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Could Japan split a full 10 strength infantry division in two?

There are just too many islands and harbors too defend.

That is the point.

ORIGINAL: incbob

That is the point.

The starting position of the 1942 scenario suggests otherwise.

I asked this and there were no comments...

Perhaps the Japanese could build a unit called an island watcher...2/10...so it just costs less BUT enough that if you "repair it" it would cost that same as a normal division.

That would be inline with the 20+ 2/10s they have in the 1942 scenario.

It might be better, don't now about the code though, just to give islands an intrinsic defensive value to represent the small units left to guard an island.

I'll see what I can do.

Thanks! The Japanese didn't deploy whole divisions on every island they held. Often the forces were a lot smaller.

Japan had men everywhere. Here is a breakdown of location, men, and equipment.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structure_of_the_Imperial_Japanese_forces_in_the_South_Seas_Mandate

A lot of these forces do not come close to the size of units in the game. Matter of fact, some locations could not even support the smallest unit in the game.

But some kind of intrinsic strength would be the best way. The most realistic way would be when Japan takes an island with a unit, when that unit leaves, it takes a 2 (1?) point loss to represent the men it leaves behind, i.e. a detachment. This way Japan has to 'pay' some cost for the garrison in order to rebuild the unit that left back to full strength.

I will remind everyone this is a corps level game. I have to consider the ramifications of tiny units all over the map and game play.

Imo the way to approach this challenge, while maintaining the essence of a corp level wargame is to use support units land - a variant of coastal defense, granting some defensive value, intel etc.

Being able to produce half strength divisions would be a good enough solution.

idk seems fine to me, tiny forces seems like they are represented by the fact that the attacker loses effectiveness and has to spend landing craft

One fear I have is if Japan is allowed a bunch of half divisions it could be used to overwhelm China.

Building permanent unmoveable, placeable lower strength garrison units probably makes sense both historically and in terms of gameplay. No abuse for counter swamping, and islands can be defended albeit at a production cost. These units could probably be allowed extra entrenchment levels at a slower rate or something like that.

So buy 39 tech divisions and put them on Garrison mode. If you want them even weaker send the ones that start in Japan to the occupied islands (set them so they don't reinforce or upgrade)

I don't think this will help game play or improve balance. Right now Japan has to make important choices on which islands to occupy and garrison and where to spend landing craft. Remember, you don't just need a unit to occupy an island if it isn't your territory. You need landing craft. And likewise for the Allies as they begin to take the offensive. If the island is Japanese owned you still need a unit to take it and you have to expend landing craft, even if it is not occupied by a unit, if it isn't Allied territory to begin with. So there is a cost, which could easily be considered to be the cost of overcoming a minor garrison. So you have to make decisions on where to invade and once conquered, which islands to garrison with at least a division sized force. And you just can't garrison everything. I think taking that decision process away makes the game worse, not better.

Jwarrenw13 I agree