That's the problem for them. Either cut into the IJN budget or give up ... artillery? Trucks and other vehicles?And what are they not producing to get all of that?
I suppose my the middle of the year they won't have that many divisions left to equip, so a bit of money spent on tanks wouldn't hurt...That's the problem for them. Either cut into the IJN budget or give up ... artillery? Trucks and other vehicles?
No good answers
We know they will have to sacrifice something. That's not the question. They have to do something because a Navy won't do shit about a British land army threatening Japanese gains in SEA. They could afford to wait until it was too late OTL because the front was frozen in Burma for a while, they can't here.And what are they not producing to get all of that?
But how long will that take? Normally its 18 months to get a new tank into production and the Japanese were not very good at either recognising they were in trouble or mass production ( total tank production in 1941 was 595 and that was the highest total in the entire war )We know they will have to sacrifice something. That's not the question. They have to do something because a Navy won't do shit about a British land army threatening Japanese gains in SEA. They could afford to wait until it was too late OTL because the front was frozen in Burma for a while, they can't here.
Besides, producing tanks in the low hundreds is still fairly limited in comparison to shipbuilding in ressource consumption. Once they really started in 44/45 they did produce at non-insignificant rates and that was when shortages were far greater than in 42/43.
I guess the I.J.A. will have to do without its own submarines and aircraft carriers.And what are they not producing to get all of that?
Maybe Borneo ( subs would make actually getting the oil back to Japan, interesting in the Chinese way ) but Sumatra and Java would be pretty much impossible.Hmmm... without Malaya, are they going to be able to actually capture any of those oil fields?
Speaking of, have any reinforcements ended up in British Borneo?Maybe Borneo ( subs would make actually getting the oil back to Japan, interesting in the Chinese way ) but Sumatra and Java would be pretty much impossible.
The Philippines? Thailand?Quick question. How are the Japanese going to ship these new heavy armour brigades around? If they don't achieve a victory in Malaya it will all be over there before they've even began production.
What theatre of war are these new tanks going to be facing allied armour?
The Russians might have a slightly harder time of it in Manchuria?
What is their job if not to act as AT Guns when called upon to be AT guns? I think you believe that field guns and somehow magically meant to be not act as AT guns when called upon to be AT guns. Field guns have two jobs, both acting as support to the infantry surrounding them - general support weapons and AT guns. It was what they were created to do...On using field guns as AT weapons, they have the same problem the British had in the desert OTL, in that they're not available for their actual job of artillery.
What? The Japanese guns were primarily HE lobbers, designed for use in poor terrain with a very secondary ability to be poor AT guns using HEAT ( light tanks yes , Mathilda's frontally, questionable )What is their job if not to act as AT Guns when called upon to be AT guns? I think you believe that field guns and somehow magically meant to be not act as AT guns when called upon to be AT guns. Field guns have two jobs, both acting as support to the infantry surrounding them - general support weapons and AT guns. It was what they were created to do...
Trouble is that when deployed as AT guns on 'penny packets' it's very difficult for them to also perform the field gun role. Which relies on concentration of firepower.What is their job if not to act as AT Guns when called upon to be AT guns? I think you believe that field guns and somehow magically meant to be not act as AT guns when called upon to be AT guns. Field guns have two jobs, both acting as support to the infantry surrounding them - general support weapons and AT guns. It was what they were created to do...
Actually, it all depends on where they are deployed. In the close confines of Jungle warfare they are going to be stationed close together, unlike desert warfare where the terrain requires them to be stationed a long distance apart. Your protests are suited to desert warfare compared to jungle warfare.Trouble is that when deployed as AT guns on 'penny packets' it's very difficult for them to also perform the field gun role. Which relies on concentration of firepower.
Field guns relied on AP rounds rather than HEAT rounds. Indeed, HEAT was never overly reliable until late in the war. AP was...What? The Japanese guns were primarily HE lobbers, designed for use in poor terrain with a very secondary ability to be poor AT guns using HEAT ( light tanks yes , Mathilda's frontally, questionable )