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E,ncircling and taking out one of those rare Japanese Armoured Cavalry Divisions is very good news as the KMT doesn't have any dedicated anti-tank units. Moreover, this further reduces the IJA's mobility, allowing for even more encirclements. The enemy's lines are turning into swiss cheese, and China is biting off chunk after chunk. There is no way this ends well for Japan now. If they were somewhat smart, they would perform a strategic retreat so they can actually form a continuous line further back. If they're really short on troops, they might have to settle on holding the Korean border while they rebuild. Of course, Japanese honour would never allow such a course of action, thus they continue to be killed and captured piecemeal by the Chinese, and by the time the KMT gets to Korea, there will be no one left to stop them from taking it, leading to the shameful display that is Japan getting kicked out of the Asian mainland. I almost feel sorry for the Japanese empire. Almost.
If they were somewhat smart, they would perform a strategic retreat so they can actually form a continuous line further back. If they're really short on troops, they might have to settle on holding the Korean border while they rebuild. Of course, Japanese honour would never allow such a course of action, thus they continue to be killed and captured piecemeal by the Chinese, and by the time the KMT gets to Korea, there will be no one left to stop them from taking it, leading to the shameful display that is Japan getting kicked out of the Asian mainland. I almost feel sorry for the Japanese empire. Almost.
Yes, that would be the smart play, but they'd also sacrifice their Manchukuoan allies. I don't even know if the Japanese would have enough to hold Korea, maybe at the narrowest part. I can't feel too bad for them, they started this war and were so incompetent they're getting destroyed. Admittedly this is just the power of a human vs the AI.
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Part 24: Manchukuo on the Edge (Nov. - Dec. 3 1938)
Part 24: Manchukuo on the Edge ( Nov. - Dec. 3 1938)
At the beginning of November, Japanese forces were withdrawing across the central portion of the line after a major KMT offensive in this sector. Chiang hoped to capture Qiqihar and then push on to Harbin. In the north, KMT cavalry was northwest of Qiqihar and reported a lone Japanese cavalry division defending the province. Manchukuoan and Japanese infantry divisions were guarding Langtoutun while a garrison was holding Tantu to the south. Rather than attack Qiqihar directly, Chiang ordered an attack on Tantu.
On Nov. 3, the Japanese counterattacked out of Qiqihar with a cavalry and infantry division. They caught the KMT defenders in the flank but struggled due to the river crossing and rough terrain. Chiang ordered the attack against Tantu to continue regardless.
In the center, a drive for Harbin was being organized, spearheaded by the 200th Mot. Div. The following forces consisted of the 1st and 2nd corps' German-trained infantry divisions. These forces were expected to capture Songyuan and approach Harbin from the south.
On Nov. 4, Chiang ordered the 5th Army to advance from the Beiping area to Mukden in order to reinforce the southern portion of the front. These forces consisted of three corps of militia under General Xue Yue. The man was certainly talented, but Chiang did not fully trust him due to repeated betrayals and uprisings he had joined in the past.
General Xue Yue
Xue Yue was born to a Hakka peasant family in Guangdong in 1896. He attended a local military school in 1912 before attending the Baoding Military Academy (a predecessor to Whampoa) in 1917. A year later he headed south to join Sun Yat-sen as his head bodyguard. He served with distinction in the Northern Expedition, leading the 1st Div. When Chiang purged the Communists in Shanghai, Xue wanted to arrest him. Xue then fled to Guangdong and joined a warlord's army. He put down a Communist rebellion in Guangzhou before fighting against Chiang in the Central Plains War. He rejoined the KMT, being promoted to lead the Guangdong 4th Army. Xue and his men were then tasked with destroying the Communists in the south, beginning the Long March. He won many victories, destroying much of the CCP and improving his standing with Chiang. During the Xi'an Incident, Xue wanted to turn Chiang over to the Communists unless he would fight Chiang. This damaged his reputation once more although they formally reconciled.
At the beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese War, Xue had been commanding three corps of militia guarding the easternmost portion of the Huang He Line. He struggled to hold but succeeded, earning Chiang's respect. His forces played a very limited role in Op. Tiger, only attacking during the final exploitation and liquidation of the Tianjin pocket. Since then, he has been guarding the area around Beijing.
In real life, Xue won a number of major defenses against the Japanese, most notably the Battle of Wuhan and the first three battles of Changsha. He was barely supplied by Chiang due to mutual distrust, while the Americans distributing Lend Lease aid believed he was pocketing supplies and supplied very little. However, Chennault assisted Xue as much as possible, eventually becoming blood brothers. Xue was largely uninvolved in the Chinese Civil War, tasked with defending Hainan Island after the KMT retreated to Taiwan. His men were soon defeated, so he joined the government in Taiwan. He held various positions including military advisor and chief of staff; he was also the Master of Ceremony for Chiang's funeral. Xue lived to be 101, dying in mid 1998. It is surprising that he stuck with the KMT due to his clashes with Chiang throughout the Republican era, especially considering many KMT generals eventually joined the CCP despite being more connected/seemingly loyal to Chiang.
On the 5th, the Japanese gave up their counterattack on Baicheng near Qiqihar. The garrison guarding Tantu was beginning to withdraw as the Chinese could suddenly focus all their effort. In the south, a number of Japanese divisions had finally reinforced the line, stalling all advances in the area. They then counterattacked at Benxi in an attempt to roll back the KMT offensive. There were temporary supply shortages allowing the Japanese to make significant gains initially. Chiang generals assured him this was only a temporary shortage and would be resolved soon.
Two more Japanese divisions showed up in Kuandian on Nov. 6, causing Chiang to order all offensives in the sector. In the north, General Wei Lihuang decided to try and push into Qiqihar across the river while the cavalry supported from the north. The going was tough, but Chiang suspected his men would eventually force the river and capture the important city.
One day later, the Japanese garrison withdrew from Tantu, allowing two more KMT infantry divisions to join the attack on Qiqihar. Once the other two crossed the river, Chiang planned to have them join the attack as well. The central spearhead was continuing to advance, but the winter weather was slowing everything down. Tipingchuan was captured on Nov. 9, and the 200th Mot. immediately pushed on despite the reinforcing infantry being a province behind.
Soldiers from 200th Mot. Div. digging in until relieved. They were ordered to have gas masks at the ready as Chiang was concerned the Japanese might resort to chemical weapons in an effort to turn the tide.
On Nov. 14, the 200th Mot. Div. was cutoff as they had outrun the supporting infantry. A lone Japanese division stood in the way and was immediately engaged by six infantry divisions. 200th Mot. was ordered to dig in and hold their positions until relieved. Most of the surrounding Japanese and Manchukuoan divisions seemed more interested in retreating than in fighting, so Chiang hoped his men would be safe. Just to be sure, two KMT infantry divisions attacked Dabs Nur, directly to the west of 200th Mot, in a separate attempt to link up. They faced one Japanese infantry division and one Manchukuoan cavalry; both of these divisions were very disorganized and unlikely to hold long.
The following day, the Japanese withdrew from Tipingchuan. It would take some time for the infantry to relieve 200th Mot., but they appeared to be safe for now. The Japanese had lost over 400 men to only 50 Chinese, likely due to the overwhelming firepower of six divisions.
On Nov. 16, KMT forces launched an attack that had the potential to encircle three Manchukuoan garrison divisions. A lone Japanese division in Fushun was attacked by three Chinese infantry divisions as well as two militias from the flank. The attack was not going as well as expected due to the extensive Japanese fortifications and the division's veteran soldiers.
In the north, Qiqihar was nearly in Chinese hands while other divisions began to press on toward Harbin. On Nov. 17, some headquarters units were brushed aside as one of the oversized southern divisions pushed on to Tailai, just two provinces from Harbin.
On Nov. 18, the Japanese finally withdrew from Qiqihar after losing almost 900 men and inflicting 500 casualties. The fighting had been fierce, but the lone cavalry division could not hold such a large section of the front against so many Chinese divisions.
Two days later, the Japanese attacked Fengcheng in the south. In response, KMT forces under Tong Linge attacked Weiziyu, catching some of the Japanese divisions off guard. Two of the divisions immediately withdrew and left one division to hold off the entire Chinese advance. This withdrawal also left the Japanese cavalry to attack Fengcheng on their own, making victory extremely unlikely.
General Tong Linge
Little about Tong Linge is known. He was of Manchu descent but served in a northern warlord army before officially joining the KMT in the late '20s. He likely served with his warlord in the Central Plains War against Chiang before being the army was forcibly absorbed into the NRA. A few years later, he joined the Chahar People's Anti-Japanese Army and waged a guerilla campaign against the Japanese in northern China. In 1933, he joined the army guarding the Beiping-Tianjin area, remaining here until the outbreak of war with Japan. He died in the first month of fighting against Japan during the Battle of Beiping-Tianjin.
In typical Paradox fashion, he doesn't become available as a general until 1938 despite being dead as of late July 1937 in OTL. It seems like he should have been available from the beginning but dead in later starts. There isn't too much information on this general since he died so early in the war, but I figured I'd add him so no one thinks Paradox did an above average job on the Chinese theater's leaders.
A few hours later, a Japanese division slipped into Tailai and stalled the offensive toward Harbin. Chiang ordered his men to keep up the attack, but the lone KMT division was roughly evenly matched, making victory uncertain. Reinforcements were directed to join the attack, but it would take some time to advance across the harsh terrain.
In the center, Dabs Nur finally fell, securing a second supply line for the second advance on Harbin. This drive was expected to continue as soon as the infantry had advanced enough to cover the land taken.
A few days later, the Japanese cavalry gave up their attack on Fengcheng in the south after losing almost 1000 men and killing only 90 Chinese. This allowed the KMT forces in Fengcheng to support the attack on Weiziyu. The attack on Fushun was nearing completion, but fresh militias had cycled in as the first two were totally exhausted. Xue Yue's 5th Army began to arrive in the area around Mukden and was prepared to exploit once Weiziyu was captured.
In the north, reinforcements had arrived for the push on Harbin, so the Japanese withdrew immediately. They left behind roughly 800 men while the Chinese lost only 200.
On Nov. 24, Chiang ordered that work should recommence on the ROCS Ping Hai (Note: ignore that it is called Chungking). With the IJA nearly pushed off the mainland, the NRA would be left as the strongest force in East Asia except the Soviet Red Army. However, it was certain to be the largest and most experienced in modern warfare. China would likely need a strong navy in order to secure Taiwan, so finishing Ping Hai would allow Chinese shipyards to begin expanding. In early 1936, Chiang had ordered all work to stop on this ship (Note: Canceled its production) in order to focus on upgrading the NRA's equipment. During the Japanese invasion, the shipyard in Shanghai had been bombed several times, severely damaging the ship and setting back much of the work done on her. Therefore, the shipyard was largely starting from scratch.
At noon, a totally disorganized cavalry division slipped into Tailai and stopped the Chinese advance once more. Chiang's men expected to force the Japanese back, but it would take some time due to the terrain allowing the cavalry to stage numerous ambushes. To the south, 200th Mot. and two infantry divisions brushed aside some disorganized and retreating enemies in a push to capture Songyuan. On Nov. 25, the cavalry withdrew from Tailai closely followed by a KMT division.
On Nov. 26, another Japanese division slipped into Songyuan, but this one decided to put up a fight. The motorized division struggled in crossing the river, despite the assistance of China's only amphibious tanks. These were 29 Vickers-Carden-Lloyd light amphibious tanks (A4E11 in Britain). These were designed and built in 1930-32, weighing just over two tons. The tanks was crewed by two men, a driver and gunner/commander. They are protected by a maximum of 11mm of armor and armed with a single Vickers 0.303" machine gun. They were only capable of about 4mph in the water, so the Japanese quickly destroyed them as they attempted to cross the river.
Tipingchuan also fell under heavy Japanese attack in an effort to cutoff the spearhead headed for Harbin. Qiu Qingquan attempted to delay the enemy until reinforcements could join him. Fortunately for him, the Japanese were struggling to get all of their forces into the battle. The reinforcements arrived seven hours later, convincing the Japanese to give up the attack.
At 0100 on Nov. 27, the Japanese finally withdrew from Fushun after losing 2000 men and inflicting 2600 casualties. The Manchukuoan garrisons made no attempt to withdraw, almost guaranteeing they would be encircled and destroyed.
That evening, the KMT infantry finally occupied Tailai and were immediately attacked by three Japanese garrison divisions that were attempting to stall the Chinese advance. The battle for Songyuan was still raging on, but the Japanese defenders were beginning to get worn down. To their west, the Japanese armored division had withdrawn to Anguang where they were attacked by two KMT divisions on Nov. 29.
A few hours later, the Japanese gave up the defense of Weiziyu, allowing KMT forces to begin to breakout in the south. One corps of Xue Yue's militia were immediately ordered to exploit the breakthrough, hopefully eventually breaking out into Korea. The Chinese lost over 1500 men while the Japanese lost nearly 1300 men.
On Nov. 30, the Japanese withdrew from Songyuan, allowing the Chinese to cross the river. Once the province was captured, Chinese forces would be able to attack Harbin. However, Chiang intended to secure several more neighboring provinces in order to make the attack on Harbin more likely to succeed.
On Dec. 1, the Japanese gave up their attack on Tailai due to a KMT counterattack. The goal was for the reinforcing divisions to either push further east or south to border Harbin. Two Japanese garrisons stationed in Harbin attacked the bridgehead at Songyuan in an attempt to push 200th Mot. back from the outskirts of the city.
On Dec. 2, Chiang decided they should turn south. There was only a Japanese headquarters holding this province while there was an infantry division guarding the east. Further, this would allow a new approach to Harbin without crossing a river, and it also might allow the Japanese armored division to be encircled and destroyed.
A few hours later, KMT forces finally occupied Fushun and encircled the Manchukuoan garrisons. The Chinese forces were immediately engaged by several well rested Japanese divisions, but Chiang hoped they could hold until the garrisons surrendered.
On Dec. 3, Chiang was informed that Ataturk, father of the modern Turkish nation, had died at the age of 57 (@Bullfilter thought you'd like to know!). He had done much to transform Turkey into a secular, modern nation, and his people were certain to miss him.
Finally, Chiang received another update on the progress in Manchuria. Most importantly, Chinese forces had captured Qiqihar and arrived at the outskirts of Harbin. When Harbin falls, Chinese officials are almost certain that Manchukuo will fall as well. Manchukuoan soldiers are regularly deserting or defecting to the NRA whenever their Japanese officers are not around; these men describe Manchukuo as a nation ready to collapse, only held together by the threat of Japanese force. Progress had been slow in the south due to tenacious Japanese resistance, but a breakthrough in Weiziyu has the potential to allow the NRA into Korea. The war might not be over by Christmas, but one more push for Harbin should end Japan's aspirations on the mainland...
Another Japanese Armoured Divisions looks ripe for the picking, and Harbin is within reach.
I like how you explained the fact you deleted the original Ping Hai from the build order and are now starting from scratch. It makes sense for the name, and some parts to be carried over to the new ship, but as you say, most of the work was bombed to bits...
I'm loving the short histories of the Generals, even the undead ones.
I recently noticed that I have 2 General Vlassov's with the same picture but significantly different skills in my Soviet OOB... Vlassov, of course, being the infamous general of 2nd Shock Army who defected to the Axis after the fiasco that was the Battle of Lyuban which resulted in his capture. I'd be pissed too if no one backed me up after a breakthrough, and no permission is given to retreat... Anyhow, it's funny that Vlassov has a paradox twin...
That's for sure! HOI3 and HPP by extension do a decent job modelling China's problems during this era, but it can only be so accurate. I don't think an accurate simulation of Chiang's problems would be very fun to play, but it certainly isn't easy! I can only imagine how frustrating it was to order units to move, but they didn't because the general didn't like you. It'd also be a nightmare figuring out where to put units to defend because a number of officers over reported the number of men in their armies and pocketed the extra pay rather than training more men. Really amazing that they held out as long as they did.
Yes, we're really just cleaning up now. That armored division really deserves to be captured, I feel like it's been popping up all over during the invasion of Manchuria.
I like how you explained the fact you deleted the original Ping Hai from the build order and are now starting from scratch. It makes sense for the name, and some parts to be carried over to the new ship, but as you say, most of the work was bombed to bits...
I'm glad that made sense! I didn't want to just buy a ship license from Germany because that seems a little unrealistic. Ping Hai would be the first ship built in Chinese shipyards, so I figured makes sense story/realism wise to build it. I also thought @nuclearslurpee might appreciate balance being restored to the force
I'm glad to share them, the Chinese generals seemed to move around a lot due to the crazy nature of China in this era. I think the craziness is partly what interested me in this theater of WWII. I'm a little sad the war is likely to be over before Pearl Harbor because Stilwell would have been a blast to write about!
I recently noticed that I have 2 General Vlassov's with the same picture but significantly different skills in my Soviet OOB... Vlassov, of course, being the infamous general of 2nd Shock Army who defected to the Axis after the fiasco that was the Battle of Lyuban which resulted in his capture. I'd be pissed too if no one backed me up after a breakthrough, and no permission is given to retreat... Anyhow, it's funny that Vlassov has a paradox twin...
That is pretty strange, especially that there are different skills. I suspect two people were working on the Soviet leaders list and missed the repeat. Vlasov is certainly an interesting case as I don't know if anyone truly knows why he decided to collaborate. The most likely is a combination of wanting to get out of a POW camp and being bitter with Stalin, but it's hard to say for sure. Another interesting read is the White Russians that left after the Civil War and later fought with the Germans, particularly the Cossacks under Pyotr Krasnov and Andrei Shkuro.
A fascinating story here. On one hand it seems tragic that a man of his talents in the end was relegated to command a rear area, though admittedly it wouldn't have made a big difference most likely. On the other hand he really did shoot himself in the foot with his constantly shifting loyalties.
The following day, the Japanese withdrew from Tipingchuan. It would take some time for the infantry to relieve 200th Mot., but they appeared to be safe for now. The Japanese had lost over 400 men to only 50 Chinese, likely due to the overwhelming firepower of six divisions.
Frankly it is about time we got back to the historical effort to build a giant, battleship-led Chinese Navy and less of this annoying land war business.
The motorized division struggled in crossing the river, despite the assistance of China's only amphibious tanks. These were 29 Vickers-Carden-Lloyd light amphibious tanks (A4E11 in Britain). These were designed and built in 1930-32, weighing just over two tons. The tanks was crewed by two men, a driver and gunner/commander. They are protected by a maximum of 11mm of armor and armed with a single Vickers 0.303" machine gun. They were only capable of about 4mph in the water, so the Japanese quickly destroyed them as they attempted to cross the river.
HPP especially brings a lot of life to the theater. Really HoI3 is not a good vehicle for modeling the Chinese wars of the period...period. A bit odd to say for a wargame designed to represent the period, but the wars in China are just completely different in character from the wars fought everywhere else. A lot of aspects are just not able to be replicated...the fight for the railroads, guerilla warfare, the Japanese lack of commitment... and of course there is the AI mucking things up. Still on the whole it is a good effort and makes for a fun theater for a campaign which is all we really need from a war game.
China has always had this problem of being too large to control effectively, leading to the situation where one has to build up the infrastructure to exert that control before the administrative infrastructure exists to actually control the means of that exertion, that is to say the military. This does however make for an exciting history prior to about 1949 when things rather went to pot.
I'm glad that made sense! I didn't want to just buy a ship license from Germany because that seems a little unrealistic. Ping Hai would be the first ship built in Chinese shipyards, so I figured makes sense story/realism wise to build it. I also thought @nuclearslurpee might appreciate balance being restored to the force
You mention the generals not moving, etc: the AGEOD game Civil War 2 had a mechanic for it in that generals could go inactive and basically not move, costing time etc. So it can be frustrating for sure, but it could be modeled.
A fascinating story here. On one hand it seems tragic that a man of his talents in the end was relegated to command a rear area, though admittedly it wouldn't have made a big difference most likely. On the other hand he really did shoot himself in the foot with his constantly shifting loyalties
Just wait until I get to some of the other 'big names' from the Civil War. There's a bizarre mix of mutual mistrust, incompetence, Communist moles, etc. that make the entire campaign frustrating to read about. I'm thinking the first update of 1939 will have quite a few biographies for some of the new generals I'll be getting together with rearrangements of the OOB.
I certainly lucked out that the Japanese are all but beat, that could have been incredibly painful otherwise. In my defense, the infantry got slowed down pretty dramatically by the rough terrain and winter weather. I still don't know how the Japanese got there first.
Frankly it is about time we got back to the historical effort to build a giant, battleship-led Chinese Navy and less of this annoying land war business.
I'm not sure battleships are in the cards...I think I'd get something semi-usable by about 1948 due to my lack of research! Is a light and heavy cruiser fleet acceptable? I know it isn't the most impressive, but it seems doable.
Well, the Soviets did built a crapload of their knockoff Vickers-Carden-Lloyd amphibious tanks (T-37), but they didn't perform so well. I seem to remember reading about T-34s fording rivers, but the details are escaping me. I remember it was pretty funny, but I'd appreciate a reminder.
HPP especially brings a lot of life to the theater. Really HoI3 is not a good vehicle for modeling the Chinese wars of the period...period. A bit odd to say for a wargame designed to represent the period, but the wars in China are just completely different in character from the wars fought everywhere else. A lot of aspects are just not able to be replicated...the fight for the railroads, guerilla warfare, the Japanese lack of commitment... and of course there is the AI mucking things up. Still on the whole it is a good effort and makes for a fun theater for a campaign which is all we really need from a war game.
You mention the generals not moving, etc: the AGEOD game Civil War 2 had a mechanic for it in that generals could go inactive and basically not move, costing time etc. So it can be frustrating for sure, but it could be modeled.
I actually think AGEOD's Revolution Under Siege would do an amazing job modeling the wars in China. It has an emphasis on railroads, disloyal generals, regional troops, political vs military control, lovingly researched, etc. There was a lot to love about the game, and I think it could do well in China. Unfortunately, I couldn't get it to run on my computer without crashing, and the game rules/UI were a bit beyond me...
I think HPP succeeds in making the theater fun and interesting. It might not be the 'ideal' game, but what else even attempts to model every country in WWII? That's pretty awesome, and it definitely succeeds in being fun!
I thought you might appreciate the return of Ping Hai! Prequel memes are always welcome in this AAR, although I can't guarantee I'll always catch them.
I'm not sure battleships are in the cards...I think I'd get something semi-usable by about 1948 due to my lack of research! Is a light and heavy cruiser fleet acceptable? I know it isn't the most impressive, but it seems doable.
I suppose we can compromise on carriers, as even an interwar-quality design can still launch modern carrier planes (in HoI3, a highly-abstracted game which in no way is cognizant of the frightening complexity of real-life carrier operations).
I cannot locate the link presently, but I remember a story about one Soviet general who was faced with the problem of getting his T-34s across a river, but the bridge was out and there was no ford within a suitable distance. Naturally, the solution was to field-waterproof the T-34s and drive them under the water to the other side. This actually worked, because the Soviets were apparently WH40K Orks at least until 1945, after which they apparently tried to recapture the same magic which is what led to the Admiral Kuznetsov. Among other exciting naval failures.
I thought you might appreciate the return of Ping Hai! Prequel memes are always welcome in this AAR, although I can't guarantee I'll always catch them.
I hold a love for all neglected and forgotten naval vessels of the period. The Iowas and Yamatos may be very impressive and hog all the glory in modern retellings, but the adorable little Ning Hais should always have a place in our hearts. Granted, this place is very near to the parts of our hearts reserved for laughing at the M3 Lee and everything the Germans did, but it is still a place in our hearts all the same.
Doing my post-AAR chapter production catch-up. (I find if I don’t do it that way, my chapter round-robin really slows down and you have to keep the customers satisfied )
On Oct. 6, the trapped cavalry in Laoha He surrendered even as their comrades outside the pocket won in Baixingt. If they had held one more day, they could have been relieved. Instead, almost 600 Chinese fell holding Baixingt until the cavalry surrendered, capturing roughly 9000 men.
Chiang was greatly pleased on Oct. 18 as the defenders of Mukden surrendered after losing 1200 men. Over 15000 more Japanese and Manchukuoans marched into captivity while the major industrial city was soon to be secured.
Note: I decided to try and be a bit more abbreviated on the battles during this month. I've detailed everything interesting/important and cut out the minor battles for the sake of time. Let me know if you felt like it worked or not. I just want to keep this moving since we're somewhat in the mopping-up phase. I don't think a bunch of 10 hour battles with minimal casualties would be particularly interesting to read about.
The biographical inserts are much appreciated, and I for one would like to support more of them. Historical research is one of the many things that makes this AAR board one of the best after all. Not like, say, Reddit "AARs" which are a dozen pictures of them wiping the floor with the AIs and little else...
That's kind of amazing that the majority of people play on Very Easy. I guess most people just want to paint the world grey with their uber-panzers and move on?
I suppose we can compromise on carriers, as even an interwar-quality design can still launch modern carrier planes (in HoI3, a highly-abstracted game which in no way is cognizant of the frightening complexity of real-life carrier operations).
I suppose I'm basically taking up the slack with the end of Utsunimiya's War, all of the naval fanatics just crossed the South China Sea and latched onto the next big country!
I cannot locate the link presently, but I remember a story about one Soviet general who was faced with the problem of getting his T-34s across a river, but the bridge was out and there was no ford within a suitable distance. Naturally, the solution was to field-waterproof the T-34s and drive them under the water to the other side. This actually worked, because the Soviets were apparently WH40K Orks at least until 1945, after which they apparently tried to recapture the same magic which is what led to the Admiral Kuznetsov. Among other exciting naval failures.
I hold a love for all neglected and forgotten naval vessels of the period. The Iowas and Yamatos may be very impressive and hog all the glory in modern retellings, but the adorable little Ning Hais should always have a place in our hearts. Granted, this place is very near to the parts of our hearts reserved for laughing at the M3 Lee and everything the Germans did, but it is still a place in our hearts all the same.
I can understand that, I really like T-27s, 7TPs, M13/40s, etc. There's just something about those early war tanks where nobody quite knew what makes a good tank but they're so charming! The M3 still gets laughed at though.
Doing my post-AAR chapter production catch-up. (I find if I don’t do it that way, my chapter round-robin really slows down and you have to keep the customers satisfied )
Glad to hear it, I'm also glad you're enjoying the biographies. I guess this is how I should have been writing the AAR the whole time, but at least I'm making good progress.
On Dec. 3, it appeared that a breakthrough was finally forming in the south. Three Manchukuoan garrisons had been surrounded in Dongjingling, but the Japanese were attempting to relieve them by retaking Fushun. To the east, there appeared to be very few Japanese forces guarding northern Korea, so Chiang ordered his men to begin exploiting this gap. Another corps of militia were headed in the same direction, but it would take them some time to march from Mukden to the front.
At 0300, the Japanese gave up their attack on Songyuan, freeing up 200th Mot. to advance. Chiang ordered them to take Datong and close the retreat of the Japanese armored division tied down in Anguang. Two infantry divisions were headed to Datong from the north, but it would take them some time to arrive yet.
On Dec. 5, General Wei Lihuang was ordered to continue his pinning attack on the Japanese garrisons. Chiang felt it was far more important for his men to tie down these units and prevent them reinforcing Harbin. Meanwhile, a lone cavalry division was flanking them from the north while the other two divisions were ordered to advance to Nenjiang and cover the rear.
Wei Lihuang (right) with Chiang Kai-shek (left)
Wei Lihuang was born in 1897 and joined the KMT in the early 1920s. He served in the Northern Expedition, eventually being named a general. He most distinguished himself during the anti-Communist encirclement campaigns of 1930-34, eventually being nicknamed 'Hundred Victories Wei'.
During the Japanese invasion, he held a number of high level commands with much of his focus in southern China. He was eventually placed in command of Y-Force, roughly 100,000 KMT soldiers stationed in Yunnan that were expected to assist in retaking Burma. These units were largely American trained and equipped, receiving some of the best equipment within China. These units did not see much combat until May of 1944 when they launched a major attack on southern Yunnan and northern Burma. In early 1945, they linked up with Chinese and Allied units pushing into Burma from India and reopened the Burma Road.
During the Chinese Civil War, Wei did not see combat until 1947. He was sent to Manchuria to take over the declining situation there. In the closing days of WWII, the Soviet Union had invaded and conquered Manchuria. They eventually pulled out after giving the CCP captured weapons and supplies. The KMT flew troops into the major cities while the CCP controlled much of the countryside. Many of the best KMT units were in this area, but their positions were vulnerable. Wei was placed in charge in late 1947, and the situation was still stable.
Wei did not do well in resisting the Communist offensives of 1948. He constantly dragged his feet on executing orders, holding position when ordered to withdraw, and then suddenly withdrawing when it was no longer feasible. He lost the KMT roughly 300,000 of their best troops before being replaced after about a year. Chiang then placed him under house arrest, and Wei would escape to Hong Kong in 1949 due to the chaos of the retreat to Taiwan. He moved to Beijing in 1955, receiving various jobs with the Communist government until he died in 1960.
It's not entirely clear what happened with Wei in Manchuria. He could have been unprepared for modern warfare, a CCP sympathizer, or incompetent. It was certainly not likely the KMT could win in Manchuria, but Wei achieved the worst possible outcome, seriously harming his reputation as a general.
Paradox again screwed up this general because he only becomes available in 1938 despite serving for over a decade at that point. They make him skill 2 which is near the top for the ROC. I think most of the other generals are under-skilled, and Wei is probably at the right spot. Most start out at skill 0, pretty much regardless of their actual effectiveness in the war.
At noon, 200th Mot. completed their advance and trapped the Japanese armored division in Anguang. This was a true armored division consisting of light tanks, motorized infantry, and truck towed artillery rather than the reinforced cavalry divisions encountered earlier in the campaign. The Japanese immediately launched two attacks in an effort to relieve their trapped comrades. Both Datong and Songyuan were hit within hours of each other. Chiang was not overly concerned as reinforcements were headed for Datong and the men in Songyuan were well dug-in.
To lighten the load on Datong, Chiang ordered one division to attack Daqing. If the attack succeeded, this would also provide another angle on Harbin, making victory in the province much easier.
On Dec. 6, the Japanese gave up their attack on Fushun, guaranteeing the Manchukuoans would be captured eventually. The battle was taking some time, but the Manchukuoans were already becoming demoralized.
By noon, the pressure on Datong was greatly reduced; the Japanese in Daqing had stopped supporting the attack on Datong, leaving a lone garrison to continue. Chiang felt this was about the best outcome that could be expected; in an effort to rescue the armored division, the Japanese were abandoning their fortifications in Harbin and losing organization in largely futile battles.
At midday on Dec. 7, the first infantry division arrived in Datong and reinforced the battle. Another division was following, but they were a few days behind. The battle for Songyuan was also beginning to look better as the Manchukuoan cavalry were near the breaking point.
On Dec. 8, the Chinese won in Daqing and began to advance into the province. Chiang was uncertain how or why a lone KMT infantry division had defeated two Japanese divisions. While the division was one of the oversized southern units, they still weren't as strong as two Japanese. The terrain had also been hilly and bolstered the defense.
A KMT soldier from southern China uses his ZB vz. 26 to suppress the defending Japanese. Many of the southern units were equipped with British 'Brodie' helmets due to the proximity of Hong Kong.
A few hours later, the Japanese attacked Fushun once more in a final attempt to rescue the garrison divisions. The defending Chinese were beat down and disorganized, but stubbornly resisted the lone Japanese division.
On Dec. 10, the Manchukuoans in Dongjingling finally surrendered. Despite this victory, the Japanese continued to attack Fushun which prompted nearby KMT militias to counterattack in an effort to relieve Fushun.
In even better news, the Japanese armored division finally surrendered on Dec. 13. They had fought long and hard with both sides losing about 1000 men. When news reached the Harbin garrison, they called off the attack on Datong. These garrison units had been slaughtered by the KMT infantry, losing 1800 men while killing only 160 Chinese.
In addition to the armored division, a small irregular force of Manchukuoans was also captured. These men were former bandits and criminals that had been used to hunt down rebels in Manchukuo. With KMT forces capturing much of Manchuria, they were pressed into service and joined the Japanese armored division. This irregular unit was led by Yoshiko Kawashima, a Manchu princess that had spied for the Japanese before creating this irregular unit. Dai Li's security agents took a special interest in this prisoner, taking her with them to an undisclosed location.
Yoshiko Kawashima
Yoshiko Kawashima was born to a Manchu prince in 1907. After the Qing dynasty was overthrown, her father could no longer support her; she was then adopted by his friend, Naniwa Kawashima, a Japanese spy and adventurer. She was brought to Japan and renamed Yoshiko. As a young adult, Yoshiko's adopted father began to abuse her both physically and sexually.
A few years later, Yoshiko declared she would no longer live as a woman, shaving her head and wearing men's clothes. She had always been a tomboy, but this surprised many people in Japan. Her adopted father married her to the son of a Mongolian general, but it only lasted three years.
Yoshiko then moved to Shanghai and eventually became a spy for the Japanese. She had several undercover operations in Manchuria, distinguishing herself each time. Yoshiko eventually persuaded Puyi, the last Qing emperor to go to Manchuria and become the puppet leader of Manchukuo. She eventually formed an anti-partisan unit for Manchukuo, but could no longer be a spy since she was too famous.
As the war worsened for Japan, Yoshiko became more and more critical of Puyi's subservience. The Japanese eventually forced her out of public life until the end of the war. She was captured in Beiping by KMT agents and put on trial as a traitor to China. Her lawyers attempted to argue she was a war criminal and not a traitor since she was not Chinese. The court did not accept this argument and executed her on Oct. 20, 1947.
As far as I know, Yoshiko has no purpose in game. I wanted to add her because she had such a strange life. I will talk a little bit more about her, but I don't think her in-game fate will be much better than OTL.
That same day, Chiang was informed that research had been completed on basic electrical and mechanical engineering. Next, research was turned to radios; some Chinese units were equipped with radios, but nothing was being manufactured in China. Chiang hoped to begin local production so all military units would be equipped with radios, hopefully improving their effectiveness in combat.
Just after noon, KMT forces were ordered to attack Harbin and end Manchukuo's existence. The attack mainly came from Datong, but the division that had taken Daqing also provided support. The Japanese held the city with two garrisons and a Manchukuoan infantry division, but all of these units were disorganized.
On the 14th, research into industrial efficiency was completed, and new work on the same topic continued. Many of the factories captured in Manchuria are much better run than factories in the rest of China, so researchers have been creating recommendations that can catch the rest of the country up.
A few hours later, the battle for Fushun ended with 550 KMT casualties and 700 Japanese. The spoiling attack was also called off as the Chinese militias were not making good progress against the dug-in Japanese. Nearly 1000 Chinese soldiers fell while the Japanese lost just over 100.
KMT militias armed with Mauser C96 pistols. This was probably the most popular pistol in China with over 300,000 being imported and an unknown number of unlicensed copies being built. Some were even built to use .45 ACP, making a much larger pistol than the original Mauser design.
The only news on Dec. 16 was that the battle for Songyuan ended. The Chinese defenders lost nearly 1400 men while the Japanese lost over 2400 and failed to make any progress. With this victory, they joined the battle for Harbin. The Manchukuoans had been driven out, but the Japanese had brought a new mountain division into the city. The division had not yet reinforced the battle, and the garrisons were beginning to get worn down.
These reinforcements proved enough to win the day, and the Japanese were forced to withdraw from Harbin on Dec. 18. Their mountain division had failed to reinforce, but the Chinese reinforcements had joined the battle and pushed the disorganized garrisons from the city. The Japanese had lost 1500 men while the Chinese lost about 750.
KMT forces arrived in Harbin on Dec. 19, and Manchukuo formally surrendered on Dec. 20. Pu Yi, the 'emperor' of Manchukuo, was not captured, but the rest of the government was, and a surrender was soon extracted from them. With this, Japanese forces in Manchukuo were suddenly surrounded by hostile territory while their former allies also changed sides. Many of the Japanese units had their supply lines cut by angry Manchurian peasants, but a few divisions maintained their cohesion. (Note: All of the Japanese units under Manchukuoan control shattered and instantly teleported to Tokyo. These lost most of their manpower, being reduced to a few hundred men, but were not encircled and destroyed by me. Any units under Japanese control were stranded in Manchuria though, so they will be destroyed.) Further, much of the remaining Manchukuoan army joined the NRA with only their most senior officers being removed. These forces included a three-brigade militia division, a two-brigade cavalry division, and three two-brigade infantry divisions. While these units were lacking in heavy artillery and anti-tank weapons, they were very well equipped with small arms, machine guns, and light artillery.
Map showing isolated Japanese divisions.
The NRA had two priorities now that Manchukuo had surrendered. First, all remaining Japanese divisions needed to be encircled and destroyed. The Japanese divisions in the south and center would be destroyed first since there were KMT forces nearby to destroy them. Those in the north had nowhere to run, so they could be mopped up whenever was convenient. Second, forces needed to advance into Korea and take as much territory as possible. There were no forces stationed on the border, so Chiang hoped his men could cover as much of the mountainous peninsula as possible before the Japanese began to fight back.
The southernmost pocket consisted of a single Japanese cavalry division, and they were almost immediately attacked by nearby KMT infantry. The northernmost pocket contained a single garrison division, so a handful of militia and cavalry were sent north to capture them as well. The pocket along the Soviet border only had one infantry division and an HQ, so they were screened by nearby KMT units. The main focus was on the pocket near Harbin and the central pocket. The central pocket had only one infantry division and two headquarters.
Harbin pocket with three divisions.
By the end of December, the pocket near Harbin, the central pocket, and the southern pocket were liquidated, adding another two infantry, one mountain, one marine, and one cavalry divisions' worth of prisoners. There had been no opposition in northern Korea, but the advance was slow due to the mountains and winter weather.
The end of December was marked with further good news. Chiang decided to bring Kong Xiangxi (better known as H.H. Kung) into the cabinet as minister of security. Kung has served in the government for some time now, focusing largely on industry and commerce. Chiang did not entirely trust Kung despite being brother in-laws, but felt that Kung's rapport with intellectuals made him a good choice.
Chiang also received good news regarding the production of military supplies. First, another wing of P-26 Peashooters had been purchased from the United States and would soon be assembled in China. The first wing should be finished in early January, so Chiang would have decide what to build next. Second, production of a new rifle was finally completed, so work turned to a copying the German 8cm Granatwerfer 34.
Inset: The 8cm Granatwerfer 34 was the standard mortar of Germany. The ROC had imported some to equip the German-trained divisions, but later decided to produce an unlicensed copy after the Germans chose to support Japan instead.
This new rifle was the Type 24 Chiang Kai-shek rifle, a locally produced copy of the Mauser Standardmodell. The Mauser Standardmodell was a shortened and lightened Gewehr 98 which was essentially the predecessor of the famous K98. Roughly 10,000 were imported in 1934, and China then imported the tooling to begin local production. It took some time to begin production, but this rifle was much better than the old Hanyang 88 and many Japanese rifles.
A Chinese sentry armed with a Chiang Kai-shek rifle
Perhaps most importantly, Kawashima, the Manchu princess and Japanese spy, eventually cracked under Dai Li's interrogation. Apparently Pu Yi was attempting to flee to Korea where he could join his puppet masters in Japan. He had brought only his household guard, and Korea was largely undefended by the Japanese, so Chiang was confident his men could capture the false emperor.
With victory in Manchuria, Chiang's victorious armies have begun to invade Korea and force Japan from the mainland forever. Chinese industry has begun to focus on both the air force and navy since Chiang has directed Taiwan be captured if the Japanese do not prepare to negotiate. The NRA will also have to consider future wars against the Communists and remaining warlords, but Japan must come first.
It certainly is, and things are about to change! I don't think you've commented in this AAR before, so thanks for joining Idhrendur! I really appreciate your comment
Well, he is guarding the Flying Tigers, so that might have something to do with it. It also helps he has a fairly new rifle, but he doesn't have any shoes! Goes to show China's desperate situation later in the historical war.
Korea most certainly is because those shattered divisions will take a very long time to reinforce and there can't be much left. That actually works out better for Japan because otherwise most of their army would have been encircled and destroyed when Manchukuo surrendered.
She really did live a sad life. There were a few years of spying and glamorous adventures, but her childhood was really horrible and her time in Manchukuo wasn't much better.
Her conviction all came down to the technicality that she never renounced her Chinese citizenship, despite being raised in Japan, briefly living in China under KMT rule, and then spending the rest of her life in Manchukuo. I'm not entirely certain how the ROC handled the continuity of citizenship after the Warlord Era, so it seems pretty understandable that she never got around to it. Kawashima also tried to argue that she was Manchu, not Chinese, so she couldn't be a race traitor. The KMT court didn't accept that because they were obviously interested in reintegrating Manchuria into China and squashing any separatist ideas.
The following day, the Japanese withdrew from Tipingchuan. It would take some time for the infantry to relieve 200th Mot., but they appeared to be safe for now.
On Nov. 18, the Japanese finally withdrew from Qiqihar after losing almost 900 men and inflicting 500 casualties. The fighting had been fierce, but the lone cavalry division could not hold such a large section of the front against so many Chinese divisions.
These were 29 Vickers-Carden-Lloyd light amphibious tanks (A4E11 in Britain). These were designed and built in 1930-32, weighing just over two tons. The tanks was crewed by two men, a driver and gunner/commander. They are protected by a maximum of 11mm of armor and armed with a single Vickers 0.303" machine gun. They were only capable of about 4mph in the water, so the Japanese quickly destroyed them as they attempted to cross the river.
On Nov. 30, the Japanese withdrew from Songyuan, allowing the Chinese to cross the river. Once the province was captured, Chinese forces would be able to attack Harbin. However, Chiang intended to secure several more neighboring provinces in order to make the attack on Harbin more likely to succeed.
On Dec. 3, Chiang was informed that Ataturk, father of the modern Turkish nation, had died at the age of 57 (@Bullfilter thought you'd like to know!). He had done much to transform Turkey into a secular, modern nation, and his people were certain to miss him.
No need to imagine, just give the AI command at army level, set them to blitzing, with overwhelming and concentrated numbers against a thinly held enemy line, on favourable attacking terrain and when time is of the essence to punch through before reinforcements arrive. And watch them do nothing, while elsewhere those set to defensive launch hopeless attacks against dug in troops with superior numbers!
I think HPP succeeds in making the theater fun and interesting. It might not be the 'ideal' game, but what else even attempts to model every country in WWII? That's pretty awesome, and it definitely succeeds in being fun!
This is why I mainly forgive the many research errors made on the people and equipment: no one else even tries this level of effort and for the game itself, it is actually cosmetic. The things that disappoint me more are unfixed genuine bugs and anomalies in the system that should have been remedied at least in a final patch.
By the end of December, the pocket near Harbin, the central pocket, and the southern pocket were liquidated, adding another two infantry, one mountain, one marine, and one cavalry divisions' worth of prisoners.
With victory in Manchuria, Chiang's victorious armies have begun to invade Korea and force Japan from the mainland forever. Chinese industry has begun to focus on both the air force and navy since Chiang has directed Taiwan be captured if the Japanese do not prepare to negotiate. The NRA will also have to consider future wars against the Communists and remaining warlords, but Japan must come first.
The perfidious Communists (the Chinese ones, anyway) must be wiped out in due course. The more interesting strategic choice later will be whether to take advantage of a possible German attack on the Soviets in a few years ... trying to emulate or surpass what the Japanese did to the Russians in 1904-5. But not necessarily having to join the Axis to do it, thus keeping the Allies of your back.
The perfidious Communists (the Chinese ones, anyway) must be wiped out in due course. The more interesting strategic choice later will be whether to take advantage of a possible German attack on the Soviets in a few years ... trying to emulate or surpass what the Japanese did to the Russians in 1904-5. But not necessarily having to join the Axis to do it, thus keeping the Allies of your back.
