Japan can into space

[Lonfield]

Hello guys,

Here i am again. After my sweedish fail AAR and campaign. I couldn't keep you up with the news, my press staff was too busy fighting.

I come with a Japanese AAR. In this one i'll try to expand as much as i can to the south, UK and the rest of colonial powers are targeted. I will try to keep my neutral status as much as i can. I'll do that to prevent any sudden war declaration from Soviet Union disrupting my plans. This way i hope USA will focus more on Europe and less on me. This plan relies on Germany managing to keep all the atention on them. In the meantime i'll crush all the other powers in Asia.

The tittle of the AAR had been chosed because i wanna get some jet planes. Just personal likes, and my aim is to survive to Cold War as a major power, and then i want my jets to own the sky.

Talking about Cold War, I've considered, according how well germans are doing at europe joinning comitern. But it depends on the balance of power.

Edit: Oh, i forgot the rules.

Ironman mode, on, there won't be reloads if something goes wrong.

Emperor future toy​

 

[Lonfield]

Chapter I: Production fever (Jan 1936 - Aug 1936)

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Not even one hundred years before 1936 Japan was still being ruled by a shogun. It was in 1860 when country started industrialization. In theese 80 years Japan has changed a lot, now it's one of the major powers in the world and clearly the natural leader of all eastern natural powers. Colonial natios are there to be remove in order the create an empire, the sun will rise for Japan, once again.

As a major power in the real world they need to get a powerful industry, soviet one is quite big, american one is even bigger. Theese are the more threatening neightbours Japan has so it's a must to improve our industrial net.

Japanese production is awaking
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This industry investment were placed on the inner part of the country, the safes zone in the current situation. Centre of the country is the safest area to high command

At the same time Japanese scientis continued their job to keep the countr equiped with the best equipment. They started researching rocket technology, radio technology to improve the comunication between its armies, and some new products to fertilize our national land. According to the military, new equipment for its infantry was developed. Fleet and army were reorganized, first one was divided into manageable fleets and the army was entrenched into the shanxi border.

Rocket facilities are starting to be built at the north of the country​

 

[Lonfield]

Chapter II: (Aug 1936-Dec 1936)

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Production was at high speed, all new industry was at half of its building progress. Our research was now redirected to the military and our air forces and the Japanese Imperial Navy got the major part of the updates. High command kept anyway theorical research on the top of the priorities, to make a nation stay on top of the world you need theory and practice, and Toyo and the Emperor himself would provide, probably, a war to our beloved country.

Emperor Hiroito and Tojo

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According to the plans of the High Command our units were placed all around the Southern border of Manchuko, a puppet state to have a better control over those steppes while our own government rules the profitable lands of Korea. Coming back to the future wars and with such a big coastal line the research of some equipment for our units to get into the beaches was mandatory and the government started a process to equip and prepare marine divisions.

Force distribution

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At the same time, at the docks, three carries were ordered, as a Pacific power we need to make the rest of the region feel our presence. In November a Fubuki-class destroyer flotilla was launched at the seas. In order to get our new additions to the Imperial Navy prepared for the future wars the research investment got split a bit more to cover all disciplines, the High Command expected all got covered properly.

Carrier Soryu-class with theese three new ones our army will have three ships that are able to carry planes,

it will be a good addition that will help us expanding our influence around the region

​

 

[tule91]

Good day, you advance too fast , i finish read your first AAR and you have one more in late 1936. Don´t build tanks for china cav are better
Adios

 

[Lonfield]

Good day, you advance too fast , i finish read your first AAR and you have one more in late 1936. Don´t build tanks for china cav are better
Adios

Thanks for reading my AARs. First one was a learning AAR, i wanted to test if making AAR was with me, and now i see it is . I'm slowing down the posting speed but i wanted to get the first chapter at least so people can see what is this going to be about. I'll get new chapter tomorrow. Things will get warm

 

[Lonfield]

Chapter III: Hot Springs lead to hot Summers (Jan 1937- Jun 1937)​

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During 1937 relations between Japan and Shanxi became hot. Japanese goverment decided to place units around their common border. To increase the number of divisions at that border Imperial Army equiped new brigades of brave Japanese men and moved units from the siberian border. The final number was bigger than 300.000 men at Manchuko frontier. At Higher Comand some officers complaint about the Pacific Ocean, that area was left behind without receiving attention. A lot of islands had not even Japanese presence while only some capital cities got garrison. Furthermore, only a major base got a full garrison.

Shanxi border​

In the meantime, scientists were focused on improving the mighty Japanese Imperial Navy. In their free time, some advances on the other fields were made. Japanese infantry got some new equipment. At the same time, technology to improve the armoured divisions were ordered. Right now light armoured divisions must be enough to overrun theese peasants that fill the chinese armies.

"Emperor Hiroito loves air force, and he sais that in the future, the air force will rule over the other weapons. I don't know if that's right but some of our better scientist were taken apart and got some extra founds to develop some new engines based on rockets..., yes the same rockets that have been part of Chineese celebrations, well, that's a maybe too simple way to explain it, but should work. At the same time, there's an even more secret project on way, or that's what rumors say. I think it's not true, there are no new facilities being built. Just rocket ones and those are draining our personal from asembling tanks..."

Research progress​

According to production, priority was production "Oh, God, have you ever try to write a book, with such a deep vocabulary you'll surely make a bestseller". Japan must have a profitable industry able to build new equipment, improve the old one and produce cameras, cameras are important to keep population happy. High Comand thought that if more industry was built, in long term our country would be able to deploy units faster and keep all trenches and forts filled with brave Japanese soldiers ready to die for the Emperor. During this time, all the extra resources are being redirected to some new tactical bombers and keep the construction of the carriers that were ordered for the admirals. Almost no escorts were ordered or even planned during this period. If you're research efforts are made on getting new tech, there's no sense in asking for a destroyer, or capital ship that will be outdated even before being deployed.

First round of industry is almost finished and ready to produce new equipment​

"Sometimes i feel like i'm writing propaganda, anyway, it's good to keep all this information up to date. Somebody in this government should get a copy of all this information, save it and let it for future generations. And, if history is not a reason, we have to make sure that nobody is making his pocket bigger with theese production licenses and agreements, we're at war, but politics are politics.... Oh!, wait, i think i'm one of them..." And for a few seconds he felt extrange, then everything he was thinking about passed to a better life and he entered home, a beautiful night was waiting for him, or at least, that's what he was expecting.

 

[Lonfield]

Chapter IV: Not all neighbours are good neighbours​

There are a lot of kind of soldiers, good ones, lazy ones, brave ones, coward ones… in the end, there are as many kind of soldiers as kind of people. In this case it was a lazy one. But let me explain what happent.


Japanese army was making manouvers close to Bieiping, near Marco Polo Bridge. During these manouvers this soldier got lost “After everything was ended, we discovered that he came back to his unit not even twenty minutes later”. Due to this fact, Japanese officers in the area contacted Chinese ones and tried to decide a way to keep peace at the area while Japanese forces searched for their member. Chinese army was opposed to let our units do their job and some Japanese soldiers tried to force the entry to the city where the officers thought the soldier might be. “And that’s how you get a war, our government tried to get peace, I hardly doubt they tried it at one hundred percent, but it’s the government, Chinese government refused all our offers to let it be and here we are now”.

Kwantung Head Quarters and units under their control. Units at manouvers were atached to North China Army

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After Chinese negatives to accept anything we could find acceptable, not even satisfactory, but acceptable war was declared. Our submarines started to raid for Chinese convoys, they were pretty effective and a their trade routes were damaged by our wolfpacks "I think that name is used by Germans, Oh!, i've forgotten, we've rejected a lot of offers to join the Axis. I don't know why Emperor Hiroito and his close advicers have rejected them but i don't think an alliance with that weird moustached leader could be profitable to our beloved nation" .

A general advance was ordered to all our units in the frontline. Soviet front was stable and all our forces were told to don't make something that could trigger a war with them. At the start of the offensive Shanxi's forces were disbanded and not prepared to our powerful attack and our units made progress at all the line.

SItuation after one week of combat. Chinese units are falling back​

Some tought battles between our better trained untis and their mass of infantry were fought along the coastline but the push couldn't be stopped and frontline went deeper all around "That's not totally right, Beiping was under Chinese control for a long time, in my humble opinion that wasn't smar because those units could be easily pocketed, and they were. After that campaign seemed quite easy for our soldiers"

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Beiping pocket is starting to be obvius. Chinese army is quite big but totally unefective to stop our attack​

Tired of our attacks to their convoys, Chinese leaders ordered their fleet to chase our submarines and clear their seas of our presence, sadly for them Imperial Navy was there and first major naval battle took place. Old Chinese ships couldn't make a fight to our superior navy and the battle ended with a clear victory for our country. With this victory all naval operations were clear and their naval power totaly defeated.

Admiral Yamamoto leading Imperial Japanse Navy at battle of Seohan
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One month after the first bullet was shot. Beiping felt into our hands, our advance into their country is unstopable now. Our air force got new bases to operate what increased their effective range and our army was confident about our chances. They've prooved effective versus human waves, and they'll defeat them as much times as needed for the glory of the Rising Sun Empire. "I can't avoid it, everything looks like propaganda"

Japanese flag is now on Beiping city hall
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Kwantung Head Quarters were a total mess. Celebration of the succesfull campaign of China was a fact. All units had achieved their objectives, Beiping was in our hands. A new harbour was got at Chinese coast to get supplies and units to reinforce our army. Chinese airforce was out of the fight, same for their navy. Only their ground forces were still making an stand. Those militia units have been falling back since the start of the campaign and regular infantry is not acting in a different way. A message was sent to the Imperial Palace reporting the success of the attack and inviting Emperor Hiroito to visit North Chinese Army Head Quarter on Beiping, when it's moved there, generals may need some comfort after this month of fights.


August, 6th 1937.

Dear Sir Koki, I'm sending you this letter from our Naval Base in Kwantung. I have got reports from my officers that are ordered to provide supplies to our units in China that situation is not as good as our generals are publishing. From what i've been told, our units are spread around the frontline, some officers are missing and war material is not in good condition. I'm not blaming nor our units, nor their commanders. In this situation i'd recommend to take some time to reinforce our units, and get them ready again for the fight. Numbers are not with us in this matter. Our army is smaller than their, by far, we cannot afford to fight with less units if they're tired or their organisation is low. I highly recommend that you, from your position at Imperial Palace can make Emperor hear you and delay the attack. I hope you can understand how important is for our country that Emperor understands this situacion. If he can't see or ignores you i advice that chief of the military may hear you, maybe some of their officers have seen the same and it's not too late.

Sincerely yours,

Isoroku Yamamoto, chief of the Imperial Japanse Navy.

 

[Lonfield]

Chapter V: Numbers (13th, August 1937 - 26th, March 1938)​

Few days after Yamamoto’s letter arrived to Foreign Affairs minister Chinese forces attacked at the whole border. Japanese army was defeated and forced to retreat. Hordes of militia and infantry assaulted Japanese exhausted troops before they could entrench at their positions. At the same time, due to the chaotic situation at Head Quarter some units kept pushing. “I think not even Head Quarter knew what was happening, and ordered those units to attack, but they’ll never accept it” When it was clear that a retreat was needed commanders managed to form a defensive line covering Beiping.

Disaster could have been worse if the Imperial Japanse Navy wouldn’t have got control at seas and the imperial air force wouldn’t have got the skies clear

Japanese attack is stopped

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High Command ask for a Marine Division for getting more strategic options

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Final position of the front after Japanese army withdraw. Clearly outnumbered Japanese units dig in and wait

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After the initial shock High Comand decide that the most important objective now, after letting units take a breath and rearm an amphibious attack is prepared to cut Chinese army from their reinforcement lines and diverse their attention, letting Japanes units advance and pocket their Chinese counterparts. This manouver requires precision, and speed, speed is so important because it's needed to encircle and destroy as many Chinese units as possible before numbers enter into play.

Amphibious attack, five divisions got from Siberian front will be the spearhead
(This attack was aborted, and new one happent on 24, September)

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Once High Command decided that Siberia would be quiet for a long time, Russia and Japan had a love and hate story but right now, both government were busy in their own problems and trade flourish between our nations. In this situation part of the forces at Siberian border were moved to the Chinese front. In they rely the attack.

After the first hours of combat Japanese amphibious attack goes deep into Chinese shore​

The attack was succesful and penetrated deep into Chinese lines. At the Chinese border all untis attack their counterparts with, as expected, breaking the enemy lines succesfully and pushing them back. Now, assaulting divisions must contact with their units in our lines to not get encircled and to start the pocketing mission.

Chinese war machine is well prepared and rapidly reacts to encircling manouvers.​

Few divisions got encircled and destroyed and once again Japanese units got to stop to take a breath and rearm​

Deepest penetration achieved by Japanese forces.​

Theese units had to fall back due to atrittion, risk of getting encircled and lack of support from the rest of the army that was holding the Chinese units on their positions​

Finally, after one month of intense fights new borders are moved only for a few kilometers. One Corp of Chinese units was destroyed and some cassualties on the rest of the units. On the other side, Japanese army lost some men. Got tottally deorganized and got to sit an rearm.

Frontline from October 1937 until now​

March, 25th 1937.

Dear Sir Yamamoto.

I think you would like to know what's happening here at the Imperial Palace. Chief of the Army is right now discussing with the rest of Military comanders what are we suposed to do. In the current situation and with the frontline totally stopped nobody knows what's going to be the next. Our army is demoralized, they've attacked theese Chinese peasant again and again but their lines, even when they break are dense and elastic like bamboo. You can push them, but they don't get broken. I have heard that Chief of the Air Force have suggested concentrating all our flying machines and bomb their lines waitting for them to get deorganized and then try to push again. All the members of the government complaint against that idea, we don't have the fuel to do that. And if we buy that fuel we will get into bankrupt. In my opinion, we've already tried that and we're stopped everytime, testing that way once again will only drain our manpower and our international reputation.

Oh, it seems they've just finished. Now it's my turn to talk about some trade agreements with United States. What a profitable relationship we have with those cowboys.

Sincerely yours

Hirota Koki, Foreing Affairs minister.

 

[Lonfield]

One question guys, why is my automatic convoy system sending fuel to provinces that directly have no units?, and why are my auto supply chain sending supplies (fuel and supply) to provinces with no untis and in the mean time i ahve harboured provinces with lack of supplies and units based there?. I can't understand. By the way, i've got some weird stuffs, for example i convoy out more than 2.500 supplies per day, while my units can consume not more than 200/300 day, maybe 500 but definetly no more. Could you help me to understand that?, and convoy system?

This AAR is allive!, i'll upload soon, i'm changing my images hosting service, to photobucket and soon i'll get new updates. Theese chinese guys are too strong right now.

 

[Cybvep]

Supply fluctuations are normal in HOI3. You need to keep in mind that the system tries to store ~30 days worth of supplies. Also, air units consume fuel, as do naval units, so if they are based overseas, fuel will need to be moved there.