Green Samurai - A Newbie Japan AAR

[FourCartridge]

Hello there. I am a newbie to the Paradox AAR community. I have frequently lurked this board seeing the various AARs and how they capture my imagination,`I thought I could do the same and provide what is hopefully a fresh new perspective. I chose HOI3 because if I am going to do this in the way that I am, I might as well go to the deep end of the pool; I will pull no punches on myself.

The loading screen is nice, but it takes forever to load on my piece of junk called a PC. This give me ample time to describe how this AAR will unfold; mostly it will be an off the cuff one, as evidenced by the fact I am typing this with an even older laptop. Every blunder and stroke of genius I make is as genuine as possible for an AAR. Hopefully, with some feedback, I can understand the deeper mechanics of the game, as I have always wanted to diverge from history in an insanely complex game.

I am a newbie when it comes to Grand Strategy games; I have only played Risk and Axis and Allies only once or twice against actual human opponents, and only have a basic grasp of how Hearts of Iron 3 works; for the most part, this is my first serious attempt at a campaign. The long loading screen gives me plenty of time to think about what country to pick(it's taking a long time to initalise maplogic).

I suppose I should give a little background on myself as a gamer; I was mostly a Nintendo fan in my early years, having been born virtually attacked to Super Mario Bros. 3.(which I still consider to be the best game ever made). But then SEGA came around and I was a quick convert to the blue and white. It left such an impression on me that I consider arcade racers to be my favorite genre ever; nothing ever matches the thrill of a good powerslide like in Outrun 2. But that was then and this is now; SEGA's output are shadows of their former selves and Nintendo bores me.

I am giving Hearts of Iron a whirl because their is something alluring about the prospect of commanding a large military force to victory and triumph; unfortunately I suck so hard at RTS that it is almost impossible for me to enjoy them. WW2 is history's largest conflict and there is plenty of room to go alternate history, which is something I consider a must for anything interactive such as a game to handle.

The game has finally loaded up and now I must choose a nation. I scan over the map.

Germany: Overdone
UK: Following the historical path is often boring
France and Poland: I'll pass on Defensive wars.
US and Soviet Union: Also pretty boring choices; I could just read a history textbook(would now be a good time to mention my WW2 knowledge is not up to snuff?)
Italy: I want to forge my own destiny, not be an accessory to another country.

That leaves only one choice... Japan. I have always dreamed of huge battleship fleets and epic naval conflicts, and combined with my love of alternate history, these guys seem right up my alley. I click play. The map loads up, and immedatley my attention is brought to Manchukuo and it's clustered army.

1 Army Group, 6 Armies, and 3 Divsions? This is not an order of battle, it's a mess! I immediately set to work on rebuilding it.

I spot some Cavalry Divisions. Horses in a time to Tanks and Fighter Planes? Don't make me laugh. I disband them from the game. The rest of the Theatre is also in dire need of reorginazation. Armies directly above divisions? Come on now. The planes I leave alone; I want maximum air coverage and I think I am going to have to micromanage my air force.

The new order of Battle for Kwangtung Army Theater. This "Rule of five" should prove useful in the coming years of war, allowing for easy organization.

Now for the home army...

What are those lines connecting to far off islands? This chain of command must reach off to remote places outside Japan. Best not to mess with them; they may cause some weird command chain where island garrisons are ordered outside of their defensive positions.

The Naval Units and Planes seem relatively OK, so I also leave them alone. Time to go to the individual tabs.

I automate Trade; from the looks of the red numbers my resources are deplelting, hopefully at a slow pace but if my knowlege of Japan is right we don't have much in the way of natural resources. I need to expand fast, but we don't have a lot of troops. Time to go to the production tab and fix that...

Weighting my early game options, this seems like the best choice for me in mainland China ATM. The country, along with the Soviet Union, who if my experience playing Axis & Allies can apply, is a pretty big threat, so speed will be of the essence. I need Motorized Divisions ASAP along with SPGs. Those 2 units, along with Light Armor, will likely for the backbone of my army, but until them Infantry, Artillery and Engineers will suffice. As for the Navy and Airforce, I am likely to go with a Surface Ship/Interceptor combo; I have always liked Battleship on Battleship combat so it is a no brainer to me.

That is alot of IC needed for Upgrades. What is going on? ...Oh crap, I'm loosing Oil at an alarming rate. Time to go to the Technology tab and see what I can do about my woes.

My Research. I have decided to primarily go for Infantry and Armor techs, filling in gaps in the rest of my fields; nukes and jet planes are out of the question, so I will need the strongest conventional navy and army there is. I believe this will do, so I move on to the Politics tab.

My new Cabinet. Hopefully this will give my armies and navies the appropriate bonuses they need. Kohohito and Koki are still there beacuse quite frankly better people are not available. Let's see what the Intelligence tab has in store...

How I distribute my intelligence. America will be the biggest threat to me so the more I can disrupt their operations the better. Plus, Covert Ops sound cool.

The Theatres tab is nothing more than an overview of my theaters, and I can do that from the map:

The Home Island defense plan.

The Chinese attack plan. Defend the border with Nationalist China and attack from Shanxi.

...And that is the Empire circa January 1st, 1936. With a little bit of Luck, maybe I can change the course of history and secure victory and prosperity.

 

[unmerged(728955)]

Subbed! Nice start! Just a tip, if you click reserves on the production screen the troops you build will take a lot less IC and MP (manpower) to build. They'll also cost less supplies untill you start mobilizing (check the politics screen), big MOBILIZE button).

Other than that, I'm curious on how this will work!

 

[SKOTy]

Horses can be quite useful in such tremendous terrain as China, yes they are useless in Europe, but China is different theater. Or you could have upgraded them to armor.

Wishing you best luck!

 

[TheBromgrev]

Sounds good. As an FYI, using cavalry divisions in China is actually a good idea, because they are fast and, most importantly, don't use up fuel. You'll find that the supply system will cause you more headaches than the Chinese themselves, and using tanks and other fuel-consuming units will make that worse.

 

[Rotten Venetic]

Yeah it's a little late, but seconded on disbanding the CAV as a bad idea.

Also, I wouldn't go heavy into the mechanized armies as Japan. Your IC isn't comparable to the Big Four yet, and there's the IJN.

For your plan of attack in China, grab MTN. The Chinese should fold like paper if you burrow through the mountains in Shaanxi and Yan'an (Commie China) with well-trained mountaineers

 

[Belgiumruler]

subbed!

 

[sebas379]

Sounds like fun, there's indeed not an overabundance of Japan AAR's here, while it's a very interesting country.

I second what the others said in regards to the cavalry, but there's another little thing.
There is a good reason why Japan has army commands directly above the actual divisions. For the bonuses of being part of a chain of command to apply, units need to be in range of their HQ. Corps HQ have less radio range than Army HQ, which is an important factor in such a vast territory as China. Your troops will quite easily outrun their Corps HQ and be left without the bonusses of all HQ's above them, while it is easier to stay in range of an Army HQ cause it has a bigger range.

For other nations, especially down in Europe, a complete command structure is generally the best, as the frontlines will be shorter.

Other than that, good luck with your first campaign! Oh yea, remember to keep an eye on the officer ratio of your army (the checkered flag n the top right). Try to get it to 140%, which is the max, and keep it there. the higher yoru officer ratio, the better your troops are. It's just as important as up to date technology if you ask me.

 

[feye1]

Sounds like fun, there's indeed not an overabundance of Japan AAR's here, while it's a very interesting country.

I second what the others said in regards to the cavalry, but there's another little thing.
There is a good reason why Japan has army commands directly above the actual divisions. For the bonuses of being part of a chain of command to apply, units need to be in range of their HQ. Corps HQ have less radio range than Army HQ, which is an important factor in such a vast territory as China. Your troops will quite easily outrun their Corps HQ and be left without the bonusses of all HQ's above them, while it is easier to stay in range of an Army HQ cause it has a bigger range.

For other nations, especially down in Europe, a complete command structure is generally the best, as the frontlines will be shorter.

Other than that, good luck with your first campaign! Oh yea, remember to keep an eye on the officer ratio of your army (the checkered flag n the top right). Try to get it to 140%, which is the max, and keep it there. the higher yoru officer ratio, the better your troops are. It's just as important as up to date technology if you ask me.

As long as there is serious resistance you should be able to use Corps HQ pretty easy. When fighting in China you just let the Corps follow the divisions, you don´t spread those divisions out that much, because then the line would be thin. In India, where you don´t see much resistance (SP and MP) an Army HQ is a better choice, yes. You run around to every single province, getting out of range easily. I never had that problem in China.

 

[Ikarases]

I fourth D) on the idea that disbanding CAV wasn't the smartest move ever, but oh well, we can't bash you for that forever, now can we?

Nevertheless, I hope there'll be an imperial flag waving in Washington at some point. Good luck!

 

[FourCartridge]

Thank you for the feedback guys. It's how I learn to play the game better. =)

I finally press play, and the clock ticks on. From the 2nd to the third to the 4th of January.

On earlier advice, I produce what is to be a Corps of Mountain infantry, as reserves so this will take less IC and Manpower. If tanks are a supply constraint then I guess I will go for a combined arms tactic through other means. Upgrades are still taking of way more production capability than I am comfortable with. I look at the intelligence tab and find 11 spies in the country. Dang, that's a whole lot. Maybe these guys are the cause of my woes.

I go back to Production and find my resources are dropping at even faster rates now. I have to do something about this; soon my industry will not be able to support itself and my armies will crumble due to the economy. Rare Minerals is in the green, so I guess that's a positive. We pick up to February and all is quiet on the Eastern Front... With the exception of the Spanish Civil War. Spain is on the other side of the world however, and I'm not worried.

That Nationalists want to use our air support? Interesting. I need to the money so why not. Crude Oil rises to the green; another resource taken care of, which gives me more time to prepare. And now Metal join the list. Maybe there is some hope for the peacetime economy. March ticks forward and the Destroyer Squardron is ready. I drop it with 25. Kaigun.

I put the extra production to use on upgrading the troops. Who knows that they need them? Italy puts a puppet state on Ethiopia. Let's them have it as far as I'm concerned; the US is my biggest enemy ATM.

April comes, and energy is the last resource to climb to green, leaving me free to worry on industry and bringing my attention to the navy. Various Carriers, Subs, Destroyers, and Battleships, all lined up in their own separate squadrons. I wonder if I should group them together?

Upgrading has finally lost it's toll on IC, freeing it up for other means. I make a Battleship & Escort Carrier. The navy seems daunting; how will I command my ships? Should I protect Shipping? Attack other Naval bases? Produces more battleships? I am almost at a total loss.

Oh, a Small Arms and Support Weapons advance. Cool. This is going to help big time in China.

 

[SKOTy]

Mix the ships together, you should always have at least one screen (light cruiser, destroyer) for each capital ship (battleship, battlecruiser, heavy cruiser and carriers) if you don't put screens into your fleets you will suffer some horrible penalties in naval combat from not having ships screening your capitals.

 

[unmerged(728955)]

For the Navy, I'd build some carriers and mix them with other ships just like SKOTy said. I usually go for 2 CFG (Carrier Fleet Group) composing of :

3 cariers + 6 cruisers (4 heavy/2light) + 6 destroyers and add up what I got left.

 

[SKOTy]

3 cariers + 6 cruisers (4 heavy/2light) + 6 destroyers and add up what I got left.

From your AAR I would say you are playing HPP mod where heavy cruiser is screen, this is not true in vanilla which FourCartridge playing, heavy cruiser is a capital in vanilla.

 

[unmerged(728955)]

From your AAR I would say you are playing HPP mod where heavy cruiser is screen, this is not true in vanilla which FourCartridge playing, heavy cruiser is a capital in vanilla.

Yup, my bad, I forgot it's different in vanilla!

 

[sebas379]

You need at least as many screens as capitals in a fleet to avoid said penalties.
a fleet carrier can hold 2 wings of CAG (carrier air groups) while an escort carrier can hold only 1.

What I always do when playing Japan or USA is start with some escort carriers. They are cheaper and quicker to build and get your industry some experience in building carriers. Subsequent fleet carriers will be build faster then.

Regarding composition: I believe the consensus was that 6 fleet carriers is a good number. While you need at least equal screens (destroyers or light cruisers) I recommend you take one or two more, so you'r not immediatly in trouble if one gets blown out of the water.

Light cruisers work best with carriers, as they are trained by the same naval doctrines. Destroyers share doctrines with battleships, making them a nice fit together. However, destroyers can also be used in small groups to hunt down submarines. Consider this role also for your (outdated) escort carriers.

Oh, and fortify your Pacific islands, it buys you time to respond to an enemy attack.
Good luck

 

[volksmarschall]

First off, good luck with your first AAR! It seems like a recurring story when "lurkers" become members, then finally get to trying out the whole AAR-thing, I know, I was one! Japan is always one of the most interesting choices because the opportunities are endless, and you need to have a well-balanced war machine to fight on the land, on the seas, and in the air!

And even though everyone knows highly upgraded CV's are brutal, I always have a soft spot for battleships and battlecruisers - just because they are beautiful vessels of war (in real life and in-game)... there's just something majestic when looking at the former Queen of the Seas in comparison to a flattop carrier.

Cheers!

 

[FourCartridge]

Apologies for the late update; I accidentally switched off the wireless switch on my laptop and didn't figure it out until now. =S

It took me a while to figure out how to merge naval units; I have to remove then from the order of battle and then I can merge them. Seems kinda unintuitive. The clock drags on. The game so far has been fairly uneventful; whether that is for the better or the worse, I do not know.

Infantry AT weaponry! I don't know how many tanks the Chinese field, but it is welcome nontheless. As I was saying, My war preparedness I don not know. We could be able to dominate right now with our large navy, or our infantry might not be up-

More infantry advances! Research is on a roll lately. I guess we could stand a chance in China after all. I won't risk it though; the thought of millions of screaming Chinese scare me. I suppose I'll wait till Marco Polo.

The situation in Spain. The Nationalists are wiping the floor with the Republicans. I wonder if they will join the Axis? This war is already going ahistorical. The winds of change may shift in favor of Germany and her allies; Should I join or forge a destiny on my own? The Soviets are already eyeing my borders...

Improvements to our fighters. This is welcome, especially since I will heavily be relying on them in the conflict to come. I set the freed up research on Light Tanks Guns and Advanced Construction Engineering. Then another boon; Destroyer Armor! Now I can rest easy with my screens knowing they will be better protected. I should make some more of those when the mountain corps are done.

And once again research provides another breakthrough, this time with Heavy Crusiers. Don't know how much I will be rely on them though, with my planned Battleship oriented navy. Meanwhile France goes on The Popular Front. Eventually I will need to take their colonial holdings, though I doubt they will put up much resistance. The rest of Colonial Asia, I am not so sure.

The Mountain Corps is done! ...Wait, why Can't I place them under Kwangtung? Ah well, time to do some manual labor. I dread having to set transports. If the entire war is like this, I doubt I will be able to stand it.

I set the freed up production on Destroyers; my Capital Ships need the screens. Another naval project finishes, this time on Aircraft Carrier hangars! though I doubt I will make much use of them. Upgraded Escort Carriers are a nice bonus though.

 

[sebas379]

Good start, I'd say. Japan is one of those nation's I'm never really good at, probably cause the fleet is the main weapon, instead of the army. I keep seeing the fleet as a support branch for army operations instead of the other way round.
I don't know if you'r aware of it, but just to be sure: air units and ground forces will upgrade once you unlock new technology. Infantry will receive new weapons and tank brigades new tanks. Air squadrons will be outfitted with improved aircraft models. That's why the IC demands for the "upgrade" bar will skyrocket when you research something as widely used as infantry small arms.

However, this is not the case for the fleet. Once you build a ship, the majority of it's components are there to stay. the main armament, hull armour and engine will not upgrade once you unlock new tech. radar, anti-submarine weapons (ASW) and a ship's AA defences however, will be upgraded. so beware when building too many ships too early, they will be outclassed by later models, while ground and air forces can keep up with upgrades.

Still, it's a great idea to start production of at least some escort carriers now, as it will speed up future construction of the better models. The same goes for the battleships and battlecruisers and, to a lesser extend(as they dont take as long to build) escort ships such as destroyers and light cruisers.

Oh, and yes indeed, you can only deploy troops on your home soil, I believe the trick is the land needs to have a connection to the capital. Which, of course, Korea doesn't. Also be aware of this once you get to garrisonning your pacific holdings! Make sure you have enough transport ships, group a bunch of them together to be able to transport a significant force at once, and escort them with a fleet of warships.

Last note: notice the convoy system displayed in the lower right of the production screen? those are your convoys bringing resources and supplies to and from overseas possessions. you have (in teh last screenshot) only 40 spare convoys and 27 spare escorts. Once you get fighting in China, you will need more to set up sufficient supply lines from Japan to China to feed your army. Your Pacific holdings are a similar story, you need to have a supply convoy to all your islands to prevent the garrison from running out of Sake and ammunition Otherwise, read here what happens, haha.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allied_submarines_in_the_Pacific_War

These convoys in wartime however, are a prime target for enemy ships, especially submarines. So, you will need to protect the shipping lanes. Building escorts (the blue ship, not the light cruiser/destroyer story from last week) and assigning them to endangered convoy routes is one way: but that will not fend off a determined attack. In that case, the IJN is going to have to take stern action to drive attackers away. Escort carriers, small destroyer fleets, air patrols etc all help with that, as does seizing enemy naval bases in the area to force them back.

wow that post became a lot longer than I intended. Hope it helps though, looking forward to the next episode!

 

[Rotten Venetic]

I doubt even the HPP's AI USA will use submarines effectively against Japan, but yes, more convoys

 

[Ikarases]

I doubt even the HPP's AI USA will use submarines effectively against Japan, but yes, more convoys

They say the military AI is unmoddable, so we have to believe them