Part 16: Burma: January 18, 1942

Axis Turn 25: January 18, 1942
Day, Fair (Dry)

The battle for Burma is almost over. We have achieved a victory in Burma, but we want to keep pushing onward. It's time to see if we can make a play for India.


Mandalay is cleared out of all British units.


Myitkina needs to simply be ground down. If the guns are removed, the whole place will fall.


Mountain fighting proves very hard for the troops that just aren't used to it.


Our vehicles perform admirably, and gain more ground. Imphal is going to be tough to get to, but if we can just clear the road, we'll likely be able to seize the city.


Allied Turn 25: January 18, 1942
Day, Fair (Dry)


More heavy bombardment at Myitkina, and the HW unit will need to pull back now. It's likely those guns are down to their last few shots.


The 3rd is able to hang on in the mountains when the enemy comes back at them.


Axis Turn 26: January 19, 1942
Day, Fair (Dry)


The guns may be running low on ammo, but there's apparently still plenty of fight in the soldiers at Myitkina.


We continue to make slow progress on the road to Imphal.


When our scout cars get up closer, we find it is well-prepared to hold us off. We may not be able to take this town with this force, given how little room there is to maneuver.


Allied Turn 26: January 19, 1942
Day, Fair (Dry)


The guns of Myitkina seem to have finally lost their strength.


Axis Turn 27: January 24, 1942
Day, Fair (Dry)


Finally, we assault Myitkina. Even though the Engineers are not at full strength, they succeed.


Imphal has far more troops defending it than we expected; the Indians are dug in and well-prepared to counter our forces. What they don't have is any real AA defenses, and we punish their artillery guns.


Allied Turn 27: January 24, 1942
Day, Fair (Dry)


The bombing raids rendered the artillery at Imphal toothless.


Axis Turn 28: January 25 1942
Day, Fair (Dry)


More bomb strikes completely eliminate the threat of artillery.


The Burmese soldiers are approaching the Chinese border.


We secure Myitkina by blowing back all the defending guns.


Allied Turn 28: January 25, 1942
Day, Fair (Dry)


The arriving wave of Indian soldiers isn't able to disrupt our line very easily.


Axis Turn 29: January 26 1942
Day, Fair (Dry)


Myitkina is safely held by our side now.


Most of our forces at Imphal will not be able to reach the front line any time soon, so they head into the hills to keep the stragglers on the flank at bay.


That's when it all goes wonderfully great for us. First, the Bicycle Infantry force the surrender of one weak Indian unit.


This allows the tanks to head into the city and knock out another unit.


Finally, the Teishin Shudan execute a perfect landing right into the city. This is a blow that will knock the British cleanly out of Burma, and may be a precursor to the fall of India as well.


Allied Turn 28: January 25, 1942
Day, Fair (Dry)


There is a desultory bombardment at Myitkina, but we're not going to be losing our hold on the sector any time soon.


Result: Decisive Victory (VP:1683-562)
Ending Prestige: 1015

Thanks to our amazing experiment with modern science, we were able to capture Burma far sooner than the British ever expected. Such a rapid change in the political landscape can only signal good things for the continued success of our army in Asia. Already we are negotiating with representatives of India who wish to rid themselves of imperialist rule.




Unit Spotlights:


Bargut Cavalry
PG Name: Bargut Cavalry Type: Infantry
Effective Date: 1/37
Value:6 Cost:[72] Spot:2 Move:5 MM:Leg Trans:Air Fuel: 0
Init:2 SA:4 HA:1 AA:0 NA:1 GD:3 AD:10 CD:0 TT:Soft Ammo:6
Special: No-buy

The Barga are a people who live in Mongolia. When Japan occupied Manchuria, a few units of their cavalry joined the Japanese against the Soviets and (sometimes) the Mongolians -- it's a complicated story; read the link for more details. I can't find any mention of them ever being deployed outside of that battle, so I don't think they actually appear in the game's campaign; there is a map included, however, suggesting a cut scenario.

In-game analysis: Nearly indistinguishable from the regular cavalry. Not much to say about them, since I don't think they are ever available for purchase.


Kagero-class Destroyer (18 built)
PG Name: Kagero Type:Destroyer
Effective Date: 9/40
Value:8 Cost:96 Spot:2 Move:7 MM:Coastal Fuel: 111
Init:3 Range:2 SA:3 HA:6 AA:[4] NA:10 DA:8 GD:16 AD:6 TD:16 Ammo:40
Special: Night Optics, Sonar

The Kagero was the follow-up design to the Asashio, and proved to be better in most aspects. This was also known as a 'cruiser-type' to reflect its higher speed and cruising range. That allowed it to travel with fleets as needed. Several Kagero-class destroyers made it through the war, even with some facing serious combat. Apparently these were updated with radar, but that version doesn't show up in-game.

In-game analysis: The extra spotting range makes this the best value for a Japanese destroyer, especially at the time it appears. These make excellent escorts and are good at protecting other ships against sub attacks, but need to avoid getting killed by enemy capital ships.