It's always amusing to hear the comments of those who know nothing of Wargaming.
They seem to ignore that fact that since the turn of the last century, the USN has constantly used
Wargaming as a tool to develop Strategies and Tactics- in fact, Admiral Nimitz stated that, because
of what he had learned wargaming at the Naval War College and participating in the Fleet Problems
of the 1920s and 30s, the only things that surprised him during WW2 were the Kamikazes and the
Atomic Bomb. That's right - he wasnt surprised by Pearl Harbor. It had been fortold by Captain
Ernest King in a Fleet Problem !
The U. S. Army has used wargaming since WW2 - in fact, several Army Officers worked with SPI
in the 1960s and 1970s to develop two wargames, one called The Year of the Rat, based on the
fighting in VietNam, and the other called Oil War, based on hypothetical scenarios for U.S.
involvement in Middle East Oil Wars.
Simulations Publications, Incorporated, ( SPI ) was started by a group of ex military types and
military historians to develop accurate war games based on both historical wars and possible
future conflicts. Many of the games were studied, and some have been used as training aids
by the U.S. Military. In fact, the current generation of Marine Officers are finally being introduced
to Wargaming !
When I read such comments as :
I realize how ignorant of modern wargaming many people really are.#10 by T. A. Gardner » 21 Jun 2022 13:34
.....Aside from that, how accurate could using Axis and Allies be for
determining the outcome...?
OK. Time for your lesson:
In 1974, SPI had produced War in the East, a "monster" wargame (having more than 1000
counters) that simulated the Eastern Front conflict between Germany and the Soviet Union
from "Operation Barbarossa" to 1945.
In 1976, SPI published War in the West, which covered the Allied-German conflict in Western
Europe and North Africa.
Later the same year, SPI published War in Europe, which combined
War in the East and War in the West.
In 1977. SPI added War in the Pacific, allowing the Pacific Theater to be simulated, and
the three Monster Games can be combined.
War in Europe consists of :
Nine 22" x 34" paper hex grid maps scaled to 33 km (22.5 mi) per hex
4000 die-cut counters that represented individual capital ships, aircraft units, army corps,
divisions, brigades, and regiments.
4 rulebooks: Standard Rules, Rules for War in the East 2nd Edition, War in the West, and
War in Europe, along with Various game aids and Combat Result Tables
Average Playing Time for four players: 200 Hours
War in the Pacific consists of :
Seven 22"x44" paper hex grid maps that cover the Pacific Theater
3600 die cut counters that represented individual capital ships, aircraft units reprsenting aircraft,
army corps, divisions, brigades, and regiments.
Rules booklet (56 pages ) , Scenarios booklet (12 pages), Two charts and tables booklets (16 pages)
Each turn represented 1 week of time, which consisted of 3 naval and air phases, and one land phase.
Average Playing Time for four players: 200 hours.
Each game consists of nothing but Cardboard and Paper, and Each Game Weighs FIVE POUNDS !
Here is a photo of the two games to give you some idea of the level of complexity of the games :
Just to give you some idea of scale: In the photo of the Map for War in the Pacific, you can see the
Game Box and one of the Rules Booklets. The Rules are printed on 8 1/2" x 11" paper.
The two games set up together cover the floor of two average sized bedrooms. And it took us four
weekends to do the scenario, which we did NOT play to the end, as it was obvious after the fall of
the Soviet Union that the war was effectively over.
So, Mr. Gardner, this isn't a Children's Game - it is the type of Simulation created by Military Professionals
for other Military Professionals - and for people who are VERY dedicated to studying military history.
Mr. Gardner also posted :
Let me see: The USSR is at war in the West, and suddenly, in September, the Japanese being making#12 by T. A. Gardner » 21 Jun 2022 14:14
The Soviets never let their strength in the Far East and Asia really fall at all. Instead,
each time they withdrew a unit to move to fight Germany, a new one was stood up
and received the equipment the old one had. The unit shipped to Europe was then
issued new equipment to fight with in route to the front.
air attacks and artillery barrages. There are minor incursions by tank units. In effect, the East has
now gone to war. So, Mr. Gardner, exactly how are the Soviets going to withdraw units from the front,
send the men West, and then train new soldiers on the equipment that was left behind, while these units
are engaged in sporadic fighting ?
Mr. Gardner, that's YOUR opinion. You cannot provide any evidence for it. In fact, the historical record#8 by T. A. Gardner » 21 Jun 2022 13:16
If Japan invaded the DEI and Malaysia without attacking Hawaii or the Philippines,
the US would have still unilaterally declared war on Japan.
shows that you are just flat out wrong. The Germans invaded lots of nations in Europe, and all the U.S.
did was impose trade sanctions. The Japanese invaded China, and bombed and sank a U.S. warship.
More trade sanctions. The Japanese attacked the Russians. More Trade Sanctions. The Japanese
invaded French IndoChina. More Trade Sanctions.
If the Japanese had invaded the NEI ( but NOT Malaya ! ) with NO attack on the Philippines and no attacks
on American Shipping, there is no Day of Infamy. No thundering Speeches. Just more....... Trade Sanctions.....
In fact, if you read And I Was There, by Admiral Layton, it is fairly obvious that the United States would
NOT have gone to war if the Japanese invaded the NEI - we were NOT going to be ready until the middle
of 1942 at the earliest - that was why we were flying unarmed B-17s out to Manilla as fast as they could
go ! The United States was NOT ready to go to war in 1941, and the first six months of 1942 shows exactly
what would have happened to us if we did. What is more important, the American People did NOT want
to go to war, and if Freewheelin' Franklin had unilaterally started a war on his own, and promptly suffered
a few defeats, you might have the Republicans rising up to call for his impeachment and removal from
office.
Without a Day of Infamy, there is no Unity of the American People in favor of a War. And
that means that there are going to be a LOT of Senators and Congresscritters who will be adamantly
opposed to fighting. Remember: Freewheelin' Franklin had campaigned on a Promise of never sending
American Boys overseas to fight in Foreign Wars. A Japanese invasion of the NEI, with the authorization
of the Dutch Government in the Hague and Berlin, has just enough veneer of legality to give American
politicians the cover they need to oppose a war to stop it.
Finally, a last comment about Wargaming:
#9 by Takao » 21 Jun 2022 13:32
Ah yes, the Kobayashi Maru scenario...
Although, I would replace the word "GAMING" with "RIGGING."
Mr. Takao, in the months leading up to Pearl Harbor, the IJN did numerous wargames to simulate the
attack. As a result, they increased the number of Aircraft Carriers from four to six, to improve their
odds of success. Still, in one game, they suffered a counter attack which cost them two carriers,
As a result, Nagumo, after his first two strikes, recovered his aircraft and fled the scene as fast
as he could steam.
Nagumo followed the results of the pre-war Wargame.
In the months before Midway, the Midway Campaign was gamed on board the Yamato. Admiral
Yamamoto presided, and Nagumo observed. During the course of the game, two IJN Carriers
were ' disabled ', and a third Carrier was ' sunk '. However the Umpires over ruled the results
of the game, and all three IJN Carriers were put back on the playing table.
The IJN ignored the results of the Wargame.
Mr. Takao, would you care to tell us all how well that worked out for them at Midway ?
Military Historians who don't wargame have, at best, a limited understanding of the mechanisms
and mechanics of warfare.
Respectfully
Paul R. Ward