Timskorn

And nobody get too excited for me, I'm sure he meant Feb. of 1945 as we are close to entering that year.

Yeah China was a major pain, and I'm not sure how big of a difference it'd have made had I occupied Dimapur but I'll definitely not skip that town again! India is worth 4 carriers, until it gets to a point where it isn't. In fact that early in the game I would say is the best time for Japan to use the full force of their navy. There's always risk involved, even facing one Brit or US carrier that early, but to let the navy sit while it could be helping somewhere isn't good either. Just finished my turn. It's November. No less than 30 Allied ships converge on the Phillipines, all of them support ships except for 2 carriers. My carriers launch some strikes but only manage to sink a BB. Kamikazi's out of Manila hit a US carrier. I abandon Saigon. We'll see how aggressive he wants to get in pursuing my fleet into the teeth of Japan...

They key to that situation though Scott is having all the IJN carriers over there for support, plus whatever ground based aircraft that's around. If your units are behind river lines it will help against ground attacks, but if I hit them with 8 carrier strikes plus any bomber/tac strike you'll lose a unit on almost every turn. Also, even though the Japanese player will have to split their forces eventually, by concentrating them early the advantage is that they can kill off Brit units much faster. It makes a big difference if it takes 4 or 5+ turns to destroy a unit instead of one or two. Weather permitting, of course. I also agree that not taking Ceylon was a mistake. It becomes a mini-fortress for the Allies, and an easy location to bring in reinforcements and supply your fleet. Definitely some hard lessons learned!

SeaMonkey: What you're suggesting will require a much greater allocation of resources to India, which is certainly an option but will hurt your effort in China. In my opinion you should always have at least one bomber and fighter for China. Bombers are also invaluable for scouting which becomes critical when you've focused all your energy in India. I had one in the DEI for awhile just as an early warning system, as I anticipated the US to either reinforce the British or launch an attack there. Personally, I don't think you'll be able to prevent Allied air units getting into India. There's simply too many cities. But I do agree in regards to the benefits of having at least one bomber in the theater, as you can shut down key rail links, de-entrench units and hit their MPP supply. As for dealing with the Allied navy near India, I will post a much longer "post mortem" on my strategy and decision making, but ultimately I pulled my entire navy out of the area because I just felt time running out. I figured the USN would be coming to strike and I didn't want to be trapped there like the RN was when I attacked. As for deploying TAC, the problem is that there's a massive expanse of ocean the USN can move up through. I preferred to use subs and a DD or two to screen any oncoming ships. When fighting in India you need all the airpower you can to break their defenses. Remember, time is critical! I still believe that concentrating your air, naval and land assets to a single front in India (and not splitting them) is probably your fastest and most efficient way to push to Delhi. And Scott is right, it's closer for Japan to get to India than the US. He had a long way to go to move all his assets over there. If you plan on going for India it's easier as Japan to begin shifting your forces over there early on, and with naval dominance it's easy to transport units via sea to reinforce your units. You even have a rail line you can use.

Yep it's very tough. If I were to do it again I'd push hard with as many units as possible from the east, out of Burma. Concentrate ground forces and airpower into a single front. I underestimated how many units the Brits get. I'm not sure how many free units Scott got, but between those and whatever is in the queue, they seem to get enough to replace any losses you inflict on them. So two things are imperative for having a chance in India…speed and concentrated power. Splitting forces like I did is expensive (amphib costs, landing casualties and potential for Allied air to strike), and while it may draw away 2 or 3 of his units, you won't have enough firepower to push fast enough north. On top of that, anytime you capture a city it gets scorched and hurts your supply. And if you only have a couple of cities, US bombers can hammer them and keep your supply down, further hurting any offensive you plan. I'd rather have 2 HQ's with 8+ units and 4 aircraft moving all together from Burma. There's more cities to draw supply from and the double HQ's will help, and with concentrated air (plus carriers in the area) you'll be able to carve through British defenses quickly. That of course doesn't guarantee a victory there but it'll give you a better shot than dividing your forces. Scott- Sorry I haven't gotten to a turn yet, my bro-in-law is in town. We had a Madden all-nighter yesterday and tonight we're going to the Sox opener!

Yeah anything from the Indian campaign should be fine. I'll post some of the ones I have plus some more from China.

I, and hopefully Scott, will take some screenshots. Even if this doesn't end up being the final battle, the array of ships that are in the area from both sides is something to see.

Oh and I forgot to mention Scott that I will definitely run over some things that I think you could have done in our game differently, but as it stands right now there really isn't that much!

It's late 1944 and Japan is running out of ocean estate for the IJN to hide in. The bulk of Allied naval ships are closing in on the Phillipines with what I imagine the US CV's close behind. He has op-moved in at least 3 corsairs and two heavy bombers into Brunei (or whatever the capital is just SW of the Philippines). Lots of Brits are swarming into Vietnam but supply is hurting them. I have defensive forces to the south and garrison forces on their way to protect Hanoi. Slow going in China as rain and mud hamper movement and offensives, but clearly China is barely getting enough MPP's to reinforce a single unit fully. I imagine a major battle is on its way and it won't be pretty for the Japanese!

Late July 1944: Allies are pushing up through Japan's underbelly. Malaya and Vietnam still hold, with a contingent of IJA forces in Vietnam for defense. We're pushing north into China but our biggest hurdle is crossing the riverline which has also been fortified by engineers. We have the forces but we need a breakthrough to punch over to the otherside. Our superior fighters intercept China's and shoot it down, and our bombers are softening up their defensive lines to be attacked soon. Meanwhile the IJA is further reinforcing itself to maximum strength before engaging the Allied fleet. All our carriers are intact and a sizeable amount of support ships, but we know we're outnumbered by 3 to 1 or greater by now. The timing of our engagement is crucial.

May 25th 1944: Not too much new action. IJA still pushing remnants of the Chinese army out of the capital area. Two infantry, two HQ and an AT tank won't be able to escape our offensive. But again, the road to their last capital is heavily defended behind the riverline to the north. Bombing runs are made on it. British and American forces close in on Singapore where a couple fighters and a tac have been used to intercept a couple US carriers launching raids from the west, apparently there are still some in the India area afterall. Extra IJA forces are being moved out of China, the IJN is refitting and getting another carrier soon and Japanese scientists have broken through with a couple key technologies that will certainly aid in our defense. See everyone on Tuesday!

Scott did you get my last turn? I haven't received anything since I sent file # 89. Also I will be away from Friday to Monday, but can do some turns Thu. night and will get back to the war on Tuesday night!

I agree, that is the position I'm in. You've formed a strong defensive line over the river to protect your last capital and the terrain is absolutely terrible for fighting. Nothing but rivers and mountains and poor supply lines. I still have plenty of air and ground assets to commit, so we'll see what I end up doing.

April 1944: I'm not sure if I have the time or resources to completely subdue China. But, I have captured the capital and Kunming and have cornered most of his forces into the northern section of China. This has in turn freed up a lot of units to relocate in the defense of Japanese holdings. The DEI has been captured, along with Rangoon. At least 4 Allied subs have moved into position to strike at my other convoy lanes but Japanese income is still decent enough to continue supporting our forces. We still hold Malaya, Brunei, etc. His US carriers were off the coast of India, but I haven't seen them in a long time. I have a feeling he is swinging them past the DEI and will be coming at Japan from another direction such as the Philippines or Japan itself, but our Kamikazi pilots are dutifully preparing to strike at any USN advance near Japan! It is a long time still until Jan 1st, 1946...

As one of my few games as Japan I'm eager to continue playing them and try different strategies. I enjoy the challenge of figuring out the best ways to use an underdog like Japan, and I maintain that you'll need to play as Japan over and over again to truly get competitive with them. I'm surprised more strategies haven't appeared for Japan, unless people are holding them close to their chests. I'm having fun in our game. I lost in India, but that was in his territory, not mine. It's almost mid 1944 and we have a little over a year and a half left in the game. The real challenge has started for me now in doing whatever I can to hurt and delay the US, a phase of the war that we didn't get to experience much in Fall Weiss.

Initial moves against China: Disposition of forces for the invasion of India: Also, to note again, I'm going to post a lengthy "diary" on the flow of this game, strategy, what I'd do different, how/why I altered certain plans, etc. Sort of a window into what my initial strategy was and why I made certain decisions. It will go into greater detail on how I'd approach China and India if I'd do it again, in relation to the screenshots above.

China's surrender is on our doorstep. The capital is getting hammered and our troops are outside Kunming, the next seat of government if Chungking falls. All our convoys are running full steam this week and pour much needed supplies into our coffers. Meanwhile, the remnants of the Indian invasion force are nearly gone. A single Army remains in the mountains, sure to go down fighting. The SNLF and HQ were devastated by no less than 3 or more US carriers plus additional land aircraft. I count approximately 10+ British units in India now, two Chinese sponsored units and multiple US ground and air forces. Separating this juggernaut is an SNLF and Engineer east of Calcutta. The Engineer is behind fortifications, but neither have much hope of surviving long. Japan needs China's surrender soon to reposition our experienced troops into defensive positions to protect our holdings from the impending Yankee invasions.

IJA troops are holing up in the mountains of India. One lone Army division survives near Calcutta, digging holes into the granite mountains to hide in. In the west, south of Delhi, an SNLF, Army and HQ are doing the same thing. Japanese convoy routes are being pummeled but we're still getting decent MPP income, all things considered. China loses another division and another city in the south as reinforcements pour in, now numbering 4 Army divisions and an armor and additional forces are moving into the capital area. IJN pilots have downed their Sake and are preparing for what will probably be their final battles this year.

I agree Bill, you still need to do something as Japan other than attack China. The IJN is perfect for that role. Keep the entire fleet together and move towards your objective, the Allies are hard pressed to do much about it in 1942. And no, the USN has not lost a carrier yet and mostly due to the fact the USN was held in reserve for so long and are attacking en masse. At this point it will be difficult for the IJN to sink multiple US carriers without losing substantial forces ourselves, but I have a few things up my sleeve I plan on trying.

No I haven't, I've been posting from work (shhh....) but wasn't able to get a turn in last night, should get one in tonight.

Yeah it's too bad, because I was hoping to open a new strategy with "India First". Not saying it can't be done, of course, but I'd say it still stands that China is simply a smarter focal point for Japan as Blashy has noted. Even if you can't take Delhi, though, there isn't anything wrong using the IJN to smack Britain around early on. If only to keep them in check and to have something to do with your Fleet. Someday, some game in the future I will tackle the "India First" strategy again and with greater knowledge of what is required. I'd also recommend anyone out there thinking of trying it to give it a shot, bearing in mind some of the lessons I learned. As for our current game though, this setback is only the beginning of the second half of this war as Japan maneuvers into a defensive stance and forces the Allies to slog through to Tokyo!

Colin you're correct about being crucial to noting naval movements, but I still have to disagree that is their best use. Using them in China is huge. Helps keep MPP's down, hurts their ability to op-move reinforcements and helps de-entrench units. What if the US player decides to just sit back and build up into late 1943? Your bombers will have been wasted for 2 years sitting on some island. If Japan is allowed more bombers though, that is just more firepower to concentrate onto China. I'm pretty convinced at this point that the outer islands are the last thing the Japanese should worry about. In a multiplayer game the only thing I would use them for is to maybe place a fighter or something on Truk or Marcus Island just to keep an eye out, but otherwise I see no reason to defend them. If the US player wants to just push through into the Phillipines area in 1942, be my guest. Either way I have to fight the USN, and it's better to do so deep in my territory, not out in worthless island chains.

Turn of events happened quickly for Japan in India. I had to pull my fleet out and with no air support my ground forces are toast. But I had a gut feeling the USN was going to push up and trap me there like I did the British fleet, crushing my carrier force, so I pulled out. It's clear for Japan to take India they need to do it forcefully and quickly. This means additional units and mobility 1. I'm still certain it can be done but you have to commit more than the 10 or so units I used, and bring in additional air (ones I had kept in China).

December 7th, 1943. Two years since the war began and Japanese forces in India are on the ropes. The Brits were simply able to muster too many units for Japan to make a breakthrough, and too much real-estate to cover in time. The Army Group in the east is taking a beating from two armor divisions, three army divisions and a slew of Allied air assets. We lost an armor unit, but still have ample ground forces in the area for defense. But with the USN in the vicinity we are bound to be hammered to death by air attacks. The invasion force in the west has lost an Army division to air attacks, and Allied subs are beginning to raid convoy lines near Malaya. The good news is we continue to make progress in China. Another southern city is captured as Chinese units pull back to defensive lines, and additional forces are moving into the capital fighting. Note: One thing you all may have noticed in this game is that the islands have been completely ignored by both sides. In this sense we are putting the discussion in the thread "Bringing the outer islands into play" to the test. What can Japan accomplish by ignoring them, and what would the US do in response?

Lost some a ships that I committed against better judgment, but so goes war! IJA loses a unit from the invasion force, but we push across the river and nearly destroy another Brit division. USN is pushing into the India area now, showing at least one carrier. In China we take the southern city of Kweilin and continue pressure around the capital.