el cid again
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Well - most of the military uits in French Indochina - pre Vichy, Vichy and post Vichy - were indeed Vietnamese troops. The ones that matter, however, were orgainzed (as indeed every French unit was organized) along the same lines as the French Army (see the Osprey books on the French Army - I, II and Foreign Legion). It did not matter if a unit was from Metropolitan France, from a colony, active or reserve - it always had the same structure. If these units were in the game - they would be more or less line units - and more or less capable of regular operations. [When the Allies landed on Madagascar, with the exception of a single battalion of what we might call reserves, made of white Frenchmen, the entire garrison was colonial troops. Yet they preserved the regime in place for a long time vs superior forces that controlled the air - as much as one could have asked of them.] I see the design problem of giving the Japanese such soldiers to move as they please - maybe outside Indochina altogether? But saying all the Vichy forces that would resist a Chinese incursion are static is a significant compromise.
First - it appears that code does not care if they are Chinese - or if they entered from China - or are even in a border hex. For my own reasons, I put two Allied units in Northern Indochina - a FFL regiment at Viet Tri (beside Hanoi) - and the interim government of the Viet Minh way up by the Chinese border where the RR was torn up (and a road runs now). That unit is indeed classified as "Chinese" - but the FFL is classified as French. The Viet Minh are in a border hex, but the FFL is not. However, on day two, two units appear - at Hanoi and at Hiaphong - exactly as the manual says. As a Japanese player, I find it useful to have a "free garrison unit" in these places I want one anyway - to prevent China from taking the industry and resources - and to prevent the FFL from taking Hanoi out of the Japanese camp (which if Hanoi were unoccupied would automatically happen in a few days). I do not really want the Japanese to get such free units. So I would like to modify them.
Where are they defined? That is the query.
A French player advised that Indohina is "too messy" to inlue Vichy units. But on review, he liked my "messy" solution - with the Vietnamese units pretty much not available to serve Japan - but eventually the FFL is an allied unit - sooner if Japan attacks it - or later on the date Japan pretty much wiped out all the rest for the Vichy units in the area. This day is marked by the takeover of a French ship - although Aramis (AP) was taken over sooner (and she is in all forms of WITP and AE - as Teia Maru). The CL is destroyed IRL by Allied bombers - to prevent her being used by the enemy. I also have Indochina mixed Axis and Allied locations - so supplies do not move to serve Japan immediately - and the act of marching up country to "unify" the regime and make it productive is a bit of an unwelcome distraction (but the price of occupation - which surely is not free). Anyway -
where are these formations defined? I might at least make them very weak.
At the very end of the war the Viet Minh fields two actual field units - and these are on the Allied side - and wholly cooperative wtih China - so easy to define. The FFL retreats into their lines, and is welcomed - because it is anti-Japanese. US and UK special operations and money are used to help the Viet Minh in this period - so they are properly Allied units. And after being attacked by the Japanese - so is the FFL. But the rest of the military forces in country are not allowed to exist - are attacked and massacred by the Japanese - except for what might be termed "militia" formed at the very end of the war to support Bao Dai - who is selected to lead the reconstituted Annamese Empire - but on a basis that is not politially viable. These units are very weak - but not static. They are not formed early or mid war - and they are not formed in reation to Allied units in country (unless Viet Minh counts).
< Message edited by el cid again -- 8/5/2011 11:47:18 AM >
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Vietnamese Militia query - 
RE: Vietnamese Militia query - 
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