The Rise (and Fall?) of the Japanese Empire

[jose1357]

Word, I was shocked to see, however, NAt. chinese '36 divisions since they start at 1918. Bad omen, yes they'll have 2 upgrade but they could easily build up...saw it w/ SU they had 1918 divisions in 1947 , b4 I conquered 'em I saw they needed 3000+ IC to upgrade their units so...

 

[Rapcw]

The War in China Part IV : Pushing Forward​

Landings in Nantong
On January 5th, 1938, 7 divisions of Japanese infantry engaged one defending division in Fuzhou. The province was secured January 7th. On January 12th, the province of Quzhou was also secured by 3 divisions. However Japanese units were attacked and had to retreat, losing the province by the 17th. Disaster struck on the 17th when the 4 divisions defending the province of Fuzhou were attacked by superior Chinese numbers, despite a hard defense, by the 18th fighting was over with 4 Japanese divisions surrendering. Small groups of Japanese went into hiding in the thick jungle, waiting for the 3 divisions retreating from Quzhou to defeat the Chinese. Those divisions did arrive, and successfully defended the province on January 19th. Reinforcements were hurriedly deployed to Fuzhou. For Japanese leaders, it was a major embarrasment, and put the situation in China in peril. There was no hiding such a large scale defeat to the public, and the Emperor declared a national day of mourning. The foreign press too reported the story, saying that the Japanese were a paper tiger. Japan was shamed.

New Offensives
The fighting in the north continued, with territory going back and forth between nations. But the Japanese were advancing. In the South the fighting stagnated. A new offensive was planned, involving the 11 division in Nantong, and units previously in the south. The operation was a success, and by March 7th, Japanese divisions managed to defeat 3 surrounded Chinese divisions in Xiamen.

Frontline on March 7th, 1938.​

A suprising event occured on March 9th, when 4 more Chinese divisions ended up in the pocket, and were promptly eliminated. Throughout early 38, Japanese divisions contiuned to try to capture and hold Quzhou, but were always defeated. They would not suceed until later on.

With the southern front secure, and advances in the North, the war in China was getting better for Japan, but it still had a long way to go.

Frontlines, March 14th​

 

[elbasto]

Tough looking.

How much IC do you have, what use are you giving to it and were are you focusing your research??

 

[P3D]

You had the South, you should have concentrated your forces there. Just defend on the North with all your garrisons and the Manchu militias, you'll have time for Shaanxi after NatChi is annexed.

 

[Rapcw]

@elbasto: Heres a shot of my IC and resources as of June 7, 1939, after the war with China:

During the war, the main use was for upgrading, and building new divisions, I think 9 x 6 vanilla infantry at its peak. After the divisions were done I set about expanding my Navy, which was still at 36' levels. I built 12 carriers and a lot of lvl III and IV light cruisers. I also built 6 motorized and 3 medium armor divisions. 3 x 4 marines were also built. Unfortuanately I took no screenshots so this is all done by memory. For tech I focused on armor, infantry, infantry doctrines, navy, naval doctrines and industry. Infantry includes marines, motorized mountain. I usually had atleast 1 tech team focused on each branch at the same time, sometimes 2 on 1 branch depending on the year. If I were to do it all again I would have expanded my Navy a lot earlier, as my DoW on the Allies was postponed considerably because I had to wait for all my Naval units to be built.

@P3D: Yea you are right, I should have put more divisions in the South instead of focusing on the North. I thought the South would be easy, as it usually is, but you also need the troop concentration to succeed there.

I will try to get an update in today, stay tuned!

 

[Rapcw]

The War in China Part V : The Fall of Nationalist China​

Rape of Nanking and Its Effects
On March 20th, 7 divisions under the command of General Tojo engaged 2 Chinese divisions in the Nationalist capital of Nanking. The battle was over quickly, and General Tojo ordered the Chinese prisoners to be executed. This order was carried out, and led to more acts of violence on the Chinese populace. This was later to be known as the Rape of Nanking, and thousands of Chinese were killed. This act of barbarity was to be reported all around the world, and Japanese leaders were not sure what to do. The order was given for Tojo to step down, and Japanese soldiers who committed crimes were reprimanded. In addition, a new Army pamphlet was released, entitled 'Codes of Conduct Towards Prisoners of War and Occupied Territories,' which stated that prisoners were to be held by the standards of the Geneva convention, and that the occupied territories would be self governed by Japanese appointed leaders in every province. This would be the rule, and not the exception, though random acts of violence still occured. However, the criminals were now more effectively punished. The Japanese Army entered a new era of tolerance.

Advances
During the Spring of 38, Japanese Army units were advancing in nearly every sector. By April 26th, Japanese units captured Quzhou, surrounding the division(s) in Ningbo. On the 27th, the Ningbo pocket was destroyed. In the South the divisions launched an attack on Guangzhou on April 29th.

Battle of Guangzhou​

With Guangzhou secure on May 7th, Japanese divisions defeated the pocket in Jiangmen by the 9th. This was just one of many victories during the Spring to Summer of 1938.

Frontline on July 29th, 1938​

Defeat of the Nationalists
On July 29th, Nationalist Chinese diplomats came to Japanese leaders with a peace proposal:

The Japanese leaders declined the offer, knowing that they weren't about to lose in China. Japan continued to advance further and further into China, focusing solely on Nationalist Chinese forces and territory. Territory was gained much more quickly in the North than the South, because of the larger amount of divisions stationed there. Battles were won and lost all over, but majority of battles ended in Japanese victory. By November 27th, 1938, Japanese divisions were at the gates of Chonqing, the new capital of Nationalist China. On this date another peace proposal came, but at this stage peace with the Nationalists was pointless.

Frontline on November 27th​

On December 2nd, Japanese units fought for the city of Chonqing, to minimal resistance.

Battle of Chonqing​

With Chonqing secure, there was only one city left to conquer before the annexation of Nationalist China. On December 17th 14 Japanese divisions faced only 6 divisions of exhausted Chinese forces. The battle was over quickly, and by December 21st the province was under Japanese control. Japanese diplomats now came to the Chinese to dictate their own peace proposal: annexation of Nationalist China. It was an offer they couldn't refuse, and at 4:00 PM December 21st, 1938 all Nationalist forces layed down their arms. It was a great victory for Japan, but the war was not over yet.

Japanese territories as of Nationalist Chinese annexation​

P.S. Sorry for the late post, but I was busy the past few days.

 

[elbasto]

Nice, now it is time for the Chinese minors.

 

[Subcomandante]

The Japanese Army entered a new era of tolerance.

:rofl:

 

[Rapcw]

The War in China Part VI : Fall of The Warlords
​

The Fall of Yunnan
With Nationalist China defeated, all that was left was to defeat the remaining Chinese warlords. Yunnan was the first on the list.

Invasion plan for Yunnan​

Operations against Yunnan began on December 22nd, 1938. Battles were over quickly, however there was much difficulty traversing the difficult terrain of Yunnan, so the campaign lasted longer than expected.

Transporting a Japanese artillery piece through the mountains of Yunnan​

There were some setbacks however, when Japanese forces encountered superior numbers of defenders defending, and had to wait for reinforcements. By February 21st, 1939 the nation of Yunnan was annexed into the greater Japanese Empire.

The Fall of Independent Xibei San Ma
With Yunnan secure, Japanese leaders looked northwards to Xibei San Ma. Operations began on February 22nd, and despite setbacks, by May 16th, Japanese troops were at the gates of Golmud.

Progress as of May 16th, 1939​

By June 5th Japanese troops had occupied the capital, and forced a peace. The price: Japanese control of a puppeted Xibei Ma San. The deal was accepted, and Japan gained control of Xibei Ma San's divisions.

Fall of the Communists
During the Xibei Ma San invasion, the Communist Chinese launched an offensive into the north, securing Yuling on March 23rd. Japan, furious at this victory, ordered an invasion ahead of schedule, with all available divisions. Xianyang was secured by March 28th, and Pingliang by April 8th. On April 12th Japanese units engaged CHC divisions in Yan'an.

Battle of Yan'an​

The battle was fierce, with heavily entrenched Chinese fighting battling battle hardened Japanese soldiers. The battle was over by April 14th and the province was secure by April 19th. Yuling was secured on April 20th and Communist China was annexed.

The End of the Chinese War and It's Aftermath
With Xibei Ma San secure in June IGHQ ordered an invasion of Sinkinang. It was over by mid-August, ending in the puppeting of that nation. With this last victory, Military operations in China ceased. The war was over, and Japan was overwhelmingly the victor. The early defeats of '37 and '38 were all but forgotten to the Japanese public and the world, and foreign peoples were left to stand in awe and disbelief of what Japan had accomplished. An island nation, no bigger than California, had conquered the whole of China. What the european colonial nations saw, they feared. They now realized that Japan was a force to be reckoned with. The United States too saw Japan's power, and began expanding it's navy. Japan's leaders though, were upset by their poor showing at the beginning of the conflict. It was only later, when Japan had been reinforced by more divisions, could China be defeated. They realized this, and decided that better military training and equipment would be needed if Japan was ever to beat the Allies and the U.S. But for now, Japan was at peace, and happy with itself. It now began to look southwards to more riches.

Japanese Empire as of June 5th 1939 (before conquest of Sinkiang)​

 

[elbasto]

The Netherlands?

 

[jose1357]

Right after Germany invades...

 

[Rapcw]

The Siamese War Part I : Preparations​

Inter-war Activities
With the Chinese taken care of, the Japanese military had a much needed rest from fighting. This lull in the fighting allowed all Japanese units to be upgraded to 1939 infantry division status. All divisions involved in the Chinese wars were strategically deployed to Japan's extensive borders on the Asian mainland, with each border province occupied by atleast 3 divisions. After the final divisions ordered during the Chinese war were completed, no further infantry divisions were to be ordered.

Preparations for Invasion of Siam
Japanese planners were now very focused on the events occuring in Europe. With the German invasion and victory over Poland in September 39, Japan was sure that the defeat of france was not far behind. This turned out to be true, and on July 10th, 1940 Vichy France was created. Vichy France offered Japan their colonial holdings in Indo-China, and Japan was happy to agree. With Indo-China secure, The preparations for the invasion of Siam could now be carried out. 18 fresh divisions of Infantry were ordered to take position in each province bordering Siam. In addition, the first 3 marine divisions had been completed recently, and were ordered to be deployed in the waters near Siam. In addition, 7 Japanese warships were ordered to support the invasion, and engage and destroy the Siamese fleet.

Invasion Forces Indo-China, August 1st​

Japanese Naval Forces​

Japanese SNLF (note: OOB taken after battle)​

In addition there were 4 garrison divisions in Saigon, and 20 transport divisions.

Despite the fact that the newly arrived divisions were not fully organized yet, Japanese leaders decided to go ahead with the original invasion date. The plan was ambitous, but was expected to be finished in one month. It was yet to be known how long it would really take though.

Japanese Invasion Plan​

 

[Churts]

Nice work!

Invading Siam can either be a complete walkover done in a few weeks, or it can drag out foreeeeeeeeever up in the northern mountainous regions...

Hopefully it'll be the former

 

[elbasto]

Schizo is right, terrain is a very important factor, you don't want to push all their forces to make a last stand in the north...

 

[unmerged(20811)]

What have you been researching and what ships have you been building?

 

[Rapcw]

@architek : I have been researching different things. I usually have 1 slot reserved for infantry related techs, navy and naval doctrines, armor, land doctrines, and industry. Depending on what is available to research at the time, I may have 3 teams working on infantry related things, or 4 teams working on industry, or 3 teams working on naval techs and doctrines. I haven't researched too much air force related stuff, except naval bombers. The types of ships being built are carriers (12, mainly I and II, though i also built 4 lvl IVs) and lots of light cruisers of various types. These ships werent starting to built until mid-40 however, because for some reason i wasn't building up my navy throughout the game, which I should have. I was also wasting a lot of IC on consumer goods, so I would be in the positive for money. I only realized later that I could have just traded for money.

 

[Rapcw]

The Siamese War Part II : War​

The reasons for this war were unclear, but the main reasons Japanese leaders kept putting forth were that Siam was a growing threat to the peaceful Japanese nation, and that that they were building up their military and were even building chemical and biological weapons. The sources for these claims have never been verified and were most likely made up by the Japanese entirely. It was later found that these claims were false. However, the western nations went along with this excuse, knowing they were to weak to stop Japan militarily, at the moment.

The Invasion Begins
On August 1st, 1940 at 3:00 AM the Empire of Japan declared war on the sovereign nation of Siam.

Japanese troops poured over the Thai border, and there was fighting in every sector.

Battle of Singora August 1st - 3rd 1940​

Especially important was the battle of Singora, where the Japanese marines were first put to the test. They were under heavier fire than expected, and so were overwhelmed in the beginning stages, but later regrouped and stormed the Thai soldiers positions. The beach and the surrounding areas were secured by August 3rd. By August 9th the marines had secured Kra and were advancing on Thom Buri. Bangkok was fiercely contested in countless battles, with the city declared secure on August 16th.

Battles of the Bight of Bangkok
With the Japanese Army advancing in the Jungles of Siam, the Imperial Navy was assigned the job of engaging and destroying the Thai fleet. Reconnaisance reported that the fleet was at anchor in Thom Buri. With the Japanese army close to capturing the port there the Royal Siamese Navy attempted to abandon the port in search of safer waters. On August 7th at 12:00 PM the Japanese scout plane piloted by Lt. Jinzo Yukata spotted the Siamese fleet steaming south. He alerted 10. Kaigun, under the command of Admiral Takasu, to the enemy's location. The Japanese fleet engaged the ships, sinking two destroyers and damaging two light cruisers and 2 destroyers, to minimal losses. By 4:00 PM the Siamese ships were done. The Siamese fleet returned to port to heal and regroup. Not satisfied with the results of this engagement, Takasu ordered the fleet to continue to scout the area.

On August 13th at 2:00 AM the Siamese Fleet, realising that Siam was near defeat, was now attempting an escape mission to reach the British colony of Malaya, and possibly dock at Singapore. However 10. Kaigun, alerted to this attempted breakout, was ordered to steam towards the remnant fleet and destroy it for good. Admiral Takasu commanded the battle directly from the bridge of his flagship Hiei.

Battleship Hiei​

Battle of the Bight of Bangkok​

At 2:40 the Japanese fleet arrived at the Siamese Navy's coordinates. The first ships encountered were the remaining destroyers of the Phra Ruang Flotille. In ten minutes one destroyer was sunk and one heavily damaged. At 3:00 AM the light cruisers Isuzu and Yubari engaged the light cruiser RTNS Sri Ayuthia already damaged from the August 7th conflict. By 4:00 AM the Phra Ruang Flotille was no more, and the Sri Ayuthia and RTNS Dhonburi were near death. The Thai cruisers continued to hold on due to a well trained crew, but organization and morale was slipping fast. By 5:00 AM the whole of 10. Kaigun was firing on the two heavily battered ships. At 5:42 AM the Ayuthia was downed and by 5:55 the Dhonburi was sunk. In the light of dawn the full carnage was visible. The Siamese fleet was decimated. 2 light cruisers, 2 destroyers, and 1,000+ Thai crew members were dead. The losses on the Japanese side were 2 scout planes, 67 dead and 140 wounded. It was a crushing victory for the Japanese side, and proved that Japanese training was superior, even with obsolete ships.

The Fall of Siam

With Bangkok secure the only important location to capture left was Thom Buri. Long a center of resistance, by August 29th the final battle was fought there, and by September 15th it was secure. At 5:00 on September 15th, 1940, the country of Siam was officially annexed into the Japanese Empire.

It was a relatively easy campaign, with the main obstacle being the terrain. When the Thai soldiers did stand and fight, they generally fought well, with the main resistance coming from the north and Thom Buri. The Japanese leaders were once again happy, as were the Japanese people. But like most people who have just gotten something, they now wanted something else. That something else would have have to wait until the military buildup was complete, and that time was not far off.




P.S. Sorry for the late post, but my computer was acting up and I had to fix it, and then I left for Lake Shasta for the week. I'll have faster updates now.

 

[jose1357]

I still say the East Indies are calling 4 Japanese take over

 

[Gul Brown]

it is nice to see a Japanese AAR such as this one , i have resecently started a Japanese Grand Campaign myself and im enjoying seeing how you do it, as right now my attempted invasion of Los Angeles failed!

Good luck!

Keep it up!

 

[elbasto]

Nice to see that the Japanese were the first to use non-existant quemical weapons to justify an invasion