AHC/WI: Pacific War without a war in Europe.

Hmmm... here is a simple idea. In OTL the seminal event was when the Japanese Army forced action against French Indochina. there were several reasons for this. The formost given at the time was that the port of Haiphong was being used as a supply/trade conduit to Nationalist China territory. the Army argued closing that route would cause the final collapse of the Nationalist government. The Zaibatsu were interested as French Indo China was the most important rice production/exportation area in 1940 Asia, and there were the Michilen rubber plantations, some tin mines...

Lets suspose the equally arrogant Japanese Army leaders make the same argument in this ATL. Obviously the French are no pushover, but the fanatics point out the French are dengerate, politically isolated in Europe, and failed to stand up to the sissy Italians over Ethiopian crisis in 1937. The Army forces war with France thinking it will be a repeat of the Russo Japanese war of 1905.

The French refuse Japanese demands & start developing a position for negotiations. Japan makes a suprise attack, sinking the French asiatic fleet and starts landing armies.

The Japanese are dumfounded when the Brits and US organize a international trade embargo and start mobilizing their militaries. Negotiations go nowhere and the Japanese fanatics prepare a devastating blow that will stun the Nancy Boy westerners into accepting Japan as the superior race and dominate power in Asia. ....I think we know how the rest of the story goes ;)
 
Japan gets no oil from Britain or in British shipping, or part British owned shipping.

Britain likes blockades by surface ships obeying cruiser rules. They are a good thing.

The IJN could probably try and blockade run from the DEI and there might be a couple of staged jobs just to a get case to the Supreme Court but the British attitude would be - total blockade of an enemy nation? can we swap notes.

The Japanese may get some from the USSR, probably would in fact but that depends on cash and how much the USSR could actually ship.
 
Hmmm... here is a simple idea. In OTL the seminal event was when the Japanese Army forced action against French Indochina. there were several reasons for this. The formost given at the time was that the port of Haiphong was being used as a supply/trade conduit to Nationalist China territory. the Army argued closing that route would cause the final collapse of the Nationalist government. The Zaibatsu were interested as French Indo China was the most important rice production/exportation area in 1940 Asia, and there were the Michilen rubber plantations, some tin mines...

Lets suspose the equally arrogant Japanese Army leaders make the same argument in this ATL. Obviously the French are no pushover, but the fanatics point out the French are dengerate, politically isolated in Europe, and failed to stand up to the sissy Italians over Ethiopian crisis in 1937. The Army forces war with France thinking it will be a repeat of the Russo Japanese war of 1905.

The French refuse Japanese demands & start developing a position for negotiations. Japan makes a suprise attack, sinking the French asiatic fleet and starts landing armies.

The Japanese are dumfounded when the Brits and US organize a international trade embargo and start mobilizing their militaries. Negotiations go nowhere and the Japanese fanatics prepare a devastating blow that will stun the Nancy Boy westerners into accepting Japan as the superior race and dominate power in Asia. ....I think we know how the rest of the story goes ;)

Thank you.

There you have it, people. Not as "ZOMG ASB!!11!!1!" as previousely reported.

So, now to the other two questions.

How different would this war be from OTL? What would be the consequences (political, cultural, etc.) after this war?
 

iddt3

Donor
Isn't there a TL about the Panay incident leading to War in '38 somewhere on the forum? It's POD is footage that was censored in OTL, which showed the Japanese attacking a clearly US marked ship and then strafing the survivors, gets aired, and the American public demands war.
 
Yes the Panay sinking is one PoD, another is the assualt on the US diplomat. Some months after the Panay went down a assistant ambassador was struck by a Japanese soldier. Sorry I cant remember the names or circumstances. Had the diplomat been bayonetted, shot, or otherwise killed then the whole tension thing goes up several more notches.
 
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