Nihonjin Steel, Folded Over 9000 Times - Part 1
Game: Hearts of Iron III
Published: 2019-09-30, edited: 2021-04-02
Europe, Asia, and the Pacific on the eve of 1936.
The world is in a tenuous peace, still recovering from the scars of "The Great War" from 18 years past, but all is not well.
In Europe, France is experiencing civil unrest and political infighting from the rise of left wing parties. The loss of human life is still fresh in the mind of every Frenchman and their national psyche may never return to what it once was.
Likewise, Austria and Italy have undergone a similar, yet different metamorphosis in a new far-right wing political ideology, Fascism.
At the center of Europe, out of the ruins of war, a third German Empire has risen. Led by a veteran of the Great War, Adolf Hitler, he and the National Socialist Party have promised to lead the German people back to prosperity and glory like that of their ancestors.
The British Empire has retreated into itself, content to govern their colonies and watch European affairs from the distance, albeit with a watchful eye. The home isles have seen little turmoil in comparison to continental Europe, but the British folk are leery to involve themselves too much in the business of others.
To the far west, Spain, a country that benefited more so than any other from The Great War is now steeped in whispers of civil war. The legacy of the Catholic Church, the Monarchy, the Reconquista and the investiture of Army Officers still pervade Spanish society; Pitted versus regionalism tendencies centuries old, and the spread of communism and anarchism in the working class, Spain only needs one spark before it explodes into an inferno.
Asia, while largely removed from the war besides Japanese occupation of German colonial possessions, has also seen great change.
The fall of the centuries old Qing dynasty had fractured China into warlord states vying for control of the lands in the aptly named 'Warlord Era'. These warlords, many of them former Military commanders of the Qing, saw the opportunities to start their own dynasties, curry favor with potential leaders, amass wealth or even bring China into the modern age.
The Kuomintang (KMT) founded by Sun Yat-sen has seen considerable success in the few decades since the fall of the Qing. The Northern Expedition of 1926 saw them defeat various warlords and the Beiyang Government of the North, which claimed itself the legitimate government of the Chinese people. Cementing control out of the former Qing capital of Nanjing, the KMT became the dominant power in China and ushered in a period of growth and stability, known as the Nanjing decade.
Japan is poised to strike at China having already ventured into the Korean peninsula and Manchuria not but a few decades ago. To the north lies the Soviet Union, a potential threat, but for now pre-occupied with its own internal affairs and the ongoing machinations of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
The world is in a tenuous peace, still recovering from the scars of "The Great War" from 18 years past, but all is not well.
In Europe, France is experiencing civil unrest and political infighting from the rise of left wing parties. The loss of human life is still fresh in the mind of every Frenchman and their national psyche may never return to what it once was.
Likewise, Austria and Italy have undergone a similar, yet different metamorphosis in a new far-right wing political ideology, Fascism.
At the center of Europe, out of the ruins of war, a third German Empire has risen. Led by a veteran of the Great War, Adolf Hitler, he and the National Socialist Party have promised to lead the German people back to prosperity and glory like that of their ancestors.
The British Empire has retreated into itself, content to govern their colonies and watch European affairs from the distance, albeit with a watchful eye. The home isles have seen little turmoil in comparison to continental Europe, but the British folk are leery to involve themselves too much in the business of others.
To the far west, Spain, a country that benefited more so than any other from The Great War is now steeped in whispers of civil war. The legacy of the Catholic Church, the Monarchy, the Reconquista and the investiture of Army Officers still pervade Spanish society; Pitted versus regionalism tendencies centuries old, and the spread of communism and anarchism in the working class, Spain only needs one spark before it explodes into an inferno.
Asia, while largely removed from the war besides Japanese occupation of German colonial possessions, has also seen great change.
The fall of the centuries old Qing dynasty had fractured China into warlord states vying for control of the lands in the aptly named 'Warlord Era'. These warlords, many of them former Military commanders of the Qing, saw the opportunities to start their own dynasties, curry favor with potential leaders, amass wealth or even bring China into the modern age.
The Kuomintang (KMT) founded by Sun Yat-sen has seen considerable success in the few decades since the fall of the Qing. The Northern Expedition of 1926 saw them defeat various warlords and the Beiyang Government of the North, which claimed itself the legitimate government of the Chinese people. Cementing control out of the former Qing capital of Nanjing, the KMT became the dominant power in China and ushered in a period of growth and stability, known as the Nanjing decade.
Japan is poised to strike at China having already ventured into the Korean peninsula and Manchuria not but a few decades ago. To the north lies the Soviet Union, a potential threat, but for now pre-occupied with its own internal affairs and the ongoing machinations of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
The Order of Battle of the Japanese Armed Forces on the 1st of January, 1936. Following a decree by Emperor Hirohito, the military of Japan had been reorganized with a doctrine of highly specialized troops, and a focus on Naval Aviation and the fledgling field of Aircraft Carrier technology.
In order to shore up officer reserves, recruitment drives and an expansion of the military academies was undertaken. Research into infantry equipment, and examination of specialized Mountaineer troops has begun. The Japanese industry has also seen continuous growth with ample resources from their colonial possessions.
Acting staff
Following the reorganization of the army, a drastic need to man the Manchurian border to the Soviet Union was noted, the deployment of 5 additional Infantry division was approved. Further deployment of support companies will have to wait.
The General Plan calls for the following: A full invasion from the north consisting of two full corps of cavalry, supported by infantry & support tanks. The cavalry will follow the breakthrough of the armor, to which the KMT will have little response. Following breakthrough, cavalry forces will encircle enemy troops at any opportunity forming cauldrons for infantry to finish off. The primary strategic goal will be to encircle the Shandong Peninsula cutting off any troops from the mainland, and afterwards march on Nanjing. The IJN will support the Special Naval Landing Force (SNLF) of the IJN Land Forces and divert forces away from the North in a feint, as well as support the assault on Nanjing. There after, Mountaineers will reinforce the south and attempt to push through to governmental positions while the Northern forces push to the south, creating a two front war to further weaken the Chinese position.
To Be Continued.
To Be Continued.
