[BlackICE 8.6] Republic of China AAR - Episode 21: Flood and Monsoon

Author: bigwoods
Published: 2017-07-25, edited: 1970-01-01

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[BlackICE 8.6] Republic of China AAR

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Game: Hearts of Iron III

[BlackICE 8.6] Republic of China AAR - Episode 20: Operation Harpoon

Images: 61, author: bigwoods, published: 2017-06-26, edited: 1970-01-01

Hey all, and thanks for reading Episode 21 of my Republic of China AAR in BlackICE 8.6. If you missed the previous episodes, they are linked below.

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Episode 1 - Prelude: https://redd.it/5p14j8 | http://imgur.com/a/hdPRd
Episode 2 - Southern Expedition: https://redd.it/5pe5b9 | http://imgur.com/a/NfIPE
Episode 3 - Buildup, Betrayal, and the Drums of War: https://redd.it/5px153 | http://imgur.com/a/6Gg7m
Episode 4 - The Onslaught: https://redd.it/5t02ux | http://imgur.com/a/P97vc
Episode 5 - One Foot Forward: https://redd.it/5ttevv | http://imgur.com/a/K5J6r
Episode 6 - And One Foot Back: https://redd.it/5v4r4r | http://imgur.com/a/pwyGE
Episode 7 - Summer Miracle: https://redd.it/5wgn2a | http://imgur.com/a/4Aejw
Episode 8 - Cleaning House: https://redd.it/5xudky | http://imgur.com/a/wdxmT
Episode 9 - Operation Ox: https://redd.it/5z4rti | http://imgur.com/a/7XEhz
Episode 10 - Kesselschlacht: https://redd.it/60g5nl | http://imgur.com/a/iBfAc
Episode 11 - Lotus and Blossom: https://redd.it/61s7zx | http://imgur.com/a/ty355
Episode 12 - Free At Last: https://redd.it/638j71 | http://imgur.com/a/ZZwuJ
Episode 13 - Back in the Saddle: https://redd.it/64kqm8 | http://imgur.com/a/1sGfB
Episode 14 - China United: https://redd.it/679rfw | http://imgur.com/a/1tfgo
Episode 15 - Operation Ballroom: https://redd.it/68mjef | http://imgur.com/a/UdmGO
Episode 16 - Hangman: https://redd.it/69yyax | http://imgur.com/a/gA1ID
Episode 17 - Pacific Go: https://redd.it/6bb0kk | http://imgur.com/a/WXiF2
Episode 18 - Old Enemies: https://redd.it/6e1oyg | http://imgur.com/a/3Ud40
Episode 19 - Operation Halberd: https://redd.it/6gswyp | http://imgur.com/a/Yyb5I
Episode 20 - Operation Harpoon: https://redd.it/6jmox7 | http://imgur.com/a/Liuvb
Previously, Operation Halberd and Operation Harpoon secured the northern island of Hokkaido, as well as the mountainous north region of the main home island of Honshu from the Japanese - but at a horrific cost. Our invading armies have already lost hundreds of thousands of men, scores of aircraft, and the equivalent of two fleets worth of ships.

Our navy has been forced back into port, and our infantry on Honshu is locked into a stalemate along the rivers and mountains a few hundred kilometers north of Tokyo. Although Japan lost nearly 1 million men during the initial invasion, they still have over 3.5 million left at their disposal, many of whom are hardened veterans from the Indochinese and Pacific campaigns.

A new phase of Operation Warhammer, our overarching invasion of Japan, is drawn up.
Operation Flood covers the gradual pressure from our infantry and mountain divisions in north Honshu, who will apply enough pressure to force Japan to allocate a disproportionate amount of their defenses on the region. Massive casualties are expected for this task, and the Koreans, who mostly possess static, defensive infantry, have agreed to share much of the burden on this front.
The emphasis of the next phase of Operation Warhammer is Operation Monsoon - the ambitious plan to capture the southern islands of Kyushu and Shikoku, once Japanese forces are diverted to the north from Operation Flood. Landings will concentrate on the narrow straits provinces of Beppu and Takamatsu, and we will rely on the quick movements of our marines and light infantry to capture the southern cities and ports before the Japanese have a chance to strike back.

Nearly the entire Marine Corps (ROCMC) will participate in this invasion, as well as the remainder of the Chinese Navy (ROCN). Shock divisions will land soon after to secure ports and cities, in order to ensure a stable supply line for the invasion force.
Operation Flood commences with a sudden surge of armored and motorized troops from the 172. and 173. Armored Divisions into the hills of Sendai.

These troops and crewmen are grizzled veterans of the jungle battles of Indochina, but the apocalyptic warfare in Japan proper still forces even the hardiest of these soldiers into caution and hesitation. Booby traps, hidden anti-tank guns, and a landscape pockmarked with minefields severely hinders the mobility of our forces.
The Japanese halt their counterattacks on our vanguard positions at Ishinomaki so that they can brace against our spearhead at Sendai.
Intelligence agents of the NBIS, as well as aerial recon report hundreds of thousands of troops moving up towards the northern lines, to defend Tokyo and the metropolitan center of Japan. It seems Operation Flood has already gotten off to a good start.
The perilous attack on Sendai is called off as our troops prepare for a massive Japanese counterattack.
Mountain troops at Ishinomaki fend off the first waves of the counteroffensive with ease.
The 33. Marine Army follows up on Operation Flood with haste, and starts simultaneous landings at Takamatsu and Beppu, on the islands of Shikoku and Kyushu.
The landings cut off the small garrison force on the western edge of Shikoku, and all of the defenders on Kyushu. Our offices see an opening into southern Honshu, and so marines make a push across from Kyushu to Honshu in a rush to capture the city and port of Hiroshima.
As soon as the troops disembark, the landing fleet is ambushed by the remnants of the IJN and swarms of kamikaze planes. The ROCN lose a heavy cruiser and many landing craft, but thankfully most of the troops on them had already landed. A disaster was very narrowly avoided, and it is clear that sufficient air cover and naval domination must be needed for future landings.
Our marines on Shikoku make a break for Wakayama, across the strait to southern Honshu. With enough speed, we might be able to take the city of Osaka or Nagoya from right under Japan's noses.
The first defensive lines on Kyushu break, and our marines and infantry rush towards the port of Nagasaki.
Another landing secures Wakayama, our foothold in southern Honshu. This position, however, is extremely vulnerable, and our troops push fast in order to secure more land for a more defendable position.
Our troops arrive too late, and Japanese armored divisions are the first to arrive and stem the tide of our advance towards Osaka and Kyoto. Our infantry are poorly equipped to deal with Japanese armor, and providing air support so deep into enemy lines and over their air defense network will prove to be even trickier.
Hiroshima is taken after a brief fight, as the 5. Shock Division rolls through the city, destroying everything standing in its way. It is quickly instructed to take up defensive positions in anticipation for a large counterattack against our positions on the western tip of Honshu.
10 days after the initial landings, our troops have solidified a supply line by capturing Hiroshima, and are currently mopping up the rest of the peacemeal resistance on Kyushu and Shikoku.
The first of the Japanese counter-attacks near Hiroshima are fought back with flying colors. The defensive line around Gotsu and Hiroshima will surely stand quite strong for a while to come.
The situation around our other foothold at Wakayama is much more tenuous. More and more Japanese armored divisions arrive by the day, and our troops do not have the firepower to match them. Spare shock divisions are quickly being ferried into the area, but it is not clear if our troops will even last that long.
The breakout attempt from Wakayama is forced back with heavy casualties, and our troops are now forced into the defensive.
The major port of Susaki on Shikoku is captured by our marines - another vital supply hub for the increasing amount of NRA troops in southern Japan.
A Japanese garrison makes its last stand at Saga, north of Nagasaki, and is wiped out by our troops.
The capture of Nagasaki follows soon after. The rag-tag Japanese militia stand no chance against our veteran divisions!
The regular troops of the IJA, however, are giving our shock divisions around Hiroshima a run for their money. Repeated attempts to break out of the peninsula have all been met with a grinding stalemate, followed by a retreat back to our original positions.
Our vanguard at Tanabe is decimated by Japanese armor, and forced to retreat back to Wakayama. Now more then ever we need our shock divisions to help stem the tide of Japanese tanks forcing our troops back into the sea.
The 1. and 6. Shock Division lands at Wakayama, but it is far too late. An entire armored army has descended on the strait crossing, and our men are being cut to pieces.
The bitter struggle at Wakayama is ended with our troops retreating back across the Kii Channel to Shikoku. Our navy and heavy artillery emplacements on the other side of the channel will definitely help to contain this wave of Japanese armor - for now.
Another wave or regular infantry arrives at the gates of Hiroshima, but our marines and infantry are well dug in and prepared to beat back this offensive. With the mountains to the north and the urban area of Hiroshima to grind down the attacking Japanese - we will not make the same mistake than at Wakayama.
One month after Operation Monsoon, and certain aspects of it are definitely a success. We have managed to secure the southern islands of Kyushu and Shikoku, but have failed to capture or destroy any sizable portion of Japan's defending army. Now their 3 million men are concentrated on just 3 short fronts and easily repelling any offensive action made on any of them.

A new plan must be drawn up to soften up the Japanese, even if it means losing territory that we have fought tooth and nail to capture - or else the final push will be next to impossible...
Thanks for reading! I try to post episodes on Mondays, so if you don't see one, then it's probably coming the next week instead. As always, feedback is very, very much appreciated in the discussion thread.

Next chapter:

Game: Hearts of Iron III

[BlackICE 8.6] Republic of China AAR - Episode 22: Finale

Images: 63, author: bigwoods, published: 2017-08-16, edited: 1970-01-01

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