This is so far a micro-AAR. I guess you can call it practice for the future 
No screenshots so far, but if this is interesting, they can be added to future (I hope) updates.
Our Japan is somewhat atypical. After the 2-2-1 coup succeeded, Japan has focused on its Army and Industry for the upcoming conquest of China to the detriment of the Fleet and aviation. No new planes were produced (as of late 1945) And only two new carriers as well as some destroyers had been commissioned to date.
The Sino-Japanese war was a long and grueling exercise. Japan has abandoned its Grand Battle Plan approach in favor of Superior Firepower (Manchukuo has retained the old doctrines) from the get-go. However, since the bulk of Japanese mobile forces were (and still are) Cavalry (not to mention that NatChi has infantry and mil divisions out the wazoo) it was a slow and painful slug way into the 40's, when China finally ran out of supply and will to fight and collapsed under the mighty blows of the Imperial Army. We must mention, that Manchu forces fought valiantly alongside the Japanese, and the descendants of Genghis-Khan earned well deserved respect from the proud Samurai.
Nevertheless, even after capturing and puppeting China, Japan was bleeding resources. Trade and captured supplies only went so far in feeding our industrial machine. In 1944, seeing vast gains by our friendly Germany in Europe, Nippon opened a second front against the USSR (I was hoping to harvest some Siberian resources). USSR collapsed in late 1944/early 1945, netting us the entire Soviet Pacific Seaboard and parts of Eastern Siberia. Noteworthy is the fact, that in 1943, Germany managed to land an invasion north of Vladivostok (How!?!?) and capture a sizeable chunk of land... which was later occupied by USA. Yet our resources were still running in the red, as our industrial buildup demanded more and more! Even our infrastructure building programs in most resource rich areas to maximize extraction, failed to meet our industrial demand.
In the spring of 1945, the Emperor decided to enter the global war against the allies.
Our order of battle was the following:
5 TAC, 2 NAV, 4 INT
1 Advanced, 1 Heavy Advanced, 4 basic and improved, and 1 early carrier. Our entire pre-war line of battle with up-to date attachments, but not maxed out. Somewhat upgraded screening forces with improved and advanced Destroyers. Total of 18 transports.
Land forces were more formidable:
IJA:
4 Mech strike corps (3-div), all brigaded, some with TD
10 Strike Cav corps (3-div) all with ENG brigades
4 Nav Coeps (3-div) with either ART or SP-ART
5 Line Armies (4 Inf-Art 4 Cav-Eng), 3 of them equipped with HQs.
Number of Gar and Inf(brigaded) divisions deployed as Island garrizons
Manchukuo
Several dosen INF and a few Cav divisions organized into multiple corps and 2 Armies.
Allied China
2 MOT Armies (9-div, all brigaded, 1 HQ deployed)
2 MOT Corps (3-div), brigaded
With these forces we decided on a three prong assault.
Diversionary strike, using our 1st CV fleet was aimed at Hawaii.
A Mop-up operation was aimed at the US Occupied Far East (ex Soviet territories) --> 1st prong
Netherlands holdings, as well as British Malaysia were to be occupied using our Marines and Strike Cavalry --> 2nd prong
Massive assault was to be slammed into Burma and further into India.
Our forces were positioned as follows:
Chinese forces were largely aimed at Kashmir and east India.
Manchu army was spread to defend Mainland China and Indochina
One Line Army was sent to support the "mop-up" in Soviet Far East, remaining 4 armies were to cover Home Islands and serve as emergency reserves.
Strike Cavalry was spread between all three assault directions and Strike Mech was dedicated to British India prong.
Fleets other than 1st CV were deployed to support operational demands in Oceania.
Hostilities commenced in late June 1945. While our assault was operational, and even strategic success, deficiencies in planning were uncovered.
1) We have failed to deploy invasion forces in Hawaii. This meant weeks of delay to ship Marines from Indonesia.
2) Our 1st CV fleet, based in the pacific Island lacked the range to interdict Northern Hawaii, preventing us from Island-hopping and eliminating US garrizons and taking Pearl Harbor. (We took the Big Island, and remained there)
3) Our Strike Cav is ineffective against the US armor even at 3:1 odds. Line Armies are required to face Armor.
4) Our failure to garrison Busan left us open to a British Invasion. We had to hurry Manchu and Chinese forces to plug the hole after losing almost the entire Korean Peninsula.
It is now late November of 1945. Here is the strategic situation as Tokyo sees it:
- Operation Rising Dragon is a success despite errors in planning
+ Netherlands had been annexed, and released as puppet Indonesia
+This has solved our resource problems. We have large stockpiles and run green in everything but oil. We have undeployed refining capacity to alleviate the oil issues.
+ British India has fallen to our mobile forces in its entirety! Our advance brigades push into Persia.
+ Thai army is used to bolster our beach garrisons.
+ Philippines are so far stalemated, American armor is holding Manila and our strike Cavalry is unable to dislodge it.
+Nepal and Bhutan had been annexed. We may release them as client states in near future.
-Elsewhere in the world
+Axis industry has been bombed into oblivion by Allied forces. Germany is running less than 70 effective IC. We believe that their army will allow them to regroup, especially once we sweep the Allies from the Indian Ocean.
+Allies have taken over Italian metropoly, but Italy survives in its Greek holdings and may yet bounce back with German assistance.
+Brazil has declared war on us... without being a member of the Allies. Odd.
-Our industrial and technologic outlook
+Industry build up in Tokyo and Osaka continues. Research on plastics should help us.
+Our scientists have discovered nuclear power. First power plants had been ordered to aid our energy situation. We expect progress on atomic weapons, although currently we are only we are only capable of radiologic weapons. We urgently need to focus on delivery methods!
+Recently completed armored cavalry research should enable us to offset some of the Allied armor advantage.
+Our mechanized forces are second to none. We need to organize more strike corps' and perhaps even strike Mech armies.
+We lag behind axis and allies in armor research! This needs to be rectified, as we can probably ease off on industrial research now.
+We have an Improved SHBB due early next year. Plans for original Yamato Class were shelved in 1930's when the fleet construction program was frozen, and once funds freed up in 1944, we have adopted an even more fearsome design.
+Next carrier of Super Heavy type is due in the spring of 1946. This will enable us to use our 2nd CV fleet in offensive operations. More escorts must be built in time for the commission.
+We still lack the industry to focus on more than one area. We are considering freezing shipbuilding programs to focus on rebuilding our aviation and upgrading our land forces.
No screenshots so far, but if this is interesting, they can be added to future (I hope) updates.Our Japan is somewhat atypical. After the 2-2-1 coup succeeded, Japan has focused on its Army and Industry for the upcoming conquest of China to the detriment of the Fleet and aviation. No new planes were produced (as of late 1945) And only two new carriers as well as some destroyers had been commissioned to date.
The Sino-Japanese war was a long and grueling exercise. Japan has abandoned its Grand Battle Plan approach in favor of Superior Firepower (Manchukuo has retained the old doctrines) from the get-go. However, since the bulk of Japanese mobile forces were (and still are) Cavalry (not to mention that NatChi has infantry and mil divisions out the wazoo) it was a slow and painful slug way into the 40's, when China finally ran out of supply and will to fight and collapsed under the mighty blows of the Imperial Army. We must mention, that Manchu forces fought valiantly alongside the Japanese, and the descendants of Genghis-Khan earned well deserved respect from the proud Samurai.
Nevertheless, even after capturing and puppeting China, Japan was bleeding resources. Trade and captured supplies only went so far in feeding our industrial machine. In 1944, seeing vast gains by our friendly Germany in Europe, Nippon opened a second front against the USSR (I was hoping to harvest some Siberian resources). USSR collapsed in late 1944/early 1945, netting us the entire Soviet Pacific Seaboard and parts of Eastern Siberia. Noteworthy is the fact, that in 1943, Germany managed to land an invasion north of Vladivostok (How!?!?
) and capture a sizeable chunk of land... which was later occupied by USA. Yet our resources were still running in the red, as our industrial buildup demanded more and more! Even our infrastructure building programs in most resource rich areas to maximize extraction, failed to meet our industrial demand.In the spring of 1945, the Emperor decided to enter the global war against the allies.
Our order of battle was the following:
5 TAC, 2 NAV, 4 INT
1 Advanced, 1 Heavy Advanced, 4 basic and improved, and 1 early carrier. Our entire pre-war line of battle with up-to date attachments, but not maxed out. Somewhat upgraded screening forces with improved and advanced Destroyers. Total of 18 transports.
Land forces were more formidable:
IJA:
4 Mech strike corps (3-div), all brigaded, some with TD
10 Strike Cav corps (3-div) all with ENG brigades
4 Nav Coeps (3-div) with either ART or SP-ART
5 Line Armies (4 Inf-Art 4 Cav-Eng), 3 of them equipped with HQs.
Number of Gar and Inf(brigaded) divisions deployed as Island garrizons
Manchukuo
Several dosen INF and a few Cav divisions organized into multiple corps and 2 Armies.
Allied China
2 MOT Armies (9-div, all brigaded, 1 HQ deployed)
2 MOT Corps (3-div), brigaded
With these forces we decided on a three prong assault.
Diversionary strike, using our 1st CV fleet was aimed at Hawaii.
A Mop-up operation was aimed at the US Occupied Far East (ex Soviet territories) --> 1st prong
Netherlands holdings, as well as British Malaysia were to be occupied using our Marines and Strike Cavalry --> 2nd prong
Massive assault was to be slammed into Burma and further into India.
Our forces were positioned as follows:
Chinese forces were largely aimed at Kashmir and east India.
Manchu army was spread to defend Mainland China and Indochina
One Line Army was sent to support the "mop-up" in Soviet Far East, remaining 4 armies were to cover Home Islands and serve as emergency reserves.
Strike Cavalry was spread between all three assault directions and Strike Mech was dedicated to British India prong.
Fleets other than 1st CV were deployed to support operational demands in Oceania.
Hostilities commenced in late June 1945. While our assault was operational, and even strategic success, deficiencies in planning were uncovered.
1) We have failed to deploy invasion forces in Hawaii. This meant weeks of delay to ship Marines from Indonesia.
2) Our 1st CV fleet, based in the pacific Island lacked the range to interdict Northern Hawaii, preventing us from Island-hopping and eliminating US garrizons and taking Pearl Harbor. (We took the Big Island, and remained there)
3) Our Strike Cav is ineffective against the US armor even at 3:1 odds. Line Armies are required to face Armor.
4) Our failure to garrison Busan left us open to a British Invasion. We had to hurry Manchu and Chinese forces to plug the hole after losing almost the entire Korean Peninsula.
It is now late November of 1945. Here is the strategic situation as Tokyo sees it:
- Operation Rising Dragon is a success despite errors in planning
+ Netherlands had been annexed, and released as puppet Indonesia
+This has solved our resource problems. We have large stockpiles and run green in everything but oil. We have undeployed refining capacity to alleviate the oil issues.
+ British India has fallen to our mobile forces in its entirety! Our advance brigades push into Persia.
+ Thai army is used to bolster our beach garrisons.
+ Philippines are so far stalemated, American armor is holding Manila and our strike Cavalry is unable to dislodge it.
+Nepal and Bhutan had been annexed. We may release them as client states in near future.
-Elsewhere in the world
+Axis industry has been bombed into oblivion by Allied forces. Germany is running less than 70 effective IC. We believe that their army will allow them to regroup, especially once we sweep the Allies from the Indian Ocean.
+Allies have taken over Italian metropoly, but Italy survives in its Greek holdings and may yet bounce back with German assistance.
+Brazil has declared war on us... without being a member of the Allies. Odd.
-Our industrial and technologic outlook
+Industry build up in Tokyo and Osaka continues. Research on plastics should help us.
+Our scientists have discovered nuclear power. First power plants had been ordered to aid our energy situation. We expect progress on atomic weapons, although currently we are only we are only capable of radiologic weapons. We urgently need to focus on delivery methods!
+Recently completed armored cavalry research should enable us to offset some of the Allied armor advantage.
+Our mechanized forces are second to none. We need to organize more strike corps' and perhaps even strike Mech armies.
+We lag behind axis and allies in armor research! This needs to be rectified, as we can probably ease off on industrial research now.
+We have an Improved SHBB due early next year. Plans for original Yamato Class were shelved in 1930's when the fleet construction program was frozen, and once funds freed up in 1944, we have adopted an even more fearsome design.
+Next carrier of Super Heavy type is due in the spring of 1946. This will enable us to use our 2nd CV fleet in offensive operations. More escorts must be built in time for the commission.
+We still lack the industry to focus on more than one area. We are considering freezing shipbuilding programs to focus on rebuilding our aviation and upgrading our land forces.
