Hearts of Iron - Australia and New Zealand - Part 8

From the desk of the NZ PM, the Right Honourable Mr Bruce.

3 January 1942

Japan declared war on the Allies.  With years of war experience in China, the Imperial Japanese Army is expected to be battle hardened, formidable and aggressive.  That shifts the focus from Africa to the Asia/Pacific region and from offence to defence.

In political developments, Australia declared its independence to better mobilise its resources and convinced the Dutch government in exile, which has its homeland occupied by the Germans, to transfer effective control of its East Indies colonies to Australia.  New Zealand is 94% of the way to losing its Dominion status – it just needs a bit more successful fighting.

ANZAC forces defend Malaya and Singapore with 14 divisions, which is also close enough to assist with the expected defence of the oil fields in Borneo, Sumatra and Java.  Three Australian divisions are in Rabaul and Port Moresby.  The remaining six divisions are guarding the homelands but ready for quick deployment overseas to counter expected invasions. 

Japan invaded and conquered the Phillipines but never ventured further south.  Was it deterred by the ANZAC defence?  While the Australian navy has sunk about 300 Japanese conveys around the East Indies, ANZAC ground forces have not yet been engaged.

Instead, there is fighting around Hanoi where the British are pushing for a port to get supply.  In the Pacific islands, most of the contest is around Truk and Guam (shown by the square), which New Zealand decided not to defend but has been occupied by many US and UK units. 

Where shall the ANZAC forces strike?  The Pacific islands around Truk and Guam don’t yet have the Allied naval supremacy needed for relative safety.  What about the shorter and less-contested route from the East Indies to Palau?  Or what about an invasion from Malaya to Cambodia across the Gulf of Thailand to eventually link up with UK forces around Hanoi?  Only time will tell…