alternatehistory.com

I'm looking into the plausibility of the Imperial Japanese Army adopting something similar to the German Heer's mechanized combat doctrine, albeit on a more limited scale.

In essence, the Germans entered World War 2 with two separate armies. The modern, mechanized Panzer forces utilized tanks, half-tracks and trucks, while the rest of the Heer was little different than the German military in the First World War; heavily dependent on horse drawn transport, and marching at the speed of the stomach and the artillery carriage.

In a lot of ways, this was a result of the German General Staff's own prejudices against mass production, and their almost romantic desire for fast, ultra-effective modern forces rather than a uniformly decent army. The elan of elite Panzer forces has an almost cavalry like quality.

Now, on face, this seems to be compatible with the IJA's mentality. The IJA maintained strong cores of elite units, and continually honed them in combat. Industrially, they might be able to put it off. Naturally, they cannot hope to mechanize the whole military, but a small, elite mechanized corps seems economically possible.
Top