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I don't see any event linked to the introduction of synthetic oil for Japan:
https://www.e-education.psu.edu/egee120 ... t/html/237

With the ever-tightening blockade on Japan by the submarines, “The shortage of liquid fuel was Japan’s Achilles' Heel.” Oil imports that had risen to their peak in the first quarter of 1943 were about half that at the same time one year later in 1944 and had completely disappeared/dried up by the same time in 1945. Desperate, Japan tried many forms of improvisations as the oil situation worsened. Industrial oil was made from soybeans, peanuts, coconuts, and castor beans. Potatoes, sugar, rice, and sake were even converted to alcohol to be used as fuel. By 1944, civilian gasoline consumption was down to 257,000 gallons, just 4% of the 1940 figure. Japan revived its 1937 synthetic fuel attempts, and in 1943, Japan’s synthetic fuel production amounted to 1 million barrels – only 8% of the target amount. Over half of this value was in Manchuria, which was useless in late 1944 and 1945 due to the blockade. Besides, synthetic fuel was a drain on resources, manpower, and management and was more of a liability than an asset.

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The Imperial Navy, in growing desperation for fuel, launched the pine root campaign where pine roots were dug up and heated for 12 hours to produce a crude oil substitute. Each gallon of pine root produced required 2.5 man-days of work. Thus, the official 12,000 bbl/d target would have required 1.25 million persons per day! By June 1945, pine roots were producing 75,000 barrels per month fuel. However, the refining technology for pine roots oil was still lacking.

Could we consider all this "production" is taken into account in the 3 oil points here?

I am asking because the symbol is with coal for synthetic oil in WPE. And also, Japanese synthetic oil production really started in 1943 when the US submarines were more than annoying.

This oil field is there from the beginning.

I have done few research and I was surprised to learn that Japan had some oil production in Sagara Oil Field. So, I assume this is the 3 oil points on the map. Given its low production, I won't question these numbers:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagara_Oil_Field

What I would then suggest is to place the Sagara Oil Field correctly on the map i.e. at hex 77, 77. And, then, to remove the 3 oil points at hex 82, 84.

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And, then, to simulate the Japanese synthetic oil production, I would add by an event a new Bio Fuel production, of 4 oil points, in the old hex location at 82, 84.

This is highlighted in this video at 13:53:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5e0Tor2kMg

As such, I would start this Bio Fuel production, of 4 oil points, in January 1944.

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I thoroughly researched the oil situation in Japan. I consolidated some resources because of the values.

You have to be really careful reading numbers and translating them properly. If I remember I converted the research based on millions of barrels of oil to determine production. Thus why the map is how it is.

I truss you on this one. This was an idea to represent the oil produced from pine roots. And maybe to help the Japanese in 1944 and in 1945 to resist a little more if everything is already cut off.

Not a big deal, a production of 7 instead of 3 won't change the events anyway.

ncc1701e wrote: Mon Mar 28, 2022 4:23 pm I truss you on this one. This was an idea to represent the oil produced from pine roots.

Pine roots? Oil? Do you mean pine trees have roots with oil in them? Please help to understand. I like pine trees. I hope they didn't clearcut large swaths of innocent pine trees just to make oil.

Didn't your grandparents tell you that pine trees contain turpentine?

Now you know why they burn so well!

ncc1701e wrote: Sun Mar 20, 2022 5:18 pm By June 1945, pine roots were producing 75,000 barrels per month fuel. However, the refining technology for pine roots oil was still lacking.

Could we consider all this "production" is taken into account in the 3 oil points here?

The whole pine roots oil program was really just a flaming symbol of Japanese desperation. Although entire classes of schoolchildren were assigned to dig them up, pine roots could only be distilled to produce a low-quality oil. About 37,000 distillation units were improvised to yield 70,000 barrels of pine oil, from which just 3,000 barrels of aviation fuel were eventually refined. The resultant fuel was so contaminated with impurities that American jeeps that were tested using the fuel during the occupation quickly suffered engine failure. Pine root oil might have had some marginal uses here and there, but it certainly wasn't going to ease Japan's staggering oil woes.

Sounds like someone (USA & Japs) didn't have any expertise at blending fuels!

You'd be surprised what you can get to burn efficiently enough to run an internal combustion engine.

We used to put all kinds of crap into gasoline and everything ran fine. I've blended my own fuels for American muscle cars for years. Now you know why gas costs so much, because they regulated all the other byproducts out of the fungible blends.

Now to be fair, aviation gasoline is a little tough, requiring premium blending components, like toluene and alkylate which is iso Octane, chemically known as 2,2,4 trimethylpentane. Got to throw in a little tetraethyl lead also, one of those outlawed compounds now. Its all about knock retardation.

James Taylor wrote: Thu Mar 31, 2022 2:19 am Sounds like someone (USA & Japs) didn't have any expertise at blending fuels!

You'd be surprised what you can get to burn efficiently enough to run an internal combustion engine.

We used to put all kinds of crap into gasoline and everything ran fine. I've blended my own fuels for American muscle cars for years. Now you know why gas costs so much, because they regulated all the other byproducts out of the fungible blends.

Now to be fair, aviation gasoline is a little tough, requiring premium blending components, like toluene and alkylate which is iso Octane, chemically known as 2,2,4 trimethylpentane. Got to throw in a little tetraethyl lead also, one of those outlawed compounds now. Its all about knock retardation.

Wow - I can see you are an expert on this subject. Thanks for this answer.

UK and Germany both used gassifiers during the war for civilian vehicles which converted internal combustion engines to run on wood smoke, gasoline engines can run on it with no gasoline, diesels need a small amount of diesel. you can still buy the kits, seems like a hassle on the highway but might be cool for a stationary generator or something. Making bio fuel out of wood waste is something we need more of these days, it is fascinating that Japan tried it back then I didn't know that