ColinWright
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Joined: 10/13/2005 Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: golden delicious quote:
ORIGINAL: ColinWright I don't think they could have hung in the big leagues with anyone. In this connection, a Japanese army colonel went on a tour of German factories, etc in 1940. It was a revelation. When he got back to Tokyo, he tried to get his superiors to realize just how backwards Japan was. Sure, a few good designs and some well-trained pilots, etc -- but the place just lacked the large, industrial, modern foundation to compete with the big boys. What Germany didn't have was the ability to project her power outside of Europe. You might find that Germany and Japan are able to field roughly the same sort of force in parts of the Middle East. Germany tracing a tenous supply line over land, Japan maintaining hers with her sizeable merchant marine and powerful Navy. Assuming Germany has secured access via Suez and the railroad that runs from northern Syria and down into Iraq, their communications wouldn't be all that poor to at least a considerable part of the theater. It'd be hard to model. The point of equilibrium might well be somewhere in Iran, with each side facing rapidly mounting supply problems as they advance. Add that apparently there were various regions that were infested with bandits to the point of rendering supply operations (like those historically conducted to supply lend-lease to Russia) impossible.quote:
Japan would find herself facing a closing window of opportunity much as in 1941. By the 1950s, Germany could have a world class navy, but for now... so Japan recklessly decides to seize what she can now while she still has one ace to play. Catastrophically bad strategy on the part of Japan, but then what else is new? Interestingly, the Japanese do seem to have had some demented ideas about their sphere of influence. As I recall, in early 1941, they were warning the Germans off of Iraq. To be theirs, apparently.
< Message edited by ColinWright -- 8/11/2008 8:42:02 PM >
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