Dear developers and fellow commanders,
the following post is about these topics:
A). More historically accurate information
B). New opponents: Soviet-Japanese War 1945
I think both would have a positive effect on the game dynamics in Enlisted.
A). More historically accurate information
As mentioned in my introduction, I want a mainly historic accurate improvement of the IJA/IJN but still keep the balance in the game. Weapons and vehicles that have never been used are currently available to play. This is justifiable from a gameplay point of view, but enough “soft facts” should be included in the description of the weapons/vehicles to make this clear. This might also increase the acceptance of experimental prototype weapons among players, as long as the information is at least historically accurate.
The historical starting point was tensions within the army. Rivalries between different branches of a country’s armed forces are not uncommon outside and during war. There were tensions within a branch of the armed forces - e.g. between Wehrmacht infantry and armored divisions - and between branches of the armed forces (e.g. Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe [which led to the Stalingrad disaster]; Wehrmacht and SS). These tensions were often based on personal relationships between commanding officers, including grudges and political motivations (exemplified by Hitler’s command staff). This situation also existed in Japan:
Although the IJA and IJN were on the same side (the Empire of Japan) during World War II, these branches of the armed forces were at the same time (political) rivals among themselves. In extreme cases, this rivalry even led to unnecessary losses of soldiers and material, as the IJN did not help the IJA, and in some cases vice versa. As a result of the Russo-Japanese War, the IJA was initially given priority over the IJN, especially in inventing, testing, and equipping modern rifles and tanks. Later, at the beginning of the Pacific War, the IJN was prioritized for expansion and to dominate the U.S. at sea, resulting in a shortage of available raw materials and research capabilities for the rest of the armed forces. Ultimately, while there was material for the largest battleships and submarines of the war, the IJA was fighting against the M 1 Garand and fully automatic weapons with the Type 38 and Type 99. Likewise, the Japanese armored forces were hopelessly outgunned, so that even the M3 Stuart was able to fulfill its role as an anti-tank weapon, while in Tunisia it was already obsolete.
In terms of the Japan campaign, this means the following:
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- the Type Hei was a prototype of which about 350 rifles were produced, based on the Pedersen/Luger system
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- the Type Otsu was also a prototype that was eventually rejected by the IJA.
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- the Type 4 was a prototype created by reverse engineering the M1 Garand to change its 8 round system to the Arisaka ammunition with two 5 round clips.
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- the Type 1 and 2 MP were only prototypes.
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- the same goes for the tank: the Type 95 light tank was vulnerable even to .05 caliber machine gun fire; the IJN tried to improve this weakness in its successor (Type 98 Ke-Ni/Type 2 Ke-To) and finally developed a completely new design for medium tanks - but the IJN had priority, so often only prototypes were built and a later planned mass production became completely unrealistic. The same was true for the “medium tanks”, so the most advanced (prototype)types were not in combat, but were stationed on the Japanese home islands to defend them against the expected U.S.-invasion. The production of the Type 4 Chi-To was also forbidden in order to be able to build the existing Type 3 Chi-Nu more often, so that only 2 prototypes were built. At the interface between prototype and fiction is the Type 5 Chi-Ri, although its modification as a Ho-Ri tank destroyer is more fiction than prototype - the “O-I” is also only a theoretical concept.
So, in my opinion, it would be nice to know some “soft facts”, so that the player at least knows that the specific weapon or vehicle has not seen active combat, or has only seen active combat to a very limited extent. After all, it’s not as bad as in CoD Vanguard that every second German is running around with a “unicorn” shotgun or the Japanese with an MG 42.
At this point I would like to mention that any inaccuracies should be corrected.
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- the name of the long rifle made by Italy and called “Type 1” is wrong; it’s called “Type I”, which means “Italy”.
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- also, at least in the German version, the name of the rifle grenade launcher is wrong: the kill log says “Gewehr 100 mit Granatwerfer”, but it should be “Arisaka Gewehr Type 38 mit Granatwerfer Type 100” or “Gewehrgranatwerfer Type 100”.
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- rename SIG M1920 to “Type Be” (and mention its use in the Battle of Shanghai) [The MP28 was purchased for testing only and was not used on the battlefield].
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- rename S1-100 to “Type Su” (and mention its use in the Battle of Shanghai)
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- please use “Type” instead of “Typ” in the German version of the game, as the original Japanese word would be translated in a different way, but “Type” had become a common way.
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- add the “Type” to the name of the Japanese tank (e.g. Type 95 Ha-Go)
B). New opponents: Soviet-Japanese War 1945
Before I explain the weapons in the next thread, I’d like to make one last suggestion for the Pacific Theater: the Soviet-Japanese War, especially the Battle of Mutanchiang/Mudanjiang and the Battle of Hailar.
(Hint: If you don’t want to read the historical context, you can jump down to “ENLISTED” where I draw my conclusion)
INFORMATION: In the late 1930s, there were some Soviet-Japanese border incidents which eventually led to the Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Pact of 13.04.1941, which freed up forces on both sides (USSR vs. Germany/Japan vs. Asia and the Pacific). But with the victory at Stalingrad the opinion about the pact changed and the Western Allies thought that the USSR would be crucial for the operations near the Japanese home islands, especially for “Operation Downfall”. Thus, during the Yalta Conference on 04-11.02.1945, the USSR agreed to declare war on Japan 90 days after the surrender of Germany in order to tie down the large number of IJA-soldiers stationed in Manchuria (665.500 soldiers, 290 tanks, 1.042 planes) and Korea (336.000 soldiers, 80 tanks, 962 planes) as well as the pro-Japanese troops in Manchukuo (170,000-200,000 troops) and Mengjiang (44,000 troops) so that they couldn’t be shipped to the home islands. But Japan had already realized this. After years of peace, the USSR declared war on Japan one hour before midnight on 08.08.1945, and invaded Manchuria one minute after midnight on 09.08.1945. 1.500.000 battle-hardened troops – supported by 16.000 Mongolian soldiers – attacked simultaneously on three fronts in the largest campaign of the 1945 Soviet-Japanese War.
The IJA-Kwantung Army under General Otozo Yamada was far below its strength because its best military units and heavy equipment had been transferred to the Pacific and it was in the midst of redeployment, and moreover, the defenders were caught by surprise in unfortified positions and without leaders on the battlefields, and the Japanese lost communication with the forward units very early. In addition, the IJN had lost almost everything to the U.S. during the Pacific campaign; by July 1945, most of the remaining large warships had been sunk in Kure and the Inland Sea, leaving the Nagato as the only surviving capital ship in August 1945 and the IJN – in preparation for defending the home islands – with nothing to throw into battle. Moreover, the IJN had always opposed the occupation of Manchuria for tactical reasons, so it felt no obligation to help the IJA.
All in all, the IJA suffered heavy losses and withdrew. However, the soldiers of the Kwantung Army had a reputation as relentless fighters, and the fanatical, even suicidal, resistance of the Japanese forces due to Bushido was also part of their identity. As a result, they put up strong resistance at the towns of Mutanchiang and Hailar. Japan’s Emperor Hirohito recorded the Gyokuon-hōsō on 15.08.1945, which didn’t directly refer to the surrender of Japan, so many listeners were not sure if Japan had surrendered. In addition, the IJA-HQ didn’t immediately announce the armistice order, and some parts of the Kwantung Army ignored it. This was because the Kwantung Army had been stationed in Manchuria far from the Japanese home islands for a long time, which made it largely autonomous and thus acted without the approval or even against the orders of the Japanese government. Finally, Mutanching was captured on 16.08.1945; the 3.800 surviving troops in Hailar surrendered on 18.08.1945, the same day the USSR conducted several amphibious landings.
This was the last campaign of WWII, started only hours before the bombing of Nagasaki. Nevertheless, the (unexpected) participation of the USSR showed Japan that it would not act as a third-party mediator for peace negotiations between Japan and the Western Allies. Thus, Japan was the last and only Axis power left with no choice but to surrender unconditionally.
Most of Manchukuo and Mengjiang’s troops deserted beforehand; about 21.400-83.700 Japanese were killed. The USSR lost 9.800-12.000 troops, 24.400 got wounded and over 300 tanks were destroyed.
a). Battle of Mutanchiang (1945)
The task of the 1st Far Eastern Front under Marshal Kirill Meretskov was to take Mutanchiang and, after its capture, to advance to the cities of Jilin, Changchun and Harbin, eventually joining the Trans-Baikal Front to complete the double envelopment. In addition, the 1st Far Eastern Front was to prevent the IJA from retreating to Korea by invading the Korean peninsula (but only) to the 38th parallel; Korea was garrisoned by the 17th Area Army (later to become North Korea - Kim Il Sung was part of the Korean battalion of the 88th Separate Rifle Brigade of the 2nd Far Eastern Front); but this unit, led by Zhou Baozhong, was too valuable to be sacrificed on the battlefield, so it had administrative functions and was later sent to assist the 1st Far Eastern Front in occupying northern Korea).
Due to the speed of the campaign, the Battle of Mutanching was one of the few heavier battles. The Japanese 5th IJA of the Japanese First Area Army slowed the advance of the 5th Army of the 1st Far Eastern Front, allowing the main Japanese army to retreat to more defensible terrain. But its equipment and experienced troops were in the Southeast Asia theater, so there were only poorly equipped and trained troops who were no match for the experienced USSR-soldiers.
However, the main routes to Mutanchiang consisted of two mountain passes (north: 1st Red Banner Army; east: 5th Army), the weather was heavy rain and the IJA defended themselves with hidden AT guns and suicide bombers, which is why the army suffered heavy losses in the end.
By 12.08.1945, the 5th IJA had been compressed around Mutanchiang and its resistance from a series of hills – fortified with AT-guns – became stronger (e.g. the USSR lost 58 of 65 tanks in one action), but the USSR was forced to conquer one of these hills by another (e.g. Mount Shozu). As a result of this strong resistance the 5th Army gave up its mission to conquer Mutanchiang but to pass it by and let the 1st Red Banner Army conquer it instead. On 15.08.1945 the 5th IJA started its retreat, leaving only a small force as a rearguard as a fanatical resistance - on 16.08.1945, the 1st Red Banner Army attacked Mutanchiang with heavy artillery, but the bridges crossing the river were destroyed and due to the fire of the defenders no crossing by boat was possible, so a part of the USSR army flanked the IJA defense and attacked from behind, through which it was possible to cross the river and the room-by-room conquest of the city had begun.
In the end, despite heavy losses (Japan: 9.400 dead, 15.000 wounded; USSR: 6.300 dead, 14.750 wounded, over 300 tanks lost), the 1st Far Eastern Front succeeded in capturing the cities, but most of the 5th IJA was able to retreat.
b). Battle of Hailar (1945)
The 2nd Far Eastern Front under Marshal Rodion Malinovsky had the objective of taking the cities of Harbin and Qiqihar. It advanced over the Great Khingan Mountains and on the second day the USSR advanced deep into Manchuria, but the 44th IJA (3rd Area Army) put up fierce resistance against the 36th Army of the Transbaikal Front in the city of Hailar, which tied down some of the USSR-forces.
c). Battle of Khalkhin Gol/Nomonhan Incident (1939)
After the Japanese occupation of Manchuria in 1931, there were frequent conflicts along the border between Manchuria and the USSR/Mongolia, leading to the first major incident in 1938 (Battle of Lake Khasan). The problem was that this border was not defined by the participants. Japan declared the Khalkhin Gol River as the border, while the USSR/Mongolia declared the village of Nomonhan (about 16 km east of the river) as the border.
While the Kwantung Army was a formidable opponent, the western region of Manchukuo was secured by a newly formed, inexperienced infantry division with outdated equipment at Hailar. Both sides increased their troop strength (Japan: 40.000; USSR/Mongolia: 62.000-74.000). On 27.06.1939, the Kwantung Army-JAAF attacked a Soviet airbase in Mongolia without permission from IJA-HQ. Later, the Soviets and Mongolians were operating on both sides of the Khalkhin Gol near Nomonhan, and the IJA commander received permission to take action against them, ordering an attack on the west and east banks of the river. After the northern task force crossed the river, Zhukov launched a counterattack with tanks (T26/BT-7) and armored vehicles (BA-10/BA-3/6), forcing the IJA to retreat and recross the Khalkhin Gol. Meanwhile, the southern task force attacked with its tanks on the night of 02.07.1939, but lost half of its tanks without making a breakthrough and was also forced to retreat.
Tokyo’s political opinion to de-escalate the skirmish at Khalkhin Gol came in handy for the USSR, because they did not have to fear IJA attacks, so they gave their best. As a result, the USSR/Mongolian army and the IJA fought for two weeks, while the IJA used a lot of its resources but gained no really achievement, so it had 5.000 casualties, the USSR much higher, but easily replaced.
To crush the IJA Zhukov wanted a big offensive, but his tests of the IJA defenses before the main attack on 02.08.1939 failed and the IJA counterattacked and captured some hills. On 20.08.1939 the USSR attacked the IJA with large waves of infantry and tanks, supported by heavy artillery and the Soviet air force, and on 31.08.1939 the IJA in Mongolia was destroyed - the belligerents agreed to a ceasefire on 15.09.1939. They remained at peace until 08.08.1945.
Japan: 8.700 kia/mia, 8.650 wounded and a significant loss of motor vehicles (e.g. 60 tanks and 160 airplanes).
USSR: 9.700 kia/mia, 15.250 wounded, a large amount of material (e.g. 250 tanks and 250 airplanes).
In the aftermath, Japan stated that it was not a failure of tactics, but the lack of a large tank force and modern tanks was the biggest problem. So tank production was increased and the new Type 1 47mm AT gun was introduced. In addition, General Tomoyuki Yamashita was sent to Germany to learn more about tank tactics. In the end, the IJA made the same mistakes as Khalkhin Gol in the Pacific War: Japan underestimated the enemy, overestimated its own advantage, and praised the courage of the individual soldier to make up for its lack of new weapons and industrial base. Furthermore, this had another important impact on history: because the Kwantung Army initiated and escalated this skirmish war without government authorization, the Kwantung Army earned the displeasure of officials in the IJN and Tokyo. This led to the decision, with the signing of the Non-Aggression Pact between Germany and the USSR, to invade the Pacific, especially the oil and mineral-rich Dutch East Indies (“South Strike Group”), instead of the IJA invading Siberia to secure its resources (“North Strike Group”).
In particular, Colonel Masanobu Tsuji – who was one of the instigators of the Battle of Khalkin Gol – after his experience with the USSR, was in favor of fighting the U.S., although Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto was clearly against a war with the U.S. because Japan wouldn’t be able to win it.
ENLISTED: After this summary of the Soviet-Japanese events, I would like to draw a conclusion for Enlisted. First, as far as I know, no game has battles between Japan and the USSR. As you’ve read, the IJA had no real chance against the USSR – neither in 1939 nor in 1945 – and was overwhelmed by their attacks. But in 1945 the situation was even worse: while the USSR developed better equipment during the war, almost all available tanks were early Ha-Go or even older, the AT guns were Type 94 and Type 1 37 mm (so Japanese AT-shells bounced off USSR tanks), the IJA had no anti-materiel rifles, no submachine guns, and only very few machine guns.
Nevertheless, the examples presented should show that the USSR, despite its massive superiority, sometimes had problems overcoming the strong Japanese defenders and that there were fierce defensive battles. In addition, this conflict is worth including because of its historical significance for the present (China/North Korea).
The introduction of the Russo-Japanese War or 1945 War would unlock a new opponent for Russia and Japan, so that each party in Enlisted would face 2 opponents (German = USSR/U.S.; USSR = Japan/U.S.; Japan = U.S./USSR). This could help the servers to find games faster and especially this new setup (Russian weapons as well as new maps) would increase the attractiveness of the Japanese side, as Japan is the only faction that is limited to a few (similar) maps with its weapons, while USSR, U.S. and Germany have significant variations. Therefore, it would be more interesting (especially for new players) to unlock Japan as well. The effort would be limited under the new merge system, since “only” new maps are needed, but (except for the weapons presented in the next thread “Pacific Campaign: D)”) no new weapons or vehicles.
It would also be an interesting duel to see if and how the weapons can compete with each other.
This concerns the tanks on the one hand
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- Ha-Go/Ta-Se/Ke-Ni and others vs BT-7/BA-10/T26/T60/T70, where the USSR tends to have a slight advantage, but this is justified from a historical perspective
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- No-Ni/Na-To/Chi-Nu/Chi-To vs T 34/KV
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- Chi Ri/Ho-Ri vs IS1 and IS 2
The question is whether IS-1 and IS-2 are too strong; from my point of view there are 4 options:
- Chi Ri/Ho-Ri vs IS1 and IS 2
- either IS-1 and IS-2 are not allowed (card-specific exclusion or by changing the BR)
or - The introduction of a new Japanese tank (e.g. Ho-Ri II)
or - the introduction of a new AT weapon (with a new squad or pre-installed on the map)
and/or - the introduction of a new special ability
Since this topic is closely related to the question of (armored) vehicles of the IJA/IJN, I will present this question in detail in the thread “Pacific Campaign: D)".
On the other hand, there is also the infantry.
In terms of historical accuracy, it should be noted that these battles actually took place and that the Japanese side in the game already has weapons that were never used on the battlefield (e.g. Type Otsu; MP Type 1 or 2; MP 28; Ta-Se). There is also the possibility to link the new USSR paratroopers in the game to a historical event. All in all, I think it would be an interesting challenge if the IJA could take on the USSR, at least it’s worth thinking about.
In this context, the question arises whether the border conflicts of 1939 should be included or not. The fact that Khalkhin Gol was a significant event in several respects speaks in favor of it. However, there are now so many weapons for Japan that do not fit into this period that, in my opinion, only two conclusions are possible:
- either Khalkhin Gol is limited to BR I-II and the Soviet-Japanese War is only open for III-IV(V).
or - this map is generally integrated for the Soviet-Japanese War, regardless of historical accuracy.
In favor of the former is clearly the historical accuracy, in favor of the latter, however, that this increases the variation of the battlefields, the area around Khalkin Gol is strongly dominated by flat terrain with a few hills and the river. There is no such open terrain in the Pacific so far, and in the other campaigns there was usually enough cover. Personally, I would still focus on the Battles of Mutanchiang and Hailar, as highly equipped armies can easily fight each other and the battles are more intense in terms of space. Also, there are still no city battles in the Pacific, which will be addressed in the “Pacific Campaign: C)” thread. The developers also have some creative leeway since there is not so much material for these locations. But I would also argue for the integration of Khalkhin Gol.
In other words, balanced battles for Enlisted are conceivable and not completely unrealistic.
So in conclusion, from my point of view this matchup would be something really unique for Enlisted and would strengthen the decision to play the Japanese side.
Thanks for reading and please leave a comment – please don’t forget to check out my other topics as well, so the Pacific side gets a better update 
