiang.

Again, that's just me. You just prove that your way is working, and working great ! Really love it. Keep going !

 

[Magnus Imperator Rex]

:O Awesome. Game related question though, what CB did you use against the soviets? Acquire territory or just conquer? If it is acquire territory, which territories did you select?

Thanks RTK! I used the Acquire Territory to slowly fabricate my claims over the Russian Far East. I did not want to go after Conquer because Japan is in no position to conquer the USSR from Siberia. I have claimed Russian territory in red equivalent to this map:

That was an absolutely massive update series. I would suggest spreading it out a bit more so people aren't overwhelmed as much But well done, great stuff!

The fighting is fierce and the Soviets don't look like they will break anytime soon. Germany's performance against the western Allies worries me greatly. If that is their level of competence at the moment I am not sure they will even dare to attack the Soviet Union. Especially considering the Soviets have been on wartime economy for years and their forces have build up more combat experience than useual. Even with your army fighting the Soviets I am not sure Germany can pull off a proper attack against the commies. You have a long and bloody war ahead of you.

Yes, you are right, the updates are a lot! haha Next time I will spread them out a bit more, perhaps every 6 months. Thanks sebas

Also, like you said, the germans are in no position to challenge the USSR right now, whom have about 300+ divisions on their border. For comparison the Soviets had about 80 divisions in the Far East although the number is much lower due to the encirclement I performed in eastern Mongolia. And since the USSR has been riding on a pumped up war economy for almost 3 years now, the germans will have a hard time beating them. I am actually not counting on German help to defeat the USSR. In fact, I don't even plan on defeating the USSR per se. I just want to reach some large rivers in Siberia and set up strong defensive positions, perhaps with fortifications, dug in troops, airfields close to the frontlines and anti-tank forces to contain any possible Soviet attempts at breaking through here. I'm confident I can hold this position if I reach those rivers. Once this is done, I will focus on the western powers, the real prize that we are after. Our Navy is very strong and I feel that the Allies will be a very even match for our forces.

Great update, really, though I tend to agree with sebas379. May be you should distill a little bit more.

All in one, nothing to complain about. The counter-offensive has been well conducted, with a smart use of airborne units, and the reward is here.
Spreading units like you did, launching simultaneous offensives (Mongolia, Sinkiang, Tibet...) was quite bold.
But what's the point of an offensive on Sinkiang if you can't hold the ground after that ? Why Tibet right now ? Sure you can see the map better than we can but I'm curious to know the strategic goal behind all this.

For my humble part, I'd rather have my troops being able to support each other and I always try to aim at quick offensives. I would have acted rather like this :

Using the forces assigned for Sinkiang to make my way through Mongolia, seizing the capital AND encirling a greater amount of soviet troops while they're still busy fighting in Manchuria.
After having anihilated the Soviets in Manchuria/eastern Mongolia, with all my troops regrouped south of the Lake Baïkal, it's then possible to drive north along the river, making it easier to dislodge the Soviets from their defensive positions, and/or moving SW to Sinkiang.

Again, that's just me. You just prove that your way is working, and working great ! Really love it. Keep going !

Thanks nicegil!

Yes, I will distill a bit more to not overwhelm some readers and possibly make the AAR last longer.

You see, I had a quite capable force heading into Sinkiang but once we captured it, we started running out of supplies (thank you HOI3) and could not push deeper. I had the soldiers just not the bullets. Running out of supplies arbitrarily is not cool, especially when you are counting on your forces to hold the line. It is not fair but then again, I guess a tug of war is sort of realistic and keeps me grounded from defeating the AI easily.

What I recently understood about fighting deep in Asia is that my forces cannot perform wars of movement but rather have to employ an strategy of building up their strength and supplies/org for weeks or months at a time and then perform a big operation until you reach some objectives and then once again you have to rest your forces because if they overextend they will run our of supplies and will be pushed back easily by the enemy.

As for taking the troops of Sinkiang and instead driving them through the underbelly of Mongolia cannot work because the Gobi desert is zero infra and troops cannot pass through it. I had no choice but to take Sinkiang if I wanted to swing through western Mongolia. Plus, I needed to open another axis of attack against the Soviets to take some pressure off my northern troops and Sinkiang/west Mongolia was the only door open.

But still, you had a great idea. I could have swinged through western Mongolia and perhaps connected with Lake Baikal to trap even more Soviet troops but since my supply situation is horrible, many troops live on the day and cannot perform long marches before they run out of supplies. This is why I didn't want to risk my chances on a grand encirclement. The armies would have probably stalled before completing the encirclement. I played it safe and it worked out. I destroyed an entire Field Army. The distances in Asia are HUGE and they limit my ability to conduct grand scale operations (my favourite doctrine btw) so I have to make do with the options available at hand. War in this area of the world is all about timed operations: resting, amassing supplies and then attacking to reach an objective. Repeat cycle.

As for why I invaded Tibet? Well pretty much to take hold of their central reserves since my country is running at a deficit and we needed those resources badly to keep on buying oil and feeding our war machine. My national economy at this point is under huge stress because of the inmense naval rearmament and the war in Russia that it is only sustainable at this point because it has become a Raubwirtschaft or Plunder economy.

Not to mention, that Tibet will serve as a future launching pad for invasion into India through the Himalaya mountains, epic! This will make Hannibal's crossing of the Alps look like child's work

 

[PG908]

Thanks RTK! I used the Acquire Territory to slowly fabricate my claims over the Russian Far East. I did not want to go after Conquer because Japan is in no position to conquer the USSR from Siberia. I have claimed Russian territory in red equivalent to this map:

View attachment 140331



Yes, you are right, the updates are a lot! haha Next time I will spread them out a bit more, perhaps every 6 months. Thanks sebas

Also, like you said, the germans are in no position to challenge the USSR right now, whom have about 300+ divisions on their border. For comparison the Soviets had about 80 divisions in the Far East although the number is much lower due to the encirclement I performed in eastern Mongolia. And since the USSR has been riding on a pumped up war economy for almost 3 years now, the germans will have a hard time beating them. I am actually not counting on German help to defeat the USSR. In fact, I don't even plan on defeating the USSR per se. I just want to reach some large rivers in Siberia and set up strong defensive positions, perhaps with fortifications, dug in troops, airfields close to the frontlines and anti-tank forces to contain any possible Soviet attempts at breaking through here. I'm confident I can hold this position if I reach those rivers. Once this is done, I will focus on the western powers, the real prize that we are after. Our Navy is very strong and I feel that the Allies will be a very even match for our forces.




Thanks nicegil!

Yes, I will distill a bit more to not overwhelm some readers and possibly make the AAR last longer.

You see, I had a quite capable force heading into Sinkiang but once we captured it, we started running out of supplies (thank you HOI3) and could not push deeper. I had the soldiers just not the bullets. Running out of supplies arbitrarily is not cool, especially when you are counting on your forces to hold the line. It is not fair but then again, I guess a tug of war is sort of realistic and keeps me grounded from defeating the AI easily.

What I recently understood about fighting deep in Asia is that my forces cannot perform wars of movement but rather have to employ an strategy of building up their strength and supplies/org for weeks or months at a time and then perform a big operation until you reach some objectives and then once again you have to rest your forces because if they overextend they will run our of supplies and will be pushed back easily by the enemy.

As for taking the troops of Sinkiang and instead driving them through the underbelly of Mongolia cannot work because the Gobi desert is zero infra and troops cannot pass through it. I had no choice but to take Sinkiang if I wanted to swing through western Mongolia. Plus, I needed to open another axis of attack against the Soviets to take some pressure off my northern troops and Sinkiang/west Mongolia was the only door open.

View attachment 140345

But still, you had a great idea. I could have swinged through western Mongolia and perhaps connected with Lake Baikal to trap even more Soviet troops but since my supply situation is horrible, many troops live on the day and cannot perform long marches before they run out of supplies. This is why I didn't want to risk my chances on a grand encirclement. The armies would have probably stalled before completing the encirclement. I played it safe and it worked out. I destroyed an entire Field Army. The distances in Asia are HUGE and they limit my ability to conduct grand scale operations (my favourite doctrine btw) so I have to make do with the options available at hand. War in this area of the world is all about timed operations: resting, amassing supplies and then attacking to reach an objective. Repeat cycle.

As for why I invaded Tibet? Well pretty much to take hold of their central reserves since my country is running at a deficit and we needed those resources badly to keep on buying oil and feeding our war machine. My national economy at this point is under huge stress because of the inmense naval rearmament and the war in Russia that it is only sustainable at this point because it has become a Raubwirtschaft or Plunder economy.

Not to mention, that Tibet will serve as a future launching pad for invasion into India through the Himalaya mountains, epic! This will make Hannibal's crossing of the Alps look like child's work

The Himalayas are 1 infra provinces throughout, usually two or three thick. The devs made sure the only way to get from beijing to delhi was Afghanistan. Though an airbase in tibet will be useful.

 

[Magnus Imperator Rex]

The Himalayas are 1 infra provinces throughout, usually two or three thick. The devs made sure the only way to get from beijing to delhi was Afghanistan. Though an airbase in tibet will be useful.

This is true but there is a single one province thick, low infra road through Tibet into Nepal and Bhutan and then into India. But to be honest, I have to build just one infrastructure improvement in Tibet to be able to unlock this Himalayan pass, probably the Gangtok pass between Lhasa and Sikkim

I will send a few divisions through here and possibly supply them by air if the pass is not suited to deliver supplies in great quantities. I'm going to build some mountaineers soon


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Himalayan_peaks_and_passes

 

[RhinocerosMaximus]

!!Be careful!! I've just played a similar game as Japan, but i've stumbled upon a feature (read: bug) where, if you are at war with the Soviets as Japan and the Germans enforce their Drang Nach Osten, and you are NOT in the axis, you will STILL get peaced out with the Soviets, get enforced a truce and ONLY get the Vladivostok area (Khabarovsk region), because that's hardcoded in the Soviet ''Bitter peace" event/decision.

I've edited that to exclude the Japanese from it, but will test if that fixes it tomorrow (i.e. today, after i've got some sleep).

 

[Magnus Imperator Rex]

!!Be careful!! I've just played a similar game as Japan, but i've stumbled upon a feature (read: bug) where, if you are at war with the Soviets as Japan and the Germans enforce their Drang Nach Osten, and you are NOT in the axis, you will STILL get peaced out with the Soviets, get enforced a truce and ONLY get the Vladivostok area (Khabarovsk region), because that's hardcoded in the Soviet ''Bitter peace" event/decision.

I've edited that to exclude the Japanese from it, but will test if that fixes it tomorrow (i.e. today, after i've got some sleep).

What?! Are you serious? What files will you edit to fix that? It would suck to lose all my progress just because the nazis (who are not even my team) make peace with the USSR.

 

[achmed242242]

I think when germany does their drang nach osten it will reset you wargoals. I dont think this is too big of a deal because then all you need to do is re-add those wargoals. I have had similiar problems in such situations with event added wargoals. I don't think it will be too much of a problem, but maybe I'm wrong.