Japanese Pilot Rosters – Historically Completed
Moderators: wdolson, MOD_War-in-the-Pacific-Admirals-Edition
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Peiper1944
- Posts: 154
- Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2014 1:41 pm
- Location: Germany
Re: Japanese Pilot Rosters – Historically Completed
Thank you very much for the two links; they are indeed very helpful.
The ww2in172.com page provides several additional pilot names for Akagi during the Pearl Harbor attack. I will compare them with the lists I have already reconstructed. Some of the spellings differ from those that appear in Japanese archival sources, so verifying the underlying kanji is important. Still, the information is very valuable as a starting point.
The j-aircraft.com list for the Midway operation is also useful. I will compare it with my existing Midway entries for Akagi’s squadrons and integrate the confirmed names into the larger roster project. Since my work also assigns historical entry dates and XP values for WITP:AE, these sources help clarify several cases that were previously uncertain.
Once I have reviewed and cross-checked both lists, I will update the pilot files accordingly. Over the weekend, I plan to begin posting the carrier fleet pilot lists in the thread. Before that, I will upload the Imperial Army order of battle as well as the Japanese operations with their code names from 07 December 1941 to 31 December 1941, so that the corresponding task forces can receive their historically accurate designations.
After that comes the carrier fleet, and then I want to test-play the game for a bit – using what is already finished and everything that is still missing – to get a sense of how the whole thing feels in actual gameplay.
The ww2in172.com page provides several additional pilot names for Akagi during the Pearl Harbor attack. I will compare them with the lists I have already reconstructed. Some of the spellings differ from those that appear in Japanese archival sources, so verifying the underlying kanji is important. Still, the information is very valuable as a starting point.
The j-aircraft.com list for the Midway operation is also useful. I will compare it with my existing Midway entries for Akagi’s squadrons and integrate the confirmed names into the larger roster project. Since my work also assigns historical entry dates and XP values for WITP:AE, these sources help clarify several cases that were previously uncertain.
Once I have reviewed and cross-checked both lists, I will update the pilot files accordingly. Over the weekend, I plan to begin posting the carrier fleet pilot lists in the thread. Before that, I will upload the Imperial Army order of battle as well as the Japanese operations with their code names from 07 December 1941 to 31 December 1941, so that the corresponding task forces can receive their historically accurate designations.
After that comes the carrier fleet, and then I want to test-play the game for a bit – using what is already finished and everything that is still missing – to get a sense of how the whole thing feels in actual gameplay.
-
Peiper1944
- Posts: 154
- Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2014 1:41 pm
- Location: Germany
Re: Japanese Pilot Rosters – Historically Completed
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ORDER OF BATTLE
IMPERIAL GENERAL HEADQUARTERS / ARMY SECTION (大本営陸軍部)
Status: 6 December 1941
(iThe army leadership, precisely defined, with personnel, tasks, and sub-structures[/i]
The Army General Staff was the nerve center. All threads came together here: the war against China, border tensions with the USSR, and the entire southern strategy. The whole thing was a bureaucratic serpent with more teeth than sense, but it operated with frightening efficiency.
Structure of the Army Section (Daihon’ei Rikugun-bu):
HOME DEFENSE FORCES (本土防衛軍)
With divisional commanders, garrison locations, and regimental commanders
Reference date: 6 December 1941
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EASTERN DISTRICT ARMY (Tokyo)
CENTRAL DISTRICT ARMY (Osaka)
WESTERN DISTRICT ARMY (Kyūshū)
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KWANTUNG ARMY (関東軍)
Status: 6 December 1941
Manchukuo (満州国)
What follows is the full structure with all divisions, garrisons, commanders, and regimental leaders.
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3rd Army (Hsinking / Harbin)
4th Army (Qiqihar)
20th Army (Antung / Mukden)
6th Army (Changchun) – Strategic Reserve
Kwantung Army Support & Special Forces
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CHINA EXPEDITIONARY ARMY (CEA) – 支那派遣軍
Status: 6 December 1941
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11th Army (Hankow / Wuhan)
13th Army (Shanghai / Hangzhou)
North China Area Army (Peking / Tianjin)
14th Division
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SOUTHERN EXPEDITIONARY ARMY GROUP – 南方軍
Status: 6 December 1941
Area of operations: Malaya, Thailand, the Philippines, the Netherlands East Indies
The formation was tightly orchestrated, packed with the best mobile divisions, especially the 5th, 18th, 48th and the Imperial Guards.
Now the full dose, broken down by armies.
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14th Army – Philippines Invasion Force
16th Division
15th Army – Thailand / Burma Invasion
33rd Division
25th Army – Malaya / Singapore Invasion
5th Division
16th Army – Netherlands East Indies (Java, Sumatra)
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KOREA ARMY – 朝鮮軍
Status: 6 December 1941
The Korea Army district was strict, harsh, and organizationally extremely well run. Many officers stationed here later ended up in top positions, because Korea was regarded as a “quiet but highly professional” posting.
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19th Division
Regiments:
20th Division
Regiments:
1st Cavalry Brigade (detached under Korea Army)
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FORMOSA ARMY – 台湾軍
Status: 6 December 1941
The 48th Division had largely departed. What remained were coastal defense troops, base garrisons and artillery strongpoints.
Formosa Army structure (after departure of the 48th Division):
1st ARMORED CORPS – 第1戦車軍団
Status: 6 December 1941
The armored corps was the most technically modern army formation in 1941. Not comparable to Western armored armies in scale, but disciplined and ready for deployment.
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1st Tank Regiment
2nd Tank Regiment
3rd Tank Regiment
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4th Tank Regiment
Armored Engineer Battalion
Armored Transport Battalion
They were the invisible lifeline of the armored units.
BLOCK 6 – ARMY STRUCTURES OUTSIDE FIELD DIVISIONS
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ARMY STRUCTURES OUTSIDE THE FIELD DIVISIONS
Status: 6 December 1941
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1. 陸軍防空本部 – ARMY AIR DEFENSE COMMAND
(without air units)
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(no air units – AA only)
2. 重砲兵司令部 – HEAVY ARTILLERY COMMAND
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Main formations:
3. 要塞司令部 – JAPANESE FORTRESS COMMANDS
(army fortress systems, not navy)
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The Japanese fortress system was old, partly dating back to 1905. Surprisingly well maintained, but technologically obsolete.
Japan proper fortress commands
4. 憲兵隊 – KENPEITAI (MILITARY POLICE)
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The Kenpeitai was a mixture of Gestapo, military police, and political instrument of fear.
Whether one likes it or not, it belonged to the army structure.
5. 鉄道警備隊 – RAILWAY GUARD & RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION TROOPS
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A crucial institution, since the Japanese army in China and Manchuria was completely dependent on rail transport.
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6. 輸送総監部 – ARMY TRANSPORTATION & LOGISTICS HQ
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7. 工兵総監部 – ENGINEER COMMAND
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8. 通信総監部 – SIGNALS COMMAND
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9. 野戦病院・医療総監部 – MEDICAL & FIELD HOSPITAL COMMAND
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The army hardly had any chance of scoring high on the moral scoreboard.
Subdivisions:
10. 教育総監部 – ARMY TRAINING & EDUCATION HQ
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Responsibilities:
ORDER OF BATTLE
IMPERIAL GENERAL HEADQUARTERS / ARMY SECTION (大本営陸軍部)
Status: 6 December 1941
(iThe army leadership, precisely defined, with personnel, tasks, and sub-structures[/i]
- []Supreme Commander: Tennō (Shōwa, Hirohito)
[]De facto principal military decision-maker: Gen. Hajime Sugiyama
[]Chief of the Army General Staff: Lt. Gen. Yoshijirō Umezu
[]Staff strength: approx. 1,700 officers - Location: Tokyo, Imperial Palace compound, Daihon’ei complex
The Army General Staff was the nerve center. All threads came together here: the war against China, border tensions with the USSR, and the entire southern strategy. The whole thing was a bureaucratic serpent with more teeth than sense, but it operated with frightening efficiency.
Structure of the Army Section (Daihon’ei Rikugun-bu):
- []Army General Staff (Sanbō Honbu)
[]Ministry of the Army (Rikugun-shō)
[]Inspectorate General of Army Aviation
[]Inspectorate General of Military Education
[]Kenpeitai High Command
[]Army Aviation Headquarters (Kōkū Hombu)
[]Mobilisation Planning Bureaus
[]Strategic Intelligence Bureaus - Liaison offices for Navy & government
HOME DEFENSE FORCES (本土防衛軍)
With divisional commanders, garrison locations, and regimental commanders
Reference date: 6 December 1941
- []Commander, Home Defense Forces: Gen. Otozō Yamada
[]HQ: Tokyo
[]Overall strength: approx. 500,000 men
[]Mission: Homeland defense, coastal security, training, mobilisation
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EASTERN DISTRICT ARMY (Tokyo)
- []Commander: Lt. Gen. Yoshio Shinozuka
[]HQ: Tokyo (Ichigaya)
- []Division commander: Lt. Gen. Shigeru Katamura
[]HQ: Tokyo - Status in 1941: Defense of the capital area, training, coastal sectors Chiba–Ibaraki
- 14th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Utsunomiya
Regimental commander: Col. Yasuo Nakahara
Note: One of the oldest regiments, dating back to 1871. Strong performance in training. - 46th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Maebashi, Gunma
Regimental commander: Col. Hiroshi Matsui
Note: Strong reserve structure, many veterans from China. - 48th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Fukushima
Regimental commander: Col. Shunpei Takahashi
Note: Focus on coastal defense north of Tokyo. - 12th Field Artillery Regiment
Garrison: Tokyo–Kawagoe area
Regimental commander: Col. Giichi Tominaga - 12th Engineer Regiment
Garrison: Chiba - 12th Transport Regiment
Garrison: Tokyo–Suginami
- []Division commander: Lt. Gen. Kesago Nakajima
[]HQ: Kyoto - Status: Partially active, partly undergoing retraining, reserve for Malaya / Philippines
- 9th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Fukuchiyama
Regimental commander: Col. Junichi Watanabe - 20th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Kyoto
Regimental commander: Col. Kiyoshi Senda - 38th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Osaka
Regimental commander: Col. Nobuo Nakashima
[]16th Field Artillery Regiment – Osaka
[]Engineer units – Uji - Transport units – Kyoto
- []Division commander: Lt. Gen. Shizuo Tanaka
[]HQ: Sendai - Status: Coastal defense of the Tōhoku region; intensive winter training
- 66th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Akita
Regimental commander: Col. Yoshio Isogai - 102nd Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Morioka
Regimental commander: Col. Ichirō Matsunaga - 115th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Fukushima
Regimental commander: Col. Hideyuki Oka
[]51st Artillery Regiment – Sendai
[]Support units – Sendai–Yamagata
CENTRAL DISTRICT ARMY (Osaka)
- []Commander: Lt. Gen. Kenryō Satō
[]HQ: Osaka
- []Division commander: Lt. Gen. Toshizō Nishio
[]HQ: Osaka - Status: One of the oldest divisions of Japan.
- 8th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Wakayama
Regimental commander: Col. Shinpei Gotō - 37th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Osaka
Regimental commander: Col. Kazuo Kurosawa - 61st Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Nara
Regimental commander: Col. Takeo Murai
[]Artillery units: Osaka
[]Engineer units: Kobe - Transport units: Osaka
- []Division commander: Lt. Gen. Takashi Sakai
[]HQ: Nagoya
- 65th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Gifu
Regimental commander: Col. Tadashi Izawa - 104th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Nagoya
Regimental commander: Col. Katsujiro Hayashi - 116th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Tsu (Mie)
Regimental commander: Col. Ryōichi Hoshino
[]Artillery units: Nagoya
[]Engineer units: Toyota - Transport units: Nagoya
WESTERN DISTRICT ARMY (Kyūshū)
- []Commander: Lt. Gen. Jun Ushiroku
[]HQ: Kumamoto
- []Division commander: Lt. Gen. Shigemasa Nishio
[]Garrisons: spread across southern Kyūshū
- 111th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Kumamoto
Regimental commander: Col. Kazuhiko Shimizu - 112th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Kagoshima
Regimental commander: Col. Chūji Satō - 113th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Miyazaki
Regimental commander: Col. Kenzō Fujita
[]Artillery units: Kumamoto
[]Engineer units: Ōita - Transport units: Kumamoto
- []Commander: Maj. Gen. Yoshioka Tomoari
[]Location: Kokura / Kitakyūshū - Mission: Coastal defense, minefields, fortress troops
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KWANTUNG ARMY (関東軍)
Status: 6 December 1941
Manchukuo (満州国)
- []Overall commander: Gen. Shigeru Honjō
[]Chief of Staff: Lt. Gen. Kenji Doihara
[]HQ: 新京 (Hsinking / Changchun)
[]Overall strength: approx. 700,000 men - Role: Anti-Soviet defense, mobile armored reserves, border security, control over the Manchukuo regime
What follows is the full structure with all divisions, garrisons, commanders, and regimental leaders.
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3rd Army (Hsinking / Harbin)
- []Commander: Lt. Gen. Michitarō Komatsubara
[]HQ: Harbin - Mission: Northern border, Amur sector, anti-Soviet defense
- []Division commander: Lt. Gen. Kōichi Abe
[]Headquarters: Hailar (海拉爾) - Status: Main pillar of northern border security
- 2nd Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Hailar
Regimental commander: Col. Masayoshi Inoue
Note: Frequent maneuvers near the border; experienced in winter operations. - 4th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Manzhouli
Regimental commander: Col. Tadashi Hirano
Special feature: Strong machine-gun companies. - 16th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Zalantun
Regimental commander: Col. Yoshito Morita
[]8th Artillery Regiment – Hailar
[]Engineer units – Hailar - Transport units – Hailar
- []Division commander: Lt. Gen. Jūrō Kataoka
[]HQ: Mutanchiang (穆棱江) - Status: Large border corps, experienced in China, fully combat-ready in 1941.
- 39th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Mutanchiang
Regimental commander: Col. Katsumi Shimizu - 40th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Ningan
Regimental commander: Col. Yasuharu Matsuki - 63rd Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Jiamusi
Regimental commander: Col. Shigenobu Hata
[]10th Field Artillery Regiment – Mutanchiang
[]10th Engineer Regiment – Linkou - Transport units – Mutanchiang
4th Army (Qiqihar)
- []Commander: Lt. Gen. Yoshitake Miwa
[]HQ: Qiqihar - Mission:[ Western Manchuria, defense in depth
- []Division commander: Lt. Gen. Tadashi Katakura
[]HQ: Qiqihar - Note: One of the oldest divisions, a prestige formation.
- 1st Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Qiqihar
Regimental commander: Col. Hidemichi Masaki - 49th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Angangxi
Regimental commander: Col. Yoshikazu Hori - 57th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Bei’an
Regimental commander: Col. Kenkichi Yamada
[]1st Artillery Regiment – Qiqihar
[]Engineer units – Qiqihar - Transport units – Qiqihar
- []Division commander: Lt. Gen. Tsunenori Shigemi
[]HQ: Heiho (北安) - Status: Border troops of medium quality, often used for security duties.
- 22nd Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Heiho
Regimental commander: Col. Shōjirō Akimoto - 23rd Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Bei’an area
Regimental commander: Col. Shinichi Kobayashi - 89th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Heihe
Regimental commander: Col. Yūzō Sasaki - 24th Artillery Regiment – Heiho
20th Army (Antung / Mukden)
- []Commander: Lt. Gen. Korechika Anami
[]HQ: Mukden (奉天 / Shenyang) - Mission: Southern Manchurian border, reserve combat formations, major transport hub
- []Division commander: Lt. Gen. Tadaichi Wakamatsu
[]HQ: Lianshan / Fushun - Status: Experienced from China, well integrated and cohesive by 1941.
- 12th Infantry Regiment – Fushun
Regimental commander: Col. Noboru Yokota - 22nd Infantry Regiment – Benxi
Regimental commander: Col. Masaru Fujisawa - 44th Infantry Regiment – Lianshan
Regimental commander: Col. Kunio Adachi - Artillery units – Fushun
- []Division commander: Lt. Gen. Saburō Kawamura
[]HQ: Antung (丹東) - Mission: Surveillance zone along the Korean border.
- 111th Infantry Regiment – Andong
Regimental commander: Col. Kōhei Iijima - 112th Infantry Regiment – Fengcheng
Regimental commander: Col. Satoru Ishida - 113th Infantry Regiment – Kuandian
Regimental commander: Col. Junjirō Takeda
- []1st, 2nd, 3rd, 8th Manchukuo Brigades
[]Main role: Security, railway protection, policing duties
6th Army (Changchun) – Strategic Reserve
- []Commander: Lt. Gen. Yasushi Katsuki
[]HQ: Changchun - Mission: Main reserve, potential striking force against the USSR
- []Division commander: Lt. Gen. Michitarō Horiguchi
[]HQ: Gongzhuling - Status: Battered after Nomonhan, but combat-experienced.
- 71st Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Gongzhuling
Regimental commander: Col. Tatsuo Mitsui - 72nd Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Yitong
Regimental commander: Col. Hachirō Matsumura - 73rd Infantry Regiment
Garrison: outskirts of Changchun
Regimental commander: Col. Kengo Tsutsumi - Artillery units – Changchun
- []Division commander: Lt. Gen. Hiroshi Nemoto
[]HQ: Changchun - Status: Security division, many older age groups.
- 117th Infantry Regiment – Nong’an
Regimental commander: Col. Mitsuo Tanabe - 118th Infantry Regiment – Dehui
Regimental commander: Col. Yoshitaka Nunokawa - 119th Infantry Regiment – Changchun
Regimental commander: Col. Rikihei Kobori
Kwantung Army Support & Special Forces
- 1st Cavalry Brigade – Harbin
Commander: Maj. Gen. Kōichi Shimada - 2nd Cavalry Brigade – Heiho
Commander: Maj. Gen. Yūji Shibata - Kwantung Tank Group (Harbin)
Commander: Maj. Gen. Kiyotake Yoshimaru
Tanks: Type 95 Ha-Go, Type 97 Chi-Ha (approx. 220–260 vehicles)
[]Heavy Artillery HQ – Changchun
[]Railway Security Commands – all of Manchuria - Fortress units – Sunwu, Heihe, Hunchun
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CHINA EXPEDITIONARY ARMY (CEA) – 支那派遣軍
Status: 6 December 1941
- []Overall commander: Gen. Hisaichi Terauchi
[]Chief of Staff: Lt. Gen. Yasuji Okamura
[]Headquarters: 南京 (Nanking) / 武漢 (Hankow / Wuhan)
[]Strength: ~850,000 men
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11th Army (Hankow / Wuhan)
- []Commander: Lt. Gen. Yorimichi Suzuki
[]HQ: 武漢 (Wuhan) - Mission: Central Yangtze basin, Greater Wuhan area
- []Division commander: Lt. Gen. Shinichi Numata
[]HQ: Wuhan - Status: Veteran, battle-hardened division from Central China
- 6th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Hankou
Regimental commander: Col. Katsuzō Ōta
Note: Elite component, many China veterans. - 18th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Wuchang
Regimental commander: Col. Masanobu Tsuji
Note: Yes, that Tsuji – intriguer, political psychopath, battlefield fanatic. - 34th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Hanyang
Regimental commander: Col. Kiyoshi Tsuchiya
[]3rd Artillery Regiment – Wuhan
[]Engineer units – Wuhan - Transport units – Wuhan
- []Division commander: Lt. Gen. Hisakazu Tanaka
[]HQ: Hankow - Role: This division formed the backbone of the Wuhan security posture.
- 13th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Hankow
Regimental commander: Col. Junpei Yoshimoto - 47th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Hankow environs
Regimental commander: Col. Tokushichi Katō - 65th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Xiantao
Regimental commander: Col. Kenjirō Mashita - Artillery units – Hankow
- []Division commander: Lt. Gen. Naojirō Amaya
[]HQ: Yichang - Status: Security and combat operations against the Chinese 5th War Area
- 234th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Yichang
Regimental commander: Col. Heihachirō Tsunoda - 235th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Songzi
Regimental commander: Col. Tarō Matsumoto - 236th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Zhijiang
Regimental commander: Col. Takayoshi Shirai
- []Division commander: Lt. Gen. Teizō Ishiguro
[]HQ: Hankow–Wuhan area - Employment: Anti-guerrilla warfare, security, railway lines
- 51st Infantry Regiment – Huangpi
Regimental commander: Col. Giichi Kobayashi - 52nd Infantry Regiment – Tianmen
Regimental commander: Col. Eizō Ōta - 105th Infantry Regiment – Ezhou
Regimental commander: Col. Teruo Nakagawa
13th Army (Shanghai / Hangzhou)
- []Commander: Lt. Gen. Shigeharu Kawagoe
[]HQ: 上海 (Shanghai) - Mission: Greater Shanghai area, coastal sector
- []Division commander: Lt. Gen. Masao Wakamatsu
[]HQ:[ Shanghai - Status: One of the most reliable urban occupation divisions.
- 7th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Shanghai–Jiangwan
Regimental commander: Col. Tadashi Naitō - 35th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Shanghai–Zhabei
Regimental commander: Col. Kazuo Furukawa - 36th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Baoshan
Regimental commander: Col. Yoshinori Yamamoto - Artillery units – Shanghai
- []Division commander: Lt. Gen. Masafumi Yamauchi
[]HQ: Hangzhou - Status: Multi-year anti-guerrilla operations.
- 60th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Hangzhou
Regimental commander: Col. Mitsuo Suzuki - 51st Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Huzhou
Regimental commander: Col. Noboru Hashimoto - 67th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Xiaoshan
Regimental commander: Col. Kenjirō Nagai
- []Division commander: Lt. Gen. Takuma Nishimura
[]HQ: Ningbo - Status: Coastal defense and anti-partisan operations.
- 42nd Infantry Regiment – Ningbo
Regimental commander: Col. Shūsaku Mori - 43rd Infantry Regiment – Shaoxing
Regimental commander: Col. Tadayoshi Miura - 44th Infantry Regiment – Jinhua
Regimental commander: Col. Eijirō Fujita
- 11th Independent Mixed Brigade – Jiaxing
Commander: Maj. Gen. Masakazu Kawabe - 12th Independent Mixed Brigade – Haining
Commander: Maj. Gen. Saburō Kawamura
North China Area Army (Peking / Tianjin)
- []Commander: Gen. Hayao Tada
[]HQ: 北京 (Peking) - Mission: Security of North China, operations against the 8th Route Army
- []Division commander: Lt. Gen. Kōichi Abe
[]HQ: Peking - Status: Division with enormous prestige and long tradition.
- 1st Infantry Regiment – Peking
Regimental commander: Col. Masaki Motomura - 49th Infantry Regiment – Tongzhou
Regimental commander: Col. Yoshito Morikawa - 57th Infantry Regiment – Baoding
Regimental commander: Col. Takuji Mizoguchi
14th Division
- []Division commander: Lt. Gen. Kenzō Kitano
[]HQ: Tientsin - Status: Heavy anti-guerrilla operations in Hebei.
- 27th Infantry Regiment – Baoding
Regimental commander: Col. Yutaka Ōnishi - 28th Infantry Regiment – Shijiazhuang
Regimental commander: Col. Haruo Nishimura - 59th Infantry Regiment – Zhengding
Regimental commander: Col. Shigeru Kawamura
- []Division commander: Lt. Gen. Hikosaburō Hata
[]HQ: Jinan (Tsinan) - Status: Security of railway lines, anti-communist operations.
- 12th Infantry Regiment – Jinan
Regimental commander: Col. Isamu Fukada - 30th Infantry Regiment – Tai’an
Regimental commander: Col. Hideo Kusunoki - 45th Infantry Regiment – Yanzhou
Regimental commander: Col. Saburō Tanaka
- []Division commander: Lt. Gen. Hiroshi Nemoto
[]HQ: Tianjin
- 139th Infantry Regiment – Tianjin
Regimental commander: Col. Tsugio Shibata - 163rd Infantry Regiment – Tanggu
Regimental commander: Col. Kyōhei Fujisawa - 164th Infantry Regiment – Lutai
Regimental commander: Col. Minoru Arita
- []1st Independent Mixed Brigade – Peking
[]2nd Independent Mixed Brigade – Tianjin
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SOUTHERN EXPEDITIONARY ARMY GROUP – 南方軍
Status: 6 December 1941
Area of operations: Malaya, Thailand, the Philippines, the Netherlands East Indies
- []Commander-in-Chief: Gen. Hisaichi Terauchi
[]Chief of Staff: Lt. Gen. Michio Sugawara
[]Headquarters: Saigon (Indochina) / Taihoku (Formosa, transit)
[]Overall strength: ~400,000 men
The formation was tightly orchestrated, packed with the best mobile divisions, especially the 5th, 18th, 48th and the Imperial Guards.
Now the full dose, broken down by armies.
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14th Army – Philippines Invasion Force
- []Commander: Lt. Gen. Masaharu Homma
[]HQ: Formosa (initially), later Manila
16th Division
- []Division commander: Lt. Gen. Susumu Morioka
[]HQ: Takao (Formosa) - Landing objectives: Lingayen Gulf & Lamon Bay
- 9th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Takao
Regimental commander: Col. Takashi Muroi
Special note: Main assault regiment for Luzon. - 20th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Tainan
Regimental commander: Col. Kōji Senda - 38th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Heitō (Pingtung)
Regimental commander: Col. Masao Nishioka
[]Artillery units – Formosa
[]Engineer units – Formosa - Transport units – Formosa
- []Division commander: Lt. Gen. Yuitsu Tsuchihashi
[]HQ: Taihoku - Role: Shock division for the drive on Manila, fast and combat-experienced
- 1st Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Taihoku
Regimental commander: Col. Naoji Sakai - 2nd Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Shinchiku
Regimental commander: Col. Hiroshi Uchida - 47th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Taichu
Regimental commander: Col. Toshio Koyanagi
[]Artillery units – Taihoku
[]Engineer units – Taihoku - Transport units – Taihoku
- []Commander: Maj. Gen. Masatada Kikuchi
[]HQ: Keelung - Role: Reinforcements for Luzon / line occupation and garrison duties
15th Army – Thailand / Burma Invasion
- []Commander: Lt. Gen. Shōjirō Iida
[]HQ: Bangkok
33rd Division
- []Division commander: Lt. Gen. Shōzō Sakurai
[]HQ: Bangkok (advance via Prachuap)
- 213th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Haiphong → transit area Bangkok
Regimental commander: Col. Kanichi Yamada - 214th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Vinh → Bangkok
Regimental commander: Col. Kenshirō Tanabe - 215th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Hanoi → Bangkok
Regimental commander: Col. Keisuke Isogai
[]Artillery units – Bangkok
[]Engineer units – Bangkok
- []Division commander: Lt. Gen. Takeo Itō
[]HQ: Chiang Mai (assembly), later Tavoy - Role: Invasion of southern Burma, advance on Rangoon
- 112th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Chiang Mai
Regimental commander: Col. Yasuharu Iwata - 143rd Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Lampang
Regimental commander: Col. Kazuo Kawabe - 144th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Mae Sot
Regimental commander: Col. Kenichi Tanaka
- []Commander: Lt. Gen. Takuma Nishimura
[]HQ: Bangkok - Role: Prestige formation, spearhead thrust through Thailand toward Burma
- 1st Guards Infantry Regiment – Bangkok
Commander: Col. Yasuji Okamura - 2nd Guards Infantry Regiment – Ayutthaya
Commander: Col. Daikichi Sakai
[]Guards Cavalry – Bangkok
[]Guards Artillery – Bangkok
25th Army – Malaya / Singapore Invasion
- []Commander: Lt. Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita
[]HQ: Saigon → Singora (Thailand)
5th Division
- []Division commander: Lt. Gen. Takurō Matsui
[]HQ: Singora - Role: Main thrust toward Jitra / Kuala Lumpur
- 11th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Singora
Regimental commander: Col. Noboru Sasaki - 41st Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Patani
Regimental commander: Col. Kiyoshi Watanabe - 42nd Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Hat Yai
Regimental commander: Col. Hiroshi Yamada - Artillery units – Singora
- []Division commander: Lt. Gen. Renya Mutaguchi
[]HQ: Kota Bharu - Role: Initial assault on the east coast; later infamous as the architect of disaster in Burma.
- 23rd Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Kota Bharu
Regimental commander: Col. Yasushi Nakai - 35th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Bachok coast
Regimental commander: Col. Genzō Matsumoto - 56th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Pasir Puteh
Regimental commander: Col. Masatake Nishiura
- Commander: Lt. Gen. Takuma Nishimura (split between Malaya & Burma)
- []1st Guards Infantry Regiment – Singora
[]2nd Guards Infantry Regiment – Patani
[]Guards Cavalry – Singora
[]Guards Artillery – Singora
- 1st Tank Regiment – Singora (Type 95 Ha-Go, Type 97 Chi-Ha)
Commander: Col. Yoshimaru Saeki - 2nd Tank Regiment – Patani
Commander: Col. Takashi Ono
16th Army – Netherlands East Indies (Java, Sumatra)
- []Commander: Lt. Gen. Hitoshi Imamura
[]HQ: Saigon → later Jakarta
- []Division commander: Lt. Gen. Masao Maruyama
[]HQ: Hainan (transit) - Objective: Makassar, Bali, eastern Java
- 4th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Haikou
Regimental commander: Col. Shigeharu Ōkubo - 16th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Haikou
Regimental commander: Col. Seigo Nakamoto - 29th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Sanya
Regimental commander: Col. Tokuji Suzuki
- []Division commander: Lt. Gen. Takeo Itō
[]HQ: Hong Kong (in the process of falling) - Objective: Java after conclusion of the Hong Kong operation
- 228th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Hong Kong
Regimental commander: Col. Teizō Ishiguro - 229th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Shenzhen → Hong Kong
Regimental commander: Col. Masatoshi Fujishige - 230th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Hong Kong
Regimental commander: Col. Katsuzō Iinuma
- []Commander: Lt. Col. Tsuneo Ōkubo
[]Garrison: Taihoku → Sumatra landing area - Role: Fast spearhead forces, motorcycles, light armored cars
######################################################################
KOREA ARMY – 朝鮮軍
Status: 6 December 1941
- []Overall commander: Gen. Kuniaki Koiso
[]Chief of Staff: Lt. Gen. Shunzō Matsushima
[]Headquarters: 京城 (Keijō / Seoul)
[]Strength: approx. 80,000 men
The Korea Army district was strict, harsh, and organizationally extremely well run. Many officers stationed here later ended up in top positions, because Korea was regarded as a “quiet but highly professional” posting.
######################################################################
19th Division
- []Commander: Lt. Gen. Sadaichi Shioda
[]HQ: 平壌 (Pyongyang)
Regiments:
- 73rd Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Pyongyang
Regimental commander: Col. Jirō Matsubara
Special note: Focus in the north, border zones toward Manchukuo. - 74th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Sariwon
Regimental commander: Col. Saburō Tominaga
Note: Strong machine-gun companies; frequent winter tactical exercises. - 75th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Haeju
Regimental commander: Col. Kiyoshi Araki
[]Divisional artillery – Pyongyang
[]Engineers – Pyongyang - Transport – Pyongyang
20th Division
- []Commander: Lt. Gen. Shigemasa Kajiwara
[]HQ: 京城 (Seoul)
Regiments:
- 77th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Seoul
Regimental commander: Col. Masanori Katsuta - 78th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Incheon
Regimental commander: Col. Harushige Takano - 79th Infantry Regiment
Garrison: Suwon
Regimental commander: Col. Yoshiharu Tanida
[]Artillery – Seoul
[]Engineers – Incheon - Transport – Seoul
1st Cavalry Brigade (detached under Korea Army)
- []Commander: Maj. Gen. Tadayoshi Satō
[]HQ: Seoul
- []1st Cavalry Regiment (Seoul) – Col. Tokutarō Okabe
[]2nd Cavalry Regiment (Pyongyang) – Col. Hideo Tokuda
[]Horse Artillery Battery
[]Cavalry Engineers
######################################################################
FORMOSA ARMY – 台湾軍
Status: 6 December 1941
- []Overall commander: Lt. Gen. Takurō Matsui
[]HQ: 台北 (Taihoku) - Strength: approx. 25,000 men
The 48th Division had largely departed. What remained were coastal defense troops, base garrisons and artillery strongpoints.
Formosa Army structure (after departure of the 48th Division):
- Coastal Defense Command North (Keelung)
Commander: Maj. Gen. Shōji Miyazawa - Coastal Defense Command South (Takao)
Commander: Maj. Gen. Kenkichi Nakamura - Formosa Heavy Artillery Regiment
Location: Tainan
Commander: Col. Mitsusuke Noguchi - Formosa Fortress Engineers
Location: Taichu
Commander: Col. Rikizō Katō - Airfield Defense Battalions (4 units)
Locations: Taihoku, Shinchiku, Tainan, Heitō
1st ARMORED CORPS – 第1戦車軍団
Status: 6 December 1941
- []Commander: Lt. Gen. Yoshitsugu Sahara
[]Chief of Staff: Maj. Gen. Kenji Gushiken
[]Headquarters: 新京 / 哈爾浜 (Changchun / Harbin, alternating)
[]Strength: approx. 480–520 tanks
The armored corps was the most technically modern army formation in 1941. Not comparable to Western armored armies in scale, but disciplined and ready for deployment.
######################################################################
1st Tank Regiment
- []Commander: Col. Shōjirō Iida
[]HQ: Harbin
- []Type 97 Chi-Ha (medium tanks) – approx. 35
[]Type 95 Ha-Go (light tanks) – approx. 55 - Type 94 tankettes – approx. 12
- []1st Company – Harbin
[]2nd Company – Wuchang (Manchukuo)
[]3rd Company – Yilan
[]Reconnaissance platoon – Harbin
2nd Tank Regiment
- []Commander: Col. Kiyoshi Ogawa
[]HQ: Changchun
- []Type 97 – approx. 28
[]Type 95 – approx. 62
- []1st Company – Changchun
[]2nd Company – Nong’an - 3rd Company – Dehui
3rd Tank Regiment
- []Commander: Col. Saburō Sasaki
[]HQ: Mutanchiang
- []Primarily Type 95 Ha-Go – approx. 70
[]Small complement of Type 97 – approx. 20
- []1st Company – Mutanchiang
[]2nd Company – Linkou - 3rd Company – Jiamusi
######################################################################
4th Tank Regiment
- []Commander: Col. Masaru Shioda
[]HQ: Qiqihar
- []Type 95 – approx. 55
[]Type 94 – approx. 15
- []1st Company – Qiqihar
[]2nd Company – Angangxi - 3rd Company – Bei’an
Armored Engineer Battalion
- []Commander: Lt. Col. Yasuji Kanemoto
[]HQ: Harbin
- []Mine clearance
[]Engineer support for armored units
[]Bridge-laying across ice-covered rivers
[]Assault engineer missions (rare)
Armored Transport Battalion
- []Commander: Lt. Col. Shunjirō Maeda
[]HQ: Changchun
- []Type 94 trucks
[]Half-track prime movers
[]Tank transporter trailers
[]Ammunition transporters
They were the invisible lifeline of the armored units.
BLOCK 6 – ARMY STRUCTURES OUTSIDE FIELD DIVISIONS
######################################################################
ARMY STRUCTURES OUTSIDE THE FIELD DIVISIONS
Status: 6 December 1941
######################################################################
1. 陸軍防空本部 – ARMY AIR DEFENSE COMMAND
(without air units)
######################################################################
- []Commander-in-Chief: Lt. Gen. Masazumi Kurokawa
[]HQ: Tokyo
- []Coordination of army anti-aircraft defense in Japan, Korea, Formosa
[]Early warning radar (Type A & Type B early-warning sets, very primitive) - Coastal observation
- []Eastern Air Defense District – Tokyo / Yokohama
[]Central Air Defense District – Osaka / Kobe
[]Western Air Defense District – Fukuoka / Kitakyūshū
[]Korea Air Defense District – Seoul - Formosa Air Defense District – Taihoku
(no air units – AA only)
- []1st Anti-Aircraft Brigade – Tokyo
[]2nd Anti-Aircraft Brigade – Osaka - 3rd Anti-Aircraft Brigade – Fukuoka
- []Type 88 75 mm AA gun
[]Type 98 20 mm AA gun
[]Searchlight companies
[]Barrage balloon detachments
2. 重砲兵司令部 – HEAVY ARTILLERY COMMAND
######################################################################
- []Commander: Lt. Gen. Otozō Ichihara
[]HQ: Osaka → mobile in wartime
Main formations:
- 1st Heavy Artillery Regiment – Osaka
Commander: Col. Genta Watanuki
Armament: 15 cm & 24 cm howitzers - 2nd Heavy Artillery Regiment – Hiroshima
Commander: Col. Shinichi Takasaki
Armament: 15 cm coastal howitzers - Fortress artillery units (Japan proper):
Tokyo Bay Fortress
Shimonoseki Fortress
Kure Fortress
Sasebo Fortress
(all equipped with 28 cm coastal guns dating back to the Russo–Japanese War) - Manchurian Heavy Artillery Group – Changchun
Commander: Maj. Gen. Etsutarō Fujita
Armament: 15 cm guns, 24 cm howitzers (anti-USSR role)
3. 要塞司令部 – JAPANESE FORTRESS COMMANDS
(army fortress systems, not navy)
######################################################################
The Japanese fortress system was old, partly dating back to 1905. Surprisingly well maintained, but technologically obsolete.
Japan proper fortress commands
- Tokyo Bay Fortress
Commander: Maj. Gen. Shigeru Ōnishi
Locations: Yokosuka, Futtsu
Armament: 28 cm howitzers, 12 cm coastal guns - Shimonoseki Fortress
Commander: Maj. Gen. Satoru Ikeda
Control: Strait between Honshū & Kyūshū - Osaka Bay Fortress
Commander: Maj. Gen. Tsuji Nishiyama - Tsushima Fortified Zone
Commander: Maj. Gen. Yasuji Gotō
Role: Early warning point on the Korea–Japan route
- Chinhae Fortress (진해)
Commander: Col. Yasuhira Tanaka
Armament: 15 cm coastal guns - Pusan Fortified Zone
Commander: Maj. Gen. Kenichi Soga
- Keelung Fortress
Commander: Maj. Gen. Shōji Miyazawa - Takao Fortress
Commander: Maj. Gen. Kenkichi Nakamura
4. 憲兵隊 – KENPEITAI (MILITARY POLICE)
######################################################################
The Kenpeitai was a mixture of Gestapo, military police, and political instrument of fear.
Whether one likes it or not, it belonged to the army structure.
- []Commander-in-Chief: Lt. Gen. Hideki Tōjō (simultaneously Minister of War)
[]Operational Commander: Lt. Gen. Ryūzō Sejima - HQ: Tokyo
- []Tokyo Kenpeitai
[]Osaka Kenpeitai
[]Seoul Kenpeitai
[]Taipei Kenpeitai
[]Hsinking Kenpeitai
[]Shanghai Kenpeitai (for occupation zones) - Nanjing Kenpeitai
- []Regiment-equivalent headquarters (Kenpei-Hombu)
[]Investigation sections
[]Field police companies
[]Prisoner-of-war supervision
5. 鉄道警備隊 – RAILWAY GUARD & RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION TROOPS
######################################################################
A crucial institution, since the Japanese army in China and Manchuria was completely dependent on rail transport.
- []General Inspector Railway Troops: Lt. Gen. Kōhei Takeuchi
[]HQ: Mukden
- 1st Railway Guard Regiment – Harbin
Commander: Col. Naohiro Sendō - 2nd Railway Guard Regiment – Mukden
Commander: Col. Shigeo Yasuda - 3rd Railway Guard Regiment – Peking
Commander: Col. Nobumasa Aoki
- []1st Railway Construction Regiment – Tianjin
[]2nd Railway Construction Regiment – Jinan - 3rd Railway Construction Regiment – Shenyang
######################################################################
6. 輸送総監部 – ARMY TRANSPORTATION & LOGISTICS HQ
######################################################################
- []Commander: Lt. Gen. Kiyoshi Katsuki
[]HQ: Kobe
- []Organization of all army-owned transport ships (not navy assets)
[]Road transport, vehicle parks - Operation of horse depots
- []Army Vehicle Depot Tokyo
[]Army Vehicle Depot Osaka
[]Army Veterinary Depot Utsunomiya
[]Horse Mobilization Districts (8 in total)
- []Type 94 truck (standard)
[]Type 97 truck
[]“Rabaul transport” trucks (tropicalized)
[]Field kitchen wagons - Horse-drawn wagons (approx. 350,000 animals in the army in total!)
7. 工兵総監部 – ENGINEER COMMAND
######################################################################
- []Commander: Lt. Gen. Yūji Sakamoto
[]HQ: Osaka
- []Engineer regiments of the divisions (already listed in the divisional blocks)
[]Bridge construction battalions
[]Mine warfare commands
[]Field fortification troops
- []1st Independent Engineer Regiment – Shanghai
[]2nd Independent Engineer Regiment – Hankow - 3rd Independent Engineer Regiment – Nanjing
8. 通信総監部 – SIGNALS COMMAND
######################################################################
- []Commander: Lt. Gen. Shirō Fujimura
[]HQ: Tokyo
- []Field telephone, radio stations, cryptographic systems
[]Raising and organizing divisional signal units
- []1st Signal Regiment – Tokyo
[]2nd Signal Regiment – Osaka - 3rd Signal Regiment – Seoul
- []Code Section “FU-GO” (encryption)
[]Radio intelligence (against Chinese Kuomintang transmitters)
9. 野戦病院・医療総監部 – MEDICAL & FIELD HOSPITAL COMMAND
######################################################################
- []Medical Inspector General: Lt. Gen. Shirō Ishii
[]HQ: Harbin
The army hardly had any chance of scoring high on the moral scoreboard.
Subdivisions:
- []Army Medical School – Tokyo
[]Army Veterinary School – Utsunomiya
[]Field Hospital Units (numbered, 100+ units)
[]Epidemic Prevention Units (some infamous, e.g. in Changchun)
10. 教育総監部 – ARMY TRAINING & EDUCATION HQ
######################################################################
- []Commander: Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita
[]HQ: Tokyo
Responsibilities:
- []Officer schools
[]NCO schools - Specialized schools (artillery, signals, engineers)
- []Army Academy – Ichigaya, Tokyo
[]Infantry School – Chiba
[]Artillery School – Tsuchiura
[]Engineer School – Yokohama - Transport School – Tokyo
-
Peiper1944
- Posts: 154
- Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2014 1:41 pm
- Location: Germany
Re: Japanese Pilot Rosters – Historically Completed
EXPLANATION – OVERVIEW OF JAPANESE OPERATIONS (07–31 DECEMBER 1941)
The operations listed below (Z, E, M, B, G, W, HK and D3) cover all documented major Japanese army and navy operations that were active between 7 and 31 December 1941.
These are genuine Japanese army and navy designations as they appear in orders, situation maps and divisional / fleet reports. Some operations used single-letter codes, others used short internal abbreviations (such as “HK” for Hong Kong), and China offensives were often grouped in numbered series (here: D3 for the third Changsha offensive).
The list is necessary because only part of the early-war Japanese offensives carried clean alphabetical codes. Many operations were defined by geographic names, some by functional labels, and only a few had the clear A–Z-style letters that wargamers like to use. Your aim is to reconstruct the complete network of Japanese operations in the first weeks of the Pacific War as a coherent, historically grounded command and operations system, not as a random collection of scenario nicknames.
This compilation therefore pulls together all actually documented operations in the period 7–31 December 1941, assigns them to their respective theaters, and links them to real units and approximate strengths. It forms the backbone for a historically consistent OOB and mission structure in the editor.
As the current work already shows, I have begun to assign these operational code names to the respective task forces and to rebuild the task force compositions accordingly. The topic is far from exhausted; there is still a great deal to research. For now, I have parked this layer of work and will focus next on the carrier fleet. Everything I have reconstructed so far has been entered into the editor and is available there as a solid operational framework.
==========================================
FULL OUTPUT – JAPANESE OPERATIONS 07–31 DECEMBER 1941
==========================================
1. OPERATION Z – ATTACK ON HAWAII / PEARL HARBOR
Period: 7 December 1941
Theater: Central Pacific, Oʻahu
Command Structure
Overall Command: Yamamoto, Isoroku, Admiral, Combined Fleet
Operational Command: Nagumo, Chuichi, Vice Admiral, 1st Air Fleet (Kido Butai)
Strike Leadership (Air):
– Fuchida, Mitsuo, Commander, leader of the 1st wave attack
– Murata, Shigeharu, Lieutenant Commander, torpedo bomber group leader
Carrier Forces – 1st Air Fleet (Kido Butai)
Approximate total: ~414 carrier aircraft
Akagi (flagship)
– ≈ 27 A6M2 fighters
– ≈ 27 D3A1 dive bombers
– ≈ 27 B5N2 attack aircraft
Total: ≈ 81 aircraft
Kaga
Similar to Akagi – ≈ 81 aircraft
Soryu
≈ 21 A6M2, 21 D3A1, 21 B5N2
Total ≈ 63 aircraft
Hiryu
Same pattern as Soryu
Total ≈ 63 aircraft
Shokaku
≈ 18 A6M2, 27 D3A1, 27 B5N2
Total ≈ 72 aircraft
Zuikaku
Same as Shokaku
Total ≈ 72 aircraft
Escort Forces (approximate)
Battleships: 2
Heavy cruisers: 3
Destroyers: 9
Fleet oilers and support vessels: 8+
Strike Composition
First Wave – 183 aircraft
49 B5N2 torpedo bombers
51 B5N2 level bombers
50 D3A1 dive bombers
43 A6M2 fighters
Second Wave – 170 aircraft
78 D3A1 dive bombers
54 B5N2 bombers
38 A6M2 fighters
Operational Objectives
Cripple or destroy the US battleship force
Neutralize USAAF airfields
Protect the timeline for Operations E and M
2. OPERATION E – MALAYA CAMPAIGN
Period: 8–31 December 1941
Theater: Southern Thailand / Malayan Peninsula
Ground Forces – 25th Army
Army Command: Yamashita, Tomoyuki, Lieutenant General
Major components:
5th Division
18th Division
Imperial Guards Division (elements)
1st Tank Regiment
Artillery, engineers, support troops
Approx. strength: ~60,000 troops
IJAAF – 3rd Air Division / 5th Air Brigade
Overall air command: Sugawara, Michio, Lieutenant General
Fighter Units
1st Hiko Sentai (Ki-27) – ≈ 45
11th Hiko Sentai (Ki-43) – ≈ 45
59th Hiko Sentai (Ki-43) – ≈ 45
64th Hiko Sentai (Ki-43) – ≈ 45
Bomber Units
12th Hiko Sentai (Ki-21) – ≈ 36
98th Hiko Sentai (Ki-21) – ≈ 36
75th Hiko Sentai (Ki-48) – ≈ 36
90th Hiko Sentai (Ki-48) – ≈ 36
Recon Units
15th, 17th, 44th Recon Chutai – ≈ 10–12 each
Objectives
Breakthrough via Thailand
Air superiority
Advance on Singapore
3. OPERATION M – PHILIPPINES (LUZON)
Period: 8–31 December 1941
Theater: Formosa / Luzon
Ground Forces – 14th Army
Command: Homma, Masaharu, Lieutenant General
48th Division
16th Division
65th Brigade
4th Tank Regiment
Approx. initial landing force: ~43,000 troops
IJAAF – 3rd Air Division / 7th Air Brigade
Air command: Kume, Ichiro, Major General
Fighter Units
24th Hiko Sentai – ≈ 45
50th Hiko Sentai – ≈ 45
Bomber Units
8th Hiko Sentai (Ki-21) – ≈ 36
14th Hiko Sentai (Ki-21) – ≈ 36
62nd Hiko Sentai (Ki-48) – ≈ 36
31st Hiko Sentai (Ki-30) – ≈ 36
Recon
15th Recon Chutai – ≈ 12
Objectives
Destroy FEAF
Secure landings
Prepare Bataan
4. OPERATION HK – HONG KONG
Period: 8–25 December 1941
Theater: Hong Kong
Ground Forces
23rd Army
38th Division (≈ 20,000 troops)
IJAAF Forces
34th Hiko Sentai – ≈ 30
27th Hiko Sentai – ≈ 30
45th Hiko Sentai – ≈ 36
18th Recon Chutai – ≈ 12
Objectives
Capture Hong Kong
Control the Pearl River Delta
5. OPERATION B – NORTH BORNEO
Period: 16–31 December 1941
Theater: Miri, Seria, Kuching
Ground Forces
Sakaguchi Detachment – ≈ 2,500–3,000 troops
IJN – 22nd Air Flotilla
G3M – ≈ 36
G4M – ≈ 36
Floatplanes – ≈ 12–18
IJAAF recon contribution
Ki-46 / Ki-15 from the Saigon region
Objectives
Secure oilfields
Take Kuching
Prepare DEI operations
6. OPERATION G – GUAM
Period: 10 December 1941
Theater: Guam
Ground Forces
South Seas Detachment – ≈ 400–500 troops
IJN Air
G3M/G4M – ≈ 24–30
Floatplanes (small numbers)
Objective
Eliminate US presence on Guam
7. OPERATION W – WAKE ISLAND
First Attack: 8–11 December
Second Attack: 23 December
Ground Forces
Kure 6th SNLF – 450 (1st attempt)
≈ 1,500 troops (2nd attempt)
Carrier Support
Soryu
Hiryu
Carrier air complement ≈ 36 Zero / 36 Val / 36 Kate
Objective
Capture Wake Island
8. OPERATION D3 – THIRD BATTLE OF CHANGSHA
Period: 24–31 December 1941
Theater: Changsha
Ground Forces
11th Army – ≈ 100,000 troops
IJAAF – 5th Air Division
44th Hiko Sentai – ≈ 36
60th – ≈ 36
61st – ≈ 36
90th – ≈ 36
82nd Chutai – ≈ 18
7th CSS – ≈ 18
2nd Recon – ≈ 12
8th Recon – ≈ 12
Objectives
Break Chinese defenses
Control Xiang River line
Disrupt supply networks
The operations listed below (Z, E, M, B, G, W, HK and D3) cover all documented major Japanese army and navy operations that were active between 7 and 31 December 1941.
These are genuine Japanese army and navy designations as they appear in orders, situation maps and divisional / fleet reports. Some operations used single-letter codes, others used short internal abbreviations (such as “HK” for Hong Kong), and China offensives were often grouped in numbered series (here: D3 for the third Changsha offensive).
The list is necessary because only part of the early-war Japanese offensives carried clean alphabetical codes. Many operations were defined by geographic names, some by functional labels, and only a few had the clear A–Z-style letters that wargamers like to use. Your aim is to reconstruct the complete network of Japanese operations in the first weeks of the Pacific War as a coherent, historically grounded command and operations system, not as a random collection of scenario nicknames.
This compilation therefore pulls together all actually documented operations in the period 7–31 December 1941, assigns them to their respective theaters, and links them to real units and approximate strengths. It forms the backbone for a historically consistent OOB and mission structure in the editor.
As the current work already shows, I have begun to assign these operational code names to the respective task forces and to rebuild the task force compositions accordingly. The topic is far from exhausted; there is still a great deal to research. For now, I have parked this layer of work and will focus next on the carrier fleet. Everything I have reconstructed so far has been entered into the editor and is available there as a solid operational framework.
==========================================
FULL OUTPUT – JAPANESE OPERATIONS 07–31 DECEMBER 1941
==========================================
1. OPERATION Z – ATTACK ON HAWAII / PEARL HARBOR
Period: 7 December 1941
Theater: Central Pacific, Oʻahu
Command Structure
Overall Command: Yamamoto, Isoroku, Admiral, Combined Fleet
Operational Command: Nagumo, Chuichi, Vice Admiral, 1st Air Fleet (Kido Butai)
Strike Leadership (Air):
– Fuchida, Mitsuo, Commander, leader of the 1st wave attack
– Murata, Shigeharu, Lieutenant Commander, torpedo bomber group leader
Carrier Forces – 1st Air Fleet (Kido Butai)
Approximate total: ~414 carrier aircraft
Akagi (flagship)
– ≈ 27 A6M2 fighters
– ≈ 27 D3A1 dive bombers
– ≈ 27 B5N2 attack aircraft
Total: ≈ 81 aircraft
Kaga
Similar to Akagi – ≈ 81 aircraft
Soryu
≈ 21 A6M2, 21 D3A1, 21 B5N2
Total ≈ 63 aircraft
Hiryu
Same pattern as Soryu
Total ≈ 63 aircraft
Shokaku
≈ 18 A6M2, 27 D3A1, 27 B5N2
Total ≈ 72 aircraft
Zuikaku
Same as Shokaku
Total ≈ 72 aircraft
Escort Forces (approximate)
Battleships: 2
Heavy cruisers: 3
Destroyers: 9
Fleet oilers and support vessels: 8+
Strike Composition
First Wave – 183 aircraft
49 B5N2 torpedo bombers
51 B5N2 level bombers
50 D3A1 dive bombers
43 A6M2 fighters
Second Wave – 170 aircraft
78 D3A1 dive bombers
54 B5N2 bombers
38 A6M2 fighters
Operational Objectives
Cripple or destroy the US battleship force
Neutralize USAAF airfields
Protect the timeline for Operations E and M
2. OPERATION E – MALAYA CAMPAIGN
Period: 8–31 December 1941
Theater: Southern Thailand / Malayan Peninsula
Ground Forces – 25th Army
Army Command: Yamashita, Tomoyuki, Lieutenant General
Major components:
5th Division
18th Division
Imperial Guards Division (elements)
1st Tank Regiment
Artillery, engineers, support troops
Approx. strength: ~60,000 troops
IJAAF – 3rd Air Division / 5th Air Brigade
Overall air command: Sugawara, Michio, Lieutenant General
Fighter Units
1st Hiko Sentai (Ki-27) – ≈ 45
11th Hiko Sentai (Ki-43) – ≈ 45
59th Hiko Sentai (Ki-43) – ≈ 45
64th Hiko Sentai (Ki-43) – ≈ 45
Bomber Units
12th Hiko Sentai (Ki-21) – ≈ 36
98th Hiko Sentai (Ki-21) – ≈ 36
75th Hiko Sentai (Ki-48) – ≈ 36
90th Hiko Sentai (Ki-48) – ≈ 36
Recon Units
15th, 17th, 44th Recon Chutai – ≈ 10–12 each
Objectives
Breakthrough via Thailand
Air superiority
Advance on Singapore
3. OPERATION M – PHILIPPINES (LUZON)
Period: 8–31 December 1941
Theater: Formosa / Luzon
Ground Forces – 14th Army
Command: Homma, Masaharu, Lieutenant General
48th Division
16th Division
65th Brigade
4th Tank Regiment
Approx. initial landing force: ~43,000 troops
IJAAF – 3rd Air Division / 7th Air Brigade
Air command: Kume, Ichiro, Major General
Fighter Units
24th Hiko Sentai – ≈ 45
50th Hiko Sentai – ≈ 45
Bomber Units
8th Hiko Sentai (Ki-21) – ≈ 36
14th Hiko Sentai (Ki-21) – ≈ 36
62nd Hiko Sentai (Ki-48) – ≈ 36
31st Hiko Sentai (Ki-30) – ≈ 36
Recon
15th Recon Chutai – ≈ 12
Objectives
Destroy FEAF
Secure landings
Prepare Bataan
4. OPERATION HK – HONG KONG
Period: 8–25 December 1941
Theater: Hong Kong
Ground Forces
23rd Army
38th Division (≈ 20,000 troops)
IJAAF Forces
34th Hiko Sentai – ≈ 30
27th Hiko Sentai – ≈ 30
45th Hiko Sentai – ≈ 36
18th Recon Chutai – ≈ 12
Objectives
Capture Hong Kong
Control the Pearl River Delta
5. OPERATION B – NORTH BORNEO
Period: 16–31 December 1941
Theater: Miri, Seria, Kuching
Ground Forces
Sakaguchi Detachment – ≈ 2,500–3,000 troops
IJN – 22nd Air Flotilla
G3M – ≈ 36
G4M – ≈ 36
Floatplanes – ≈ 12–18
IJAAF recon contribution
Ki-46 / Ki-15 from the Saigon region
Objectives
Secure oilfields
Take Kuching
Prepare DEI operations
6. OPERATION G – GUAM
Period: 10 December 1941
Theater: Guam
Ground Forces
South Seas Detachment – ≈ 400–500 troops
IJN Air
G3M/G4M – ≈ 24–30
Floatplanes (small numbers)
Objective
Eliminate US presence on Guam
7. OPERATION W – WAKE ISLAND
First Attack: 8–11 December
Second Attack: 23 December
Ground Forces
Kure 6th SNLF – 450 (1st attempt)
≈ 1,500 troops (2nd attempt)
Carrier Support
Soryu
Hiryu
Carrier air complement ≈ 36 Zero / 36 Val / 36 Kate
Objective
Capture Wake Island
8. OPERATION D3 – THIRD BATTLE OF CHANGSHA
Period: 24–31 December 1941
Theater: Changsha
Ground Forces
11th Army – ≈ 100,000 troops
IJAAF – 5th Air Division
44th Hiko Sentai – ≈ 36
60th – ≈ 36
61st – ≈ 36
90th – ≈ 36
82nd Chutai – ≈ 18
7th CSS – ≈ 18
2nd Recon – ≈ 12
8th Recon – ≈ 12
Objectives
Break Chinese defenses
Control Xiang River line
Disrupt supply networks
Re: Japanese Pilot Rosters – Historically Completed
Hi I hope you put all of this work into a mod one day that others could put into their game!Peiper1944 wrote: Wed Jul 30, 2025 10:57 am I'm starting a new thread where I will systematically document all Japanese air units featured in War in the Pacific: Admiral’s Edition.
The goal is a historically accurate and well-sourced representation of pilots and their command structures.
What I’ll be doing:
I work strictly with verifiable sources – no assumptions, no war stories.
- Entering correct Japanese names (Family name, Given name)
- Reconstructing pilot rosters and unit leadership
- Adding historically confirmed but missing pilots to the game editor
What matters to me is accuracy and respect, not glorification.
Call for contributions:
If you have info, hints, or old records on lesser-known Japanese pilots, I’d be very grateful for your input.
Every name counts.
Because in the end, it’s not about numbers –
it’s about people.
In the next post, I’ll share a list of Japanese pilots currently included in the game editor.
I’ve been able to identify many of the missing given names – any additions or corrections are very welcome.

Check out my mod for Strategic Command American Civil War!
https://forums.matrixgames.com/viewtopic.php?t=413785
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Peiper1944
- Posts: 154
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- Location: Germany
Re: Japanese Pilot Rosters – Historically Completed
Thank you! Yes – that has been my long-term goal from the beginning.Tanaka wrote: Mon Aug 31, 2026 5:40 pmHi I hope you put all of this work into a mod one day that others could put into their game!Peiper1944 wrote: Wed Jul 30, 2025 10:57 am I'm starting a new thread where I will systematically document all Japanese air units featured in War in the Pacific: Admiral’s Edition.
The goal is a historically accurate and well-sourced representation of pilots and their command structures.
What I’ll be doing:
I work strictly with verifiable sources – no assumptions, no war stories.
- Entering correct Japanese names (Family name, Given name)
- Reconstructing pilot rosters and unit leadership
- Adding historically confirmed but missing pilots to the game editor
What matters to me is accuracy and respect, not glorification.
Call for contributions:
If you have info, hints, or old records on lesser-known Japanese pilots, I’d be very grateful for your input.
Every name counts.
Because in the end, it’s not about numbers –
it’s about people.
In the next post, I’ll share a list of Japanese pilots currently included in the game editor.
I’ve been able to identify many of the missing given names – any additions or corrections are very welcome.
What originally started as an effort to complete the incomplete Japanese pilot names in WitP:AE has gradually grown into a much larger historical project.
However, I would like to make one thing very clear:
**The mod is not finished yet.**
At the moment, I have mainly collected the historical data I researched, entered it into the WitP:AE editor, and incorporated it into **Scenario 26**.
The scenario runs in the game, but the next major phase really starts now: the actual campaign progression still needs to be tested. Reinforcement timing, availability dates, experience values, force ratios, and ultimately overall game balance all need to prove themselves over the course of a longer campaign.
So I am not presenting Scenario 26 as a finished mod at this point, but rather as a **work-in-progress version for discussion, historical review, and testing**. ### What has been changed so far
Most of my work has focused on the Japanese side.
The current database now contains approximately **6,000 Japanese Army and Navy pilots with complete names**.
In addition, several thousand more Japanese names have been completed or corrected in the **Leader** section.
But the work has gone far beyond names alone. Among other things, I have:
* added historically documented pilots who were missing from the original database
* corrected incomplete or incorrect pilot names
* checked Japanese family names, given names, and name readings wherever reliable evidence could be found
* reviewed and corrected pilot unit assignments
* reviewed and adjusted pilot ranks
* researched and corrected entry and availability dates
* revised experience values
* added or corrected commanders and other leaders
* reviewed Japanese Army and Navy air units
* revised HQ assignments
* reworked parts of the Japanese Order of Battle
* reassigned armies, divisions, regiments, and other formations to their historical command structures wherever possible
I have tried not to simply invent missing information.
For example, if an entry date could not be confirmed, I did not automatically use a death date, loss date, victory date, or combat date as a substitute.
Likewise, with Japanese names and kanji readings, I tried to use only readings that could actually be connected to the individual person rather than relying on what merely seemed linguistically plausible.
### Sources used
For the research I used, among others:
* **JACAR – Japan Center for Asian Historical Records**
* **National Diet Library of Japan – NDL / NDL Digital Collections**
* **National Institute for Defense Studies – NIDS, Japan**
* Japanese **留守名簿 (Rusu Meibo / personnel and unit rosters)**
* **rikukaigun.org**
* **Niehorster – World War II Armed Forces, Orders of Battle and Organizations**
* Japanese unit histories
* Sentai and Kokutai records
* pilot, personnel, and casualty lists
* additional Japanese primary and secondary sources dealing with individual pilots and units
Especially with lesser-known pilots, it was often necessary to compare several different sources before I felt comfortable changing a name, unit assignment, rank, or date.
### Please treat this as a working version
I would therefore ask everyone who looks at the files **not to judge the data too harshly at this stage**.
There is an enormous amount of information here that I first had to collect, compare, and enter into the editor.
With thousands of pilots, leaders, units, dates, and assignments, there will certainly still be mistakes, inaccurate dates, questionable values, or cases where better historical sources exist.
**That is exactly why I would now like to make Scenario 26 available for discussion and review.**
If anyone finds an error or has access to better sources, I would be very grateful for corrections and additional information.
I am not claiming that every individual data entry is already final or 100% correct.
The purpose of sharing it now is to improve the historical data together.
### Allied side
There is one point that is particularly important to me.
My work so far has concentrated very heavily on the **Japanese side**.
I would therefore be extremely interested to hear from anyone who has done similar work on the **Allied pilots, leaders, units, or OOB** and would be willing to share or compare that data.
If a similarly detailed Allied database could eventually be incorporated, it would not only improve the historical accuracy of the scenario, but also help create a much more realistic **historical force balance and overall game balance**.
For me, that would be one of the most valuable next steps for the project.
I will therefore make my current version of **Scenario 26 available here as a ZIP file**.
Please regard it as a **historical working and test version**, not as a final release.
I would be very happy to receive historical corrections, additional sources, feedback on the data, and especially reports from players who actually test the scenario and see how the changes affect a campaign over time.
Because the original idea behind this project still remains the same:
**In the end, it is not only about numbers – it is about the people behind them.**
Re: Japanese Pilot Rosters – Historically Completed
You have put a lot of work into this. Great job....GP
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- LargeSlowTarget
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Re: Japanese Pilot Rosters – Historically Completed
Hello Landsmann (oder wie man bei mir sagt "Ei gude wie!"),
I respect any modders efforts, dedication and hard work - even if I do not agree with their choices.
And I am all for historical accuracy - within reasonable limits - like my own feeble modding effort are trying to achieve.
So please do not take the following comment as a criticism, brickbat or flak - it is just an opinion.
I think your efforts on the pilot roster are a typical case of German over-engineering.
While adding historical pilot names is laudable from a "historical" point of view, it adds little in gameplay terms.
In AE, pilots are a commodity, they are expendable and tend to die in droves - first on the Allied side, then on the Japanese side.
Basically they are cannon fodder, and the individuals do not matter.
Most players will be interested in pilot stats and performance, not in their names.
Yes, we like grow a lot of "aces" and 'mourn' the loss of an elite pilot - but their names are way less important than their achievements.
I know that in one of my past games I have had a Japanese triple ace with 15 kills - but I can't remember the name.
In other words, I believe that you are pouring an awful lot of work into the pilot rosters for little or no actual benefit.
I think your time and efforts could be spent in a more meaningful way by concentrating on leader and ORBAT issues (which I would love to read more details about).
Just my two Euro cents - und nichts für ungut.
I respect any modders efforts, dedication and hard work - even if I do not agree with their choices.
And I am all for historical accuracy - within reasonable limits - like my own feeble modding effort are trying to achieve.
So please do not take the following comment as a criticism, brickbat or flak - it is just an opinion.
I think your efforts on the pilot roster are a typical case of German over-engineering.
While adding historical pilot names is laudable from a "historical" point of view, it adds little in gameplay terms.
In AE, pilots are a commodity, they are expendable and tend to die in droves - first on the Allied side, then on the Japanese side.
Basically they are cannon fodder, and the individuals do not matter.
Most players will be interested in pilot stats and performance, not in their names.
Yes, we like grow a lot of "aces" and 'mourn' the loss of an elite pilot - but their names are way less important than their achievements.
I know that in one of my past games I have had a Japanese triple ace with 15 kills - but I can't remember the name.
In other words, I believe that you are pouring an awful lot of work into the pilot rosters for little or no actual benefit.
I think your time and efforts could be spent in a more meaningful way by concentrating on leader and ORBAT issues (which I would love to read more details about).
Just my two Euro cents - und nichts für ungut.
-
Peiper1944
- Posts: 154
- Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2014 1:41 pm
- Location: Germany
Re: Japanese Pilot Rosters – Historically Completed
Thank you very much, btd64.
I have been reading your posts on the WitP:AE forum for many years. I have always followed your scenario work, your contributions to the revised manual, and the many helpful answers you have provided to other players with great interest. I am also, of course, familiar with “Focus Pacific – GP’s Scenario 78.” For that reason, your praise means a great deal to me.
My project initially began with the seemingly simple task of replacing abbreviated Japanese pilot names with their complete names. Over time, however, it developed into a much more comprehensive historical revision of the Japanese side of Scenario 26.
By clearly identifying the individual pilots, I was also able to examine their ranks, unit assignments, entry and availability dates, experience levels, historical roles, and, in some cases, their subsequent military careers. So far, I have worked on approximately 6,000 pilots from the Japanese Army and Navy air services, together with several thousand additional leader and commander entries. I have also begun correcting parts of the Japanese command structure and order of battle wherever sufficient historical evidence is available.
The data has now been entered into the Scenario 26 editor files, and the scenario runs successfully from a technical standpoint. Nevertheless, I still consider the modification far from finished. The historical research and data entry provide only the foundation. The next major task will be thoroughly testing the campaign, finding errors, and ensuring that the historical corrections do not unintentionally make the Japanese side too powerful or disrupt the overall game balance.
Because I am familiar with your many years of experience with WitP:AE, scenario files, playtesting, and documentation, your recognition is a special source of motivation for me.
Once I release a suitable discussion or test version, I would greatly appreciate any observations you may have—particularly regarding possible historical errors, scenario structure, and long-term game balance. Naturally, there is absolutely no obligation.
Thank you again for your kind words, and also for all the work you have done over the years to help keep this remarkable game and its community alive.
Re: Japanese Pilot Rosters – Historically Completed
Thank you for your kind words. It's appreciated. As far as testing your scenario goes, I'm not sure if 1. I would be of any help because I have limited experience with the Japanese side, 2. My time is pretty packed. I'm working on other projects and volunteering for a senior meal distribution center. Plus hopefully I can find a paying part time job.Peiper1944 wrote: Tue Sep 01, 2026 3:35 pmThank you very much, btd64.
I have been reading your posts on the WitP:AE forum for many years. I have always followed your scenario work, your contributions to the revised manual, and the many helpful answers you have provided to other players with great interest. I am also, of course, familiar with “Focus Pacific – GP’s Scenario 78.” For that reason, your praise means a great deal to me.
My project initially began with the seemingly simple task of replacing abbreviated Japanese pilot names with their complete names. Over time, however, it developed into a much more comprehensive historical revision of the Japanese side of Scenario 26.
By clearly identifying the individual pilots, I was also able to examine their ranks, unit assignments, entry and availability dates, experience levels, historical roles, and, in some cases, their subsequent military careers. So far, I have worked on approximately 6,000 pilots from the Japanese Army and Navy air services, together with several thousand additional leader and commander entries. I have also begun correcting parts of the Japanese command structure and order of battle wherever sufficient historical evidence is available.
The data has now been entered into the Scenario 26 editor files, and the scenario runs successfully from a technical standpoint. Nevertheless, I still consider the modification far from finished. The historical research and data entry provide only the foundation. The next major task will be thoroughly testing the campaign, finding errors, and ensuring that the historical corrections do not unintentionally make the Japanese side too powerful or disrupt the overall game balance.
Because I am familiar with your many years of experience with WitP:AE, scenario files, playtesting, and documentation, your recognition is a special source of motivation for me.
Once I release a suitable discussion or test version, I would greatly appreciate any observations you may have—particularly regarding possible historical errors, scenario structure, and long-term game balance. Naturally, there is absolutely no obligation.
Thank you again for your kind words, and also for all the work you have done over the years to help keep this remarkable game and its community alive.
But I would deeply appreciate it if you could keep your data in a spreadsheet. The information and you may be called upon....GP
IntelUltra7 16cores, 32gb ram, NvidiaGeForceRTX 2050
DW2-Alpha/Beta Tester
WIS Manual Team Lead & Beta Support Team
"Do everything you ask of those you command" Gen. George S. Patton
WiS Discord channel coming soon....
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WIS Manual Team Lead & Beta Support Team
"Do everything you ask of those you command" Gen. George S. Patton
WiS Discord channel coming soon....
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Peiper1944
- Posts: 154
- Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2014 1:41 pm
- Location: Germany
Re: Japanese Pilot Rosters – Historically Completed
LargeSlowTarget wrote: Tue Sep 01, 2026 9:38 am Hello Landsmann (oder wie man bei mir sagt "Ei gude wie!"),
I respect any modders efforts, dedication and hard work - even if I do not agree with their choices.
And I am all for historical accuracy - within reasonable limits - like my own feeble modding effort are trying to achieve.
So please do not take the following comment as a criticism, brickbat or flak - it is just an opinion.
I think your efforts on the pilot roster are a typical case of German over-engineering.
While adding historical pilot names is laudable from a "historical" point of view, it adds little in gameplay terms.
In AE, pilots are a commodity, they are expendable and tend to die in droves - first on the Allied side, then on the Japanese side.
Basically they are cannon fodder, and the individuals do not matter.
Most players will be interested in pilot stats and performance, not in their names.
Yes, we like grow a lot of "aces" and 'mourn' the loss of an elite pilot - but their names are way less important than their achievements.
I know that in one of my past games I have had a Japanese triple ace with 15 kills - but I can't remember the name.
In other words, I believe that you are pouring an awful lot of work into the pilot rosters for little or no actual benefit.
I think your time and efforts could be spent in a more meaningful way by concentrating on leader and ORBAT issues (which I would love to read more details about).
Just my two Euro cents - und nichts für ungut.
Ei gude zurück, Landsmann! Bei uns im schönen Südhessen an der alten „Strata Montana“ begrüßt man sich genauso. I understand your point very well.
If this project consisted only of replacing an initial with a complete given name, I would largely agree with you. That alone does not change a single combat calculation in AE.
However, the complete names were only the starting point. Accurately identifying an individual allows me to research and correct his unit assignment, rank, entry and availability dates, experience, and historical role. These factors do affect gameplay and the historical balance.
The project has since developed into a much broader revision of the Japanese side of Scenario 26. My work so far includes:
* **Approximately 6,000 Japanese pilots:** Incomplete names, Japanese name readings, romanizations, and spelling variants for both the Army and Navy air forces were reviewed and completed.
* **Several thousand leaders:** The names and roles of air, naval, and ground commanders, as well as leaders at the various HQ levels, were corrected or completed.
* **Missing historical personnel:** Documented pilots, squadron leaders, and commanders absent from the original database were added.
* **Historical pilot rosters:** The pilots who actually served with numerous Sentai, Kokutai, Chutai, Hikotai, and carrier air groups were reconstructed.
* **Ranks and roles:** Wherever possible, pilots and leaders received the rank and position they actually held on their entry date or at the relevant scenario date.
* **Unit assignments and entry dates:** Historical transfers, availability dates, and periods of service were taken into account. Dates of death, loss, or aerial victories were not simply reused as entry dates.
* **Realistically graded XP values:** Training quality, China and carrier experience, previous combat service, operational role, and known achievements determine each pilot’s starting experience.
* **Decline in pilot training:** The scenario represents the progression from Japan’s highly trained pre-war pilots to the increasingly poorly prepared replacements of 1944 and 1945.
* **Eight leader attributes:** Leadership, Inspiration, Administration, Aggression, and the Land, Air, Naval, and Political ratings were adjusted according to each leader’s historical role.
* **Japanese air units:** The designations, commanders, command assignments, availability dates, and locations of Sentai, Kokutai, detachments, carrier groups, and training units were reviewed.
* **Naval and ground formations:** Fleet formations, task forces, armies, divisions, brigades, regiments, and support units were also revised.
* **HQs and OOB:** Historical command relationships were reconstructed more accurately, from Imperial General Headquarters down to individual regiments and detachments. Leaders and ORBAT are therefore not neglected alternatives to the pilot work; they are already the project’s second major pillar.
* **Starting locations:** Airfields, ports, garrisons, and assembly areas were brought as close as possible to their historical positions on 7 December 1941.
* **Task forces and operations:** Japanese carrier, covering, invasion, transport, and support forces were represented with their missions, starting positions, and Japanese operational designations.
* **Source verification:** Sources included JACAR, NDL, NIDS, Japanese personnel records, Sentai and Kokutai histories, combat reports, rikukaigun.org, and Niehorster. Uncertain information was not presented as established fact.
Your example of the Japanese triple ace with 15 kills actually illustrates why the names matter to me. Fifteen aerial victories are an exceptional achievement, yet after the campaign only the number remained in your memory. The individual and his story disappeared.
In my campaign, by contrast, I experience a pilot’s career from the beginning. He arrives at his squadron as an inexperienced rookie, flies his first missions, gains experience, and perhaps scores his first victories. I watch him develop from a beginner into a veteran and eventually an ace.
His survival is by no means guaranteed. Through my operational planning, I decide when and where his squadron will be committed, when it needs to be rested, and when the risk has become too great. If he survives his front-line service, I can eventually withdraw him from combat and post him as an experienced instructor to one of my flight schools. There, he can pass his experience on to the next generation of pilots.
An anonymous database entry thus becomes a complete military career: rookie, operational pilot, veteran, ace, and finally instructor. His statistics still determine his performance, but his complete name connects all those stages into a personal campaign history.
The ancient Egyptians expressed a similar idea: “Speak my name so that I may live again.” That is also how I feel about this project. By restoring a historical pilot’s complete name and making his career visible, he remains more than an interchangeable number.
I am therefore not placing names above achievements. I am connecting the two. Your unnamed ace with 15 victories is precisely the kind of pilot whom my project is intended to prevent from becoming just another forgotten number.
The game engine may treat pilots as interchangeable database entries or “cannon fodder.” Historically, however, Japan’s well-trained aircrews were among the Empire’s most valuable and difficult resources to replace. Their mounting losses had a direct effect on Japanese operational effectiveness.
Typical German over-engineering? I suppose I must plead guilty.
This is not only about names. It is about the connection between individuals, units, command structures, operational locations, entry dates, experience levels, training quality, and Japan’s increasing military attrition.
All of this information has now been entered into WitP:AE and incorporated into Scenario 26. The scenario can be started and runs properly in the game. However, it is not yet a finished release, but a historical working and test version.
The next step is to test reinforcement schedules, availability dates, XP progression, force ratios, and long-term balance over the course of longer campaigns.
I would be very pleased if other forum members were willing to examine, correct, and further develop my Japanese data. Contributors with comparable information for the Allied side would be especially valuable. They could help expand the database with Allied pilots, leaders, units, and OOB structures.
My goal is not to give Japan a one-sided advantage, but to create the most balanced and historically credible starting situation possible for both sides. A comparable level of historical detail for the Japanese and Allied sides could eventually produce a genuinely balanced historical scenario.
I am deliberately presenting my research for discussion and look forward to an open exchange of knowledge and opinions. Please do not hesitate to offer either praise or constructive criticism. As a German, I do not regard criticism as a personal attack, but as an incentive to continue researching and improve the scenario.
And do not worry: I certainly will not commit seppuku over critical feedback.
Re: Japanese Pilot Rosters – Historically Completed
I agree with LargeSlowTarget about what may be concerning Obsessive Compulsive Behavior with this caveat; while it really doesn't matter for this game it might be interesting for some who are interested in history if this were to be turned into something like a book but also include what the survivors think about the war later on if that is known.
Also include things like Sakai not shooting down a Dutch DC-3 flying to Australia because a blonde woman (who looked like his English teacher) had a little boy on her lap and the boy waved at Sakai.
Also include things like Sakai not shooting down a Dutch DC-3 flying to Australia because a blonde woman (who looked like his English teacher) had a little boy on her lap and the boy waved at Sakai.
Seek peace but keep your gun handy.
I'm not a complete idiot, some parts are missing!
“Illegitemus non carborundum est (“Don’t let the bastards grind you down”).”
; Julia Child

I'm not a complete idiot, some parts are missing!
“Illegitemus non carborundum est (“Don’t let the bastards grind you down”).”
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Peiper1944
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Re: Japanese Pilot Rosters – Historically Completed
I almost regard the comment about a certain degree of obsessive behavior as a badge of honor.RangerJoe wrote: Tue Sep 01, 2026 4:13 pm I agree with LargeSlowTarget about what may be concerning Obsessive Compulsive Behavior with this caveat; while it really doesn't matter for this game it might be interesting for some who are interested in history if this were to be turned into something like a book but also include what the survivors think about the war later on if that is known.
Also include things like Sakai not shooting down a Dutch DC-3 flying to Australia because a blonde woman (who looked like his English teacher) had a little boy on her lap and the boy waved at Sakai.![]()
It actually all began with Saburō Sakai. I merely wanted to enter his full name and historically adjust his rank, experience, and arrival date. That single pilot eventually grew into approximately 6,000 Japanese pilots, together with several thousand additional leaders. After a year of intensive research and data entry, I am now looking forward to finally playing the actual game again—this time with my own historical data.
The story you mentioned about Sakai is an excellent example. Sakai later recalled encountering a civilian Dutch passenger aircraft during the campaign over Java. Through one of its windows, he saw a blonde woman with a child about three years old. The woman reminded him of Mrs. Martin, the American wife of his former teacher, who had occasionally taught him and treated him kindly. He therefore decided not to attack the aircraft. The pilot and passengers reportedly saluted him afterward.
The incident is generally dated to 28 February 1942, east of Surabaya. Some sources identify the aircraft as a DC-3, while Sakai described it as a DC-4 in a later interview. The story should therefore be treated as Sakai’s personal recollection rather than as a fully verified historical event.
Perhaps you are right: these data might eventually become something more than just a scenario. For now, however, after a year of work, I would finally like to discover whether I can still remember how to play the game at all.
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Peiper1944
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- Location: Germany
Re: Japanese Pilot Rosters – Historically Completed
Thank you very much for your open and friendly reply, btd64.btd64 wrote: Tue Sep 01, 2026 3:53 pmThank you for your kind words. It's appreciated. As far as testing your scenario goes, I'm not sure if 1. I would be of any help because I have limited experience with the Japanese side, 2. My time is pretty packed. I'm working on other projects and volunteering for a senior meal distribution center. Plus hopefully I can find a paying part time job.Peiper1944 wrote: Tue Sep 01, 2026 3:35 pmThank you very much, btd64.
I have been reading your posts on the WitP:AE forum for many years. I have always followed your scenario work, your contributions to the revised manual, and the many helpful answers you have provided to other players with great interest. I am also, of course, familiar with “Focus Pacific – GP’s Scenario 78.” For that reason, your praise means a great deal to me.
My project initially began with the seemingly simple task of replacing abbreviated Japanese pilot names with their complete names. Over time, however, it developed into a much more comprehensive historical revision of the Japanese side of Scenario 26.
By clearly identifying the individual pilots, I was also able to examine their ranks, unit assignments, entry and availability dates, experience levels, historical roles, and, in some cases, their subsequent military careers. So far, I have worked on approximately 6,000 pilots from the Japanese Army and Navy air services, together with several thousand additional leader and commander entries. I have also begun correcting parts of the Japanese command structure and order of battle wherever sufficient historical evidence is available.
The data has now been entered into the Scenario 26 editor files, and the scenario runs successfully from a technical standpoint. Nevertheless, I still consider the modification far from finished. The historical research and data entry provide only the foundation. The next major task will be thoroughly testing the campaign, finding errors, and ensuring that the historical corrections do not unintentionally make the Japanese side too powerful or disrupt the overall game balance.
Because I am familiar with your many years of experience with WitP:AE, scenario files, playtesting, and documentation, your recognition is a special source of motivation for me.
Once I release a suitable discussion or test version, I would greatly appreciate any observations you may have—particularly regarding possible historical errors, scenario structure, and long-term game balance. Naturally, there is absolutely no obligation.
Thank you again for your kind words, and also for all the work you have done over the years to help keep this remarkable game and its community alive.
But I would deeply appreciate it if you could keep your data in a spreadsheet. The information and you may be called upon....GP
I completely understand your situation. Please do not feel under any obligation to test my scenario. Your own projects, your volunteer work distributing meals to senior citizens, and your search for a suitable part-time job naturally take priority. I wish you every success with them.
Your suggestion to preserve the data separately in a spreadsheet is very helpful. At present, most of the information is stored directly in the Scenario 26 editor files. However, I could gradually transfer it into a clearly organized spreadsheet.
Did you have a standard Excel workbook, CSV files, or both formats in mind? I could provide an Excel workbook together with separate CSV files in a ZIP archive and make them available here in the thread as a work-in-progress discussion version. This would allow other players to review the data, report errors, suggest additions, or perhaps even contribute equivalent data for the Allied side.
Would that be roughly what you had in mind?
Thank you again for your advice. If I later encounter a specific question for which your experience would be especially valuable, I hope you would not mind if I occasionally asked for your opinion—of course, only whenever your time permits.
Re: Japanese Pilot Rosters – Historically Completed
A excel workbook, zipped up is good. Can you email me the file when complete. I want someone to look at it....GP
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WiS Discord channel coming soon....
Re: Japanese Pilot Rosters – Historically Completed
Oh with csv....GP
IntelUltra7 16cores, 32gb ram, NvidiaGeForceRTX 2050
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"Do everything you ask of those you command" Gen. George S. Patton
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DW2-Alpha/Beta Tester
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"Do everything you ask of those you command" Gen. George S. Patton
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- LargeSlowTarget
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Re: Japanese Pilot Rosters – Historically Completed
Hello Peiper1944,
„Strata Montana“ - LOL. Ich bin zwar Oberhesse, habe aber lange Jahre in Darmstadt verbracht, also nur etwas nördlich von Dir.
I appreciate your reaction and thank you for the details you have given about the other changes you have made apart from correcting pilot names and adding more historical pilots.
I am not going to nitpick them (like, rank does not effect gameplay), in fact I agree with many, esp. adding missing leaders, the correction of availability dates and correct starting locations.
I have done that for many ships in my mod and it took many hours, I cannot even imagine how much time your research on Japanese pilots must have taken.
Is your mod for human vs computer or only for PBEM?
Many "unhistorical" starting locations and command relationships in the stock scenarios have been deliberately chosen in order to optimise the scenarios for the most common setup - Allied human vs Japanese computer.
If you have tinkered in these areas, it may have unwanted effects on the AI scripts of the Japanese computer opponent.
The idea of following a single pilot throughout a campaign is interesting, but given the scope of the game, might be a bit "too much of attention" on that single individual.
But it could make for an interesting AAR, to relate the campaign through the eyes of a (very well informed) pilot - akin to Cuttlefish's legendary "Small Ship, Big War - The Voyages of the Hibiki" AAR.
Your statement "It actually all began with Saburō Sakai. I merely wanted to enter his full name and historically adjust his rank, experience, and arrival date." made me smile.
My modding efforts also began many years ago with "I just want to add my favourite ship" - the Pamir, a 'tall ship' (sailing ship) which was seized as a prize of war by the New Zealand government in 1941 while in port at Wellington and used for commercial voyages to the US and Australia during the war. Then more stuff was added, data was verified and corrected, new ideas emerged, input from outside was included etc. - and it isn't finished yet.
Btw, in an uncanny parallel to Saburo's DC-3 incident, the Pamir was spared as well when encountering a Japanese submarine in 1943.
Hope you will enjoy modding this monster game as much as I do. I'll take a look at your scen26.
Bis denne.
„Strata Montana“ - LOL. Ich bin zwar Oberhesse, habe aber lange Jahre in Darmstadt verbracht, also nur etwas nördlich von Dir.
I appreciate your reaction and thank you for the details you have given about the other changes you have made apart from correcting pilot names and adding more historical pilots.
I am not going to nitpick them (like, rank does not effect gameplay), in fact I agree with many, esp. adding missing leaders, the correction of availability dates and correct starting locations.
I have done that for many ships in my mod and it took many hours, I cannot even imagine how much time your research on Japanese pilots must have taken.
Is your mod for human vs computer or only for PBEM?
Many "unhistorical" starting locations and command relationships in the stock scenarios have been deliberately chosen in order to optimise the scenarios for the most common setup - Allied human vs Japanese computer.
If you have tinkered in these areas, it may have unwanted effects on the AI scripts of the Japanese computer opponent.
The idea of following a single pilot throughout a campaign is interesting, but given the scope of the game, might be a bit "too much of attention" on that single individual.
But it could make for an interesting AAR, to relate the campaign through the eyes of a (very well informed) pilot - akin to Cuttlefish's legendary "Small Ship, Big War - The Voyages of the Hibiki" AAR.
Your statement "It actually all began with Saburō Sakai. I merely wanted to enter his full name and historically adjust his rank, experience, and arrival date." made me smile.
My modding efforts also began many years ago with "I just want to add my favourite ship" - the Pamir, a 'tall ship' (sailing ship) which was seized as a prize of war by the New Zealand government in 1941 while in port at Wellington and used for commercial voyages to the US and Australia during the war. Then more stuff was added, data was verified and corrected, new ideas emerged, input from outside was included etc. - and it isn't finished yet.
Btw, in an uncanny parallel to Saburo's DC-3 incident, the Pamir was spared as well when encountering a Japanese submarine in 1943.
Hope you will enjoy modding this monster game as much as I do. I'll take a look at your scen26.
Bis denne.
-
Peiper1944
- Posts: 154
- Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2014 1:41 pm
- Location: Germany
Re: Japanese Pilot Rosters – Historically Completed
Ei gude !LargeSlowTarget wrote: Tue Sep 01, 2026 8:35 pm Hello Peiper1944,
„Strata Montana“ - LOL. Ich bin zwar Oberhesse, habe aber lange Jahre in Darmstadt verbracht, also nur etwas nördlich von Dir.
I appreciate your reaction and thank you for the details you have given about the other changes you have made apart from correcting pilot names and adding more historical pilots.
I am not going to nitpick them (like, rank does not effect gameplay), in fact I agree with many, esp. adding missing leaders, the correction of availability dates and correct starting locations.
I have done that for many ships in my mod and it took many hours, I cannot even imagine how much time your research on Japanese pilots must have taken.
Is your mod for human vs computer or only for PBEM?
Many "unhistorical" starting locations and command relationships in the stock scenarios have been deliberately chosen in order to optimise the scenarios for the most common setup - Allied human vs Japanese computer.
If you have tinkered in these areas, it may have unwanted effects on the AI scripts of the Japanese computer opponent.
The idea of following a single pilot throughout a campaign is interesting, but given the scope of the game, might be a bit "too much of attention" on that single individual.
But it could make for an interesting AAR, to relate the campaign through the eyes of a (very well informed) pilot - akin to Cuttlefish's legendary "Small Ship, Big War - The Voyages of the Hibiki" AAR.
Your statement "It actually all began with Saburō Sakai. I merely wanted to enter his full name and historically adjust his rank, experience, and arrival date." made me smile.
My modding efforts also began many years ago with "I just want to add my favourite ship" - the Pamir, a 'tall ship' (sailing ship) which was seized as a prize of war by the New Zealand government in 1941 while in port at Wellington and used for commercial voyages to the US and Australia during the war. Then more stuff was added, data was verified and corrected, new ideas emerged, input from outside was included etc. - and it isn't finished yet.
Btw, in an uncanny parallel to Saburo's DC-3 incident, the Pamir was spared as well when encountering a Japanese submarine in 1943.
Hope you will enjoy modding this monster game as much as I do. I'll take a look at your scen26.
Bis denne.
You are right: a pilot’s rank does not directly affect the combat calculations. Nevertheless, it is important for my data work because it allows me to assign an initial standardised XP baseline. Rank is not definitive proof of flying ability, but rather a first historical reference point.
The complete name is likewise far more than a decorative detail. It allows me to identify the pilot correctly, avoid confusing individuals with the same family name, and then research his flying school, training class, unit, transfers, role, and operational history.
The entry date establishes the historical point at which the pilot is evaluated. This allows me to consider the phase of the war in which he becomes available, the usual standard of training at that time, and the experience he could actually have accumulated by then. Later achievements must not be used retroactively to increase his earlier XP value.
Rank, training period, and entry date first provide a standardised baseline XP value. I then examine the pilot individually: Had he already served in China or at Nomonhan? Did he have carrier experience? How many missions had he flown? Had he served as a flight leader, squadron commander, test pilot, or instructor? Were any aerial victories or exceptional flying achievements already documented by his entry date? Such verifiable experience results in a cautious XP bonus.
A particularly clear example from my own data is the comparison between Sakai, Saburō (XP 76) and Tarui, Mitsuyoshi (XP 90).
By 6 December 1941, Sakai, Saburō was already a highly trained naval aviator with combat experience over China. However, his most famous operations over the Philippines, the Netherlands East Indies, and New Guinea were still in the future. They must not be used retroactively to increase his XP at the beginning of the scenario. This gives him the still-high starting value of 76 XP.
Tarui, Mitsuyoshi is far less well known today, yet by the same date he had already completed an exceptional military career. In 1934, he joined the first intake of the Army’s juvenile aviator programme at Tokorozawa Army Flying School. He subsequently received fighter combat training at Akeno and was assigned to the 1st Sentai.
During the 1939 Nomonhan conflict, Tarui flew numerous combat missions in the Ki-27. By the armistice, he had been credited with 28 aerial victories, giving him the second-highest total of the campaign according to Japanese records. He also led his own flight and, on 28 June 1939, even landed in enemy territory to rescue his formation leader, who had bailed out. In July 1941, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant and then returned to the 1st Sentai.
Even if the Japanese victory claims at Nomonhan are treated cautiously and not every reported victory is regarded as conclusively confirmed, Tarui’s actual combat experience remains exceptional. He therefore receives 90 XP on his entry date of 6 December 1941—not because he is famous today, but because of the training, operational service, combat experience, and leadership responsibility he had already accumulated.
This comparison illustrates my method particularly clearly: the world-famous Sakai, Saburō begins with 76 XP, while the far less well-known Tarui, Mitsuyoshi receives 90 XP. Public fame is not the deciding factor; what matters is the military career that can be documented up to the pilot’s respective entry date.
A famous name therefore does not automatically result in high XP, nor is an unknown pilot automatically rated lower. If insufficient individual information is available, the pilot receives the conservative standard value for his training-period, date, and rank group. Unknown does not mean inexperienced.
General XP and specialised skills must also be considered separately. An experienced torpedo or reconnaissance pilot is not automatically an excellent fighter pilot. Likewise, an instructor may possess extensive flying and technical experience without ever having achieved a high number of aerial victories.
Rank therefore has no direct effect within the game. Together with the complete name and entry date, however, it provides the foundation for a historically reasoned individual XP value—and that XP value certainly does affect the pilot’s performance.
In its present working state, Scenario 26 is intended primarily for a human Japanese player against the Allied AI. The Japanese AI scripts are not used in that setup, but the scenario has not yet been tested sufficiently for an Allied human player against the Japanese AI. It is therefore explicitly not yet a final AI-compatible version. A later PBEM version would also be possible, but the Allied side and the long-term balance would first require thorough examination.
Your warning about starting locations and command relationships is therefore very valuable. I understand that some apparently unhistorical decisions in the stock scenarios were made deliberately to ensure that the Japanese AI scripts function properly. Little would be gained from greater historical accuracy if it prevented the computer opponent from conducting its operations correctly.
Before I eventually describe the scenario as a finished mod, these interactions must be tested in longer campaigns. If my changes impair the Japanese AI, it might be possible to distinguish between a more historically focused PBEM version and a specifically AI-compatible version. For now, however, Scenario 26 remains a historical working and test version.
I also like your AAR idea very much. I will have to think about how I might accomplish something like that!
Your story about the Pamir made me smile in return. Apparently, we both fell into the same modder’s trap: yours began with “I only want to add my favourite ship,” while mine began with “I only want to enter the complete name of Sakai, Saburō.” Many years—or thousands of database entries—later, each project has become something much larger.
The fact that the Pamir was also spared during an encounter with a Japanese submarine in 1943 is a remarkable parallel to Sakai, Saburō and his encounter with the DC-3. I had not heard that story before. Do you happen to know which Japanese submarine encountered the Pamir?
Thank you for being willing to examine Scenario 26. Please do not regard it as a finished mod yet, but as a historical working version presented for testing and discussion. Comments from experienced modders are especially helpful in bringing together historical accuracy, functional game mechanics, and long-term balance.
And I suspect that neither of us will ever truly finish modding this monster of a game. But perhaps that is part of its appeal.
Bis denne!
-
Peiper1944
- Posts: 154
- Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2014 1:41 pm
- Location: Germany
Re: Japanese Pilot Rosters – Historically Completed
Hello everyone,
the following question explicitly concerns both Japanese and Allied air units:
When a historically important commander becomes unavailable, the challenge is the same on both sides: What qualities should his successor possess in order to preserve the unit’s existing level of effectiveness without giving it an ahistorical advantage?
For my historical project based on Scenario 26, I have now largely identified the Japanese pilots and recorded their ranks, experience levels, and entry dates.
My next step will be to assign the commanders to their respective air units as accurately as possible and to evaluate their eight key leader attributes in a transparent and historically grounded manner. After that, I intend to conduct several test games using Scenario 26.
As a specific example, I am using Tainan Kōkūtai S-1:
If Masahisa Saito becomes unavailable, what qualities should a replacement commander possess in order for the Tainan Kōkūtai to retain its effectiveness as an elite fighter unit?
Saito is currently listed as the unit commander in my database:
Saito, Masahisa – CDR (18) – XP 67 – Entry 1941/12/06
Skill: 74
Inspiration: 78
Naval: 58
Air: 80
Land: 20
Admin: 72
Aggression: 58
Political: 7
I am particularly interested in the following questions:
Which attributes are genuinely the most important for the commander of an elite fighter unit: Air, Inspiration, Skill, Admin, or Aggression?
What minimum values should a successor possess to prevent a significant decline in the unit’s morale, training, and operational performance?
Does a replacement commander need to approach Saito’s values, or is the effectiveness of the Tainan Kōkūtai primarily determined by the quality and experience of its pilots?
How important are Naval and Political for the commander of a land-based fighter unit? Does Political only affect the cost of changing the unit commander?
Who would be the most historically plausible successor?
Yasuna Kozono, the deputy commander and Hikōchō
Hideki Shingo, the Hikōtaichō who directly commanded the fighter force
or another available naval aviation officer
Should a historically plausible successor deliberately receive somewhat lower values than Saito in order to represent the disruption caused by a change of command and the loss of an experienced commander?
Do the same requirements apply to Allied fighter, bomber, and carrier air units, or should the eight attributes be weighted differently because of their different command structures and operational doctrines?
My intention is not simply to assign the strongest available leader to a unit. I want to represent historically plausible changes of command without artificially weakening Japanese or Allied air units or making them stronger through inflated leader values.
Pilot Roster – Tainan Kōkūtai S-1
Date: 6 December 1941
Strength: 48 pilots
Command Staff
Saito, Masahisa – CDR (18) – XP 67 – Entry 1941/12/06
Kozono, Yasuna – LCDR (17) – XP 70 – Entry 1941/12/06
Shingo, Hideki – LT (16) – XP 70 – Entry 1941/12/06
Officers, Warrant Officers, and CPOs
Seto, Masuzo – LT (16) – XP 65 – Entry 1941/12/06
Wakao, Akira – LTJG (15) – XP 63 – Entry 1941/12/06
Watanabe, Kiyoharu – LTJG (15) – XP 59 – Entry 1941/12/06
Tomita, Mitsuo – ENS (14) – XP 58 – Entry 1941/12/06
Toyoda, Mitsuo – ENS (14) – XP 56 – Entry 1941/12/06
Sasai, Junichi – ENS (14) – XP 43 – Entry 1941/12/06
Miyazaki, Gitaro – WO (13) – XP 74 – Entry 1941/12/06
Isozaki, Chitoshi – WO (13) – XP 75 – Entry 1941/12/06
Sato, Yasuhisa – CPO (12) – XP 62 – Entry 1941/12/06
Koike, Yoshio – CPO (12) – XP 61 – Entry 1941/12/06
PO1 Pilots
Tanaka, Kuniyoshi – PO1 (11) – XP 79 – Entry 1941/12/06
Sakai, Saburo – PO1 (11) – XP 76 – Entry 1941/12/06
Ota, Toshio – PO1 (11) – XP 62 – Entry 1941/12/06
Hirose, Yoshio – PO1 (11) – XP 62 – Entry 1941/12/06
Harada, Yoshimitsu – PO1 (11) – XP 61 – Entry 1941/12/06
Kikuchi, Toshio – PO1 (11) – XP 61 – Entry 1941/12/06
Kuratomi, Hiroshi – PO1 (11) – XP 60 – Entry 1941/12/06
Higa, Masaharu – PO1 (11) – XP 60 – Entry 1941/12/06
Kono, Yasujiro – PO1 (11) – XP 59 – Entry 1941/12/06
Hidaka, Yoshimi – PO1 (11) – XP 59 – Entry 1941/12/06
Shinohara, Yoshie – PO1 (11) – XP 59 – Entry 1941/12/06
Kanaizumi, Yoshio – PO1 (11) – XP 59 – Entry 1941/12/06
Arichi, Kazuo – PO1 (11) – XP 59 – Entry 1941/12/06
Nishioka, Tamotsu – PO1 (11) – XP 58 – Entry 1941/12/06
Adachi, Shigenobu – PO1 (11) – XP 58 – Entry 1941/12/06
Iwayama, Takashi – PO1 (11) – XP 58 – Entry 1941/12/06
PO2 Pilots
Ishii, Shizuo – PO2 (10) – XP 72 – Entry 1941/12/06
Ishihara, Susumu – PO2 (10) – XP 63 – Entry 1941/12/06
Honda, Toshiaki – PO2 (10) – XP 61 – Entry 1941/12/06
Shimakawa, Masaaki – PO2 (10) – XP 60 – Entry 1941/12/06
Ueda, Makoto – PO2 (10) – XP 55 – Entry 1941/12/06
Nakamizo, Ryoichi – PO2 (10) – XP 55 – Entry 1941/12/06
Kume, Takeo – PO2 (10) – XP 55 – Entry 1941/12/06
Nozawa, Shigeo – PO2 (10) – XP 54 – Entry 1941/12/06
Yokokawa, Kazuo – PO2 (10) – XP 54 – Entry 1941/12/06
Minato, Kosaku – PO2 (10) – XP 54 – Entry 1941/12/06
Nozawa, Saburo – PO2 (10) – XP 53 – Entry 1941/12/06
Fukuyama, Kiyotake – PO2 (10) – XP 53 – Entry 1941/12/06
Oshodani, Soichi – PO2 (10) – XP 53 – Entry 1941/12/06
Seki, Akimizu – PO2 (10) – XP 53 – Entry 1941/12/06
Hata, Shusaku – PO2 (10) – XP 53 – Entry 1941/12/06
Aoki, Yoshio – PO2 (10) – XP 52 – Entry 1941/12/06
Motoyoshi, Yoshio – PO2 (10) – XP 52 – Entry 1941/12/06
Fujimura, Haruo – PO2 (10) – XP 50 – Entry 1941/12/06
Tamai, Kan – PO2 (10) – XP 50 – Entry 1941/12/06
I would particularly appreciate opinions on how the eight leader attributes should be weighted, as well as suggestions for a historically and mechanically plausible replacement commander profile—for both Japanese and Allied air units.
the following question explicitly concerns both Japanese and Allied air units:
When a historically important commander becomes unavailable, the challenge is the same on both sides: What qualities should his successor possess in order to preserve the unit’s existing level of effectiveness without giving it an ahistorical advantage?
For my historical project based on Scenario 26, I have now largely identified the Japanese pilots and recorded their ranks, experience levels, and entry dates.
My next step will be to assign the commanders to their respective air units as accurately as possible and to evaluate their eight key leader attributes in a transparent and historically grounded manner. After that, I intend to conduct several test games using Scenario 26.
As a specific example, I am using Tainan Kōkūtai S-1:
If Masahisa Saito becomes unavailable, what qualities should a replacement commander possess in order for the Tainan Kōkūtai to retain its effectiveness as an elite fighter unit?
Saito is currently listed as the unit commander in my database:
Saito, Masahisa – CDR (18) – XP 67 – Entry 1941/12/06
Skill: 74
Inspiration: 78
Naval: 58
Air: 80
Land: 20
Admin: 72
Aggression: 58
Political: 7
I am particularly interested in the following questions:
Which attributes are genuinely the most important for the commander of an elite fighter unit: Air, Inspiration, Skill, Admin, or Aggression?
What minimum values should a successor possess to prevent a significant decline in the unit’s morale, training, and operational performance?
Does a replacement commander need to approach Saito’s values, or is the effectiveness of the Tainan Kōkūtai primarily determined by the quality and experience of its pilots?
How important are Naval and Political for the commander of a land-based fighter unit? Does Political only affect the cost of changing the unit commander?
Who would be the most historically plausible successor?
Yasuna Kozono, the deputy commander and Hikōchō
Hideki Shingo, the Hikōtaichō who directly commanded the fighter force
or another available naval aviation officer
Should a historically plausible successor deliberately receive somewhat lower values than Saito in order to represent the disruption caused by a change of command and the loss of an experienced commander?
Do the same requirements apply to Allied fighter, bomber, and carrier air units, or should the eight attributes be weighted differently because of their different command structures and operational doctrines?
My intention is not simply to assign the strongest available leader to a unit. I want to represent historically plausible changes of command without artificially weakening Japanese or Allied air units or making them stronger through inflated leader values.
Pilot Roster – Tainan Kōkūtai S-1
Date: 6 December 1941
Strength: 48 pilots
Command Staff
Saito, Masahisa – CDR (18) – XP 67 – Entry 1941/12/06
Kozono, Yasuna – LCDR (17) – XP 70 – Entry 1941/12/06
Shingo, Hideki – LT (16) – XP 70 – Entry 1941/12/06
Officers, Warrant Officers, and CPOs
Seto, Masuzo – LT (16) – XP 65 – Entry 1941/12/06
Wakao, Akira – LTJG (15) – XP 63 – Entry 1941/12/06
Watanabe, Kiyoharu – LTJG (15) – XP 59 – Entry 1941/12/06
Tomita, Mitsuo – ENS (14) – XP 58 – Entry 1941/12/06
Toyoda, Mitsuo – ENS (14) – XP 56 – Entry 1941/12/06
Sasai, Junichi – ENS (14) – XP 43 – Entry 1941/12/06
Miyazaki, Gitaro – WO (13) – XP 74 – Entry 1941/12/06
Isozaki, Chitoshi – WO (13) – XP 75 – Entry 1941/12/06
Sato, Yasuhisa – CPO (12) – XP 62 – Entry 1941/12/06
Koike, Yoshio – CPO (12) – XP 61 – Entry 1941/12/06
PO1 Pilots
Tanaka, Kuniyoshi – PO1 (11) – XP 79 – Entry 1941/12/06
Sakai, Saburo – PO1 (11) – XP 76 – Entry 1941/12/06
Ota, Toshio – PO1 (11) – XP 62 – Entry 1941/12/06
Hirose, Yoshio – PO1 (11) – XP 62 – Entry 1941/12/06
Harada, Yoshimitsu – PO1 (11) – XP 61 – Entry 1941/12/06
Kikuchi, Toshio – PO1 (11) – XP 61 – Entry 1941/12/06
Kuratomi, Hiroshi – PO1 (11) – XP 60 – Entry 1941/12/06
Higa, Masaharu – PO1 (11) – XP 60 – Entry 1941/12/06
Kono, Yasujiro – PO1 (11) – XP 59 – Entry 1941/12/06
Hidaka, Yoshimi – PO1 (11) – XP 59 – Entry 1941/12/06
Shinohara, Yoshie – PO1 (11) – XP 59 – Entry 1941/12/06
Kanaizumi, Yoshio – PO1 (11) – XP 59 – Entry 1941/12/06
Arichi, Kazuo – PO1 (11) – XP 59 – Entry 1941/12/06
Nishioka, Tamotsu – PO1 (11) – XP 58 – Entry 1941/12/06
Adachi, Shigenobu – PO1 (11) – XP 58 – Entry 1941/12/06
Iwayama, Takashi – PO1 (11) – XP 58 – Entry 1941/12/06
PO2 Pilots
Ishii, Shizuo – PO2 (10) – XP 72 – Entry 1941/12/06
Ishihara, Susumu – PO2 (10) – XP 63 – Entry 1941/12/06
Honda, Toshiaki – PO2 (10) – XP 61 – Entry 1941/12/06
Shimakawa, Masaaki – PO2 (10) – XP 60 – Entry 1941/12/06
Ueda, Makoto – PO2 (10) – XP 55 – Entry 1941/12/06
Nakamizo, Ryoichi – PO2 (10) – XP 55 – Entry 1941/12/06
Kume, Takeo – PO2 (10) – XP 55 – Entry 1941/12/06
Nozawa, Shigeo – PO2 (10) – XP 54 – Entry 1941/12/06
Yokokawa, Kazuo – PO2 (10) – XP 54 – Entry 1941/12/06
Minato, Kosaku – PO2 (10) – XP 54 – Entry 1941/12/06
Nozawa, Saburo – PO2 (10) – XP 53 – Entry 1941/12/06
Fukuyama, Kiyotake – PO2 (10) – XP 53 – Entry 1941/12/06
Oshodani, Soichi – PO2 (10) – XP 53 – Entry 1941/12/06
Seki, Akimizu – PO2 (10) – XP 53 – Entry 1941/12/06
Hata, Shusaku – PO2 (10) – XP 53 – Entry 1941/12/06
Aoki, Yoshio – PO2 (10) – XP 52 – Entry 1941/12/06
Motoyoshi, Yoshio – PO2 (10) – XP 52 – Entry 1941/12/06
Fujimura, Haruo – PO2 (10) – XP 50 – Entry 1941/12/06
Tamai, Kan – PO2 (10) – XP 50 – Entry 1941/12/06
I would particularly appreciate opinions on how the eight leader attributes should be weighted, as well as suggestions for a historically and mechanically plausible replacement commander profile—for both Japanese and Allied air units.
Re: Japanese Pilot Rosters – Historically Completed
What would be nice if it was possible to "cut and paste" some of these changes into other mods without having to enter each one individually.
Seek peace but keep your gun handy.
I'm not a complete idiot, some parts are missing!
“Illegitemus non carborundum est (“Don’t let the bastards grind you down”).”
; Julia Child

I'm not a complete idiot, some parts are missing!
“Illegitemus non carborundum est (“Don’t let the bastards grind you down”).”
Re: Japanese Pilot Rosters – Historically Completed
Great discussions. A big part of my first love of the games Uncommon Valor and WITP began with Sakai and his book Samurai. I loved keeping up with these individual pilots I had learned about. No other game that I know of that you can do that. So I can really appreciate what you are doing here and all of the work you are putting into it.Peiper1944 wrote: Wed Sep 02, 2026 4:14 pmEi gude !LargeSlowTarget wrote: Tue Sep 01, 2026 8:35 pm Hello Peiper1944,
„Strata Montana“ - LOL. Ich bin zwar Oberhesse, habe aber lange Jahre in Darmstadt verbracht, also nur etwas nördlich von Dir.
I appreciate your reaction and thank you for the details you have given about the other changes you have made apart from correcting pilot names and adding more historical pilots.
I am not going to nitpick them (like, rank does not effect gameplay), in fact I agree with many, esp. adding missing leaders, the correction of availability dates and correct starting locations.
I have done that for many ships in my mod and it took many hours, I cannot even imagine how much time your research on Japanese pilots must have taken.
Is your mod for human vs computer or only for PBEM?
Many "unhistorical" starting locations and command relationships in the stock scenarios have been deliberately chosen in order to optimise the scenarios for the most common setup - Allied human vs Japanese computer.
If you have tinkered in these areas, it may have unwanted effects on the AI scripts of the Japanese computer opponent.
The idea of following a single pilot throughout a campaign is interesting, but given the scope of the game, might be a bit "too much of attention" on that single individual.
But it could make for an interesting AAR, to relate the campaign through the eyes of a (very well informed) pilot - akin to Cuttlefish's legendary "Small Ship, Big War - The Voyages of the Hibiki" AAR.
Your statement "It actually all began with Saburō Sakai. I merely wanted to enter his full name and historically adjust his rank, experience, and arrival date." made me smile.
My modding efforts also began many years ago with "I just want to add my favourite ship" - the Pamir, a 'tall ship' (sailing ship) which was seized as a prize of war by the New Zealand government in 1941 while in port at Wellington and used for commercial voyages to the US and Australia during the war. Then more stuff was added, data was verified and corrected, new ideas emerged, input from outside was included etc. - and it isn't finished yet.
Btw, in an uncanny parallel to Saburo's DC-3 incident, the Pamir was spared as well when encountering a Japanese submarine in 1943.
Hope you will enjoy modding this monster game as much as I do. I'll take a look at your scen26.
Bis denne.Then, after all those years you spent in Darmstadt, you really did live almost in my neighbourhood. Thank you for your friendly and constructive reply.
You are right: a pilot’s rank does not directly affect the combat calculations. Nevertheless, it is important for my data work because it allows me to assign an initial standardised XP baseline. Rank is not definitive proof of flying ability, but rather a first historical reference point.
The complete name is likewise far more than a decorative detail. It allows me to identify the pilot correctly, avoid confusing individuals with the same family name, and then research his flying school, training class, unit, transfers, role, and operational history.
The entry date establishes the historical point at which the pilot is evaluated. This allows me to consider the phase of the war in which he becomes available, the usual standard of training at that time, and the experience he could actually have accumulated by then. Later achievements must not be used retroactively to increase his earlier XP value.
Rank, training period, and entry date first provide a standardised baseline XP value. I then examine the pilot individually: Had he already served in China or at Nomonhan? Did he have carrier experience? How many missions had he flown? Had he served as a flight leader, squadron commander, test pilot, or instructor? Were any aerial victories or exceptional flying achievements already documented by his entry date? Such verifiable experience results in a cautious XP bonus.
A particularly clear example from my own data is the comparison between Sakai, Saburō (XP 76) and Tarui, Mitsuyoshi (XP 90).
By 6 December 1941, Sakai, Saburō was already a highly trained naval aviator with combat experience over China. However, his most famous operations over the Philippines, the Netherlands East Indies, and New Guinea were still in the future. They must not be used retroactively to increase his XP at the beginning of the scenario. This gives him the still-high starting value of 76 XP.
Tarui, Mitsuyoshi is far less well known today, yet by the same date he had already completed an exceptional military career. In 1934, he joined the first intake of the Army’s juvenile aviator programme at Tokorozawa Army Flying School. He subsequently received fighter combat training at Akeno and was assigned to the 1st Sentai.
During the 1939 Nomonhan conflict, Tarui flew numerous combat missions in the Ki-27. By the armistice, he had been credited with 28 aerial victories, giving him the second-highest total of the campaign according to Japanese records. He also led his own flight and, on 28 June 1939, even landed in enemy territory to rescue his formation leader, who had bailed out. In July 1941, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant and then returned to the 1st Sentai.
Even if the Japanese victory claims at Nomonhan are treated cautiously and not every reported victory is regarded as conclusively confirmed, Tarui’s actual combat experience remains exceptional. He therefore receives 90 XP on his entry date of 6 December 1941—not because he is famous today, but because of the training, operational service, combat experience, and leadership responsibility he had already accumulated.
This comparison illustrates my method particularly clearly: the world-famous Sakai, Saburō begins with 76 XP, while the far less well-known Tarui, Mitsuyoshi receives 90 XP. Public fame is not the deciding factor; what matters is the military career that can be documented up to the pilot’s respective entry date.
A famous name therefore does not automatically result in high XP, nor is an unknown pilot automatically rated lower. If insufficient individual information is available, the pilot receives the conservative standard value for his training-period, date, and rank group. Unknown does not mean inexperienced.
General XP and specialised skills must also be considered separately. An experienced torpedo or reconnaissance pilot is not automatically an excellent fighter pilot. Likewise, an instructor may possess extensive flying and technical experience without ever having achieved a high number of aerial victories.
Rank therefore has no direct effect within the game. Together with the complete name and entry date, however, it provides the foundation for a historically reasoned individual XP value—and that XP value certainly does affect the pilot’s performance.
In its present working state, Scenario 26 is intended primarily for a human Japanese player against the Allied AI. The Japanese AI scripts are not used in that setup, but the scenario has not yet been tested sufficiently for an Allied human player against the Japanese AI. It is therefore explicitly not yet a final AI-compatible version. A later PBEM version would also be possible, but the Allied side and the long-term balance would first require thorough examination.
Your warning about starting locations and command relationships is therefore very valuable. I understand that some apparently unhistorical decisions in the stock scenarios were made deliberately to ensure that the Japanese AI scripts function properly. Little would be gained from greater historical accuracy if it prevented the computer opponent from conducting its operations correctly.
Before I eventually describe the scenario as a finished mod, these interactions must be tested in longer campaigns. If my changes impair the Japanese AI, it might be possible to distinguish between a more historically focused PBEM version and a specifically AI-compatible version. For now, however, Scenario 26 remains a historical working and test version.
I also like your AAR idea very much. I will have to think about how I might accomplish something like that!
Your story about the Pamir made me smile in return. Apparently, we both fell into the same modder’s trap: yours began with “I only want to add my favourite ship,” while mine began with “I only want to enter the complete name of Sakai, Saburō.” Many years—or thousands of database entries—later, each project has become something much larger.
The fact that the Pamir was also spared during an encounter with a Japanese submarine in 1943 is a remarkable parallel to Sakai, Saburō and his encounter with the DC-3. I had not heard that story before. Do you happen to know which Japanese submarine encountered the Pamir?
Thank you for being willing to examine Scenario 26. Please do not regard it as a finished mod yet, but as a historical working version presented for testing and discussion. Comments from experienced modders are especially helpful in bringing together historical accuracy, functional game mechanics, and long-term balance.
And I suspect that neither of us will ever truly finish modding this monster of a game. But perhaps that is part of its appeal.
Bis denne!
On a side note regarding how you guys got into modding it was the same for me. I just wanted to improve and fix something missing in the game Strategic Command American Civil War which were some missing forts in Mobile Bay. Well one thing led to another and the next thing I know I have created a huge campaign mod for the game with lots of changes and improvements. If any of you enjoy the game I invite you to try it out.
Cheers to all of the mad hatter modders out there!

Check out my mod for Strategic Command American Civil War!
https://forums.matrixgames.com/viewtopic.php?t=413785



