Coming next week:
Rebellion and Resistance on the Philippines
The week after that:
Japanese preparations for a possible assault attack on Pearl Harbor.
How this is gonna turn out.
The Co-Prosperity Sphere
- Thread starter CountofDooku
- Start date
How this is gonna turn out.
Chapter 49: The new Japan
Chapter 49: The new Japan:
The creation of the Co-Prosperity Sphere had a great influence on the 1940 Olympic games in Tokio. For Japan the games were not only a show to ensure the world of their peaceful attempts for East Asia, but also to get more international recognition and legitimacy for the new smaller states of the Co-Prosperity Sphere they had created out of China and Indochina. Originally Manchukuo was to compete in the 1932 Summer Olympic Games, but one of the athletes who intended to represent Manchukuo, Liu Changchun, refused to join the team and instead joined as the first Chinese representative in the Olympics. There were attempts by Japanese authorities to let Manchukuo join the 1936 games, but the Olympic Committee persisted in the policy of not allowing an unrecognized state to join the Olympics. Manchukuo then had a chance to participate in the planned 1940 Tokio Olympics, that taking place. While Chiang's China did not recognize Manchukuo but the two sides established official ties for trade, communications and transportation. Unlike Chiang all other Japanese allies and small states crated out of former China one after another recognised each other. In 1933, the League of Nations adopted the Lytton Report, declaring that Manchuria (Manchukuo) remained rightfully part of China, leading Japan to resign its membership. The Manchukuo case persuaded the United States to articulate the so-called Stimson Doctrine, under which international recognition was withheld from changes in the international system created by force of arms. In spite of the League of Nations' approach, the new Co-Prospherity state were at first only diplomatically recognised by El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rics (all 1934), Italy, Spain (both 1937), Germany (1938), Austria-Hungary (1939). The Soviet Union extended de facto recognition of Manchukuoon 23 March 1935, but explicitly noted that this did not mean de jure recognition. However, upon signing the Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Pact that ended their border skirmishes in Manchukuo, Mengjiang, Mongolia and the Soviet Far East after the Battles of Khalkhyn Gol, the Soviet Union recognized the member states of the Co-Prosperity Sphere in their existing borders claimed by Japan de jure in exchange for Japan recognizing the integrity of the neighboring Mongolian People's Republic. The USSR did maintain consulates-general in the member states of the Co-Prosperity Sphere, as did other nations that recognize these states soon.
Still the Far Eastern Games in Tokio on 6 October 1940 were controversial. Japan allowed all member states of the Co-Prosperity Sphere to participate openly in the games, leading to the withdraw and boycott of the games from Chiang's National Chinese Government as well as these of the American team. While protests from the British and French delegations came, they still participated in the games. Still many other countries and participants friendly to Chiang's China boycott the games or suggested different sides for the game because of Japans heavy involvement in the Chinese Civil War. Tokio as a place for the game was chosen in 1936 after a campaign beginning in 1932 between Barcelona, Rome, Helsinki and Tokio. Because the Chinese Civil War was viewed mostly as internal struggle like the Spanish Civil War before the Summer and Winter Olympics of 1940 took both place in Tokio, unlike they most likely would have otherwise with a open Japanese intervention into China. Even heavier protests and even the threat of withdrawing from the games came from Britain and France after Japan had invited many participants from colonial or depending nations of American, European and overall Colonial powers. While the Philippines participated in the games showing the close connections that both Japan and the Philippines shared as island nations and Japan openly supported the Philippines full independence, despite it further endangering the US-Japanese relations. Tensions rose once again as some of the colonies and depending territories were forbidden by their colonial masters to participate as independent states rather than a part of their team and some participants were spotted flying the flag of their independence movement rather than the flag of their colonial governments. During the games the Co-Prosperity Sphere propaganda like Asia for the Asians, as well as Anti-Colonial and Anti-Communist propaganda was dialed down heavily.
Koichi Kido, Lord Keaper of the Privy Seal of Japan announced the forfeiture on July 16 1938. A few weeks before that Judo creator Kano Jigoro died under suspicious circumstances. His concern that his Judo school, the Kodokan would be used as a military training center even if the Emperor promised to not do so would soon became true.
The overall games were closely watched and guarded by the Kenpeitai, a military police that was the military police arm of the Imperial Japanese Army since 1881 onward. It was not a conventional military police, but more of a secret police. While it was institutionally part of the Imperial Japanese Army, it also discharged the functions of the military police for the Imperial Japanese Navy under the direction of the Admiralty Minister (although the IJN had its own much smaller Tokkeitai), those of the executive police under the direction of the Interior Minister, and those of the judicial police under the direction of the Justice Department. The Kenpeitai was established in 1881 by a decree called the Kenpei Ordinance, figuratively "articles concerning gendarmes". Its model was the Gendarmerie of France. Details of the Kenpeitai's military, executive, and judicial police functions were defined by the Kenpei Rei of 1898. The force initially consisted of 349 men. The enforcement of the new conscription legislation was an important part of their duty, due to resistance from peasant families. The Kenpeitai's general affairs branch was in charge of the force's policy, personnel management, internal discipline, as well as communication with the Ministries of the Admiralty, the Interior, and Justice. The operation branch was in charge of the distribution of military police units within the army, general public security and intelligence. In 1907, the Kenpeitai was ordered to Chosen where its main duty was legally defined as "preserving the peace", although it also functioned as a military police for the Japanese army stationed there. This status remained basically unchanged after Japan's annexation of Korea and it's later liberation as the Empire of Chosen later.
The Kenpeitai maintained public order within Japan under the direction of the Interior Minister, and in the occupied territories under the direction of the Minister of War. Japan also had a civilian secret police force, Tokkō, which was the Japanese acronym of Tokubetsu Koto Kaisatsu ("Special Higher Police") part of the Interior Ministry. However, the Kenpeitai had a Tokkō branch of its own, and through it discharged the functions of a secret police. When the Kenpeitai arrested a civilian under the direction of the Justice Minister, the arrested person was nominally subject to civilian judicial proceedings. The Kenpeitai's brutality was particularly notorious in Korea and the other occupied territories. The Kenpeitai were also abhorred in Japan's mainland as well, especially during World War II when Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, formerly the Commander of the Kenpeitai of the Japanese Army in Manchuria from 1935 to 1937, used the Kenpeitai extensively to make sure that everyone was loyal to the Co-Prosperity Sphere and the war.
Tojo soon expended the Kaisatsu and the Kenpeitai to the other member states of the Co-Prosperity Sphere. There they served to support the local police and army keeping up public order. They also organized the Co-Prosperity Sphere propaganda they teach in schools. They also supported nationalist, fascist and aristocratic elements in this states that made up the new governments under emperors, kings or authoritarian leaders that were aiming to something similar to a aristocratic family dynasty. Tojo also promoted that every Japanese women should have six to eight children so that there would be enough soldiers for future campaigns and plans as well as enough Japanese to colonize the Co-Prosperity Sphere with them. The program itself took inspiration from Germany where Hitler, then Wilhelm II and later Wilhelm III started a similar program with similar goals in mind. The Japanese own organization was lead by Katseko Tojo, Prime-minister Tojo's wife and his daughter Kimiye was supposed to become the perfect role model together with her husband for the new Japanese Imperial Family and the new Japanese Imperial State citizen that would serve it in the future.
The creation of the Co-Prosperity Sphere had a great influence on the 1940 Olympic games in Tokio. For Japan the games were not only a show to ensure the world of their peaceful attempts for East Asia, but also to get more international recognition and legitimacy for the new smaller states of the Co-Prosperity Sphere they had created out of China and Indochina. Originally Manchukuo was to compete in the 1932 Summer Olympic Games, but one of the athletes who intended to represent Manchukuo, Liu Changchun, refused to join the team and instead joined as the first Chinese representative in the Olympics. There were attempts by Japanese authorities to let Manchukuo join the 1936 games, but the Olympic Committee persisted in the policy of not allowing an unrecognized state to join the Olympics. Manchukuo then had a chance to participate in the planned 1940 Tokio Olympics, that taking place. While Chiang's China did not recognize Manchukuo but the two sides established official ties for trade, communications and transportation. Unlike Chiang all other Japanese allies and small states crated out of former China one after another recognised each other. In 1933, the League of Nations adopted the Lytton Report, declaring that Manchuria (Manchukuo) remained rightfully part of China, leading Japan to resign its membership. The Manchukuo case persuaded the United States to articulate the so-called Stimson Doctrine, under which international recognition was withheld from changes in the international system created by force of arms. In spite of the League of Nations' approach, the new Co-Prospherity state were at first only diplomatically recognised by El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rics (all 1934), Italy, Spain (both 1937), Germany (1938), Austria-Hungary (1939). The Soviet Union extended de facto recognition of Manchukuoon 23 March 1935, but explicitly noted that this did not mean de jure recognition. However, upon signing the Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Pact that ended their border skirmishes in Manchukuo, Mengjiang, Mongolia and the Soviet Far East after the Battles of Khalkhyn Gol, the Soviet Union recognized the member states of the Co-Prosperity Sphere in their existing borders claimed by Japan de jure in exchange for Japan recognizing the integrity of the neighboring Mongolian People's Republic. The USSR did maintain consulates-general in the member states of the Co-Prosperity Sphere, as did other nations that recognize these states soon.
Still the Far Eastern Games in Tokio on 6 October 1940 were controversial. Japan allowed all member states of the Co-Prosperity Sphere to participate openly in the games, leading to the withdraw and boycott of the games from Chiang's National Chinese Government as well as these of the American team. While protests from the British and French delegations came, they still participated in the games. Still many other countries and participants friendly to Chiang's China boycott the games or suggested different sides for the game because of Japans heavy involvement in the Chinese Civil War. Tokio as a place for the game was chosen in 1936 after a campaign beginning in 1932 between Barcelona, Rome, Helsinki and Tokio. Because the Chinese Civil War was viewed mostly as internal struggle like the Spanish Civil War before the Summer and Winter Olympics of 1940 took both place in Tokio, unlike they most likely would have otherwise with a open Japanese intervention into China. Even heavier protests and even the threat of withdrawing from the games came from Britain and France after Japan had invited many participants from colonial or depending nations of American, European and overall Colonial powers. While the Philippines participated in the games showing the close connections that both Japan and the Philippines shared as island nations and Japan openly supported the Philippines full independence, despite it further endangering the US-Japanese relations. Tensions rose once again as some of the colonies and depending territories were forbidden by their colonial masters to participate as independent states rather than a part of their team and some participants were spotted flying the flag of their independence movement rather than the flag of their colonial governments. During the games the Co-Prosperity Sphere propaganda like Asia for the Asians, as well as Anti-Colonial and Anti-Communist propaganda was dialed down heavily.
Koichi Kido, Lord Keaper of the Privy Seal of Japan announced the forfeiture on July 16 1938. A few weeks before that Judo creator Kano Jigoro died under suspicious circumstances. His concern that his Judo school, the Kodokan would be used as a military training center even if the Emperor promised to not do so would soon became true.
The overall games were closely watched and guarded by the Kenpeitai, a military police that was the military police arm of the Imperial Japanese Army since 1881 onward. It was not a conventional military police, but more of a secret police. While it was institutionally part of the Imperial Japanese Army, it also discharged the functions of the military police for the Imperial Japanese Navy under the direction of the Admiralty Minister (although the IJN had its own much smaller Tokkeitai), those of the executive police under the direction of the Interior Minister, and those of the judicial police under the direction of the Justice Department. The Kenpeitai was established in 1881 by a decree called the Kenpei Ordinance, figuratively "articles concerning gendarmes". Its model was the Gendarmerie of France. Details of the Kenpeitai's military, executive, and judicial police functions were defined by the Kenpei Rei of 1898. The force initially consisted of 349 men. The enforcement of the new conscription legislation was an important part of their duty, due to resistance from peasant families. The Kenpeitai's general affairs branch was in charge of the force's policy, personnel management, internal discipline, as well as communication with the Ministries of the Admiralty, the Interior, and Justice. The operation branch was in charge of the distribution of military police units within the army, general public security and intelligence. In 1907, the Kenpeitai was ordered to Chosen where its main duty was legally defined as "preserving the peace", although it also functioned as a military police for the Japanese army stationed there. This status remained basically unchanged after Japan's annexation of Korea and it's later liberation as the Empire of Chosen later.
The Kenpeitai maintained public order within Japan under the direction of the Interior Minister, and in the occupied territories under the direction of the Minister of War. Japan also had a civilian secret police force, Tokkō, which was the Japanese acronym of Tokubetsu Koto Kaisatsu ("Special Higher Police") part of the Interior Ministry. However, the Kenpeitai had a Tokkō branch of its own, and through it discharged the functions of a secret police. When the Kenpeitai arrested a civilian under the direction of the Justice Minister, the arrested person was nominally subject to civilian judicial proceedings. The Kenpeitai's brutality was particularly notorious in Korea and the other occupied territories. The Kenpeitai were also abhorred in Japan's mainland as well, especially during World War II when Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, formerly the Commander of the Kenpeitai of the Japanese Army in Manchuria from 1935 to 1937, used the Kenpeitai extensively to make sure that everyone was loyal to the Co-Prosperity Sphere and the war.
Tojo soon expended the Kaisatsu and the Kenpeitai to the other member states of the Co-Prosperity Sphere. There they served to support the local police and army keeping up public order. They also organized the Co-Prosperity Sphere propaganda they teach in schools. They also supported nationalist, fascist and aristocratic elements in this states that made up the new governments under emperors, kings or authoritarian leaders that were aiming to something similar to a aristocratic family dynasty. Tojo also promoted that every Japanese women should have six to eight children so that there would be enough soldiers for future campaigns and plans as well as enough Japanese to colonize the Co-Prosperity Sphere with them. The program itself took inspiration from Germany where Hitler, then Wilhelm II and later Wilhelm III started a similar program with similar goals in mind. The Japanese own organization was lead by Katseko Tojo, Prime-minister Tojo's wife and his daughter Kimiye was supposed to become the perfect role model together with her husband for the new Japanese Imperial Family and the new Japanese Imperial State citizen that would serve it in the future.
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Chapter 50: A French King or Emperor?
Chapter 50: A French King or Emperor?
Louis, Prince Napoléon (Louis Jérôme Victor Emmanuel Léopold Marie; born 23 January 1914) was a member of the Bonaparte dynasty. He was the pretender to the Imperial throne of France, as Napoléon VI, from 1926 onward. Louis was born in Brussels, Belgium due to the law which then banned heirs of the former French ruling dynasties from residing in France. He was the son of Victor, Prince Napoléon and his wife Princess Clémentine of Belgium, daughter of King Leopold II of the Belgians and Archduke Marie Henriette of Austria. Leopold II's mother, Prince Louise-Marie of Orléons, was the eldest daughter of King Louis Philippe I, ruler of France during the July Monarchy. As a child, Prince Louis spent some time in England, where he stayed with Empress Eugénie, the widow of Napoleon III. He was educated in Leuven, Belgium, and in Lausanne Switzerland. When his father died on 3 May 1926, the 12-year-old Prince Louis succeeded as the Bonapartist pretender to the Imperial throne of France, his mother acting as regent until he came of age.
On the outbreak of the Second Great War, Prince Louis wrote to the French prime minister, Édouard Daladier, offering to serve in the French Army. His offer was refused, and so he assumed the nom de guerre of Louis Blanchard and joined the French Foreign Legion, seeing action in North Africa before being demobilized in 1941, following the Second Armistice at Compiègne. He then joined the French Resistance and was arrested by the Germans after attempting to cross the Pyrenees on his way to London to join Free French leader Charles de Gaulle. Following his arrest, he spent time in various prisons, including Fresnes. Wilhelm III dreamed of a continental monarchist block of Mitteleurope (Middle Europe) and he as well as some french fascists, monarchists and bonapartists could see Napoléon VI as the new ruler of France. The Germans quickly declared that if Prince Louis would agree to their demands and lead the new french government, then they could lower reparations and the overall occupation of France. Wilhelm even agreed that France would keep most of it's colonial empire (unlike Germany after the First Great War as Wilhelm III mentioned) and could even hope to gain some of the British colonies if Fascist France openly joined the Axis Central Powers. While the step mostly intended to focus on getting french to openly join the war against the remaining allies, it also hoped to fuel the anger many french had after the British attacked their fleet at Mers-el.Kabir to prevent it from falling into German hands.
Because of this the treaty that allowed Louis to become King Napoléon VI with the support of the aristocratic, national and fascist coalition government in Fascist France and the support of the Germans had some conditions. First of all Alsace-Lorraine (Elsas-Lothringen) was to be fully reintegrated with the German Empire together with Luxembourg and parts of Belgium. Second the german puppet state of Flandria & Wallonia gained parts of the french region of Picardy in order to get a hold on the rich Belgian and french ore in the region, as well as bases at the English Channel. The Italian Empire was allow to claim former Italian land in Savoy and Provence, as well as to occupy parts of the remaining border region for the same time the Rhineland was occupied after the First Great War in Germany. The German Empire also remained troops in the Coastal Military Zone, as well as the rest of Lorraine, Burgundy and Champagne (as a demilitarized french border), but would withdrew of the rest of France once the Fascist Government openly joined the Axis Central Powers in their fight. Wilhelm III just like Bismark before hoped that this rather calm annexations of regions in Central France and the french homeland would make them more accepting towards an alliance and a few losses in the colonies once the war was over. Corsica was directly annexed by Italy and Germany kept a guard and security army (GSA / Gardesicherheitsarmee) inside of french to guard strategic important locations and to prevent it from joining the allies.
In the colonies Fascist France lost Marocco to Nationalist Spain, who joined Germany in the Operation against Gibraltar and just like Portugal had close economic and political ties to the new Axis Central Powers. The Capture of Gibralta would be the start of the so called Axis Central Powers Africa Campaign. Knowing how long and how many German colonial troops had tied down allied troops in Africa in the First Great War, the German High Command hoped to do the same once again an at the same time help the Italien allies as well as to bribe Nationalist Spain into joining the fight by giving them French Marocco as a appetizer. The German West Africa Army under General Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma (who had also fought in the Spanish Civil War together with the Nationalists) helped replacing Fascist France Guards with Spanish Army troops there and prepared to defend and fight in west Africa (later including Mauretania, Senegal, Guinea and French West Africa/ French Sudan) against the remaining allied colonies and troops. In Tunis the Germans helped with the Italian occupation and the replacing of Fascist France troops under General Walther Nehring, while Hans-Karl Freiherr von Esebeck got the command of the forces brought to once again german Togoland. Coming by planes and even airship, the Togo Armee (Togoarmee) aimed to fight against the British and Allies along the Ivory coast in the arts of Togoland and Nigeria still under british colonial control to extend the war in Africa. In Libya the German General Erwin Rommel joined the Italian forces in their defense of the Italian north african colonies Libya and Tunis as well as Fascist French Algeria with the German North Africa Army. At the same time Emperor Wilhelm II and Emperor Otto had ordered General Ludwig Crüwell who was formerly fighting during the Invasion of Yugoslavia. His mission was to join with Mohammedan and Neo-Ottoman elements in the Turkish Republic in hopes of them taking over the government. Then so hoped Wilhelm III they could attack the allies in Iraq and also in Syria and Libya, former Ottoman Territory these nationalist claimed back for their state.
To all of this Louis agreed to become King Napoléon VI and even allowed for Axis Central Power troops to freely pass and access all Fascist French Territory. With a German gun near his head he didn't have much of a choice and this way he hoped to prevent a even harsher peace enforced on France as well as aiding the allies from the inside as good as possible in his new situation at Versailles, constantly guarded by German troops, that also had the de facto control over Paris itself left in their hands. With this new allies Wilhelm proclaimed the restoration of a monarchistic Europe and while the new french King dreamed to crown himself Emperor of this new French Empire again his national monarchist and the fascist had some things in common with the former German and Axis Central Power enemies. For example they all viewed the Soviet Union as the by far greatest possible danger for their titles, powers and political systems then the new German Empire could ever be. This also allowed Fascist France (from now on called the French Empire) to have officially French Algeria guaranteed as a integrated part of the French Home- and Motherland on the continent that would just like the rest of the France on the continent remain theirs. Nearly immediatly after taking Tunesia the Italians started to increae the numbers of Italian residents there, just like they had hoped for so long after france took the region before them as a colony.
Louis, Prince Napoléon (Louis Jérôme Victor Emmanuel Léopold Marie; born 23 January 1914) was a member of the Bonaparte dynasty. He was the pretender to the Imperial throne of France, as Napoléon VI, from 1926 onward. Louis was born in Brussels, Belgium due to the law which then banned heirs of the former French ruling dynasties from residing in France. He was the son of Victor, Prince Napoléon and his wife Princess Clémentine of Belgium, daughter of King Leopold II of the Belgians and Archduke Marie Henriette of Austria. Leopold II's mother, Prince Louise-Marie of Orléons, was the eldest daughter of King Louis Philippe I, ruler of France during the July Monarchy. As a child, Prince Louis spent some time in England, where he stayed with Empress Eugénie, the widow of Napoleon III. He was educated in Leuven, Belgium, and in Lausanne Switzerland. When his father died on 3 May 1926, the 12-year-old Prince Louis succeeded as the Bonapartist pretender to the Imperial throne of France, his mother acting as regent until he came of age.
On the outbreak of the Second Great War, Prince Louis wrote to the French prime minister, Édouard Daladier, offering to serve in the French Army. His offer was refused, and so he assumed the nom de guerre of Louis Blanchard and joined the French Foreign Legion, seeing action in North Africa before being demobilized in 1941, following the Second Armistice at Compiègne. He then joined the French Resistance and was arrested by the Germans after attempting to cross the Pyrenees on his way to London to join Free French leader Charles de Gaulle. Following his arrest, he spent time in various prisons, including Fresnes. Wilhelm III dreamed of a continental monarchist block of Mitteleurope (Middle Europe) and he as well as some french fascists, monarchists and bonapartists could see Napoléon VI as the new ruler of France. The Germans quickly declared that if Prince Louis would agree to their demands and lead the new french government, then they could lower reparations and the overall occupation of France. Wilhelm even agreed that France would keep most of it's colonial empire (unlike Germany after the First Great War as Wilhelm III mentioned) and could even hope to gain some of the British colonies if Fascist France openly joined the Axis Central Powers. While the step mostly intended to focus on getting french to openly join the war against the remaining allies, it also hoped to fuel the anger many french had after the British attacked their fleet at Mers-el.Kabir to prevent it from falling into German hands.
Because of this the treaty that allowed Louis to become King Napoléon VI with the support of the aristocratic, national and fascist coalition government in Fascist France and the support of the Germans had some conditions. First of all Alsace-Lorraine (Elsas-Lothringen) was to be fully reintegrated with the German Empire together with Luxembourg and parts of Belgium. Second the german puppet state of Flandria & Wallonia gained parts of the french region of Picardy in order to get a hold on the rich Belgian and french ore in the region, as well as bases at the English Channel. The Italian Empire was allow to claim former Italian land in Savoy and Provence, as well as to occupy parts of the remaining border region for the same time the Rhineland was occupied after the First Great War in Germany. The German Empire also remained troops in the Coastal Military Zone, as well as the rest of Lorraine, Burgundy and Champagne (as a demilitarized french border), but would withdrew of the rest of France once the Fascist Government openly joined the Axis Central Powers in their fight. Wilhelm III just like Bismark before hoped that this rather calm annexations of regions in Central France and the french homeland would make them more accepting towards an alliance and a few losses in the colonies once the war was over. Corsica was directly annexed by Italy and Germany kept a guard and security army (GSA / Gardesicherheitsarmee) inside of french to guard strategic important locations and to prevent it from joining the allies.
In the colonies Fascist France lost Marocco to Nationalist Spain, who joined Germany in the Operation against Gibraltar and just like Portugal had close economic and political ties to the new Axis Central Powers. The Capture of Gibralta would be the start of the so called Axis Central Powers Africa Campaign. Knowing how long and how many German colonial troops had tied down allied troops in Africa in the First Great War, the German High Command hoped to do the same once again an at the same time help the Italien allies as well as to bribe Nationalist Spain into joining the fight by giving them French Marocco as a appetizer. The German West Africa Army under General Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma (who had also fought in the Spanish Civil War together with the Nationalists) helped replacing Fascist France Guards with Spanish Army troops there and prepared to defend and fight in west Africa (later including Mauretania, Senegal, Guinea and French West Africa/ French Sudan) against the remaining allied colonies and troops. In Tunis the Germans helped with the Italian occupation and the replacing of Fascist France troops under General Walther Nehring, while Hans-Karl Freiherr von Esebeck got the command of the forces brought to once again german Togoland. Coming by planes and even airship, the Togo Armee (Togoarmee) aimed to fight against the British and Allies along the Ivory coast in the arts of Togoland and Nigeria still under british colonial control to extend the war in Africa. In Libya the German General Erwin Rommel joined the Italian forces in their defense of the Italian north african colonies Libya and Tunis as well as Fascist French Algeria with the German North Africa Army. At the same time Emperor Wilhelm II and Emperor Otto had ordered General Ludwig Crüwell who was formerly fighting during the Invasion of Yugoslavia. His mission was to join with Mohammedan and Neo-Ottoman elements in the Turkish Republic in hopes of them taking over the government. Then so hoped Wilhelm III they could attack the allies in Iraq and also in Syria and Libya, former Ottoman Territory these nationalist claimed back for their state.
To all of this Louis agreed to become King Napoléon VI and even allowed for Axis Central Power troops to freely pass and access all Fascist French Territory. With a German gun near his head he didn't have much of a choice and this way he hoped to prevent a even harsher peace enforced on France as well as aiding the allies from the inside as good as possible in his new situation at Versailles, constantly guarded by German troops, that also had the de facto control over Paris itself left in their hands. With this new allies Wilhelm proclaimed the restoration of a monarchistic Europe and while the new french King dreamed to crown himself Emperor of this new French Empire again his national monarchist and the fascist had some things in common with the former German and Axis Central Power enemies. For example they all viewed the Soviet Union as the by far greatest possible danger for their titles, powers and political systems then the new German Empire could ever be. This also allowed Fascist France (from now on called the French Empire) to have officially French Algeria guaranteed as a integrated part of the French Home- and Motherland on the continent that would just like the rest of the France on the continent remain theirs. Nearly immediatly after taking Tunesia the Italians started to increae the numbers of Italian residents there, just like they had hoped for so long after france took the region before them as a colony.
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Monarchist (Imperialist) Europe *o*
If the central powers win, France and perhaps even Italy, have great chances to retain Algeria and Lybia/Tunisia to modern times instead of decolonize.
If the central powers win, France and perhaps even Italy, have great chances to retain Algeria and Lybia/Tunisia to modern times instead of decolonize.
Europe and East Asia are monarchistic imperialistic TTL (thanks to Japan and the Co-Prosperity Sphere). ;D
So true, Italy's colonisation programm of the region was quiet working and would soon have lead to a Italian majority Lybia. Fashist France Algeria most likely the same, not sure about French/Spanish Marocco TTL.
Well he's about to hit his fifties at this point, so he might be very disillusioned with the French.
Leading communist rebels in Indochina, but with the independence there under Japan he's not as famous and supported as in our TL so far...
True, he didn't trust them before, now some cooperate with the Japanese and their puppet overnments and Uncle Ho fears they might continue to rule in Indochina once the Japanese are beaten.
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Chapter 51: Rebellion and Resistance on the Philippines
Chapter 51: Rebellion and Resistance on the Philippines:
While the Japanese tried to fuel the anti-colonial movements, mostly the communist ones by no to divide the Soviet Union and Comintern from the Allies and Western Powers like the USA, they knew how dangerous their game was. So just like the Kuomintang with Sun Yat-sen's teachings of he Three Principles of the People, the Japanese and the Co-Prosperity Sphere developed the Five Noble Truths in an ideology that was supposed to counter capitalism, democracy and communism. The Five Noble Truths that would become the ideology of the Co-Prosperity Sphere (Coprospism) were Aristocracy, Traditionalism, Pan-Asian-Nationalism/Populism, National Governments by the People and finally the People's welfare/livelihood, a concept best understood as social welfare and security and as a direct criticism of the inadequacies of both socialism and capitalism.
One of the rebel movements on the Philippines supported was the militant arm of the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas-1930 (PKP-1930) (Filipino, Communist Party of the Philippines-1930). The idea of this guerrilla organization was conceived as early as October 1941, months before the Philippines' entry to World War II. As early as 1941, Juan Feleo, a well-known peasant leader and member of the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas, had begun to mobilize peasants in his home province of Nueva Ecija for the conflict. Pedro Abad Santos, founding member of the Socialist Party of the Philippines, had also ordered Luis Taruc to mobilize forces in Pampanga. The Japanese and other member states of the Co-Prosperity Sphere were not the only ones secretly supporting this movements by smuggling supplies and weapons aboard their civil trade ships for them, but also the Soviet Union and the Comintern. In the End the Communists hoped for a Revolution to liberate the Philippines, while the Japanese only used this movements to spread anti-colonial ideals and to also get the American public to leave the Philippines sooner so they become fully independent. In the southern islands of the Philippines the Moro Liberation Army fought against the central government too, but not to liberate all of the islands, but just to establish a Sultanate in the southern ones.
This growing resistance was also supported by newspapers in the Co-Prosperity Sphere to further fuel these incidents and to make them more public known across the Philippines, where the Japanese and the Co-Prosperity Sphere sponsored a few local nationalist newspapers. They even supported some of the rebel's propaganda with this newspapers and because of that the government of the Philippines soon outlawed some of them and forced them underground. But while the majority of the Philippine people wished for independence, not all of them supported the socialists and communists. There were a few national and fascist movements and even the new ideology of the Co-Prosperity Sphere quickly gained ground. There even were more neutral independence movements that focused just on their own Independence no matter the costs, while others propagated to work closely with the Americans for this goal and the future relations between both nations after that.
While the Japanese tried to fuel the anti-colonial movements, mostly the communist ones by no to divide the Soviet Union and Comintern from the Allies and Western Powers like the USA, they knew how dangerous their game was. So just like the Kuomintang with Sun Yat-sen's teachings of he Three Principles of the People, the Japanese and the Co-Prosperity Sphere developed the Five Noble Truths in an ideology that was supposed to counter capitalism, democracy and communism. The Five Noble Truths that would become the ideology of the Co-Prosperity Sphere (Coprospism) were Aristocracy, Traditionalism, Pan-Asian-Nationalism/Populism, National Governments by the People and finally the People's welfare/livelihood, a concept best understood as social welfare and security and as a direct criticism of the inadequacies of both socialism and capitalism.
One of the rebel movements on the Philippines supported was the militant arm of the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas-1930 (PKP-1930) (Filipino, Communist Party of the Philippines-1930). The idea of this guerrilla organization was conceived as early as October 1941, months before the Philippines' entry to World War II. As early as 1941, Juan Feleo, a well-known peasant leader and member of the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas, had begun to mobilize peasants in his home province of Nueva Ecija for the conflict. Pedro Abad Santos, founding member of the Socialist Party of the Philippines, had also ordered Luis Taruc to mobilize forces in Pampanga. The Japanese and other member states of the Co-Prosperity Sphere were not the only ones secretly supporting this movements by smuggling supplies and weapons aboard their civil trade ships for them, but also the Soviet Union and the Comintern. In the End the Communists hoped for a Revolution to liberate the Philippines, while the Japanese only used this movements to spread anti-colonial ideals and to also get the American public to leave the Philippines sooner so they become fully independent. In the southern islands of the Philippines the Moro Liberation Army fought against the central government too, but not to liberate all of the islands, but just to establish a Sultanate in the southern ones.
This growing resistance was also supported by newspapers in the Co-Prosperity Sphere to further fuel these incidents and to make them more public known across the Philippines, where the Japanese and the Co-Prosperity Sphere sponsored a few local nationalist newspapers. They even supported some of the rebel's propaganda with this newspapers and because of that the government of the Philippines soon outlawed some of them and forced them underground. But while the majority of the Philippine people wished for independence, not all of them supported the socialists and communists. There were a few national and fascist movements and even the new ideology of the Co-Prosperity Sphere quickly gained ground. There even were more neutral independence movements that focused just on their own Independence no matter the costs, while others propagated to work closely with the Americans for this goal and the future relations between both nations after that.
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Chapter 52: The Neo-Ottoman Empire
Chapter 52: The Neo-Ottoman Empire:
Because Wilhelm III intended to hit the Allies hard in Africa and to distract forces from the Battle of Britain, he had tried to get Turkey into the Axis Central Power camp for the last months. But even the promise to regain Syria and the Lebanon as well as Iraq and Palestine from Great Britain and France in chase of a Axis Central Powers victory was not enough to get the Turks to join their side. However the Neo-Ottoman Movement, a fascist-nationalist group was eager to listen to these promises and dreamed of reestablishing the Ottoman Sultanate. In hopes that Wilhelm III would be as great of a ally and friend to the Ottomans and the Mohammedans then his father Wilhelm II they saw a potential helper in him for their own ambitions. Seeing a rare opportunity Wilhelm III ordered Operation: Baghdad to be prepared and executed. It was the start of a secret involvement and support of the German Empire, the Austrian-Hungarian Empire and the Italian Empire for the Neo-Ottoman Movement inside Turkey.
Secretly the Neo-Ottoman Movement used the harboring of some Austrian-Hungarian, Italian and even German ships in Istanbul as support for their coup against the government in Ankara. Their militant rebellion quickly captured Istanbul and most cities across the Adriatic Sea with support of the Axis Central Powers and even managed to attack the democratic government in Ankara thanks to it's supporters. A majority of the democratic government and it's ministers in Ankara were killed in the process and the Neo-Ottoman Movement also managed to cut off many communication and supply lines in hopes that the democratic government would be unable to organize any resistance. Thanks to the help of General Ludwig Crüwell, the Mohammedan and Neo-Ottoman supporters inside the Turkish Republic were well organized and trained over the last few months. Because of that they manged to get parts of the military to secretly support their coup and to cripple any resistance the remands of the government in Ankara could come up with. Thanks to the German Turkey Army under General Ludwig Crüwell training the Turkish one, the Axis Central Powers even had a few troops already in Turkey helping with the coup and were quickly supported by more forces coming in over the Adriatic Sea and the Greek and Italian islands. Most of this support was from the Imperial German Air Force, but also more ground troops pored into Turkey, to support the Neo-Ottomans as well as to prepare a later attack on the British Colonies or the Soviet Union from Syria and Iraq. The situation was further complicated when the Soviet Union used it's border troops to support the communist inside Turkey to call out for a Turkish Soviet Republic shortly after the Neo-Ottoman had propagated their Neo-Ottoman Empire in the new capital Istanbul.
Fascist French troops in Syria and Lebanon as well as the Kingdom of Iraq and the British Colonial authorities were quiet scared by this Ottoman and Soviet coups, fearing that their nearby territories could now very easily be in danger from a attack from Turkey. Because the Neo-Ottomans quickly joined the Axis Central Powers and the Turkish Soviet Republic in Turkish Western Armenia had joined the Comintern the escalating global conflict seamed to spill over in the Middle East. Thanks to the more direct and heavy involvement of the Axis Central Powers, the Neo-Ottoman Empire quickly seized control of the majority of the land, with the exception of the Turkish Soviet Republic. But despite the Turkish Soviet Republic being backed by the Soviet Union, the Soviets did not cross the border directly with their forces, because they still were involved in Finland and concentrated most of their forces in Eastern Europe against the Axis Central Powers and to support their claims and ambitions there. Another major problem for the legitimization of the Turkish Soviet Republic was that the rest of the Turkish Republican Government that had survived was now in exile in British Cyprus, where a Turkish minority lived and supported them. This led to a only minimal Soviet and Comintern involvement and support of the Turkish Soviet Republic, because the Neo-Ottoman Empire and the Turkish Republic both still claimed the region. Stalin even went so far as to guarantee the independence of the Turkish Soviet Republic, but he knew that the Neo-Ottomans would use the first chance in a direct war against the Axis Central Powers to reclaim the region. Stalin's original plan to use a bigger Turkish Soviet Republic to claim all of Turkey and to gain ice free harbors and ports in the Mediterranean for his Black Sea Fleet had failed.
Because Wilhelm III intended to hit the Allies hard in Africa and to distract forces from the Battle of Britain, he had tried to get Turkey into the Axis Central Power camp for the last months. But even the promise to regain Syria and the Lebanon as well as Iraq and Palestine from Great Britain and France in chase of a Axis Central Powers victory was not enough to get the Turks to join their side. However the Neo-Ottoman Movement, a fascist-nationalist group was eager to listen to these promises and dreamed of reestablishing the Ottoman Sultanate. In hopes that Wilhelm III would be as great of a ally and friend to the Ottomans and the Mohammedans then his father Wilhelm II they saw a potential helper in him for their own ambitions. Seeing a rare opportunity Wilhelm III ordered Operation: Baghdad to be prepared and executed. It was the start of a secret involvement and support of the German Empire, the Austrian-Hungarian Empire and the Italian Empire for the Neo-Ottoman Movement inside Turkey.
Secretly the Neo-Ottoman Movement used the harboring of some Austrian-Hungarian, Italian and even German ships in Istanbul as support for their coup against the government in Ankara. Their militant rebellion quickly captured Istanbul and most cities across the Adriatic Sea with support of the Axis Central Powers and even managed to attack the democratic government in Ankara thanks to it's supporters. A majority of the democratic government and it's ministers in Ankara were killed in the process and the Neo-Ottoman Movement also managed to cut off many communication and supply lines in hopes that the democratic government would be unable to organize any resistance. Thanks to the help of General Ludwig Crüwell, the Mohammedan and Neo-Ottoman supporters inside the Turkish Republic were well organized and trained over the last few months. Because of that they manged to get parts of the military to secretly support their coup and to cripple any resistance the remands of the government in Ankara could come up with. Thanks to the German Turkey Army under General Ludwig Crüwell training the Turkish one, the Axis Central Powers even had a few troops already in Turkey helping with the coup and were quickly supported by more forces coming in over the Adriatic Sea and the Greek and Italian islands. Most of this support was from the Imperial German Air Force, but also more ground troops pored into Turkey, to support the Neo-Ottomans as well as to prepare a later attack on the British Colonies or the Soviet Union from Syria and Iraq. The situation was further complicated when the Soviet Union used it's border troops to support the communist inside Turkey to call out for a Turkish Soviet Republic shortly after the Neo-Ottoman had propagated their Neo-Ottoman Empire in the new capital Istanbul.
Fascist French troops in Syria and Lebanon as well as the Kingdom of Iraq and the British Colonial authorities were quiet scared by this Ottoman and Soviet coups, fearing that their nearby territories could now very easily be in danger from a attack from Turkey. Because the Neo-Ottomans quickly joined the Axis Central Powers and the Turkish Soviet Republic in Turkish Western Armenia had joined the Comintern the escalating global conflict seamed to spill over in the Middle East. Thanks to the more direct and heavy involvement of the Axis Central Powers, the Neo-Ottoman Empire quickly seized control of the majority of the land, with the exception of the Turkish Soviet Republic. But despite the Turkish Soviet Republic being backed by the Soviet Union, the Soviets did not cross the border directly with their forces, because they still were involved in Finland and concentrated most of their forces in Eastern Europe against the Axis Central Powers and to support their claims and ambitions there. Another major problem for the legitimization of the Turkish Soviet Republic was that the rest of the Turkish Republican Government that had survived was now in exile in British Cyprus, where a Turkish minority lived and supported them. This led to a only minimal Soviet and Comintern involvement and support of the Turkish Soviet Republic, because the Neo-Ottoman Empire and the Turkish Republic both still claimed the region. Stalin even went so far as to guarantee the independence of the Turkish Soviet Republic, but he knew that the Neo-Ottomans would use the first chance in a direct war against the Axis Central Powers to reclaim the region. Stalin's original plan to use a bigger Turkish Soviet Republic to claim all of Turkey and to gain ice free harbors and ports in the Mediterranean for his Black Sea Fleet had failed.
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Now an Ottoman revival too. Stop making me support a bloc that will likely end up being hostile to Britain!
Chapter 53: The planning for the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor
Chapter 53: The planning for the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor:
War between Japan and the United States had been a possibility that each nation had been aware of (and developed contingency plans for) since the 1920s, though tensions did not begin to grow seriously until Japan's 1931 invasion of Manchuria and even further after Japan's 1940 invasion and “liberation” of French Indochina. Over the next decade after Manchuria, Japan continued to expand into China, leading to all-out war between the Chinese under Chiang and Wang with heavy japanese support for the later one. Japan spent considerable effort trying to isolate China and achieve sufficient resource independence to attain victory on the mainland; the "Southern Operation" was designed to assist these efforts. From December 1937, events such as the Japanese attack on USS Pana and the Allison incident as well as the war-crimes committed in china by expeditionary troops of the Co-Prosperity Sphere swung public opinion in the West against Japan. Fearing Japanese expansion and complete dominance over China, the United States, the United Kingdom, and France provided loan assistance for war supply contracts to China. In 1940, Japan invaded and “freed” French Indochina in an effort to control supplies reaching China and use the region for their own needs of resources and strategic and tactical uses. The United States halted shipments of airplanes, parts, machine tools and aviation gasoline to Japan, which was perceived by Japan as an unfriendly act. The U.S. did not stop oil exports to Japan at that time in part because prevailing sentiment in Washington was that such an action would be an extreme step that Japan would likely consider a provocation, given Japanese dependence on U.S. Oil.
Early in 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the Pacific Fleet to Hawaii from its previous base in San Diego and ordered a military buildup in the Philippines in the hope of discouraging Japanese aggression in the Far East. Because the Japanese high command was (mistakenly) certain that any attack on the UK's and Dutch Southeast Asian colonies, including Singapore, would bring the U.S. into war, a devastating preventive strike appeared to be the only way to avoid U.S. naval interference. An invasion of the Philippines was also considered necessary by Japanese war planners. The U.S. War Plan Orange had envisioned defending the Philippines with a 40,000-man elite force. This was opposed by Douglas MacArthur, who felt that he would need a force ten times that size, and was never implemented. By 1941, U.S. planners anticipated abandonment of the Philippines at the outbreak of war and orders to that effect were given in late 1941 to Admiral Thomas Hart, commander of the Asiatic Fleet. The U.S. ceased oil exports to Japan in July 1941, following Japanese expansion into French Indochina after the Fall of France, in part because of new American restrictions on domestic oil consumption. This in turn caused the Japanese to proceed with plans to take the Dutch East Indies, an oil-rich territory. On August 17, Roosevelt warned Japan that the U.S. was prepared to take steps against Japan and the Co-Prosperity Sphere if they attacked "neighboring countries". The Japanese were faced with the option of either withdrawing from China and losing face or seizing and securing new sources of raw materials in the resource-rich, European-controlled colonies of Southeast Asia. At the same time the Imperial Japanese Navy proposed to go after the European and American Colonies in Southeast Asia, but the Imperial Japanese Army still supported a attack on the Soviet Union (that was occupied with the Axis Central Powers in what soon looked to be a direct war between both powers) and Mongolia, to finally cut off the last supplies for the Chinese United Front to finally win the Chinese Civil War for the Co-Prosperity Sphere.
Japan and the U.S. engaged in negotiations during the course of 1941 in an effort to improve relations. During these negotiations, Japan offered to withdraw from most of China and Indochina when peace was made with the Chiang Nationalist government in favor of Wang's Nationalist government, and not to discriminate in trade provided all other countries reciprocated. Washington rejected these proposals. Japanese Prime Minister Konoye then offered to meet with Roosevelt, but Roosevelt insisted on coming to an agreement before any meeting. The U.S. ambassador to Japan repeatedly urged Roosevelt to accept the meeting, warning that it was the only way to preserve the conciliatory Konoye government and peace in the Pacific. His recommendation was not acted upon. The Konoye government collapsed the following month when the Japanese military refused to agree to the withdrawal of all troops from China. Japan's final proposal, on November 20, offered to withdraw their forces from southern Indochina and not to launch any attacks in Southeast Asia provided that the U.S., the UK, and the Netherlands ceased aiding Chiang's China no longer, neither with supplies nor diplomatically, and lifted all their sanctions against Japan. The American counter-proposal of November 26 (November 27 in Japan) (the Hull note) required Japan to evacuate all of China without conditions and conclude non-aggression pacts with Pacific powers. However the day before the Hull Note was delivered, on November 26 in Japan, the main Japanese attack fleet was supposed to left port for Pearl Harbor.
Preliminary planning for an attack on Pearl Harbor to protect the move into the "Southern Resource Area" (the Japanese term for the Dutch East Indies and Southeast Asia generally) had begun very early in 1941 under the auspices of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, then commanding Japan's Combined Fleet. He won assent to formal planning and training for an attack from the Imperial Japanede Navy General Staff only after much contention with Naval Headquarters, including a threat to resign his command. Full-scale planning was underway by early spring 1941, primarily by Rear Admiral Ryunosuke Kusaka, with assistance from Captain Minoru Genda and Yamamoto's Deputy Chief of Staff, Captain Kameto Kuroshima. The planners studied the 1940 British air attack on the Italian fleet at Tarento intensively.
Over the next several months, pilots were trained, equipment was adapted, and intelligence was collected. Japanese citizens in Hawaii and Japanese Merchant Ships supported them with intel and even brought Japanese spies to the area. Thanks to that the Japanese were able to create a very detailed Pearl Harbor Sandpit model and even trained in a Japanese bay that had very close resemblance to the target harbor in Hawaii. Despite all these preparations, Emperor Hirohito did not approve the attack plan until November 5, after the third of four Imperial Conferences called to consider the matter. Final authorization was not given by the emperor until December 1, after a majority of Japanese leaders advised him the "Hull Note" would "destroy the fruits of the Co-Prosperity Sphere incident in China, endanger and undermine Japanese control of Manchukuo and Chosen."
By late 1941, many observers believed that hostilities between the U.S. and Japan were imminent. A Gallup poll just before the attack on Pearl Harbor found that 52% of Americans expected war with Japan, 27% did not, and 21% had no opinion. While U.S. Pacific bases and facilities had been placed on alert on many occasions, U.S. officials doubted Pearl Harbor would be the first target; instead, they expected the Philippines would be attacked first. This presumption was due to the threat that the air bases throughout the country and the naval base at Manila posed to sea lanes, as well as to the shipment of supplies to Japan from territory to the south. They also incorrectly believed that Japan was not capable of mounting more than one major naval operation at a time and were soon proven wrong.
The Japanese attack had several major aims. First, it intended to destroy important American fleet units, thereby preventing the Pacific Fleet from interfering with Japanese conquest of the Dutch East Indies and Malaya and to enable Japan to conquer Southeast Asia without interference. Second, it was hoped to buy time for Japan to consolidate its position and increase its naval strength before shipbuilding authorized by the 1940 Vinson-Walsh Ast erased any chance of victory. Third, to deliver a blow to America's ability to mobilize its forces in the Pacific, battleships were chosen as the main targets, since they were the prestige ships of any navy at the time. Finally, it was hoped that the attack would undermine American morale such that the U.S. government would drop its demands contrary to Japanese interests, and would seek a compromise peace with Japan. Striking the Pacific Fleet at anchor in Pearl Harbor carried two distinct disadvantages: the targeted ships would be in very shallow water, so it would be relatively easy to salvage and possibly repair them; and most of the crews would survive the attack, since many would be on shore leave or would be rescued from the harbor. A further important disadvantage would be the absence from Pearl Harbor of all three of the U.S. Pacific Fleet's aircraft carriers (Enterprise, Lexington and Saratoga).
IJN top command was so imbued with Admiral Mahan's "decisive battle" doctrine (especially that of destroying the maximum number of battleships) that, despite these concerns, Yamamoto decided to press ahead. Japanese confidence in their ability to achieve a short, victorious war also meant other targets in the harbor, especially the navy yard, oil tank farms, and submarine base, would most likely be ignored, since—by their thinking—the war would be over before the influence of these facilities would be felt. Other Japanese Admirals demanded that these targets would be included for massive damage and to increase the shock and crippling this attack was suppose to leave the United States in. The IJA still opposed the overall plan of the IJN to attack Pearl Harbor and favored to focus on the Soviet Union in Northern and Central Asia and China, as well as the British Colonies of Burma and India.
War between Japan and the United States had been a possibility that each nation had been aware of (and developed contingency plans for) since the 1920s, though tensions did not begin to grow seriously until Japan's 1931 invasion of Manchuria and even further after Japan's 1940 invasion and “liberation” of French Indochina. Over the next decade after Manchuria, Japan continued to expand into China, leading to all-out war between the Chinese under Chiang and Wang with heavy japanese support for the later one. Japan spent considerable effort trying to isolate China and achieve sufficient resource independence to attain victory on the mainland; the "Southern Operation" was designed to assist these efforts. From December 1937, events such as the Japanese attack on USS Pana and the Allison incident as well as the war-crimes committed in china by expeditionary troops of the Co-Prosperity Sphere swung public opinion in the West against Japan. Fearing Japanese expansion and complete dominance over China, the United States, the United Kingdom, and France provided loan assistance for war supply contracts to China. In 1940, Japan invaded and “freed” French Indochina in an effort to control supplies reaching China and use the region for their own needs of resources and strategic and tactical uses. The United States halted shipments of airplanes, parts, machine tools and aviation gasoline to Japan, which was perceived by Japan as an unfriendly act. The U.S. did not stop oil exports to Japan at that time in part because prevailing sentiment in Washington was that such an action would be an extreme step that Japan would likely consider a provocation, given Japanese dependence on U.S. Oil.
Early in 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the Pacific Fleet to Hawaii from its previous base in San Diego and ordered a military buildup in the Philippines in the hope of discouraging Japanese aggression in the Far East. Because the Japanese high command was (mistakenly) certain that any attack on the UK's and Dutch Southeast Asian colonies, including Singapore, would bring the U.S. into war, a devastating preventive strike appeared to be the only way to avoid U.S. naval interference. An invasion of the Philippines was also considered necessary by Japanese war planners. The U.S. War Plan Orange had envisioned defending the Philippines with a 40,000-man elite force. This was opposed by Douglas MacArthur, who felt that he would need a force ten times that size, and was never implemented. By 1941, U.S. planners anticipated abandonment of the Philippines at the outbreak of war and orders to that effect were given in late 1941 to Admiral Thomas Hart, commander of the Asiatic Fleet. The U.S. ceased oil exports to Japan in July 1941, following Japanese expansion into French Indochina after the Fall of France, in part because of new American restrictions on domestic oil consumption. This in turn caused the Japanese to proceed with plans to take the Dutch East Indies, an oil-rich territory. On August 17, Roosevelt warned Japan that the U.S. was prepared to take steps against Japan and the Co-Prosperity Sphere if they attacked "neighboring countries". The Japanese were faced with the option of either withdrawing from China and losing face or seizing and securing new sources of raw materials in the resource-rich, European-controlled colonies of Southeast Asia. At the same time the Imperial Japanese Navy proposed to go after the European and American Colonies in Southeast Asia, but the Imperial Japanese Army still supported a attack on the Soviet Union (that was occupied with the Axis Central Powers in what soon looked to be a direct war between both powers) and Mongolia, to finally cut off the last supplies for the Chinese United Front to finally win the Chinese Civil War for the Co-Prosperity Sphere.
Japan and the U.S. engaged in negotiations during the course of 1941 in an effort to improve relations. During these negotiations, Japan offered to withdraw from most of China and Indochina when peace was made with the Chiang Nationalist government in favor of Wang's Nationalist government, and not to discriminate in trade provided all other countries reciprocated. Washington rejected these proposals. Japanese Prime Minister Konoye then offered to meet with Roosevelt, but Roosevelt insisted on coming to an agreement before any meeting. The U.S. ambassador to Japan repeatedly urged Roosevelt to accept the meeting, warning that it was the only way to preserve the conciliatory Konoye government and peace in the Pacific. His recommendation was not acted upon. The Konoye government collapsed the following month when the Japanese military refused to agree to the withdrawal of all troops from China. Japan's final proposal, on November 20, offered to withdraw their forces from southern Indochina and not to launch any attacks in Southeast Asia provided that the U.S., the UK, and the Netherlands ceased aiding Chiang's China no longer, neither with supplies nor diplomatically, and lifted all their sanctions against Japan. The American counter-proposal of November 26 (November 27 in Japan) (the Hull note) required Japan to evacuate all of China without conditions and conclude non-aggression pacts with Pacific powers. However the day before the Hull Note was delivered, on November 26 in Japan, the main Japanese attack fleet was supposed to left port for Pearl Harbor.
Preliminary planning for an attack on Pearl Harbor to protect the move into the "Southern Resource Area" (the Japanese term for the Dutch East Indies and Southeast Asia generally) had begun very early in 1941 under the auspices of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, then commanding Japan's Combined Fleet. He won assent to formal planning and training for an attack from the Imperial Japanede Navy General Staff only after much contention with Naval Headquarters, including a threat to resign his command. Full-scale planning was underway by early spring 1941, primarily by Rear Admiral Ryunosuke Kusaka, with assistance from Captain Minoru Genda and Yamamoto's Deputy Chief of Staff, Captain Kameto Kuroshima. The planners studied the 1940 British air attack on the Italian fleet at Tarento intensively.
Over the next several months, pilots were trained, equipment was adapted, and intelligence was collected. Japanese citizens in Hawaii and Japanese Merchant Ships supported them with intel and even brought Japanese spies to the area. Thanks to that the Japanese were able to create a very detailed Pearl Harbor Sandpit model and even trained in a Japanese bay that had very close resemblance to the target harbor in Hawaii. Despite all these preparations, Emperor Hirohito did not approve the attack plan until November 5, after the third of four Imperial Conferences called to consider the matter. Final authorization was not given by the emperor until December 1, after a majority of Japanese leaders advised him the "Hull Note" would "destroy the fruits of the Co-Prosperity Sphere incident in China, endanger and undermine Japanese control of Manchukuo and Chosen."
By late 1941, many observers believed that hostilities between the U.S. and Japan were imminent. A Gallup poll just before the attack on Pearl Harbor found that 52% of Americans expected war with Japan, 27% did not, and 21% had no opinion. While U.S. Pacific bases and facilities had been placed on alert on many occasions, U.S. officials doubted Pearl Harbor would be the first target; instead, they expected the Philippines would be attacked first. This presumption was due to the threat that the air bases throughout the country and the naval base at Manila posed to sea lanes, as well as to the shipment of supplies to Japan from territory to the south. They also incorrectly believed that Japan was not capable of mounting more than one major naval operation at a time and were soon proven wrong.
The Japanese attack had several major aims. First, it intended to destroy important American fleet units, thereby preventing the Pacific Fleet from interfering with Japanese conquest of the Dutch East Indies and Malaya and to enable Japan to conquer Southeast Asia without interference. Second, it was hoped to buy time for Japan to consolidate its position and increase its naval strength before shipbuilding authorized by the 1940 Vinson-Walsh Ast erased any chance of victory. Third, to deliver a blow to America's ability to mobilize its forces in the Pacific, battleships were chosen as the main targets, since they were the prestige ships of any navy at the time. Finally, it was hoped that the attack would undermine American morale such that the U.S. government would drop its demands contrary to Japanese interests, and would seek a compromise peace with Japan. Striking the Pacific Fleet at anchor in Pearl Harbor carried two distinct disadvantages: the targeted ships would be in very shallow water, so it would be relatively easy to salvage and possibly repair them; and most of the crews would survive the attack, since many would be on shore leave or would be rescued from the harbor. A further important disadvantage would be the absence from Pearl Harbor of all three of the U.S. Pacific Fleet's aircraft carriers (Enterprise, Lexington and Saratoga).
IJN top command was so imbued with Admiral Mahan's "decisive battle" doctrine (especially that of destroying the maximum number of battleships) that, despite these concerns, Yamamoto decided to press ahead. Japanese confidence in their ability to achieve a short, victorious war also meant other targets in the harbor, especially the navy yard, oil tank farms, and submarine base, would most likely be ignored, since—by their thinking—the war would be over before the influence of these facilities would be felt. Other Japanese Admirals demanded that these targets would be included for massive damage and to increase the shock and crippling this attack was suppose to leave the United States in. The IJA still opposed the overall plan of the IJN to attack Pearl Harbor and favored to focus on the Soviet Union in Northern and Central Asia and China, as well as the British Colonies of Burma and India.
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Sigh...and I was looking forward to Axis victory myself. Ah well, what the heck, life's like that. Anyway, I do hope the Japanese thoroughly wreck the harbor, i.e. smash the tank farms, the naval yard, the HQ building, and the submarine base as well. If nothing else, it buys more time and causes more butterflies.
So will the Japanese poke the sleeping bald eagle, or decide the more sensible option?
Is a supposedly Japanese wank TL, so it should be the latter I guess. Besides the planning doesn't mean it would be carried on.
I am surprised that Britain didn't cave yet.
But I bet that Stalin will act for first...
Chapter 54: The African Campaign – Part 1, the Battles of Gabon and Cyrenaica
Chapter 54: The African Campaign – Part 1, the Battles of Gabon and Cyrenaica:
The Battle of Gabon (French: bataille du Gabon), also called the Gabon Campaign (campagne du Gabon) or the Battle of Libreville, occurred in November 1940 during the Second Great War. The battle resulted in the Free French Forces taking the colony of Gabon and its capital, Libreville, from the Fascist French Empire forces. On the evening of 28 August, 1940, Governor Georges Masson pledged Gabon's allegiance to Free France. He met immediate opposition from much of Libreville's French population and from Gabon's influential bishop, Louis Tardy, who favoured Vichy France's conservative policies. Facing pressure, Masson was forced to rescind his pledge. Free French sympathizers were arrested by the colonial administration and imprisoned on board the auxiliary cruiser Cap des Palmes. On 8 October 1940, General Charles de Gaulle arrived in Douala, in French Cameroon. On 12 October, he authorised plans for the invasion of French Equatorial Africa. De Gaulle also wanted to use French Equatorial Africa as a base to launch attacks into Axis Central Powers-controlled Libya. For this reason, he personally headed northward to survey the situation in Chad, located on the southern border of Libya. On 27 October, Free French forces crossed into French Equatorial Africa and took the town of Mitzic. On 5 November, the Fascist French garrison at Lambaréné capitulated. Meanwhile, the main Free French forces under General Philippe Leclerc and Battalion Chief (major) Marie Pierre Koenig departed from Douala, French Cameroon. Their goal was to take Libreville, French Equatorial Africa. The British expressed doubt in De Gaulle's ability to establish control over the Fascist French territory, but they eventually agreed to lend naval support to the Free French.
On 7 November 1940, the Shoreham-class sloop HMS Milford discovered the Fascist French Redoutable-class submarine Poncelet shadowing the Anglo-French task force and gave chase. The sloop was too slow to intercept the submarine, so Admiral Cunningham ordered his flagship, HMS Devonshire, to launch its Submarine Walrus biplane. Piloted by David Corkhill, the aircraft straddled the submarine with two salvos of 100 lb depth charges as it attempted to dive, damaging it. It was then scuttled off Port-Gentil. Koenig's forces landed at Pointe La Mondah on the night of 8 November. His forces included French Legionnaires (including the 13th Foreign Legion Demi-Brigade), Senegalese and Cameroonian troops. On 9 November, Free French Westland Lysander aircraft operating out of Douala bombed Libreville aerodrome. The aerodrome was eventually captured, despite stiff resistance met by Koenig's force in its approach. Free French naval forces consisting of the minesweeper Commandant Dominé and the cargo vessel Casamance were led by Georges Thierry d'Argenlieu aboard the Bougainville-class aviso Sovorgnan de Brazza in conducting coastal operations. De Brazza attacked and sank her sister ship, the Fashist French Bougainville. Libreville was captured on 10 November. On 12 November, the final Vichy forces at Port Gentil surrendered without a fight. Governor Masson — despairing of his actions — committed suicide.
The Free French lost four aircraft and six aircrew in the campaign. On 15 November, de Gaulle made a personal appeal that failed to persuade most of the captured Vichy soldiers — including General Marcel Tetz — to join the Free French. As a result, they were interned as prisoners of war in Brazzaville, French Congo for the duration of the war. With their control consolidated in Equatorial Africa, the Free French began focusing on the campaign in Italian Libya. De Gaulle relieved General Leclerc of his post in Cameroon and sent him to Fort Lamy, Chad to oversee offensive preparations. The conflict in Gabon triggered a mass migration of Gabonese to Spanish Guinea, that would later attack Free French Gabon as a new member of the Axis Central Powers. French Equatorial Africa cut its ties with the Vichy-controlled West African territories, and rebuilt its economy around trade with nearby British possessions, namely Nigeria. Tensions remained long after the invasion between Vichy sympathizers and the new administration. The seizure of Gabon and the rest of French Equatorial Africa gave Free France new-found legitimacy. No longer was it an organization of exiles in Britain, as it now had its own sizable territory to govern.
Soon after the British carried out Operation Crusader as a military operation during the Second Great War by their Eighth Army against the Axis Central Power forces in North Africa between 18 November and 30 December 1941. The operation was intended to relieve the 1941 Siege of Tobruk; the Eighth Army tried to destroy the Axis armored force before advancing its infantry. The plan failed when, after a number of inconclusive engagements, the British 7th Armored Division was defeated by the German Northern Afrika Army at Sidi Rezegh, by german General Erwin Rommel and his allied Italian forces . Lieutenant General Erwin Rommel had ordered German armored divisions to the Axis Central Powers fortress positions on the Egyptian border but failed to find the main body of the Allied infantry, which had bypassed the fortresses and headed for Tobruk. Rommel had to withdraw from the frontier to Tobruk and achieved some tactical success during this fighting. Thanks to the great numbers of supplies and soldiers from Germany, Italy and even Austria-Hungary ordered there by Wilhelm III, Rommel managed to hold the siege of Tobruk and drive the British back towards the Egyptian border.
The Allies were happy that the Free French had won at Gabon (extending their african territory larger then the Axis Central Powers managed to expand theirs in Africa for now), revenging the poor french performance during the Fall of France as some spotted. The British meanwhile had jet to gain their first victory against the German ground forces in this war. Their fight in Cyrenaica also prevented them to send more forces (with they lacked by now until new recruits were trained, or more forces from the Commonwealth, mainly Canada, India, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa could arrive) to secure Syria and Lebanon. This lead to the attack of german General Ludwig Crüwell with the Orient Armee (Orient Army) together with the Ottoman Syria Army into Syria and Lebanon without much allied resistance, quickly claiming the region and annexing it for the Neo-Ottoman Empire, threatening the British and their allies Iraq, Palestine and maybe even Egypt from a whole new front. At the same time the German West Africa Army under General Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma supported by Nationalist Spanish and Fascist French Troops conquered British Gambia and planned to take Portuguese Guinea too, but quickly had massive supply and support problems because of the logistics and terrain. At the Ivory, Slave and Gold Coast General Hans-Karl Freiherr von Esebeck and the Togo Army (Togoarmee) attacked British Togo to reclaim the former lost German colony, accompanied by some Fascist French Troops from all other sides of the colonies. Together with his french allies General Freiherr von Esebeck hoped to take out the British Gold Coast Colony before turning east towards Nigeria and the Free French Colonies. He had to be patient and tactical, since his supplies were thin and mostly by air, so the Togo Army had to capture British supplies and equipment during this first phase of the fight. Capturing Salaga near the Volta river the German Togo Army even managed to besiege Accra, the capital of the british colony, but meat heavy resistance. In the north the Fascist French troops managed to take Gambaga from the British and marched onto Ashantee and C. Coast Castle, from where most British colonial troops had already retreated to defend the colonials capital successfully against the first German assault.
The Battle of Gabon (French: bataille du Gabon), also called the Gabon Campaign (campagne du Gabon) or the Battle of Libreville, occurred in November 1940 during the Second Great War. The battle resulted in the Free French Forces taking the colony of Gabon and its capital, Libreville, from the Fascist French Empire forces. On the evening of 28 August, 1940, Governor Georges Masson pledged Gabon's allegiance to Free France. He met immediate opposition from much of Libreville's French population and from Gabon's influential bishop, Louis Tardy, who favoured Vichy France's conservative policies. Facing pressure, Masson was forced to rescind his pledge. Free French sympathizers were arrested by the colonial administration and imprisoned on board the auxiliary cruiser Cap des Palmes. On 8 October 1940, General Charles de Gaulle arrived in Douala, in French Cameroon. On 12 October, he authorised plans for the invasion of French Equatorial Africa. De Gaulle also wanted to use French Equatorial Africa as a base to launch attacks into Axis Central Powers-controlled Libya. For this reason, he personally headed northward to survey the situation in Chad, located on the southern border of Libya. On 27 October, Free French forces crossed into French Equatorial Africa and took the town of Mitzic. On 5 November, the Fascist French garrison at Lambaréné capitulated. Meanwhile, the main Free French forces under General Philippe Leclerc and Battalion Chief (major) Marie Pierre Koenig departed from Douala, French Cameroon. Their goal was to take Libreville, French Equatorial Africa. The British expressed doubt in De Gaulle's ability to establish control over the Fascist French territory, but they eventually agreed to lend naval support to the Free French.
On 7 November 1940, the Shoreham-class sloop HMS Milford discovered the Fascist French Redoutable-class submarine Poncelet shadowing the Anglo-French task force and gave chase. The sloop was too slow to intercept the submarine, so Admiral Cunningham ordered his flagship, HMS Devonshire, to launch its Submarine Walrus biplane. Piloted by David Corkhill, the aircraft straddled the submarine with two salvos of 100 lb depth charges as it attempted to dive, damaging it. It was then scuttled off Port-Gentil. Koenig's forces landed at Pointe La Mondah on the night of 8 November. His forces included French Legionnaires (including the 13th Foreign Legion Demi-Brigade), Senegalese and Cameroonian troops. On 9 November, Free French Westland Lysander aircraft operating out of Douala bombed Libreville aerodrome. The aerodrome was eventually captured, despite stiff resistance met by Koenig's force in its approach. Free French naval forces consisting of the minesweeper Commandant Dominé and the cargo vessel Casamance were led by Georges Thierry d'Argenlieu aboard the Bougainville-class aviso Sovorgnan de Brazza in conducting coastal operations. De Brazza attacked and sank her sister ship, the Fashist French Bougainville. Libreville was captured on 10 November. On 12 November, the final Vichy forces at Port Gentil surrendered without a fight. Governor Masson — despairing of his actions — committed suicide.
The Free French lost four aircraft and six aircrew in the campaign. On 15 November, de Gaulle made a personal appeal that failed to persuade most of the captured Vichy soldiers — including General Marcel Tetz — to join the Free French. As a result, they were interned as prisoners of war in Brazzaville, French Congo for the duration of the war. With their control consolidated in Equatorial Africa, the Free French began focusing on the campaign in Italian Libya. De Gaulle relieved General Leclerc of his post in Cameroon and sent him to Fort Lamy, Chad to oversee offensive preparations. The conflict in Gabon triggered a mass migration of Gabonese to Spanish Guinea, that would later attack Free French Gabon as a new member of the Axis Central Powers. French Equatorial Africa cut its ties with the Vichy-controlled West African territories, and rebuilt its economy around trade with nearby British possessions, namely Nigeria. Tensions remained long after the invasion between Vichy sympathizers and the new administration. The seizure of Gabon and the rest of French Equatorial Africa gave Free France new-found legitimacy. No longer was it an organization of exiles in Britain, as it now had its own sizable territory to govern.
Soon after the British carried out Operation Crusader as a military operation during the Second Great War by their Eighth Army against the Axis Central Power forces in North Africa between 18 November and 30 December 1941. The operation was intended to relieve the 1941 Siege of Tobruk; the Eighth Army tried to destroy the Axis armored force before advancing its infantry. The plan failed when, after a number of inconclusive engagements, the British 7th Armored Division was defeated by the German Northern Afrika Army at Sidi Rezegh, by german General Erwin Rommel and his allied Italian forces . Lieutenant General Erwin Rommel had ordered German armored divisions to the Axis Central Powers fortress positions on the Egyptian border but failed to find the main body of the Allied infantry, which had bypassed the fortresses and headed for Tobruk. Rommel had to withdraw from the frontier to Tobruk and achieved some tactical success during this fighting. Thanks to the great numbers of supplies and soldiers from Germany, Italy and even Austria-Hungary ordered there by Wilhelm III, Rommel managed to hold the siege of Tobruk and drive the British back towards the Egyptian border.
The Allies were happy that the Free French had won at Gabon (extending their african territory larger then the Axis Central Powers managed to expand theirs in Africa for now), revenging the poor french performance during the Fall of France as some spotted. The British meanwhile had jet to gain their first victory against the German ground forces in this war. Their fight in Cyrenaica also prevented them to send more forces (with they lacked by now until new recruits were trained, or more forces from the Commonwealth, mainly Canada, India, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa could arrive) to secure Syria and Lebanon. This lead to the attack of german General Ludwig Crüwell with the Orient Armee (Orient Army) together with the Ottoman Syria Army into Syria and Lebanon without much allied resistance, quickly claiming the region and annexing it for the Neo-Ottoman Empire, threatening the British and their allies Iraq, Palestine and maybe even Egypt from a whole new front. At the same time the German West Africa Army under General Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma supported by Nationalist Spanish and Fascist French Troops conquered British Gambia and planned to take Portuguese Guinea too, but quickly had massive supply and support problems because of the logistics and terrain. At the Ivory, Slave and Gold Coast General Hans-Karl Freiherr von Esebeck and the Togo Army (Togoarmee) attacked British Togo to reclaim the former lost German colony, accompanied by some Fascist French Troops from all other sides of the colonies. Together with his french allies General Freiherr von Esebeck hoped to take out the British Gold Coast Colony before turning east towards Nigeria and the Free French Colonies. He had to be patient and tactical, since his supplies were thin and mostly by air, so the Togo Army had to capture British supplies and equipment during this first phase of the fight. Capturing Salaga near the Volta river the German Togo Army even managed to besiege Accra, the capital of the british colony, but meat heavy resistance. In the north the Fascist French troops managed to take Gambaga from the British and marched onto Ashantee and C. Coast Castle, from where most British colonial troops had already retreated to defend the colonials capital successfully against the first German assault.
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It's a plan for now, nothing more, juts like the plan to take out the Soviets if their fight against the Axis Central Powers gets really hot and direct.
We will have to wait and read what happens next ;D
True, but nothing is decidet finally yet.
True there, it's just one of many plans followed as a possible Japanese option, they know to secure the south they have to secure the Philippines too, meaning war with the USA then, question is how to start and prepare for it?Is a supposedly Japanese wank TL, so it should be the latter I guess. Besides the planning doesn't mean it would be carried on.
I am surprised that Britain didn't cave yet.
But I bet that Stalin will act for first...
Britain is willing to fight on as long as they believe they can (with the Soviets or USA as potentiall allies and the Home Islands still safe it is only logical to do so).
Yes Stalin is soon at his limits considering the provocations in Europe (he believes to be the most important front before against dealing with the Japanese more prepared this time in Mongolia and Manchuria).
Chapter 55: Return of the Shinobi (Ninja)
Chapter 55: Return of the Shinobi (Ninja):
For the Imperial Japanese Army Fujita Seiko had taught ninjutsu at Rikugun Nakano Gakko (Nakano School for Military Intelligence). The program to train certain soldiers (at least the officers and special corps and spies in some kind of martial arts was later extant to other parts of the Co-Prospherity Sphere as well. The secret military spy school taught ninjutsu, martial arts techniques used by ninjas, as part of its curriculum. The Rikugun Nakano Gakko was later run solely by the Japanese Imperial Army, and was used to train military intelligence operatives in secret. Kept a secret not even many inside the Imperial Japanese Army and the Japanese Government knew about the facility. The initial graduating classes thought the student how to sneak around in their black footed-pajamas with a katana and throwing stars like the Shinoby in the old tales. They also learned more practical methods of gathering intelligence and sabotage, including bomb-making and photography. It was intendet that the school would train soldiers who would be serving behind enemy lines. A total of roughly 2,500 soldiers are believed to have graduated from the training facility over the course of the Second Great War, most would continue to train their knowledge and skills there as officers and instructors to others.
They were partly infiltrators that tried to cause havoc for their enemies during the ongoing operations in china and these planned in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. The teams close to the front, or even behind enemy lines were supposed to operated in duos and tried to infiltrate enemy positions at night, often using only bayonets and avoiding the use of firearms to remain stealthy. They used regular soldiers uniforms, but also had specialized uniforms for their stealth missions and sometimes even used captured enemy uniforms later during the war. Their main goals was pick off men in their foxholes to torture them for information and enemy plan as well as to assassinate high ranking enemy commanders if possible. This strategy and tactic would lead to many enemies of the Co-Prosperity Sphere responded by simply shooting anyone outside their foxholes at night near the front. This meant that of the enemy got into the trench/foxhole, the enemy soldiers were left to fend for themselves, leading to situations, where their comrades were sitting in their holes listening to life and death struggles of their comrades in the hole next to them when infiltrators did get in. Friendly fire casualties also occurred when the panicking enemies of this new Shinobi ran out of their trenches/foxholes to escape infiltrators, and were shot by their comrades, mistaking them for the Shinobi.
Because of their secret techniques and stealthy approaches many Shinobi at first only lead to several 'odd' accounts of their enemy soldiers and servicemen being attacked and 'taken away' at night near the front where fighting took place. On one this stories involved a Chiang Nationalist Chinese soldier that was taken at night and woke several hours later quite a 'long distance' into the mountains, totally unaware how that could have occurred and far away from the entrenched position he had been stationed in. This soldier was clearly tortured (mostly by hand/knife) from a single individual for some time and then surprisingly, abandoned once this small group he believed that had took him found out he was not the person that they had sought to capture. He assumed so, due to specific questions being asked of him by this masked attackers. This soldiers was always 'alone' while being tortured and the face of his attacker was shown to him, to intimidate him while he was captures. The man however was blindfolded whenever anyone other than the sole 'torturer' was present at their camp they had brought him too. While the Nationalist Chinese soldier of Chiang was happy to have survived the incident the commanding officer did not believe his story and it would take up to 1941, when similar events occurred to European and American troops and their allies in the colonies, before the Allied Forces and their own spies, intelligence and secret services ever heard of this new form of Shinobi or even expect their existence that was kept a perfect secret until then.
For the Imperial Japanese Army Fujita Seiko had taught ninjutsu at Rikugun Nakano Gakko (Nakano School for Military Intelligence). The program to train certain soldiers (at least the officers and special corps and spies in some kind of martial arts was later extant to other parts of the Co-Prospherity Sphere as well. The secret military spy school taught ninjutsu, martial arts techniques used by ninjas, as part of its curriculum. The Rikugun Nakano Gakko was later run solely by the Japanese Imperial Army, and was used to train military intelligence operatives in secret. Kept a secret not even many inside the Imperial Japanese Army and the Japanese Government knew about the facility. The initial graduating classes thought the student how to sneak around in their black footed-pajamas with a katana and throwing stars like the Shinoby in the old tales. They also learned more practical methods of gathering intelligence and sabotage, including bomb-making and photography. It was intendet that the school would train soldiers who would be serving behind enemy lines. A total of roughly 2,500 soldiers are believed to have graduated from the training facility over the course of the Second Great War, most would continue to train their knowledge and skills there as officers and instructors to others.
They were partly infiltrators that tried to cause havoc for their enemies during the ongoing operations in china and these planned in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. The teams close to the front, or even behind enemy lines were supposed to operated in duos and tried to infiltrate enemy positions at night, often using only bayonets and avoiding the use of firearms to remain stealthy. They used regular soldiers uniforms, but also had specialized uniforms for their stealth missions and sometimes even used captured enemy uniforms later during the war. Their main goals was pick off men in their foxholes to torture them for information and enemy plan as well as to assassinate high ranking enemy commanders if possible. This strategy and tactic would lead to many enemies of the Co-Prosperity Sphere responded by simply shooting anyone outside their foxholes at night near the front. This meant that of the enemy got into the trench/foxhole, the enemy soldiers were left to fend for themselves, leading to situations, where their comrades were sitting in their holes listening to life and death struggles of their comrades in the hole next to them when infiltrators did get in. Friendly fire casualties also occurred when the panicking enemies of this new Shinobi ran out of their trenches/foxholes to escape infiltrators, and were shot by their comrades, mistaking them for the Shinobi.
Because of their secret techniques and stealthy approaches many Shinobi at first only lead to several 'odd' accounts of their enemy soldiers and servicemen being attacked and 'taken away' at night near the front where fighting took place. On one this stories involved a Chiang Nationalist Chinese soldier that was taken at night and woke several hours later quite a 'long distance' into the mountains, totally unaware how that could have occurred and far away from the entrenched position he had been stationed in. This soldier was clearly tortured (mostly by hand/knife) from a single individual for some time and then surprisingly, abandoned once this small group he believed that had took him found out he was not the person that they had sought to capture. He assumed so, due to specific questions being asked of him by this masked attackers. This soldiers was always 'alone' while being tortured and the face of his attacker was shown to him, to intimidate him while he was captures. The man however was blindfolded whenever anyone other than the sole 'torturer' was present at their camp they had brought him too. While the Nationalist Chinese soldier of Chiang was happy to have survived the incident the commanding officer did not believe his story and it would take up to 1941, when similar events occurred to European and American troops and their allies in the colonies, before the Allied Forces and their own spies, intelligence and secret services ever heard of this new form of Shinobi or even expect their existence that was kept a perfect secret until then.
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