Part 71: Coronet: November 22, 1945

As we enter the last week of November, we're starting to smell a victory. Despite the early winter weather, we've got control of most of the northeast of the battle, and are on the verge of taking Tokyo. The only slow spot has been advancement westward, but luckily for us, it seems the Soviets have been held up just as much.

Allied Turn 15 (USA): November 22, 1945
Snow (Snow)


The Canadians trap the Japanese tanks near Shizuoka, but they don't surrender yet.


British attacks on the south end of Tokyo are moderately successful.


The units from up north reach the battle at Utsonomiya, and get right into the thick of it.


What remains of the enemy forces are now trapped between these two groups.


Axis Turn 15 (Japan): November 22, 1945
Snow (Snow)


Yokosuka fights back against the Australians.


Those tenacious tanks at Shizuoka demolish a Canadian infantry unit.


Allied Turn 16 (USA): November 23, 1945
Snow (Snow)


The paratroops make headway toward Matsumoto; they have yet to meet any serious opposition.


Australian forces win the fight at Yokosuka.


British tank destroyers get rid of the last of the outer coastal guns.


We start to bombard Tokyo from the north.


When the ground forces start the direct attack, the defenses crumple quickly. It seems these troops are woefully undersupplied.


All enemy forces are finished off north of Utsonomiya.


The Canadians fail to eliminate those tanks, but some of their troops are managing to advance westward.


Axis Turn 16 (Japan): November 23, 1945
Snow (Snow)


Tokyo's coastal guns try to hit the British armor, but fail to destroy any tanks.


Allied Turn 17 (USA): November 24, 1945
Snow (Snow)


Far from being well-entrenched in a prepared position, the defenders of Tokyo seem to be a hastily assembled mix of poorly-trained men.


Our assault from the north makes a rapid advance and captures the Imperial Palace. The emperor, however, is nowhere to be found. Rumors are that he escaped but he has not made an appearance elsewhere as of yet.


Our auxiliary forces form a block to prevent the escape of any units from Tokyo.!!


In the countryside the militia forces continue fall apart quickly in the face of a proper attack.


However, another fanatical group of civilians regains control of Fujisan. We'd forgotten to properly garrison it.


The Canadians finally isolate the tanks against the sea as their advance westward resumes.


Axis Turn 17 (Japan): November 24, 1945
Snow (Snow)


There is one final desperate attack from the soldiers in Tokyo.


Allied Turn 18 (USA): November 25, 1945
Snow (Snow)


The Japanese likely never expected an Iowa-class battleship to show up in Tokyo Bay.


The city surrenders. But no government officials are present; there has been no response to peace offers.


It looks like we'll need to conquer the entire country to succeed.

Axis Turn 18 (Japan): November 25, 1945
Snow (Snow)


There are a few scattered units remaining in the Tokyo area still trying to put up a fight.


A sudden bombardment reveals a stronger than expected concentration of enemy forces near Akasaki.


Russia Turn 18 : November 25, 1945
Snow (Snow)


For the first time, our forces spot Russian armored units. They're moving on Matsumoto from the south.


So after capturing Tokyo, the current VP total is 2070-2386. That's still a Defeat for us, which seems to suggest that this scenario is really pushing for a confrontation with the Russian side.



Unit Spotlight

M36 GMC 'Jackson'
PG Name: M36 Jackson Type: Anti-Tank
Effective Date: 8/45
Value:13 Cost:156 Spot:1 Move:5 MM:Track Trans:Naval Fuel: 41
Init:11 SA:13 HA:19 AA:[2] NA:0 GD:10 AD:8 CD:2 TT:Hard Ammo:7

The M36 was yet another unit built on the M4 chassis, although this time it also made use of the M10 hull. In order to have something that could truly challenge the toughest German armor, it had an extremely powerful 90mm cannon in its turret. This was the same as in the M26 Pershing, though the turret remained open-topped as with all the American tank destroyers. It proved to be effective at knocking out the heavy German tanks, and could also be used to break fortifications.

The M36 was not really deployed to the Pacific, as supplies of them were short, and there was little need to deal with heavy armor on that side of the conflict. Instead, the M10's were gradually transferred out of action in Europe and delivered where needed to fight the Japanese.

In-game analysis: Slower than an M10, but much more powerful. In this theater, that power isn't always needed, but it certainly doesn't hurt. They aren't all that slow, and are strong enough to be used directly in combat against almost anything save entrenched forces. Given how cheap these are, it's a good option against moderate-to-heavy resistance when there is not a lot of territory to cover.


Montana-class Battleship (none built)
PG Name: Montana Type:Battleship
Effective Date: 3/43
Value:61 Cost:1098 Spot:2 Move:5 MM:Deep Naval Fuel: 124
Init:5 Range:7 SA:7 HA:10 AA:[15] NA:25 DA:0 GD:25 AD:17 TD:10 TT:N/A Ammo:40
Special: Radar, Night Optics

The expansion of battleship size to 45,000 or more tons allowed for a choice to be made in the development of their design. While the Iowa class opted for improved engine power and space for the crew, the Montana was a planned class that would have used the additional size to lay on more (or bigger) guns and thicker armor. The Montana was large enough that it would not have been able to fit through the Panama Canal, and at one time, an upgrade to the locks was considered to accommodate it. The ship was canceled once the efficacy of carrier operations was proven.

In-game Analysis: It sort of feels like a waste to get this since because of how close it comes to being the Super Yamato. It may be the best American battleship you can get, but it's not the best in the world, and by this point in history carriers are truly the ones dominating naval battles anyway. All that prestige does not get you much over the Iowa, and those are already quite effective battleships.


McDonnell FH-1 Phantom
PG Name: FH-1 Phantom Type:Fighter
Effective Date: 7/45
Value:45 Cost:372 Spot:3 Move:12 MM:Air Fuel: 114
Init:7 SA:2 HA:1 AA:16 NA:3 GD:11 AD:10 TT:Naval Ammo:6

In somewhat similar fashion to the P-59, the FH-1 Phantom was more of a proof-of-concept than a truly desirable aircraft. The goal was to produce a jet fighter for the Navy, one that (unlike the FR-1) was fully jet-powered. This did not see completion until too late in the war, and none were produced before 1946. Its main selling point was a high top speed, although it didn't quite get to the expected 500 mph. The Navy did accept it, making it the first American carrier-launched jet plane. Its military career was brief, and it was gone even before the Korean War started.

In-game Analysis: Yet another ugly, mediocre, end-of-the-war jet fighter. This is, however, the model to get when you just need to throw up planes to deal with the enemy air threat, and you don't want to spend prestige to get the top-of-the-line.