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Hokushin:
the second Russo-Japanese war is
a look at the decision to go south instead of north.
The author believes that a Japanese attack at the right time upon
the USSR could have turned the balance of power at the battle of Moscow in
the Germans favour and led to the USSR being defeated.
The writer has a wry sense of humour that comes though sometimes,
with a clear writing style and other elements.
There are problems with the scenario though, I don’t think that
the Japanese army could be compared to the soviet one as there were grave
difficulties in both tanks and numbers.
The effect of the Japanese might have allowed the Germans to win,
but I don’t think that the Japanese would have been so lucky.
Possibly the most unlikely part of the story is the footnote about
a German invasion of the UK in 1942, an endeavour that would make sea lion
look like a walk in the park. A
treaty of peace or an invasion of the British Indian empire by Germany
being the most likely outcome.
Be
Careful what you wish for: The Plan Orange Disaster,
Explores the outcome of the US relaying on plan orange, which involved a
battleship based strategy rather than carriers and a US replay of the
battle of Tishima. The
political background is dubious, to say the least, but the military
details are superb. What is
more surprising, however, is that the US gives in after the disaster,
rather than falling back on its carriers, as happened in OTL.
Pearl
Harbor: Irredeemable defeat
explores the favorite of those who believe that Japan might have been able
to win, by pointing out that, bad as pearl harbor was, it could have been
a great deal worse. Ironically,
the Americans do better tactically, but the Japanese score a strategic
victory by destroying the US carriers and the base being rendered useless.
Coral
and Purple: The Lost Advantage,
deals with the battle of the coral sea and its repercussions.
The writer is very bold in suggesting that a slightly different
outcome could have rendered USS
Yorktown useless for Midway completely, while also revealing to the
Japanese the fact that America could read their radio codes.
Probably the most realistic situation, my only disappointment is
that we don’t see the alternate Midway battle, but the next AH settles
that wish.
Nagumo’s
Luck: the battles of Midway and California:
This alternate battle of midway has a crucial American decision being
changed to allow the Japanese time to reload their planes and attack the
American fleet. The result is
of the American fleet being nearly wiped out.
The Japanese then attack the mainland USA and Hawaii.
Probably the least realistic, the AH involves a German victory at
Stalingrad and in North Africa because of lass lend-lease.
The outcome is surprising, to say the least, as I don’t think
that A-bombs were ready anywhere near then.
Samurai
Down Under: The Invasion
of Australia: This AH
features a Japanese invasion of Australia.
It shows many of the Japanese problems such as poor co-ordination
between services, but has the invasion fail, probably to no result on the
war.
The
Japanese Raj: faced with
Britain refusing to make peace, the Japanese invade India.
The British are pushed back as far as modern-day Pakistan, and
become the junior partners in the war much earlier.
India becomes independent upon liberation in 1944 and the war comes
to a peace of exhaustion.
Guadalcanal:
The Broken Shoestring:
Explores the possibility of a Japanese victory at Guadalcanal.
One American commander makes a crucial mistake and withdraws too
early.
There
are such things as miracles:
During the battle of Lyate Gulf, the Japanese had the chance to destroy
the American transports, but they fluffed it.
What if they had succeeded?
Victory
rides the divine wind: A
short scenario exploring Operation Olympic, the invasion of Japan.
The main problem
with the ones that end in a peace of exhaustion is that the allies did not
need to keep fighting those battles.
Once FDR knew that the atomic bomb could be made, the Japanese had
the simple choice between surrender or being reduced to radioactive
dust.
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