ORIGINAL: Don Bowen
ORIGINAL: Hirohito
(this quote can be found at http://www.combinedfleet.com/pearlops.htm)
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According to Mark Parillo, in "The Japanese Merchant Marine in World War", p.75, at the begining of the war Japan had roughly 6.5 million tons of shipping under her control. At the start of hostilities, the Imperial Army drafted 519 vessels of 2,160,500 tons, two thirds of which (1,450,000 tons worth) were intended for landing purposes. Of that, 1,350,000 tons was earmarked for the Philippines and Malayan operations. The Navy drafted another 1,740,200 tons, most of which was presumably devoted to sustaining the fleet in foreign waters. Thus, nearly 4 million tons of Japan's 6.5 million total tons of shipping was drafted for military purposes, leaving 2.6 million tons for the civilian economy (i.e. the people who make the guns and bullets). Not only that, but the civilian economy actually needed 10 million tons of shipping to supply it, the remainder having been made up before the war by cargo carried in foreign (mostly Allied) cargo ships. So in actuality, the Japan started the war 3.5 million tons in the hole. The Japanese economy was being expected to fight a major, multi-theatre war, while subsisting on 25% of its prewar shipping requirements! Taken as a whole, it is difficult to imagine how Japan could have freed up any additional shipping to increase the potential size of the amphibious pool.
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So, it seems to me that the game models the sealift capability incorrectly.
Hirohito
Using data from Ugly Ducklings - Japan's WWII Liberty Type Standard Ships. Japan had, at the beginning of the war:
1,581 steamships of 4.1 million gross tons
756 motor ships of 1.5 million gross tons
17,992 wooden trading and fishing vessels totaling 1.07 million tons
This totals 6.67 million tons, approximately equal to Parillo's figures.
I note that Scenario 15, V1.3 lists 1503 Japanese ships of type AK, AP, and TK, plus another 221 converted types (31 PC, 94 MSW, 76 PG, 20 Naval Auxiliaries). Of these, 1179 are in commission at the start of the war (987 AK/AP/TK, 185 patrol/minesweepers, 10 auxiliary).
Ignoring the wooden fleet:
2337 ships historically, 1179 in scenario 15.
Perhaps it's the loads themselves that need looking at.....During the war the US found
that to ship 1 ton of "average military cargo" oversesa took 2.36 tons of shipping space.
Not the Japanese didn't have as many bulky vehicles to ship, so they would do some-
what better.....but even if it only took them 1.86 tons of shipping space to move 1 ton
of their "average military cargo", it would almost double the shipping resources needed.
In actual game play, the Japanese wind up with a LOT of extra shipping sitting around
waiting for something to carry.....They really don't need to build merchant shipping at
all.....This feels very strange when compared to the numbers cited by Hirohito and others.
