Problem with IJA division classification

[el cid again]

Reviewing land units for EEO I found that, inherited from CHS, we have vastly too many "A" type divisions.
Indeed, just one type, the Mountain Artillery type, has 14 divisions: more than the total A type ever -
and these are found in China and SRA where there never were any such units at all.

One case - the 17th division - did not have mountain guns at all (and I have only reviewed two cases). It had field guns,
but apparently cavalry type recon (which, nevertheless, has some motorized elements).

I wanted to work up the pack divisions anyway. These have extra support and labor squads - so they cost more to feed - but only mountain guns. I will call them 11th (Pack) "A" Division or 12th (Pack) "B" Division - so players can know they are fitted with mountain guns, have extra virtually unarmed people in the train, and are fitted with A or B weapons (which, in our terms, only affects things like AT guns - 37mm or 47 mm - and the number of 20mm ATG). In the case of the 17th - it becomes the 17th (Draft) "A" Division - indicating normal support - field guns instead of mountain guns - but A type weapons.

[Kereguelen]

ORIGINAL: el cid again

Reviewing land units for EEO I found that, inherited from CHS, we have vastly too many "A" type divisions.
Indeed, just one type, the Mountain Artillery type, has 14 divisions: more than the total A type ever -
and these are found in China and SRA where there never were any such units at all.

One case - the 17th division - did not have mountain guns at all (and I have only reviewed two cases). It had field guns,
but apparently cavalry type recon (which, nevertheless, has some motorized elements).

I wanted to work up the pack divisions anyway. These have extra support and labor squads - so they cost more to feed - but only mountain guns. I will call them 11th (Pack) "A" Division or 12th (Pack) "B" Division - so players can know they are fitted with mountain guns, have extra virtually unarmed people in the train, and are fitted with A or B weapons (which, in our terms, only affects things like AT guns - 37mm or 47 mm - and the number of 20mm ATG). In the case of the 17th - it becomes the 17th (Draft) "A" Division - indicating normal support - field guns instead of mountain guns - but A type weapons.

(1) 17th Division received its field artillery regiment (historically: 23rd FA Regt) in CHS 2.06 instead of the mountain artillery regiment. If you have a mountain regiment in the latest version (2.08?) its an error.

(2) 17th Division had its own (organic) Tankette Coy as part of its infantry group (17 vehicles). If I remember correctly, the Tankette Coy was later used to form a tank regiment.

(3) 17th Division had only a recce coy in Dec 1941. Don't know if this was upgraded to a full recce regiment later (possible but unlikely).

(4) 17th Division was a B-Type division (or rather: its infantry regiments were B-Type) in 1941.

[el cid again]

I substantially agree. It isn't an A division - and it isn't a mountain arty unit.

There is a lot of confusion about the tankette companies - and these were indeed creatures of the infantry group - not replacements for division recon - which might be cavalry (semi-cavalry? they have motor vehicles as well) or motorized or even armored. There was probably always a recon element of some sort. Yet it also depends on when: tankettes were only given to the infantry group AFTER the division got OTHER recon - BEFORE that - in the 1930s - these vehicles were indeed used for recon.