RECON CORNER -News from the front by the Iron Cross team - REPORT 12

imperial japanese army in ww2

By Antônio Marcelo
[email protected]

Introduction

The Pacific War was very

different from the European
scene in many ways but
just as violent. The war
officially begins in 1937
with Japan’s invasion of
China on July 7, 1937, in the
so-called Battle of Lugou
Bridge, better known as
the Marco Polo Bridge
Incident. Some historians
Bubdersarchive
like to point out the year
1931 as the official start, with the occupation of In 1941 Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and the
Manchuria by the Japanese. Philippines, putting the United States in the
war and, at the same time, invading the English
Despite this, there was no formal war between colonies Hong Kong, Malaysia, Borneo, Burma,
China and Japan in the eyes of the West until and the West Indian oil pipelines. That same year,
the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor in the English fortress on the island of Singapore
Hawaii. fell, considered one of the most humiliating
defeats suffered by the English at all times.
On September 27, 1940, Japan, Germany, and
Italy signed the Tripartite Pact, or better known In 1942 it was a year of many decisions in the
as the Axis Pact, which placed the three countries war of the Pacific, where Japan still captured Port
as world allies. That same year Japan invaded Moresby and New Guinea, which would make
the French colonies of Indochina, now under the possible the attack on Australia now. However,
puppet government of Vichy, which was entirely two major aircraft battles stopped the Japanese:
controlled by the Germans. the battle of the Coral Sea and Midway. The latter
caused the loss of 4 Japanese aircraft carriers and
Despite some resistance from the Free French, undermined its expansionist tendencies. That same
nothing can be done. year, 1942, there was the first attack on a Japanese
position, followed by an invasion: Guadalcanal.
This island was vitally crucial to allies in the
Pacific and became a symbol of the turn in that
theater of operations. It was a campaign marked
by bloody jungle battles, tropical diseases, and
many human losses, but in February 1943 the
Japanese ceased their resistance. Guadalcanal is
considered by many historians to be the turning
point of the campaign in favor of the allies.

In 1943, following the campaign of the invasion

of the islands occupied by the Japanese, the
allies had taken over part of New Guinea and
the so-called West Dutch Indies, but with heavy
casualties and facing fierce resistance from the 9th, Bock’s Car dropped the second bomb
Japanese. In the final year of 1943, the Salamoon in Nagasaki. On August 14, Japan signed its
Islands were retaken, and at the beginning of surrender at the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay,
1944, with the tide already entirely in favor of ending the 5-year conflict.
the allies, the islands of New Britain and New
Ireland were taken. Most of the Pacific war was characterized by
battles in the jungle and on islands. The Japanese
That same year we had the resumption of the army initially developed several jungle fighting
Philippines and the terrible naval battle in the techniques and thus obtained impressive
Gulf of Leyte where the battleship Musashi was victories initially against the French, followed
sunk and dealt a terrible blow to the Japanese by the English. When the Americans entered the
navy. China was beginning its resumption, war, there was already a different mindset, but
but internal conflicts between nationalists and many of the new tactics were developed after
communists began, which in a way contributed engagements with the Japanese.
to the Japanese.

The year 1945 was the beginning of Japan’s

collapse on the sands of Iwo Jima, owner of
camps that would allow attacks on Japan and
stage one of the most fierce struggles between
Americans and Japanese. There the American
marines created one of the most famous photos
of the war that gave rise to the Iwo Jima
memorial. With the island taken and the fields in
possession of the USA, the next step was to take
the war to Japan itself. The Battle of Okinawa
in the Japanese archipelago itself was the most
massive amphibious assault in the world and
one of the most significant civilian losses battles
in the war (130,000). The battle was bloody, and
the Americans had a loss of 72,000 casualties.

From Okinawa, the next step was Japan itself,

but for fear of more significant losses, the
Americans sent an ultimatum, which was not
accepted by the Japanese. On August 6, the
Americans using the B-29 Enola Gay dropped
the first atomic bomb in the world, and on the
The Imperial Japanese Army an idea of which the words echoed by Mishima
in Hagakure say: “I found out that the Samurai’s
path is Death.” During campaigns until 1942,
the Japanese became masters of jungle warfare,
undermining their allies.
The Singapore fall was an example of the tactics
developed in previous fighting and the lack of a
vision on the part of the English of the new face of
the jungle’s war j. The Japanese sole was mostly
coming from the most impoverished strata of
the population from small farms and the lower
strata of society. In 1931 the Imperial Army
had 300,000 men divided into 17 divisions. In
1937 this number rose to 24, and in the next two
During its 14 years of performance in the Pacific years, it rose to 34 divisions. In early 1941 the
theater (chronologically, its first performance Japanese army jumped to 51 divisions, where 27
was with the invasion of Manchuria), The were in China and 13 on the Mongolian border
Japanese army was continually being tested in with Russia to avoid possible attacks.
several situations. From the icy areas of China
to the jungles of New Guinea, the assumption of The Japanese army had its infantry divisions
the Japanese expansion policy was the search for divided into three classes.
raw materials to expand its ambitions in Asia.
Aou Strengthened - Which was the largest with
The Imperial Army was something quite peculiar, more contingent and more equipment
as it was the result of the industrialization that Bou Normal - With the quota said of men.
Japan had undergone since the beginning of the Special cou - With fewer men and aimed directly
century, imbued with centuries-old traditions at anti-guerrilla operations in China.
of honor and customs. It was a formidable war
machine, with modern weaponry, and it was Troops Rooster
for foreign observers an army that reached the
edge of bizarre because, with all the technology, Japanese soldiers start the game with veteran
it maintained the social stratifications of the status. There may be scenarios where the quality
feudal period. of the troops can be normal. There are no green
or untrained soldiers in the Japanese army.
With little resources, suicidal bravery, blind
obedience, aggressive tactics, they caused the Infantry Regular
Imperial Army to achieve resounding victories,
initially against the Chinese and later against mov* bases moral
the allies. The Japanese soldier molded in
14cm /
the tradition of an imperial army, governed 2 9
5 inches
by traditions where the word shame, suicide,
bravery, and obedience, guided the soldier’s life
and made him a fanatic war machine. The idea
Jungle Troops
of ​​failing to carry out orders was the passport to
ritual suicide, to cleanse the stain of shame.
mov* bases* moral
Even in desperate situations, the famous 14cm/
Banzai suicide charges, and later the aviator’s 2 9
5 inches
Kamikazes, showed that the Japanese soldier had
within him the concept of honor of the samurai,
*1/300 - Other scales se our recon corner “Diferent Off-table Artillery
Scales”

Special Rules Japanese Equivalent

Banzai Charge 75 mm 70 mm
105 mm 105mm
A platoon can deliver a Banzai charge, which 120 mm 122 mm
consists of a suicide attack against a particular 140 mm 145mm
enemy position. For this, the player who plays
150 mm 155 mm
with the Japanese must roll a dice. If you take 5 or
6, the Banzai charge can be done. In this case, the
platoon must advance against the enemy position Anti-Tank Guns
with twice its movement and must engage in hand- 37mm AT Gun
to-hand combat. Only one Banzai charge can be 47mm AT Gun
made per game, except for exceptions imposed in
the scenario. Infantry Anti Tank Weapons

Bomb Soldiers NAME RANGE TYPE PF

Bomb soldiers are special troops that are made Type 97 30 cm At Rifle 3
up of platoons and carry explosive charges on Type 2 Rifle 20 cm Rocket 3
their bodies. Bomb soldiers move like any regular Grenade 30mm
soldier and attack but can explode when they are Type 2 Rifle 20 cm Rocket 4
close to an enemy position. They do not need to Grenade 40mm
be revealed to the opponent and must be marked
by the player who moves them on a separate sheet Mortars
of paper.
Caliber Range Splatter Radius
The effect of its explosion is equivalent to a 120
type 89 knee 30 cm 1 cm
mm HE ammunition (see scale area effect in
mortar*
corebbok). In this case, all troops, buildings, and
50 mm 60 cm 1 cm
vehicles must undergo the necessary rescues. If a
bomb soldier is eliminated before getting close to 105 mm 80 cm 1.5 cm
his target, his explosive has no effect. On scales
smaller than 28mm or 1/72 the bomb soldier is *No mortar movement penalty
represented by a base of miniatures. Only two
bomb soldiers are allowed per game. Vehicles and Tanks

Jungle Movement Most Japanese armored vehicles were far inferior

to those of the allies. In China’s campaigns and
For Japanese jungle troops there is no penalty for at the beginning of the war, they could still
moving in forests or jungle. cause some kind of problem, but as the conflict
unfolded, they were easily overcome by the
Americans and Russians. There were armored
Guns, Anti-Tank Weapons, and Mortars battles in the Pacific, but in many cases Japan’s
defeat was common. Another aspect is that many
The Japanese Army have the follwing weaponsyou tanks were converted to railroads, and thus had a
can consult in all our game material. certain impact.
Tanks*

Name MV* Gun FA SA RA Machineguns Year Points

tanket type 94 6 inches - 1 0 0 1 MMG 1939/42 12

type 95 v3,v4,v5 12 inches 37mm 1 1 1 2 HMG , 1 MMG 1935/43 24
type 89 6 inches 57mm 1 1 1 1 HMG 1939/45 30
type 98 15 inches 37mm 1 1 1 1 HMG 1942/43 20
2 HMG, 1 HMG
Type 1 Shinto 6 inches 57mm 2 2 1 1942/45 35
turret behind
2 HMG, 1 HMG
Type 2,3 10 inches 75mm 2 2 1 1942/45 40
turret behind
2 HMG, 1 HMG
Type 4 15 inches 75 mm 3 2 1 1944/45 55
turret behind
V 1 - 75mm,
HO NI 1,2,3 8 inches V2 105mm, V3 1 1 1 - 1944/45 35,45,35
75mm

Vehicles

Name MV* Gun FA SA RA Machineguns Year Points

Type 87 12 inches - 1 1 1 2 MMG 1930/42 15

type 92 7 inches - 1 1 1 2 MMG 1933/40 14
KO-HI** 7 inches - 0 0 0 - 1930/42 10
Toyota** 16 inches - 0 0 0 - 1930/45 10

*1/300 scale
** Loads 1 platoon

Different Scales Movements - Tanks

Name 10mm 15mm 1/72 28mm

tanket type 94 8 inches 9 inches 11 inches

type 95 v3,v4,v5 14 inches 15 inches 17 inches
type 89 8 inches 9 inches 11 inches
type 98 17 inches 18 inches 20 inches
Type 1 Shinto 8 inches 9 inches 11 inches
Type 2,3 12 inches 13 inches 15 inches
Type 4 17 inches 18 inches 20 inches
HO NI 1,2,3 10 inches 11 inches 13 inches
Different Scales Movements - Vehicles

Name 10mm 15mm 1/72 28mm

Type 87 14 inches 15 inches 17 inches

type 92 9 inches 10 inches 12 inches
KO-HI 9 inches 10 inches 12 inches
Toyota 18 inches 19 inches 21 inches

Special Rules Once the direction of the exit has been determined,
the distance remains to be determined. The
Tunnels player must roll 3d6 to obtain the number of
cms (2d6 to get the number of inches) where the
Tunnels are a type of movement unique to the exit must be positioned in the next shift in its
Japanese. Tunnels are passages dug under the movement phase. There will be the exit of the
battlefield, or even within mountains for the tunnel.
protection and movement of individual troops.
To use the tunnel feature, the Japanese player Lost Troop - In this case, the troop should try to
must do the following. discover the tunnel exit only in the next shift in
its movement phase.
a) Declare where the tunnel ends - You should
place a marker in the movement phase at the Special Situations
position where you want the tunnel to exit. This
position cannot be more than 70 (28 inches) cm a) Exit together in the same position as an enemy
from its initial positioning position and must be troop - Hand-to-hand combat is automatically
marked. characterized. The Japanese player must choose
b) Determine which troops will enter the tunnel which pieces will go into hand-to-hand combat.
- At this point, the Japanese player must place If the number of units is greater than the enemy,
the separate troops that are to enter the turn. The you can engage or not the units that are left on
maximum allowed is one squad per game turn. table.
c) Determine if the troop left the tunnel correctly
- At this moment, he should roll 1d6 and consult b) Exit a tunnel hit by artillery/mortar fire - In
the table below: this case, the player rolls a dice if he gets 1,2,3
or 4, the tunnel remains open, .5 or 6, the tunnel
1,2,3 - Exit found is closed, that is, it cannot be used. Troops
4.5 - Exit in another position lost within a closed tunnel are automatically
6 - Troop lost eliminated.

An exit found - In this case, the player must c) Exit the tunnel into lakes, or swamps, or fires
position the troops around the tunnel exit marker - in this case, the tunnel is closed, and the troops
on the next turn in their movement phase, ithin a are eliminated.
maximum distance of 3 cm (1 inch).
d) Closing a tunnel - An enemy troop can close
Exit in another position - In this case, the player the open tunnel. For this, in your attack turn,
must use the same rules applied to artillery a unit with a grenade must be positioned next
deflections. Roll the scatter dice to know the to the exit marker and roll a 1d6. If you get 6,
direction of the new tunnel exit. the tunnel is closed, and the troops lost inside
it are eliminated. The player must discount the
grenade from that unit. STOP NOW!
e) New troops leaving the tunnel - In this case, Our team hopes you enjoyed
the Japanese player must place the troops at the article! Be sure to play the
the entrance of the tunnel and carry out the exit exclusive “Hell Jungle” scenario
determination procedure. In this situation, only about Americnas versus Japanese
in the other game shift, during the movement in Pacific Campaign! This scenario
phase, the troop may leave the tunnel (provided is available along with our article.
it has not been lost).

f) Exit under enemy tanks - in this case, the

troops can only leave the tunnel when the tank
goes the position. Download links for 3d print
Commercial by Voxelhouse
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the terrain, such as stones, mountains, rocks, Infantry - https://bit.ly/32rrhRC
asphalt, pillboxes, and masonry houses.
Free Tanks by M Bergman
NOTE2: Non-Japanese troops are not allowed Tanks 1/100 - https://bit.ly/37SSxJX
Tanks 1/200 - https://bit.ly/32tWnYX
to use the tunnels.
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Ratt Holes https://bit.ly/39YOHjS

Ratt holes are small camouflaged trenches,

which the Japanese player uses. Before the
gane starts, he will be able to secretly note the
position of the ratt holes and only reveal when
the unit in hole fires.

Each ratt hole can only contain one infantry

base or 1 infantry unit in 1/72/28mm scale, and
the unit is revealed in its attack phase. Upon
revealing the unit, you can shoot, enter melee,
detonate a charge like a human bomb, or attack
with your weaponry.

A ratt hole can be treated as a trench against an

attack.

Florest Bunkers

Forest bunkers are similar to ratt holes, except

that they can contain machine gun cannons,
etc. They work like the traditional bunkers in
the game. However, they can only be attacked
when they shoot, thus revealing their position.

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