Is there a reason 320,000 Japanese can't hold down 11,000,000 Americans, at least in the short term?
It's a fairly decent ratio compared to some other historical occupations.
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Is there a reason 320,000 Japanese can't hold down 11,000,000 Americans, at least in the short term?
It's a fairly decent ratio compared to some other historical occupations.
More like 320,000 Japanese to 150 Million Americans, plus another 11 million Canadians...
Sure, maybe they might be able to hold down that massive occupation zone in the West, but I would imagine that if an insurgency starts to take hold all over the continent, Japan will be needed to deploy troops all over the place to respond to flare ups.
I really can't see this version of North America lasting to the new millenium, let alone 20 or 30 years. It just seems so chaotically organized, with so many potential problems, for this to last. IMO New England is really the only one of these countries that I think could succeed, and maybe Quebec, but not in its current borders. National identities are VERY hard to destroy, and trying to smother out any ideas of recreating the pre-1936 United States, or Canada before the invasion just doesn't seem possible. All it takes is some nationalist leader or movement in one of these countries to start bringing up such ideas and you could have a powder keg ready to explode, and that could cost Japan massive numbers of soldiers and resources in trying to maintain this system over the following years.
Japan may have made a very grave mistake here. I guess time will tell if that is true or not....
EDIT: IMO I wish you had tried to do something like this. More regionally based, with far less Imperial Overstretch by Japan, and more stable post-war entities. But I guess its a bit too late for that now. Then again, it is your AAR, (and a very good one too!), this is just my own opinion.
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Put a Japanese military minister to control California,and Dismantle american Industry!They cannot be trusted so much as allies!
The Future
Ill accept this :huh:,I really don't want to look it up again but it's at least good to know the back story to the story of this mod.:happy:
My Answer to this needs to Be broken into three parts, 1) Invasion Period, 2) Occupation, 3) Future
1) If the event chains hold that the east coast was beaten up during the civil war, many people living in the east coast of the people that would of opposed japan simply based on Nationalism have fought in the civil war and mostly died trying to put into place an government that fit their ideology. And with Japan being an democracy its quite acceptable that the people would of accepted an short occupation believing the restoration to the 1936 boarders with democracy if japan was trying to sale that to the people as the reason to the invasion and wasn't an cruel occupation force for this time.
2) Occupation
If japan tried to rebuild the nation from the damages inflicted from the civil war period then I could see this lasting at least a good 10-20 years before cracks start to show in the east coast/mid west due to simply an desire to rebuild first before fixing the boarder changes from "japan" handy work if the new nations are not run bad and actually shows that these nations can run their areas well ,if not then it will crack with in 5-10 years. The west coast and Canada, well It depends on whether or not japan chooses to hand over some local governance based on the old model and puts into the place some form of democracy it could last an short time, but eventually it will go though something like Formosa at best(ask for independence but accept lead from Japan) or Korea( try to get independence, get talked into accepting lead from japan).
3). Future
It wont last, after about 20 years give or take the "new nations" would try and reunite under some form and remake the USA either by some single man or though simply the national identify factor of the USA being stronger then then new nations. So whether or not this will be of any benefit long term to japan will be decided by whether or not japan actually rebuilds the nation or not though these nations, actually try's to make the occupation actually seem an benefit to the people or not. And if japan can accept the reforming of the USA by any one of these nations and accept it needs to give up most of the lands it gained from America and Canada. If japan can I think I would find an USA/Canada accepting of these outcome and be quite friendly to japan in the future.
Ill accept this :huh:,I really don't want to look it up again but it's at least good to know the back story to the story of this mod.:happy:
My Answer to this needs to Be broken into three parts, 1) Invasion Period, 2) Occupation, 3) Future
1) If the event chains hold that the east coast was beaten up during the civil war, many people living in the east coast of the people that would of opposed japan simply based on Nationalism have fought in the civil war and mostly died trying to put into place an government that fit their ideology. And with Japan being an democracy its quite acceptable that the people would of accepted an short occupation believing the restoration to the 1936 boarders with democracy if japan was trying to sale that to the people as the reason to the invasion and wasn't an cruel occupation force for this time.
2) Occupation
If japan tried to rebuild the nation from the damages inflicted from the civil war period then I could see this lasting at least a good 10-20 years before cracks start to show in the east coast/mid west due to simply an desire to rebuild first before fixing the boarder changes from "japan" handy work if the new nations are not run bad and actually shows that these nations can run their areas well ,if not then it will crack with in 5-10 years. The west coast and Canada, well It depends on whether or not japan chooses to hand over some local governance based on the old model and puts into the place some form of democracy it could last an short time, but eventually it will go though something like Formosa at best(ask for independence but accept lead from Japan) or Korea( try to get independence, get talked into accepting lead from japan).
3). Future
It wont last, after about 20 years give or take the "new nations" would try and reunite under some form and remake the USA either by some single man or though simply the national identify factor of the USA being stronger then then new nations. So whether or not this will be of any benefit long term to japan will be decided by whether or not japan actually rebuilds the nation or not though these nations, actually try's to make the occupation actually seem an benefit to the people or not. And if japan can accept the reforming of the USA by any one of these nations and accept it needs to give up most of the lands it gained from America and Canada. If japan can I think I would find an USA/Canada accepting of these outcome and be quite friendly to japan in the future.
I wonder why Some dude didn't take the normal dividing event then use some consoling and editing just to take an large chuck out the PSA and some of west coast of Canada and leave it at that. If by any chance that this split gives japan a lot of IC and resources and manpower gameplay wise to warrant this split and troop commitment to be justified then it would be Nice to know.:sleep:
@all
Thanks for the comments, and remember it's not yet a given that Japan's occupation will even be successful...
@Kaiser Mobius
It's a nice map, but I'm not really sure it's any more stable than the one I chose. New England & the PSA would both be agitating to rejoin the USA, as would the Maritimes with Canada, I figure. Only Alaska, and maybe Quebec & the South might be successfully detached in the long term. The once I chose actually seems more stable (from Japan's point of view) in that none of the successor governments are obvious replacements for Canada & the United States. Yes, Americans will be upset & want to recreate the USA - but who will be the basis of the new USA? The Great Lakes, with its large non-American population? The south, with its sectionalism? New England, already detached for much of the civil war? Politicians in each of the three main American successor states will be very anxious to ensure they maintain their power and aren't left out in the political cold. Basically, yes, there's a ton of problems with my map. But there's a ton of problems with any crazy ahistorical division of the USA/Canada.
@undeadmonkey
As for rebuilding - Japan will be rebuilding the areas under its direct occupation (New Orleans is an important port & the province to the west of it is one of if not the best oil-producing province in the game, + the pacific coast will be important for Japan's domestic economy). Except D.C. Japan has no intention of restoring D.C. to any kind of functional status. The new nations are a little different - Japan has given each 5k of every resource & 5k monies (separate from the planned 2k per year to the Federated Union intended to jump-start racial equality), but that's as much as Japan intends to do. The Americas can handle their own rebuilding. There is the normal guarantee to ensure everyone has enough resources - but only Quebec benefits significantly from imported resources, the rest of the Americas ship resources to Japan.
Thanks for the comments, and remember it's not yet a given that Japan's occupation will even be successful...
@Kaiser Mobius
It's a nice map, but I'm not really sure it's any more stable than the one I chose. New England & the PSA would both be agitating to rejoin the USA, as would the Maritimes with Canada, I figure. Only Alaska, and maybe Quebec & the South might be successfully detached in the long term. The once I chose actually seems more stable (from Japan's point of view) in that none of the successor governments are obvious replacements for Canada & the United States. Yes, Americans will be upset & want to recreate the USA - but who will be the basis of the new USA? The Great Lakes, with its large non-American population? The south, with its sectionalism? New England, already detached for much of the civil war? Politicians in each of the three main American successor states will be very anxious to ensure they maintain their power and aren't left out in the political cold. Basically, yes, there's a ton of problems with my map. But there's a ton of problems with any crazy ahistorical division of the USA/Canada.
@undeadmonkey
As for rebuilding - Japan will be rebuilding the areas under its direct occupation (New Orleans is an important port & the province to the west of it is one of if not the best oil-producing province in the game, + the pacific coast will be important for Japan's domestic economy). Except D.C. Japan has no intention of restoring D.C. to any kind of functional status. The new nations are a little different - Japan has given each 5k of every resource & 5k monies (separate from the planned 2k per year to the Federated Union intended to jump-start racial equality), but that's as much as Japan intends to do. The Americas can handle their own rebuilding. There is the normal guarantee to ensure everyone has enough resources - but only Quebec benefits significantly from imported resources, the rest of the Americas ship resources to Japan.
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No more resource issues forever! (exclude any possible evers where America explodes in full fledged rebellion)
Of the nations in the South American syndicalist alliance, Venezuela was by far the most aggressive. Despite its population's reluctance to enter a war so far to the south, Venezuela did not hesitate to support Brazil when La Plata attacked. With the collapse of the Entente, Venezuela threatened with the Caribbean Federation with war over western Guyana. Charles VIII, holding station with his massive fleet just off the coast of Venezuela, didn't take the threat seriously. Venezuela had superiority on the ground despite its forces fighting in Brazil, and declared war on the Caribbean Federation.
After the decimation years of war dealt to Japan's navy, the Admiralty called for additional warship production. Justifying the expense, Fujita Hisanori argued that a second transport fleet was necessary to retain operational flexibility with Japan's additional commitments in the Americas. Despite the considerable naval construction already taking place, Fujita pressed the point, pointing out the benefits Japan's army enjoyed during the war against Germany because of the navy's ability to rapidly land troops on any coast.
Pointing to the difficulty the Republican Navy faced forcing a landing against the threat of the Luftwaffe, Fujita advocated a heavy light carrier escort. Despite having decks too short for bombers, light carriers were preferred for the reduced fleet vulnerability they provided: the lost of one carrier wouldn't cripple the entire fleet's air defense. The planned transport fleet consisted of eight larger ships: five light carriers and three semi-modern heavy cruisers. Equipped with advanced fire control, a strong torpedo armament, and thicker armor than normal cruisers, the new Tone-B heavy cruisers discarded the ability to carry seaplanes for the extra armor and a better spread of torpedoes for strong surface combat capability. Japanese engineers swore they'd be the most dangerous heavy cruisers on the high seas. Which fit their role as escorts for a major transport fleet: to attack and destroy any surface threat smaller that a major enemy task force.
The transport fleet's escort vessels would consist of numerous destroyers equipped with anti-air armament. The destroyers would be hopefully be able to disrupt air attacks on the cruisers and the troop transports, neither of which carried significant anti-air armament. Ten destroyers, five light carriers, and three heavy cruisers would escort sufficient transports to carry twelve divisions. The new troop transport design was also significantly upgraded.
{Japan planned sufficient light ships for two transport fleets, with five extra destroyers and four extra transports to replace light ship losses. Her planners were uncertain whether nor not a second new transport fleet would ultimately be constructed.}
Nor did Fujita stop there. He also advocated construction of new "Open Seas" task forces. While acknowledging the heroic efforts of the Chinese navy in protecting Japan's convoys, Fujita argued that fleets suitable for controlling rear-area or low-priority seas would be necessary if Japan wanted to become a naval power truly capable of global influence. He planned on task forces consisting of three heavy cruisers for surface fighting capability, paired with five destroyers equipped with anti-submarine equipment to prevent submarine attacks on either the small fleets or convoys. This sort of small fleet would be perfect for securing areas like the seas around the Home Islands or the Indian Ocean, where large enemy surface fleets weren't present. Though the planned ships carried little anti-air armament, the task forces weren't expected to operate near enemy air fields or engage enemy carriers.
Unlike the escorts for the transport fleet, these heavy cruisers would follow the original Tone design. Carrying torpedoes as well as fire control to benefit their naval guns, they had the same offensive capabilities. But they kept to the original design to include sea planes to scout for enemy raiders and submarines alike, considered more important in a rear-area capacity than additional applique armor.
{The IJN Chikuma from the air.}
The winter proceeded peacefully in most of the Japanese Empire, though Japanese newspapers and indeed the public were skeptical of Japan's decision to occupy so much of North America. The government responded by pointing to the end of industrial shortages and the massive stockpiles of iron and oil the government was preparing on the Home Islands as a reaction to the shortages it had suffered in the war. The lack of another independent America on the Pacific coast wasn't popular in the major population centers, however: anti-Japanese sentiment rose in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver. Japan responded by increasing orders from factories in the "land of the setting sun" and investing heavily in reconstruction, particularly in Vancouver and San Diego, in the hopes that continued prosperity would ease transitional problems. The occupation government also made it clear to English-language newspapers that they expected front pages to carry at least as many ordinary news stories as news items about public protests by Americans.
While anti-occupation protests were a constant sight on city streets in the American west, even in Salt Lake City, the constant presence of occupation forces ensured these protests remained non-violent. Japan's tolerance for the traditional use of sidewalks and public walkways to protest undesirable policy seemed to encourage Americans to seek publicity through public visibility rather than acts of terror. And many Westerners seeking to restore their fortunes even sought to work with Japan, some veterans even offering to serve as residents of the Japanese Empire in the army (army-administered Japanese-language tests were notoriously easy to pass when residents applied for citizenship, a policy originally adopted when the army began to recruit Koreans). Many others used their new-found freedom of movement to find work in English-language friendly Burma, Guam, Hawaii, and the Princely Federation.
As Persian defenses crumbled in the face of Turkestan's large armies, Azerbaijan saw the writing on the wall and arranged a separate peace with Turkestan. The big question was whether that peace would hold once the "Caliphate's" armies secured the Iranian plateau and no longer worried about Azerbaijani forces stiffening Persia's defenses.
In Europe, German generals got their wish: a harsh winter froze action on the European battlefields.
A joint Venzeulan-Brazilian task force quickly occupied British Guyana. Edward VIII, realizing he had no desire to use precious fleet supplies defending irrelevant British Guyana, recognized syndicalist gains in exchange for a Brazilian pledge not to invade French Guyana and to respect the independence of Dutch Guyana (thus providing a buffer between French Guyana and Venezuela).
German elections scheduled for spring were canceled by Wilhelm III, citing the continued presence of French forces on the east bank of the Rhine. German diplomats had been busy over the winter. Wilhelm's generals offered tepid promises of gains in a spring offensive: tepid enough to make Wilhelm realize Germany desperately needed to convince more of Central Europe to help the empire stop the French and the British. Though a federal Austro-Hungarian Empire had no desire to suffer the inevitable conscription riots war would bring, the German diplomats hoped the threat of syndicalism - and even future German defeats - would make support of Germany seem necessary.
France, for its part, issued a declaration to Europe stating that any country which allowed soldiers allied to Germany to cross its territory would be considered an enemy of the Internationale. In the hopes the risky declaration wouldn't backfire and increase hostility to France, French diplomats pointedly did not include trade and material support as part of the trigger criteria in that threat.
Spring saw the German and French armies both leaving defensive positions to attack the enemy. But when the two armies re-engaged, it was the Germans that fell back. The French pushed forward along both banks of the Rhine, utilizing their dominant position in Frankfurt-am-Main. Upriver they took Karlsruhe. Downriver they took Neuwied. German diplomats pleaded in friendly capitals for help. In Vienna Emperor Otto had no wish to risk the stability of his own empire to save his German cousin's empire. The Bulgarians offered material support, but no men. Victorious in the Fourth Balkan War, Bulgaria now controlled Serbia and Romania as puppet states and it annexed all of Greece. But rebuilding ravaged Sofia and keeping its new conquests under control occupied the Bulgarian military. With Vienna deciding against aiding Germany, the Polish decision to avoid doing so was nearly inevitable. Only the Ottomans had faith in a German victory. Or perhaps a healthy fear of losing a patron and facing down syndicalism alone.
The Ottoman and Ukrainian fleets worked together with the remnants of the German Mediterranean fleet to slowly transport Ottoman forces across the Black sea to Odessa. Ukraine kept its own army on its eastern border, but it opened its rail network to the Ottomans. Poland and White Ruthenian borders remained closed. But trains carrying Ottoman forces moved through Galicia-Lodomeria. At least until the troop trains reached the Przemysl gate. Hungarian forces crossed the border and marched north into Przemysl, with orders to stop the trains. With guns leveled at Turkish forces watching tensely from the cars of the first trains attempting to cross through the city, the Hungarian troops ordered the trains' engineers to reverse course and head back to the Ukraine. Ottoman officers ordered the engineers to do no such thing. The stand-off lasted six hours. More trains arrived in Przemysl carrying Ottoman forces, some of whom started to disembark from the trains. But the arrival of three more Hungarian divisions allowed a show of force, with a dense mass of Hungarian soldiers surrounding the Przemysl rail depot. The Ottomans blinked, and told the engineers to turn their trains around.
Germany stood alone. And the Ottomans allowed themselves to be distracted by the arrival of Central Asian Turks on their borders rather than use power politics to try and open a land route to Germany. Turkestan, despite difficulties finishing the war in Persia, declared war on the Don-Kuban Union. Hoping to liberate Grozny and other Muslim lands north of the Caucasus, the "Caliphate" succeeded largely in notifying the world of its bloodthirsty leadership.
After winning his game of chicken with the exiled Edward VIII, Juan Bautista Fuenmayor (President of Venezuela) boldly predicted that one day the syndicalist alliance in America would eventually control all of South America and even extend the revolution out into the Caribbean. The speech proved popular in Caracas and Rio de Janeiro. It rallied the tired syndicalist forces struggling against La Plata in the south. And it gave warning to democratic governments like Cuba that they had enemies with deadly intentions.
With Germany's failure to find additional allies in Europe, attention turned to the imminent Russian elections. The miracle victory of a right-wing faction could give Germany a potential ally in exchange for major concessions in Eastern Europe - or even simply a government that would allow the passage of Ukrainian and Ottoman divisions. A Menshevik vicotry in the Duma or even a Menshevik-Bolshevik coalition might mean a Russia that declared war on Germany in support of the Internationale.
In the event, socialists won the elections in Russia. But the victors were the most moderate socialist faction: the Social Revolutionaires. With a platform focusing on internal development, few expected Vasily Malakov to prod Russia into a major military commitment.
With no help coming and more and more divisions redeployed to the north to what effectively became a static front, Germany steadily gave ground to the relentless French advance - particularly the feared French armored divisions. First Commune forces secured Cologne and an unbroken front all the way to the Dutch border. Next, Baden-Wurttemburg fell. The retreat had become a full-on rout. By May 6, German citizens living in Munich who looked out from the city's rooftops could see French troops preparing to take the city.
Just as Japan won the war in the Americas, her syndicalist allies stood poised to dominate Europe.
After the decimation years of war dealt to Japan's navy, the Admiralty called for additional warship production. Justifying the expense, Fujita Hisanori argued that a second transport fleet was necessary to retain operational flexibility with Japan's additional commitments in the Americas. Despite the considerable naval construction already taking place, Fujita pressed the point, pointing out the benefits Japan's army enjoyed during the war against Germany because of the navy's ability to rapidly land troops on any coast.
Pointing to the difficulty the Republican Navy faced forcing a landing against the threat of the Luftwaffe, Fujita advocated a heavy light carrier escort. Despite having decks too short for bombers, light carriers were preferred for the reduced fleet vulnerability they provided: the lost of one carrier wouldn't cripple the entire fleet's air defense. The planned transport fleet consisted of eight larger ships: five light carriers and three semi-modern heavy cruisers. Equipped with advanced fire control, a strong torpedo armament, and thicker armor than normal cruisers, the new Tone-B heavy cruisers discarded the ability to carry seaplanes for the extra armor and a better spread of torpedoes for strong surface combat capability. Japanese engineers swore they'd be the most dangerous heavy cruisers on the high seas. Which fit their role as escorts for a major transport fleet: to attack and destroy any surface threat smaller that a major enemy task force.
The transport fleet's escort vessels would consist of numerous destroyers equipped with anti-air armament. The destroyers would be hopefully be able to disrupt air attacks on the cruisers and the troop transports, neither of which carried significant anti-air armament. Ten destroyers, five light carriers, and three heavy cruisers would escort sufficient transports to carry twelve divisions. The new troop transport design was also significantly upgraded.
{Japan planned sufficient light ships for two transport fleets, with five extra destroyers and four extra transports to replace light ship losses. Her planners were uncertain whether nor not a second new transport fleet would ultimately be constructed.}
Nor did Fujita stop there. He also advocated construction of new "Open Seas" task forces. While acknowledging the heroic efforts of the Chinese navy in protecting Japan's convoys, Fujita argued that fleets suitable for controlling rear-area or low-priority seas would be necessary if Japan wanted to become a naval power truly capable of global influence. He planned on task forces consisting of three heavy cruisers for surface fighting capability, paired with five destroyers equipped with anti-submarine equipment to prevent submarine attacks on either the small fleets or convoys. This sort of small fleet would be perfect for securing areas like the seas around the Home Islands or the Indian Ocean, where large enemy surface fleets weren't present. Though the planned ships carried little anti-air armament, the task forces weren't expected to operate near enemy air fields or engage enemy carriers.
Unlike the escorts for the transport fleet, these heavy cruisers would follow the original Tone design. Carrying torpedoes as well as fire control to benefit their naval guns, they had the same offensive capabilities. But they kept to the original design to include sea planes to scout for enemy raiders and submarines alike, considered more important in a rear-area capacity than additional applique armor.
{The IJN Chikuma from the air.}
The winter proceeded peacefully in most of the Japanese Empire, though Japanese newspapers and indeed the public were skeptical of Japan's decision to occupy so much of North America. The government responded by pointing to the end of industrial shortages and the massive stockpiles of iron and oil the government was preparing on the Home Islands as a reaction to the shortages it had suffered in the war. The lack of another independent America on the Pacific coast wasn't popular in the major population centers, however: anti-Japanese sentiment rose in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver. Japan responded by increasing orders from factories in the "land of the setting sun" and investing heavily in reconstruction, particularly in Vancouver and San Diego, in the hopes that continued prosperity would ease transitional problems. The occupation government also made it clear to English-language newspapers that they expected front pages to carry at least as many ordinary news stories as news items about public protests by Americans.
While anti-occupation protests were a constant sight on city streets in the American west, even in Salt Lake City, the constant presence of occupation forces ensured these protests remained non-violent. Japan's tolerance for the traditional use of sidewalks and public walkways to protest undesirable policy seemed to encourage Americans to seek publicity through public visibility rather than acts of terror. And many Westerners seeking to restore their fortunes even sought to work with Japan, some veterans even offering to serve as residents of the Japanese Empire in the army (army-administered Japanese-language tests were notoriously easy to pass when residents applied for citizenship, a policy originally adopted when the army began to recruit Koreans). Many others used their new-found freedom of movement to find work in English-language friendly Burma, Guam, Hawaii, and the Princely Federation.
As Persian defenses crumbled in the face of Turkestan's large armies, Azerbaijan saw the writing on the wall and arranged a separate peace with Turkestan. The big question was whether that peace would hold once the "Caliphate's" armies secured the Iranian plateau and no longer worried about Azerbaijani forces stiffening Persia's defenses.
In Europe, German generals got their wish: a harsh winter froze action on the European battlefields.
A joint Venzeulan-Brazilian task force quickly occupied British Guyana. Edward VIII, realizing he had no desire to use precious fleet supplies defending irrelevant British Guyana, recognized syndicalist gains in exchange for a Brazilian pledge not to invade French Guyana and to respect the independence of Dutch Guyana (thus providing a buffer between French Guyana and Venezuela).
German elections scheduled for spring were canceled by Wilhelm III, citing the continued presence of French forces on the east bank of the Rhine. German diplomats had been busy over the winter. Wilhelm's generals offered tepid promises of gains in a spring offensive: tepid enough to make Wilhelm realize Germany desperately needed to convince more of Central Europe to help the empire stop the French and the British. Though a federal Austro-Hungarian Empire had no desire to suffer the inevitable conscription riots war would bring, the German diplomats hoped the threat of syndicalism - and even future German defeats - would make support of Germany seem necessary.
France, for its part, issued a declaration to Europe stating that any country which allowed soldiers allied to Germany to cross its territory would be considered an enemy of the Internationale. In the hopes the risky declaration wouldn't backfire and increase hostility to France, French diplomats pointedly did not include trade and material support as part of the trigger criteria in that threat.
Spring saw the German and French armies both leaving defensive positions to attack the enemy. But when the two armies re-engaged, it was the Germans that fell back. The French pushed forward along both banks of the Rhine, utilizing their dominant position in Frankfurt-am-Main. Upriver they took Karlsruhe. Downriver they took Neuwied. German diplomats pleaded in friendly capitals for help. In Vienna Emperor Otto had no wish to risk the stability of his own empire to save his German cousin's empire. The Bulgarians offered material support, but no men. Victorious in the Fourth Balkan War, Bulgaria now controlled Serbia and Romania as puppet states and it annexed all of Greece. But rebuilding ravaged Sofia and keeping its new conquests under control occupied the Bulgarian military. With Vienna deciding against aiding Germany, the Polish decision to avoid doing so was nearly inevitable. Only the Ottomans had faith in a German victory. Or perhaps a healthy fear of losing a patron and facing down syndicalism alone.
The Ottoman and Ukrainian fleets worked together with the remnants of the German Mediterranean fleet to slowly transport Ottoman forces across the Black sea to Odessa. Ukraine kept its own army on its eastern border, but it opened its rail network to the Ottomans. Poland and White Ruthenian borders remained closed. But trains carrying Ottoman forces moved through Galicia-Lodomeria. At least until the troop trains reached the Przemysl gate. Hungarian forces crossed the border and marched north into Przemysl, with orders to stop the trains. With guns leveled at Turkish forces watching tensely from the cars of the first trains attempting to cross through the city, the Hungarian troops ordered the trains' engineers to reverse course and head back to the Ukraine. Ottoman officers ordered the engineers to do no such thing. The stand-off lasted six hours. More trains arrived in Przemysl carrying Ottoman forces, some of whom started to disembark from the trains. But the arrival of three more Hungarian divisions allowed a show of force, with a dense mass of Hungarian soldiers surrounding the Przemysl rail depot. The Ottomans blinked, and told the engineers to turn their trains around.
Germany stood alone. And the Ottomans allowed themselves to be distracted by the arrival of Central Asian Turks on their borders rather than use power politics to try and open a land route to Germany. Turkestan, despite difficulties finishing the war in Persia, declared war on the Don-Kuban Union. Hoping to liberate Grozny and other Muslim lands north of the Caucasus, the "Caliphate" succeeded largely in notifying the world of its bloodthirsty leadership.
After winning his game of chicken with the exiled Edward VIII, Juan Bautista Fuenmayor (President of Venezuela) boldly predicted that one day the syndicalist alliance in America would eventually control all of South America and even extend the revolution out into the Caribbean. The speech proved popular in Caracas and Rio de Janeiro. It rallied the tired syndicalist forces struggling against La Plata in the south. And it gave warning to democratic governments like Cuba that they had enemies with deadly intentions.
With Germany's failure to find additional allies in Europe, attention turned to the imminent Russian elections. The miracle victory of a right-wing faction could give Germany a potential ally in exchange for major concessions in Eastern Europe - or even simply a government that would allow the passage of Ukrainian and Ottoman divisions. A Menshevik vicotry in the Duma or even a Menshevik-Bolshevik coalition might mean a Russia that declared war on Germany in support of the Internationale.
In the event, socialists won the elections in Russia. But the victors were the most moderate socialist faction: the Social Revolutionaires. With a platform focusing on internal development, few expected Vasily Malakov to prod Russia into a major military commitment.
With no help coming and more and more divisions redeployed to the north to what effectively became a static front, Germany steadily gave ground to the relentless French advance - particularly the feared French armored divisions. First Commune forces secured Cologne and an unbroken front all the way to the Dutch border. Next, Baden-Wurttemburg fell. The retreat had become a full-on rout. By May 6, German citizens living in Munich who looked out from the city's rooftops could see French troops preparing to take the city.
Just as Japan won the war in the Americas, her syndicalist allies stood poised to dominate Europe.
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Japan keeping the US apart for a few decades at least is no less plausible than Japan conquering the United States, and keeping the US seperate may indeed be more plausible than conquering it in the first place.
Why complain about the post-war situation anyways? If the conquest is plausible within the game itself, then that's fine by me.
At any rate, I suspect the US was so easy to conquer because its content is relatively undeveloped after the civil war ends.
Why complain about the post-war situation anyways? If the conquest is plausible within the game itself, then that's fine by me.
At any rate, I suspect the US was so easy to conquer because its content is relatively undeveloped after the civil war ends.
In lieu of a more comprehensive reply later..... Damn it Austria!
The Ottoman's are marching to the defence of European civilisation and you're staying at home? What is that?
As for South America, it's hard to be the Entente right now..
The Ottoman's are marching to the defence of European civilisation and you're staying at home? What is that?
As for South America, it's hard to be the Entente right now..
The Internationale are his partners, if not exactly his allies.
Still with the war against Germany going on for as long as it did I'm surprised the German war economy is floundering.
Still with the war against Germany going on for as long as it did I'm surprised the German war economy is floundering.
I suspect Austria will find out sooner than they were expecting that neutrality in this conflict was a terrible mistake.
Were they expecting that a nation that has declared its dedication to global revolution (they have, haven't they?) would simply be content after defeating their mortal enemy?
Were they expecting that a nation that has declared its dedication to global revolution (they have, haven't they?) would simply be content after defeating their mortal enemy?
@Teivel; NikephorosSonar
Thanks for the replies. I was also somewhat surprised to see Germany buckle with no dramatic attempt to reverse the war. Random events are Random
@Mkoll13
I suspect you're right. Though France is surely exhausted by war now, the very structure of the Austro-Hungarian Empire would seem vulnerable to either revolution or invasion. Though to be fair to the Austrian random-number-generator, in this particular war Germany declared war on France, not the other way around. They can be somewhat forgiven for not seeing France for the threat it is.
Thanks for the replies. I was also somewhat surprised to see Germany buckle with no dramatic attempt to reverse the war. Random events are Random
@Mkoll13
I suspect you're right. Though France is surely exhausted by war now, the very structure of the Austro-Hungarian Empire would seem vulnerable to either revolution or invasion. Though to be fair to the Austrian random-number-generator, in this particular war Germany declared war on France, not the other way around. They can be somewhat forgiven for not seeing France for the threat it is.
The drama in Przemsyl kept Ottoman forces from taking part in the war on land. At sea the Ottomans decided against facing syndicalist forces in the Mediterranean. Instead, the Ottoman fleet moved through the Suez. The fleet's purpose was primarily defensive - the Ottomans intended to prevent Japan from raiding its coastlines, destroying shipping by raiding out of the Djibouti base, or in general turning its attention to Arabia or other Ottoman territories.
But the enemy fleet could also play an offensive role. The Sea Wolf, Sakonji, discovered the Ottoman fleet approaching Japanese shipping lanes in the Bay of Bengal. Worse, the Ottomans detected the presence of Japan's submarine flotillas. The Ottomans immediately moved to react, preparing depth charges, sinking submarines, making sure destroyers watched for midget submarines or torpedoes, and in general doing their best to destroy the enemy.
At first the Ottomans held the advantage. They sank many submarines and forced most of Sakonji's flotilla out of the action.
But in a desperate defensive action, Sakonji's sailors succeeded in sinking the two Ottoman destroyer flotillas. Most of the Ottoman's escort ships were light cruisers, intended to stiffen the fleet in a surface action. The Ottoman fleet was old, and Istanbul had not invested in modernizing its equipment. Especially its anti-submarine equipment. Once Sakonji's submarines sank the Ottoman destroyers the battle turned in Japan's favor. The remaining submarines discovered they now faced a blind opponent. As the Ottomans realized their predicament, the Sea Wolf ordered every torpedo expended before his submarines returned to base at Colombo.
The Japanese fleet did not escape without losses. But the Ottomans suffered a total catastrophe. EVERY Ottoman ship in their fleet sank as a result of Japanese torpedoes. The Ottoman fleet consisted of twelve warships: the battleships Yildirim Sultan Bayezid, Fatih Sultan Mehmed, Sultan Osman, and the battlecruiser Yavuz Sultan Selim were escorted by two heavy cruisers, four light cruisers, and two destroyer flotillas. Most Japanese casualties were lost early in the battle - but so were the Bayezid and both of the Ottoman destroyer flotillas. What followed next was a slow massacre once the Japanese realized the Ottomans had no way of fighting back effectively.
After the stunning victory of Japan's submarines, the main fleet sailed to the Pearl River Delta. Taking station off Macau, Ozawa was joined by several Chinese escorts and a Brazilian ship representing both that country and the European syndicalists. The Japanese ambassador in Lisbon waited for a day after the news of the fleet's approach reached the Portuguese capital. He then handed the Portuguese government an ultimatum: abandon her colonial adventures in Asia or face a declaration of war.
The Portuguese surrendered all claim to Macau, Panjim, and East Timor to the Japanese Empire. The Brazilian ship took on the Portuguese administrators in Macau, fulfilling a promise of safe transit for Portuguese citizens who refused to live under Chinese administration.
Japan transfered control of Macau, Hong Kong, and (controversially) Hainan. Japan had previously maintained its occupation of Hainan, considering permanently incorporating the island into Japan. The Li, Miao, and Zhuang minorities had given the Japanese Empire pretext for maintaining control of the island. As on Formosa, indigenous peoples possessed more rights as residents of the Japanese Empire than they enjoyed under previous ethnic Chinese administrations. But one result of Japan's dangerous adventure in the American west was the need to shore up relations with her best ally - and polish Japan's anti-colonial bonifides. Hainan became part of the Republic of China and Panjim was transfered to the Princely Federation. Japan retained title on Dili, but it was widely expected Australasian troops would occupy the port at least temporarily, due to Timor's close proximity to Australia.
Even before midsummer, resistance by the German army collapsed. Only in the north did Germany hold against the British. In fact, most effective German units were redeployed to Jutland, in the desperate hope that victory could be achieved on the northern front in time to return south for a final defense of Prussia.
That plan failed. French forces marched triumphantly into Berlin itself. The city put up only a light defense, German generals being unwilling to destroy their capital in hopeless fighting. Nervous Germans anxiously waited to see what the French had in store for them.
But Poland acted first. After the fall of Berlin, Polish forces attacked across the virtually undefended border with Germany, occupying Silesia and Polish-majority districts north of the old Polish border. With no one capable of opposing the Poles, formal annexation immediately followed occupation. Poland stopped short of claiming a border that gave it access to the Baltic sea, however. Polish leaders wisely had no desire to place themselves in the path of the French juggernaut, which aimed at Lithuania and the Baltic Duchy.
Syndicalist forces bottled much of the German army in Schleswig-Holstein, effectively turning the entire area into a massive prisoner of war camp. Though the prisoners still possessed their weapons, hoping to negotiate their safe return to civilian life. The British finally occupied the whole of Denmark, opening the Baltic sea to the Republican Navy and British supply operations. Wilhelm III was rumored to be holed up in his childhood home, the imperial palace in Danzig, awaiting the end. The German Empire had yet to formally surrender to the Commune of France, hoping to negotiate the independence (under German authority) of Germany's remaining overseas colonies.
With the fate of America finally settled, Japanese leaders had time to attend to domestic affairs. Of the greatest importance was increasing dissatisfaction in Korea with Japanese rule. The greater freedoms Japan allowed residents in Formosa had become a major issue in Korea, as had the slow realization of the new policies on education, language, and imperial shrines. Fulfilling a promise to Saito Takao, Prime Minister Hamaguchi directed the Japanese government to formally ease restriction on Korean cultural associations, private schools, and ensured the empire's bureaucracy in Korea fulfilled Japan's promise of freedom for its residents to engage in commerce, foreign travel, and essentially all the freedoms demanded by Koreans - save self-rule or Hangul-language voting for Diet representatives. The new government thus unified the legal systems of 'national' Japanese territory: the Home Islands (including Sakhalin, the Kurils, the Ryukus, the Daito islands, and the Bonin islands), Formosa, Hawaii, and Korea.
Prime Minister Hamaguchi hoped the move would help bring Koreans to think of themselves as part of the Japanese Empire, rather than an occupied country. He did his best to ensure corruption and anti-Korean prejudice was purged from the Korean bureaucracy, taking a personal interest in the matter. The government also began a subtle positive-news propaganda campaign in Korea, putting out news stories of Koreans graduating from Japanese-language state universities and becoming successful in their fields. Hamaguchi had come to believe, like Saito, that a generally benevolent policy was the only possible solution to a long-term amalgamation of Japan and Korea.
Perhaps even more important to Japan's future was the long-awaited launch of Japan's new battle fleet. For months Ozawa led Japan's only major fleet in order to allow (who else?) Grand Admiral Yamamoto time to organize his new command. True, Yamamoto lost the Battle of Louisiana to Grand Admiral King (now "the American King" in the newspapers), but he was also genius who held off the great German fleet at Karimata and the victor at the Pearl River Delta and in multiple engagements off the coast of California. Japan possessed no other man as experienced or as trusted on the high seas.
Yamamoto transferred his flag to the IJN Yamato. The Yamato, and her sister ships the Kii, Iwami, Sagami, and Owari, finally arrived to join the rest of the great fleet: six light carriers, seven light cruisers, and several destroyers escorted the big guns that Japan hoped would restore her power at sea.
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I did NOT see that victory over the Ottoman fleet coming. I mean, I knew BBs & cruisers had bad anti-sub capacity, particularly older models, but WOW. I only had two subs still in the fight against ten enemy warships. But without destroyers those ships were helpless.
Also, I don't really know what to do with my vast stockpile of foreign currency. I guess Japan captured Fort Knox intact...
For the most part I'll probably just let it sit there or engage in lots of useless intelligence actions. I already gave five thousand money units each to the new Americas.
But the enemy fleet could also play an offensive role. The Sea Wolf, Sakonji, discovered the Ottoman fleet approaching Japanese shipping lanes in the Bay of Bengal. Worse, the Ottomans detected the presence of Japan's submarine flotillas. The Ottomans immediately moved to react, preparing depth charges, sinking submarines, making sure destroyers watched for midget submarines or torpedoes, and in general doing their best to destroy the enemy.
At first the Ottomans held the advantage. They sank many submarines and forced most of Sakonji's flotilla out of the action.
But in a desperate defensive action, Sakonji's sailors succeeded in sinking the two Ottoman destroyer flotillas. Most of the Ottoman's escort ships were light cruisers, intended to stiffen the fleet in a surface action. The Ottoman fleet was old, and Istanbul had not invested in modernizing its equipment. Especially its anti-submarine equipment. Once Sakonji's submarines sank the Ottoman destroyers the battle turned in Japan's favor. The remaining submarines discovered they now faced a blind opponent. As the Ottomans realized their predicament, the Sea Wolf ordered every torpedo expended before his submarines returned to base at Colombo.
The Japanese fleet did not escape without losses. But the Ottomans suffered a total catastrophe. EVERY Ottoman ship in their fleet sank as a result of Japanese torpedoes. The Ottoman fleet consisted of twelve warships: the battleships Yildirim Sultan Bayezid, Fatih Sultan Mehmed, Sultan Osman, and the battlecruiser Yavuz Sultan Selim were escorted by two heavy cruisers, four light cruisers, and two destroyer flotillas. Most Japanese casualties were lost early in the battle - but so were the Bayezid and both of the Ottoman destroyer flotillas. What followed next was a slow massacre once the Japanese realized the Ottomans had no way of fighting back effectively.
After the stunning victory of Japan's submarines, the main fleet sailed to the Pearl River Delta. Taking station off Macau, Ozawa was joined by several Chinese escorts and a Brazilian ship representing both that country and the European syndicalists. The Japanese ambassador in Lisbon waited for a day after the news of the fleet's approach reached the Portuguese capital. He then handed the Portuguese government an ultimatum: abandon her colonial adventures in Asia or face a declaration of war.
The Portuguese surrendered all claim to Macau, Panjim, and East Timor to the Japanese Empire. The Brazilian ship took on the Portuguese administrators in Macau, fulfilling a promise of safe transit for Portuguese citizens who refused to live under Chinese administration.
Japan transfered control of Macau, Hong Kong, and (controversially) Hainan. Japan had previously maintained its occupation of Hainan, considering permanently incorporating the island into Japan. The Li, Miao, and Zhuang minorities had given the Japanese Empire pretext for maintaining control of the island. As on Formosa, indigenous peoples possessed more rights as residents of the Japanese Empire than they enjoyed under previous ethnic Chinese administrations. But one result of Japan's dangerous adventure in the American west was the need to shore up relations with her best ally - and polish Japan's anti-colonial bonifides. Hainan became part of the Republic of China and Panjim was transfered to the Princely Federation. Japan retained title on Dili, but it was widely expected Australasian troops would occupy the port at least temporarily, due to Timor's close proximity to Australia.
Even before midsummer, resistance by the German army collapsed. Only in the north did Germany hold against the British. In fact, most effective German units were redeployed to Jutland, in the desperate hope that victory could be achieved on the northern front in time to return south for a final defense of Prussia.
That plan failed. French forces marched triumphantly into Berlin itself. The city put up only a light defense, German generals being unwilling to destroy their capital in hopeless fighting. Nervous Germans anxiously waited to see what the French had in store for them.
But Poland acted first. After the fall of Berlin, Polish forces attacked across the virtually undefended border with Germany, occupying Silesia and Polish-majority districts north of the old Polish border. With no one capable of opposing the Poles, formal annexation immediately followed occupation. Poland stopped short of claiming a border that gave it access to the Baltic sea, however. Polish leaders wisely had no desire to place themselves in the path of the French juggernaut, which aimed at Lithuania and the Baltic Duchy.
Syndicalist forces bottled much of the German army in Schleswig-Holstein, effectively turning the entire area into a massive prisoner of war camp. Though the prisoners still possessed their weapons, hoping to negotiate their safe return to civilian life. The British finally occupied the whole of Denmark, opening the Baltic sea to the Republican Navy and British supply operations. Wilhelm III was rumored to be holed up in his childhood home, the imperial palace in Danzig, awaiting the end. The German Empire had yet to formally surrender to the Commune of France, hoping to negotiate the independence (under German authority) of Germany's remaining overseas colonies.
With the fate of America finally settled, Japanese leaders had time to attend to domestic affairs. Of the greatest importance was increasing dissatisfaction in Korea with Japanese rule. The greater freedoms Japan allowed residents in Formosa had become a major issue in Korea, as had the slow realization of the new policies on education, language, and imperial shrines. Fulfilling a promise to Saito Takao, Prime Minister Hamaguchi directed the Japanese government to formally ease restriction on Korean cultural associations, private schools, and ensured the empire's bureaucracy in Korea fulfilled Japan's promise of freedom for its residents to engage in commerce, foreign travel, and essentially all the freedoms demanded by Koreans - save self-rule or Hangul-language voting for Diet representatives. The new government thus unified the legal systems of 'national' Japanese territory: the Home Islands (including Sakhalin, the Kurils, the Ryukus, the Daito islands, and the Bonin islands), Formosa, Hawaii, and Korea.
Prime Minister Hamaguchi hoped the move would help bring Koreans to think of themselves as part of the Japanese Empire, rather than an occupied country. He did his best to ensure corruption and anti-Korean prejudice was purged from the Korean bureaucracy, taking a personal interest in the matter. The government also began a subtle positive-news propaganda campaign in Korea, putting out news stories of Koreans graduating from Japanese-language state universities and becoming successful in their fields. Hamaguchi had come to believe, like Saito, that a generally benevolent policy was the only possible solution to a long-term amalgamation of Japan and Korea.
Perhaps even more important to Japan's future was the long-awaited launch of Japan's new battle fleet. For months Ozawa led Japan's only major fleet in order to allow (who else?) Grand Admiral Yamamoto time to organize his new command. True, Yamamoto lost the Battle of Louisiana to Grand Admiral King (now "the American King" in the newspapers), but he was also genius who held off the great German fleet at Karimata and the victor at the Pearl River Delta and in multiple engagements off the coast of California. Japan possessed no other man as experienced or as trusted on the high seas.
Yamamoto transferred his flag to the IJN Yamato. The Yamato, and her sister ships the Kii, Iwami, Sagami, and Owari, finally arrived to join the rest of the great fleet: six light carriers, seven light cruisers, and several destroyers escorted the big guns that Japan hoped would restore her power at sea.
---------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------
I did NOT see that victory over the Ottoman fleet coming. I mean, I knew BBs & cruisers had bad anti-sub capacity, particularly older models, but WOW. I only had two subs still in the fight against ten enemy warships. But without destroyers those ships were helpless.
Also, I don't really know what to do with my vast stockpile of foreign currency. I guess Japan captured Fort Knox intact...
For the most part I'll probably just let it sit there or engage in lots of useless intelligence actions. I already gave five thousand money units each to the new Americas.
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Europe: And so Germany Falls, with Poland going for whatever it can grab. I don't blame them, they may as well try and save what they can from the French. I would have liked to have seen the Hapsburgs try to turn the tide though. Also interesting to see the UoB so quickly take Denmark. I assume this is to ensure that even if Germany is not partitioned then the UoB walks away with something on the continent.
Korea: Benevolence is a long, hard path but eventually, sometimes, it pays off.
IJN: Hell yes, how long have we been waiting for an actual battle-fleet capable of properly projecting power? Strange to see Yamato as a fast rather than heavy battleship though.
China: That's the nature of allies i guess, you occasionally have to give them things. They earned it during the fight for the USA though, so power too them.
Korea: Benevolence is a long, hard path but eventually, sometimes, it pays off.
IJN: Hell yes, how long have we been waiting for an actual battle-fleet capable of properly projecting power? Strange to see Yamato as a fast rather than heavy battleship though.
China: That's the nature of allies i guess, you occasionally have to give them things. They earned it during the fight for the USA though, so power too them.
If Mittelafrika is taken over by the Kaiser you should invade it and take their shinies
@Teivel
Too long. Over a year in-game. And yes, I was also surprised to see Yamato wasn't reserved as a name for super-heavies.
@Davisx3m
Yes! Down with Germany!
@Mkoll13
Capitulation to Mittelafrika just dooms Mittelafrika. Never really made sense to me. The Kaiser will, of course, be pursued wherever he tries to hide. If the French haven't captured him already.
Too long. Over a year in-game. And yes, I was also surprised to see Yamato wasn't reserved as a name for super-heavies.
@Davisx3m
Yes! Down with Germany!
@Mkoll13
Capitulation to Mittelafrika just dooms Mittelafrika. Never really made sense to me. The Kaiser will, of course, be pursued wherever he tries to hide. If the French haven't captured him already.
Japan's leaders decided to confront the Anglo Fleet in the Caribbean directly. The largest and, on paper, most powerful fleet in the world, the Anglo Fleet sat at the base on Trinidad, bereft of a true home base. Edward VIII was rumored to still be in negotiations with Billy Hughes over an Australasian monarchy. Edward VIII did not, of course, consider handing the fleet over to syndicalist Britain. The German Empire had once been an option, but its collapse removed that possibility. Africa, whether it be the German colony or South Africa, didn't have the sort of industrial capacity necessary to support the Anglo Fleet over the long term. Billy Hughes knew he had a strong bargaining hand. Where else could Edward VIII go? If the Japanese invaded Australia, Hughes could grant Edward a monarchy on his terms and trap the invasion force without a supply line. If the Imperial Japanese Navy decided to confront the Anglo Fleet before it moved to Australia (as Japan intended to do), the losses sustained would weaken Edward VIII's bargaining position by reducing the power of the Anglo Fleet and his own desperation. One problem Edward VIII didn't face was maintaining control over his navy. The Americans were even more desperate than the Canadian sailors, desperate to make port somewhere they could build a life and unwilling to surrender to Japan by scuttling their ships.
Japan's Battle Fleet took her maiden voyage across the Pacific. By the time Grand Admiral Yamamoto reached Pearl Harbor, most of the performance kinks on individual ships had been worked out. Fleet-wide tests of the new radar tracking and command and control systems took place on the way to San Diego. Both Of Japan's large surface fleets rendezvoused in San Diego, the troops transports of Ozawa's fleet carrying Japan's marines. Both fleets sailed for the Panama Canal and New Orleans.
France continued its unstoppable campaign against Germany. The large army in Schleswig-Holstein finally surrendered to syndicalist forces, after assurances that the "common German soldier, as a member of the working class, is not guilty of the crimes of his leaders". Britain and France promised to allow German POWs to integrate back into civilian society after the war.
Only after the mass of German soldiers surrendered did Russia finally stir. Desiring to occupy the Baltic Duchy and claim Ukraine, Russia proposed an allaince with France, formally applying for membership in the Internationale. France turned Russia down. Had Russia offered to enter the war when Germany and French forces still fought along the fortifications in Alsace-Lorraine, France would have accepted with tremendous gratitude. Now the French saw the Russians as lazy Johnny-come-latelies looking to capitalize off the tide of French blood that broke German lines. Nor was the leftist government in Russia syndicalist in French eyes. Petrograd practiced only a pale reactionary shadow of socialism designed to appease the masses, declared France. Russia was not welcome in the Internationale.
Unwilling to forsake easy territorial expansion, Russia declared war on the dictatorship in Kiev. Knowing that the Internationale could hardly fault a socialist government, however 'inadequate' in ideology, for going to war with a brutal reactionary government like that in Ukraine, the government in Petrograd decided to take the territory they desired anyway.
China strengthened its young democratic tradition by successfully holding another well-run election. Soong Ching-ling and the Kuomintang won again, although they received only 52% of the vote this time. Japan's leadership sent its congratulations to Soong Ching-ling's government.
The Sea Wolf dueled with a small pack of German submarines in the Gulf of Aden, keeping German forces out of the Indian Ocean and protecting small supply convoys headed to the former German base in Djibouti. Admiral Sakonji easily forced the Germans to hide in port at Aden. The remnants of the German navy, like the Anglo Fleet, were looking for somewhere to call home.
The Soryu detached from the combined fleet at New Orleans, sitting at port alone under the protection of shore guns. She had a special mission to undertake should the Anglo Fleet defeat Japan's new battle fleet: sail for the Panama Canal, attempt to escape through it, and, whether or not escape through the canal is successful, ensure the destruction of the Panama Canal locks, dams, equipment and any bombable machinery. If Japan lost the Combined Fleet, any and all effort must be made to prevent the Anglo Fleet from successfully steaming for Australasia.
The Combined Fleet of Japan approached Trinidad in August of 1942, well-stocked with supplies and fuel from the stopover in New Orleans. The destruction of Caribbean destroyers confirmed that the Japanese had arrived to confront the Exile King. The Anglo Fleet readied itself. It had remained in port for months to conserve fuel for battle or an escape to Australasia. Now it must finally put to sea.
The Japanese fleet blockaded the Port of Spain, establishing a tight cordon blocking escape. The new Battleship fleet held the northwest end of the blockade, blocking the Dragon's Mouths and arraying the main bulk of her battleships outside of gun range of the Anglo Fleet itself. Ozawa's fleet supported to the southeast, the Tosa being the main bulwark at the end of the cordon blocking escape to the south, through the Serpent's Mouth. Darkness and heavy winds on the night of August 20 allowed the Japanese to advance at will. Japanese marines landed with tank support thirty miles south of Port of Spain. They met determined resistance by land forces, but numbers demanded a Japanese victory.
Still the Anglo Fleet did not move. With five fleet carriers in Edward VIII's fleet, his admirals had advised an open sea battle. But the weather would not oblige. August lay in the middle of hurricane season, and while no massive storm threatened the two opposing fleets, stiff winds and nearly constant rain refused to clear and allow Anglo carrier air groups to take off from the decks of their ships. True, Japanese carrier air groups were also grounded. But the smaller Japanese carriers carried only fighters - and fewer of them. A lack of Combat Air Patrol was no problem if there were no bombers to intercept. Whereas the Anglo fleet was lacking some of the offensive power it relied on.
But, on August 23, three days after Japanese marines first started marching north on Port of Spain, Edward VIII could wait no longer. Despite heavy rain, high winds, and stormy seas, the massive Anglo Fleet steamed away from Port of Spain - directly into the waiting arms of Japan's Combined Fleet.
Steel behemoths covered the Gulf of Paria. The Anglo Fleet, with its many admirals, dual American and British commands, and sheer numbers, had a simple plan: steam straight for the Japanese fleet, hit them with the sheer tonnage and volume of fire of the Anglo Fleet, and make for the gap at the Dragon's Mouths. Troop transports and a few destroyers detached from the main body would feint south, towards the Serpent's Mouth.
At the start of the battle, the Japanese fleet had a stunning advantage in positioning. Arranged in a crescent and positioned for full broadsides, the massive guns of the Japanese battleships opened fire shortly after the Anglo Fleet left Port of Spain. Radar tracked the enemy ships. Fire Control sent instructions to the gunners, and the great naval guns of Japan thundered, roared, and spat flame. Command and control officers coordinated with smaller ships and neighboring battleships, focusing a hellish rain of fire on the bunched Anglo Fleet.
The hellish rain of fire impacted the Anglo Fleet, not least the enemy fleet carriers. But Edward VIII had more than five large carriers under his command. Between the American and Royal Navies, the Anglo Fleet fielded NINETEEN battleships - and one battlecruiser for an even twenty big-gun ships. They did not turn aside to sail next to the Japanese and fire broadsides. The Anglo battleships sailed directly at the Japanese line, turrets firing in nearly the same line the Anglo ships themselves traveled.
Ace pilots from both fleet's carriers took to the skies, even knowing that many would die when attempting to land after their missions. The dark clouds hanging low over the battle only made the mass of flame that was once an ocean gulf brighter and more menacing. Numerous ships were on fire, and flame lanced from the guns of every ship that could see the enemy. The Anglo Fleet plowed into the Japanese line and turned north. The entire Gulf of Paria was a confused mass of warships with no clear battle lines. Japanese battleships and their escorts found themselves in the middle of the great enemy fleet, while Japanese ships on the end of the crescent collapsed inward. In the center of the once-cohesive Japanese battle line, chaos seemed to reign.
The Japanese battleships fought for their lives. The pressure of the Anglo Fleet was so heavy that the great modern marvels built by Japan found that every weapon system built into the ships were needed. In a scenario never imagined by the ships' designers, every gun of the battleships found itself in constant use. Flak cannons tore small, dark holes in the sky. Anti-air tracers tracked the Anglo pilots braving the winds and rain - and even angled downward to rake the decks of enemy ships that came close enough. The big guns roared so loudly civilians in the Port of Spain many miles away thought they were under attack. But not just the big guns. Torpedo tubes fired their deadly payload in vast salvos into the morass of ships. Secondary guns and even small anti-destroyer guns found no shortage of targets. In the chaos of Paria, every weapon system the battleships' designers could conceive of proved necessary and effective.
In the chaos of the battle, the command and control systems on the modern Japanese fleet faced the strongest possible test: and they passed. The fighting was so thick that the enemy ships often came within a kilometer of each other. Even the destroyers found themselves engaged in gun duels with enemy vessels. Yet the Japanese ships could fire torpedo salvos and unleash their guns without fear because every battleship knew exactly where its sister ships and screens were. Gunners had no worry of friendly fire - something the outdated Anglo Fleet could not claim.
The armor and design of Japan's battleships performed brilliantly. None of the behemoths fell in the grand battle. Not only because of their incredible capabilities - also because the Anglo Fleet desired to make for the Dragon's Mouths as much as they focused on engaging in battle. And also because of the heroic efforts of Japan's smaller ships. Older armored cruisers from Ozawa's fleet bravely engaged enemy battleships in duels. Light cruisers covered enemy destroyers and headed off threats to the battleships. Destroyers plugged gaps in defenses everywhere.
For an entire day thunder, flame, and the explosions of modern armament rolled across the waves. More than one ship left next to no wreckage as magazines blew from the multitude of hits suffered by many combatants.
The weight of the Anglo Fleet could not be denied. It appeared to Yamamoto the sheer mass of the enemy shoved aside the Japanese vessels guarding the Dragon's Mouths. Much of the enemy fleet escaped. But only after a terrible toll was taken.
Incredibly, Japan lost only two modern light cruisers, one older light cruiser, and a destroyer flotilla. Though nearly every ship in the Combined Fleet showed at least some damage.
No less than three fleet carriers and two smaller carriers sank as a result of damage dealt by Japanese naval guns. Destroyers, troop transports, and even cruisers sank in bunches during the chaos of that one day in the Gulf of Paria. And Edward VIII now ruled fewer than nineteen battleships.
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Obviously, the victory screen doesn't show the full casualty list from the Battle of Paria. The sheer number of sunken ships bugged out the engine and the list cut off, leaving a few more inches of black space in the victory box.
Also, the Anglo Fleet didn't quite lose 40 capital ships - that includes 8-12 or so troop transports. STILL...
Japan's Battle Fleet took her maiden voyage across the Pacific. By the time Grand Admiral Yamamoto reached Pearl Harbor, most of the performance kinks on individual ships had been worked out. Fleet-wide tests of the new radar tracking and command and control systems took place on the way to San Diego. Both Of Japan's large surface fleets rendezvoused in San Diego, the troops transports of Ozawa's fleet carrying Japan's marines. Both fleets sailed for the Panama Canal and New Orleans.
France continued its unstoppable campaign against Germany. The large army in Schleswig-Holstein finally surrendered to syndicalist forces, after assurances that the "common German soldier, as a member of the working class, is not guilty of the crimes of his leaders". Britain and France promised to allow German POWs to integrate back into civilian society after the war.
Only after the mass of German soldiers surrendered did Russia finally stir. Desiring to occupy the Baltic Duchy and claim Ukraine, Russia proposed an allaince with France, formally applying for membership in the Internationale. France turned Russia down. Had Russia offered to enter the war when Germany and French forces still fought along the fortifications in Alsace-Lorraine, France would have accepted with tremendous gratitude. Now the French saw the Russians as lazy Johnny-come-latelies looking to capitalize off the tide of French blood that broke German lines. Nor was the leftist government in Russia syndicalist in French eyes. Petrograd practiced only a pale reactionary shadow of socialism designed to appease the masses, declared France. Russia was not welcome in the Internationale.
Unwilling to forsake easy territorial expansion, Russia declared war on the dictatorship in Kiev. Knowing that the Internationale could hardly fault a socialist government, however 'inadequate' in ideology, for going to war with a brutal reactionary government like that in Ukraine, the government in Petrograd decided to take the territory they desired anyway.
China strengthened its young democratic tradition by successfully holding another well-run election. Soong Ching-ling and the Kuomintang won again, although they received only 52% of the vote this time. Japan's leadership sent its congratulations to Soong Ching-ling's government.
The Sea Wolf dueled with a small pack of German submarines in the Gulf of Aden, keeping German forces out of the Indian Ocean and protecting small supply convoys headed to the former German base in Djibouti. Admiral Sakonji easily forced the Germans to hide in port at Aden. The remnants of the German navy, like the Anglo Fleet, were looking for somewhere to call home.
The Soryu detached from the combined fleet at New Orleans, sitting at port alone under the protection of shore guns. She had a special mission to undertake should the Anglo Fleet defeat Japan's new battle fleet: sail for the Panama Canal, attempt to escape through it, and, whether or not escape through the canal is successful, ensure the destruction of the Panama Canal locks, dams, equipment and any bombable machinery. If Japan lost the Combined Fleet, any and all effort must be made to prevent the Anglo Fleet from successfully steaming for Australasia.
The Combined Fleet of Japan approached Trinidad in August of 1942, well-stocked with supplies and fuel from the stopover in New Orleans. The destruction of Caribbean destroyers confirmed that the Japanese had arrived to confront the Exile King. The Anglo Fleet readied itself. It had remained in port for months to conserve fuel for battle or an escape to Australasia. Now it must finally put to sea.
The Japanese fleet blockaded the Port of Spain, establishing a tight cordon blocking escape. The new Battleship fleet held the northwest end of the blockade, blocking the Dragon's Mouths and arraying the main bulk of her battleships outside of gun range of the Anglo Fleet itself. Ozawa's fleet supported to the southeast, the Tosa being the main bulwark at the end of the cordon blocking escape to the south, through the Serpent's Mouth. Darkness and heavy winds on the night of August 20 allowed the Japanese to advance at will. Japanese marines landed with tank support thirty miles south of Port of Spain. They met determined resistance by land forces, but numbers demanded a Japanese victory.
Still the Anglo Fleet did not move. With five fleet carriers in Edward VIII's fleet, his admirals had advised an open sea battle. But the weather would not oblige. August lay in the middle of hurricane season, and while no massive storm threatened the two opposing fleets, stiff winds and nearly constant rain refused to clear and allow Anglo carrier air groups to take off from the decks of their ships. True, Japanese carrier air groups were also grounded. But the smaller Japanese carriers carried only fighters - and fewer of them. A lack of Combat Air Patrol was no problem if there were no bombers to intercept. Whereas the Anglo fleet was lacking some of the offensive power it relied on.
But, on August 23, three days after Japanese marines first started marching north on Port of Spain, Edward VIII could wait no longer. Despite heavy rain, high winds, and stormy seas, the massive Anglo Fleet steamed away from Port of Spain - directly into the waiting arms of Japan's Combined Fleet.
Steel behemoths covered the Gulf of Paria. The Anglo Fleet, with its many admirals, dual American and British commands, and sheer numbers, had a simple plan: steam straight for the Japanese fleet, hit them with the sheer tonnage and volume of fire of the Anglo Fleet, and make for the gap at the Dragon's Mouths. Troop transports and a few destroyers detached from the main body would feint south, towards the Serpent's Mouth.
At the start of the battle, the Japanese fleet had a stunning advantage in positioning. Arranged in a crescent and positioned for full broadsides, the massive guns of the Japanese battleships opened fire shortly after the Anglo Fleet left Port of Spain. Radar tracked the enemy ships. Fire Control sent instructions to the gunners, and the great naval guns of Japan thundered, roared, and spat flame. Command and control officers coordinated with smaller ships and neighboring battleships, focusing a hellish rain of fire on the bunched Anglo Fleet.
The hellish rain of fire impacted the Anglo Fleet, not least the enemy fleet carriers. But Edward VIII had more than five large carriers under his command. Between the American and Royal Navies, the Anglo Fleet fielded NINETEEN battleships - and one battlecruiser for an even twenty big-gun ships. They did not turn aside to sail next to the Japanese and fire broadsides. The Anglo battleships sailed directly at the Japanese line, turrets firing in nearly the same line the Anglo ships themselves traveled.
Ace pilots from both fleet's carriers took to the skies, even knowing that many would die when attempting to land after their missions. The dark clouds hanging low over the battle only made the mass of flame that was once an ocean gulf brighter and more menacing. Numerous ships were on fire, and flame lanced from the guns of every ship that could see the enemy. The Anglo Fleet plowed into the Japanese line and turned north. The entire Gulf of Paria was a confused mass of warships with no clear battle lines. Japanese battleships and their escorts found themselves in the middle of the great enemy fleet, while Japanese ships on the end of the crescent collapsed inward. In the center of the once-cohesive Japanese battle line, chaos seemed to reign.
The Japanese battleships fought for their lives. The pressure of the Anglo Fleet was so heavy that the great modern marvels built by Japan found that every weapon system built into the ships were needed. In a scenario never imagined by the ships' designers, every gun of the battleships found itself in constant use. Flak cannons tore small, dark holes in the sky. Anti-air tracers tracked the Anglo pilots braving the winds and rain - and even angled downward to rake the decks of enemy ships that came close enough. The big guns roared so loudly civilians in the Port of Spain many miles away thought they were under attack. But not just the big guns. Torpedo tubes fired their deadly payload in vast salvos into the morass of ships. Secondary guns and even small anti-destroyer guns found no shortage of targets. In the chaos of Paria, every weapon system the battleships' designers could conceive of proved necessary and effective.
In the chaos of the battle, the command and control systems on the modern Japanese fleet faced the strongest possible test: and they passed. The fighting was so thick that the enemy ships often came within a kilometer of each other. Even the destroyers found themselves engaged in gun duels with enemy vessels. Yet the Japanese ships could fire torpedo salvos and unleash their guns without fear because every battleship knew exactly where its sister ships and screens were. Gunners had no worry of friendly fire - something the outdated Anglo Fleet could not claim.
The armor and design of Japan's battleships performed brilliantly. None of the behemoths fell in the grand battle. Not only because of their incredible capabilities - also because the Anglo Fleet desired to make for the Dragon's Mouths as much as they focused on engaging in battle. And also because of the heroic efforts of Japan's smaller ships. Older armored cruisers from Ozawa's fleet bravely engaged enemy battleships in duels. Light cruisers covered enemy destroyers and headed off threats to the battleships. Destroyers plugged gaps in defenses everywhere.
For an entire day thunder, flame, and the explosions of modern armament rolled across the waves. More than one ship left next to no wreckage as magazines blew from the multitude of hits suffered by many combatants.
The weight of the Anglo Fleet could not be denied. It appeared to Yamamoto the sheer mass of the enemy shoved aside the Japanese vessels guarding the Dragon's Mouths. Much of the enemy fleet escaped. But only after a terrible toll was taken.
Incredibly, Japan lost only two modern light cruisers, one older light cruiser, and a destroyer flotilla. Though nearly every ship in the Combined Fleet showed at least some damage.
No less than three fleet carriers and two smaller carriers sank as a result of damage dealt by Japanese naval guns. Destroyers, troop transports, and even cruisers sank in bunches during the chaos of that one day in the Gulf of Paria. And Edward VIII now ruled fewer than nineteen battleships.
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Obviously, the victory screen doesn't show the full casualty list from the Battle of Paria. The sheer number of sunken ships bugged out the engine and the list cut off, leaving a few more inches of black space in the victory box.
Also, the Anglo Fleet didn't quite lose 40 capital ships - that includes 8-12 or so troop transports. STILL...
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Wow....that's...slaughter on a scale almost unknown in naval battles.
I imagine the big gun advocates will have their decisive victory now. Japanese Radar controlled guns have proved they really can inflict tremendous harm under the right circumstances.
Can you give us the kill lists from some of your star battleships?
I imagine the big gun advocates will have their decisive victory now. Japanese Radar controlled guns have proved they really can inflict tremendous harm under the right circumstances.
Can you give us the kill lists from some of your star battleships?