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BB1987
Post subject: Re: Koko Kyouwakoku (Republic of Koko)Posted: November 3rd, 2016, 9:17 pm
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Krakatoa wrote:
I would be interested to see a start to finish Airline timeline in FD. It is not something I had thought to put into an AU. Certainly worth a thought or two.
That's a sort of wish/long term plan I thought about doing. Sure thing is it would be a very long job to be done as we don't have many of the planes operated by Koutei Koku on the FD archive. There is no 777 at all for example.
Garlicdesign wrote:
Which makes me wonder... what kind of military airplanes does Koko operate postwar, and are there some domestic types to expect? Or can I sell you some jet fighters?? :mrgreen:
Honestly, I have absolutely no idea, as I'm a total noob when it comes to military planes and ground equipment. I suppose anyway that Kokoan inventory will be filled with US-built stuff up to the 80's, after that it's a complete mistery even for me and eventually depends on how I will sort post WWII kokoan history.
(Sure thing is that Kokoan-Thiarian relationships will be reduced to zero while Thiaria befriends the Soviets -Kokoans have a deeply radicated aversion for the USSR-, and might remain like that for quite a few years even after Thiaria abandons Moscow.)

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Sources and documentations are the most welcome.

-Koko Kyouwakoku (Republic of Koko)
-Koko's carrier-based aircrafts of WWII
-Koko Kaiun Yuso Kaisha - KoKaYu Line (Koko AU spinoff)
-Koko - Civil Aviation


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eswube
Post subject: Re: Koko Kyouwakoku (Republic of Koko)Posted: November 4th, 2016, 8:45 pm
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Great drawings and backstory. :)


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Skyder2598
Post subject: Re: Koko Kyouwakoku (Republic of Koko)Posted: November 4th, 2016, 8:51 pm
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Great work ;-)

Will we see more modern stuff? I hope so!

(And if Garlic offers you fighters I can offer you good trainer aircraft :-P)

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citizen lambda
Post subject: Re: Koko Kyouwakoku (Republic of Koko)Posted: November 4th, 2016, 9:13 pm
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Great series of drawings with that airline. And yes, interesting and well-executed livery.

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KonPtol
Post subject: Re: Koko Kyouwakoku (Republic of Koko)Posted: January 6th, 2017, 5:24 pm
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I didn't see any aircraft carriers.Koko navy does not have such vessels in mind?


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BB1987
Post subject: Re: Koko Kyouwakoku (Republic of Koko)Posted: January 6th, 2017, 6:14 pm
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History - Part 1 (indefinite-1941):


1. Early settlements (indefinite-813)
The oldest known settlements on Koko Archipelago are dated somewhere between 20.000 to 15.000 years ago, when small groups of Homo Sapiens reached the northern shores of the islands chain, through Kamchatka, during their migration between Asia and the Americas. Within the next few centuries the settlers slowly moved south from island to island eventually reaching the one known today as Nintoku, with the body of water of the Kyofu Kaikyo apparently forbidding them to reach the lower, warmer islands. Since archaeological finding were quite rare it is unknown how numerous this first community of settlers was, but it it proven that they either left the islands or became extinct somewhere between 9.000 and 8.000 BC. Either because a drought forced them to to leave or because they fell victim of some sort of epidemic disease. Forensic evidence also supports that Eskimo peoples sporadically settled on the norther islands between 10.000 and 5.000 BC during their migrations between Siberia and Alaska.
The next settlers came from the south around the year 350AD. Pacific islanders retracted the Hawaiian island chain until they reached the islands now called Nanto, Kammu and Tojima, slowly spreading up to the north from there. Population grew slowly, but it is estimated that by the first years of the 9th century some 100.000 settlers of Polynesian descent lived on the islands.

2. Japanese Colonization (813-1639)
The date of the first contact between Japanese and Kokoan natives is not exactly know, some sources says it was in 813, others in 815. And it is reported to have happened somewhere along the Kuril island chains. In the subsequent years contact were still sporadic but steadily happening more frequently, so that by the second half of the century a bunch of brave settlers had moved to the newly discovered islands despite the lengthy and dangerous coastal trip along the northwest Pacific. Words of a previously unknown large chain of fertile islands started to reach the Imperial court too.
Finally, during the year 886AD, Emperor Koko finally bowed down to Fujiwara no Motostune's pressures about colonizing the new islands in order to exploit new lands and new resources for the Empire' good. At first very few settlers joined the first pioneers, but by 923AD, under the reign of Emperor Daigo, the small Japanese migration towards the new archipelago had become more steady. That same year a City was founded on an inlet located on the eastern coast of the chain's largest island, The city was called Toumachi, and the island named after Emperor Koko. Slowly, all major islands were named after former Japanese Regents. It is estimated that by the turn of the century more than 700.000 people lived on Koko's island chain, now formally considered part of Japan, a number that eventually hit the 5-million mark during the next 500 years. The native Kokoans were now just a minority. By the start of the 17th century, small trading routes were established with Portuguese explorers, and more assiduously with the Dutch East Indies Company later. During this period western surveys located iron deposits on the islands of Suiko, Jimmu, Tenji, Fujiwara, Hyoto and Shinjima. While Copper ones were discovered on Kitajima, Shinjima and Daigo.

3. Sakoku era (1639-1854)
The growing trade and the presence of new European settlers alienated the Tokugawa Shogunate which suspected that foreign traders and missionaries were actually forerunners of a military conquest by European powers. By 1639 It monopolized foreign policy and expelled traders, missionaries, and foreigners both in the Japanese and Koko archipelagos.
Despite some degree of commercial ties were maintained between Japan and Koko in order to keep the Empire as a single entity, the Sakoku isolationist policies and the distance separating the two island chains helped the rise of a new warlord on the Emperor island chain. Kojirou Morimoto managed to overthrown the local Shogunate emissaries, establishing it's own rule on the islands. Despite no formal independence was ever declared, and despite the Tokugawa clan never acted against it, the Morimoto Shogunate effectively ruled on Koko for the next two centuries, shutting itself even more than the Japanese one.
With the exception of some limited trade with the Dutch East India Company, taking place in the city of Hoshibuma until late 18th century and the aforementioned small commercial link with the Japanese mainland, there were no relationships of any sort between the Koko archipelago and other nations. This also caused the population, wich had almost doubled during the 17th century, to stall just under 13 million people until the first half of the 19th century.

4. Indipendence (1854-1872)
With the End of the Sakoku period with the Signing of the Kangawa Treaty in 1854, Japan immediately started trying to sew up it's ties with Koko once again. At first efforts proved to be unsuccessful, as the Morimoto Shogunate refused any proposal despite the fact Koko's population seemed to be favorable of the idea of reopening the borders or even reuniting with their former country again. The United States moved too, sending Commodore Matthew Perry with a fleet of eleven ships in order to persuade Koko's Shogunate to open up it's borders to the West like he did with Japan just a few years earlier, but to no Avail.
However, the seed of change started to spread within the population, with reformist factions sprouting within the various domains. The 1868 Imperial Restoration in mainland Japan turned out to be the perfect catalyst for all those who wanted to get rid of the Morimoto Shogunate. Betrayed by his own Lords, Shirou Morimoto, the last head of the Shogunate, was quickly overthrown, after a quick and bloody turmoil.
Taking advantage by the political situation of mainland Japan -embroiled in the aftermath of the Boshin War and the various local rebellions that followed- Koko's Lords defied Emperor Meiji and started to create their own form of governemnt with the help of foreign advisors. By early 1872 a unified Koko archipelago had formally declared it's indipendence from Japan. With the claim already backed and recognized by the Netherlands, Germany, The British Empire and the United States -all of them eager to make economic deals for the export of Iron and Copper of which Koko was rich- Japan had little else to do than accept Kokoan indipendence, altough it did not officially recognized it yet.

5. Industrialization (1872-1919)
Exploiting the Iron and Copper deposits discovered by the Dutch nearly three centuries earlier the Kokoan industrial revolution went up with a bang. In ten years silk production quadrupled and coal went up six-fold, over 400miles of railways were built by the mid 1880s and another 970miles during the next 10 years. Shipyards were built to support a large merchant fleet expansion. Iron and copper production surpassed that of Japan. In early 1876 Koko no Kaigun was established to operate around Koko's home waters. Initially formed by the merger of the small flotillas owned by the various former Lords the fleet was later augmented with new units designed with German assistance and built abroad. A second phase of shipyard expansion started in 1883, lasting over two decades, with the goal of allowing Koko to start building it's warships domestically by the turn of the century.
By the end of the Sino-Japanese war diplomatic relations between Japan and Koko had reconciled. This was finalized in the Toumachi Treaty, signed on January 13th 1897, through which Japan officially recognized Koko's indipendence. The treaty also cemented an high degree of collaboration between Japanese and Kokoan armed forces, with Great Britain and Japan itself replacing Germany as the main advisors and influence on Koko's naval developement. Koko ultimately joined the Anglo-Japanese alliance in 1905, shorlty after the Russo-Japanese War had ended.
During World War I Kokoan armed forces took part in the siege of Tsingtao, with Koko no Kaigun beign also involved in further patrols through the Pacific Ocean in order to look after the now declining and scattered German naval forces. In 1916, after a request from the United Kingdom, a few Kokoan ships also sailed for the Atlantic to support naval actions against Thiaria, taking part in the Battle of Tristan a Cunha. The battle marked the first open-sea naval engagement of Koko no Kaigun, and despite actually considered succesful -most of Thiarian Battleships were either sunk or put out of action for several months- it also marked the first major naval loss for the Kokoans, when the Battlecruiser Kuromegami succumbed to her wounds, sinking during the return leg.
However, the Great War events had only marginally involved Koko. Strong of it's exports of raw materials, it reached the end of the 1910s with a population of almost 30million, 50% of the industrial output of the nearby Japanese Empire and the third Navy in the Pacific ocean after the US Navy and the Imperial Japanese Navy.

6. Shifting Alliances (1919-1921)
Right after the end of WWI, while involved, like Japan, in the Allied intervention during the Russian Civil War, Koko found itself entangled in the Nikolayevsk Incident. Partisan troops allied with the Red Army seized the city were garrisons from both the IJN and KnR were stationed, ultimately massacring all the soildiers and civilians, foreigners or not, that were in the city. The immediate aftermath and percieved lacking Soviet response in compensating for the loss suffered -over 1.200 Kokoan soldiers died in the incident, nearly three times the total casualities suffered during WWI by the Army and Navy combined- caused a massive backlash within Kokoan population, governemnt and armed forces. Things degenerated so much that the Kokoan government effectively cut all diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union until 1941.
In addition of this, one of the main foreign treaties from which Koko and the Japanese Empire had benefited during the early 20th century was the Anglo-Japanese Alliance. But during the year 1919, the Paris Peace conference and the rejected Racial Equality Proposal (proposed by both Koko and Japan during the conference and vetoed by the United Kingdom itself) started to cast shadows on such alliance. The situation further exacerbated during the next year, ultimately reaching a breaking point by August 1921, when the British Imperial Conference, under pressures from Canada and the United States chose to let the alliance expire.
Somewhat foreshadowing what was about to happen, many members of the Japanese cabinet started making pressure on Prime Minister Hara Takashi to open a table in order to start a negotiation to cement Japan alliance with Koko. The aim was to grant Japan the assurance of an ally on the pacific theater in case the Anglo-Japanese alliance would have expired, and since Japan and Koko had bee deply involved both on the political and economic side after the Toumachi Treaty, there were very little doubts that Koko would have acted as Japan closest ally to date.
During the conference, a few right-wing memebers went as far as proposing to discuss a possible reunification process between tthe two countries, but Hara avoided the topic as the Kokoan delegation clearly opposed such thing. Talks sped up after the British Imperial Conference ended on August 5th 1921. The collaboration between Japanese and Kokoan armed forces was maintained, with the sole exception of the IJN ending the small patrol duties around the Emperor island Chain on behalf of Koko no Kaigun that had been carried since the Toumachi treaty in 1897. Commercial deals were strenghtened and a coomon foreign policy chosen. Ultimately, on September 17th 1921 the Kokoan-Japanese Bilateral Agreements were ratified in Tokyo, marking the creation of the Kokoan-Japanese Alliance. Ironically, this also left dissatisfaction within the extremist fringes of the Japanese imperialists, so that a disgruntled Right-wing railroad worker, Nakaoka Konichi, stabbed to death Prime Minister Hara at Tokyo Station on November 4th 1921, blaming him of damaging the Empire with his policies.

7. The Shi-Shi Kantai and the WNT (1921-1923)
Following the doctrine of Sato Tetsuharo, who argued that the Japanese Imperial Navy had to keep a strength of roughly 70% of the United states Navy, the Japanese Diet under Hara's government had funded a massive naval construction plan which called for the construction of eight Battleships and eight Battlecruisers. The plan, known as the Hachi-Hachi Kantai would have been relied on the Nagato-class Battleships already under construction, further augmented by the planned Tosa, Amagi, Kii and N°13 classes.
This massive plan was also conteplated by Koko as a guide for further naval constructions in a smaller fashion. Half of the size of the Japanese one it would have led to the building of six newer capital ships to be added to the already building Yagumo class, giving life to a smaller Shi-Shi Kantai (or four-four fleet), through which an optimistic aim of getting an almost 1:1 ratio with the US Navy was to be achieved by combining the two Navies strength, even surpassing the needs theorized by Sato.
All new constructed units were planned to carry the newer 409mm guns and to achieve maximum speeds than the Japanese Nagato class for commonality and easier integration between the Kokoan and Japanese squadrons.
After the Bilateral Agreements of 1921 the plan was retained and refurbished. Initially reconsidered as a Shi-Ni Kantai (four-two fleet) by leaving out the slower and lesser armed Yagumo Class it was soon brought back to a full Shi-Shi level by planning a fourth class of Battleships to augmented the three already planned. In sight of this, needed expansions of Toumachi Naval arsenal were underway since 1918, and two of the planned units were even allocated to the civilian Yamatogawa Shipyards in order to sped up construction.
The ambitious plan crashed to an halt on November 1921 when The Washington Naval Conference was called. During the conference a 5:5:3:1.75:1.75 ratio of tonnage between Britain, the United States, Japan, France and Italy was discussed, but for many, interminable, days of negotiations a figure for Koko was not reached. Koko delegation kept asking for a 5:2 ratio when compared to GB and the USA, obviously, neither of the two other delegations was willing to accept it as it would have give to a combined Koko-Japanese fleet effective parity with the royal navy and the US Fleet. The first request from the Americans was a 5:1 ratio, which in turn was rejected by Koko's delegation. Ultimately, a 5:1,25 ratio was achieved, after Koko no Kaigun agreed to scrap the two Nintoku Armored Cruisers and demilitarize the two Heian class Protected Cruisers. Overall, the 5:5:3;1,75:1,75:1,25 ratio was kept, with tonnage restrictions capped at 610.000t for the USN and RN, 366.000t for the IJN, 213.000 for the MN and RM, and ultimately 156.000 for KnK. The United States Navy was granted completion of two Colorado-class Battleships under construction, while the Royal Navy would have built two new ships. All future capital-ship construction was capped at 35.000t of standard displacement. Some specific ships whose tonnage exceeded the limit were allowed to be retained between existing and under construction units, namely two for the USN and RN, and one for each other signatories. France and Italy choose to not exploit this specific concession, as their finances did not allowed further expenditures at the time.
A loophole was thus created, as Koko delegation now pointed out, without the intent of backing up from their claim, that all planned units exceeded the allowed 35.000t limit, while there were no units under construction to fulfill the allowances. A solution was ultimately reached by allowing one of the Capital ships under construction in Japan to be transferred to Koko. In exchange of this, united states and Great Britain were granted completion of a further ship above 35.000t. the US Navy and chose to complete three units of the six Lexington-class Battlecruisers, Great Britain exploited that with Hood and the two G3-class Battlecruisers, whose construction had been started in October 1921 just before the Washington Conference had been called, Japan choose to complete Tosa, while koko no Kaigun would have received one out of Kaga, Akagi or Amagi. Another price to be paid for the capital ship transfer was that Koko was not allowed any tonnage for Aircraft Carrier construction. Other nations were instead allowed to convert two unfinished capital ship hulls into 33.000t Aircraft carriers, and to build new ones to a maximum displacement of 27.000, for a total of 135.000t for the USN and RN, 81.000t for Japan and 60.000t for France and Italy. Koko was also forbidden to exploit the around-30.000t of allowance left before 1927.
The Washington Naval Treaty was effectively ratified on February 6th 1922. In August of the same year a deal was made between Japan and Koko for the transfer of the Battlecruiser Amagi.

8. Treaty era (1923-1930)
The aftermath of the Treaty of Versailles and the Washington Naval Treaty ratification left in Koko's population the same distrust and bitterness towards the Western Powers that also grew in Japan. The measures taken them were considered by many as refusal of by the Occidental powers to consider Japan and Koko as an equal partner. This feeling was exacerbated by the relative closeness between Koko's easternmost island, Tojima, and Midway Island, located 891 km, or 480 nautical miles away. Even worse Attu and the Aleutians were just over 600km (323nm) northeast of Wasureshima. Those US possessions, which were considered by most of the population as an advantage to improve commercial relations, slowly started to be perceived as threats and possible means for the Americans to spy and interfere with Koko's sovereignty and internal affairs. This was especially true for Midway, which was under control of the US Navy, were a radio station was operational since 1903. Despite the years leading to the end of the decade were regarded as being peaceful, militarist movements started to gain support under the premises set after the end of WWI. While it started to close to Western Countries Koko enjoyed excellent relationships with Japan: Koko no Kaigun and the Imperial Japanese Navy maintained a deep affinity between them, sharing technology, training facilities and design board projects. Cadets of both navies were given familiarization tours on both Countries Academies and warships, as the command and recruiting structure remained more or less the same for both, helping to form a strong bond between the two Navies personnel. Being limited in Battleships construction by fixed deadlines (no new ships allowed before 1927) and tonnage (30.000T available unless older ships were scrapped), KnK focused it's naval building program on Cruisers, Destroyers and Submarines, which were not restricted in number, with the aim of tripling the fleet size by 1930. A secondary building program aimed at giving the Navy all the smaller and auxiliary units it needed to perform tasks that before the 1921 Bilateral Agreements were conducted by IJN units.
The only shadow casting on Japanese/Koko relationships laid in Koko no Rikugun and Imperial Japanese Army rivalry, as neither manged to achieve the same level of cooperation KnK and the IJN immediately formed. Indeed, the only thing the two armies managed to have in common was weaponry and equipment. New recruits and far-right members of the IJA still resented Koko's armed forces as they arrogated to them the sole right to defend the Empire. An Empire of which they still considered Koko beign a part of it.

9. The London Naval Treaty (1930-1931)
At the turn of the decade, a new conference for naval arms limitation was called. From January 21st to April 22nd all signatories of the Washington Naval Treaty, with the addition of the newcomer Thiara, met in London to resolve the unfilled issues left after the 1927 Geneva conference and to extend WNT regulations.
In a state of general financial instability after the market crash of 1929, -which had hit hard most of the nations involved, with the sole exception of Thiaria being marginally affected- the general feeling was that most nations aimed at putting a limit to any possible building spree that could have beens tarted by one of the signatories, this particularly feared for the Thiarian Navy, and to a lesser extent, for Koko no Kaigun.
For the first time, distinction was made between cruisers armed with guns up to 6.1-inch (155mm) and those sporting guns up to 8-inch (203mm). The former being designated Light Cruisers and the latter Heavy Cruisers. The treaty also extended the tonnage cap on the newly re-designated Cruisers, Destroyers and also Submarines. Some older capital ships were also set to be decommissioned or converted to training duties.
Ratio for battleships was retained, with Thiaria granted a fifth of USN and British tonnage at 122.000T, Capital ship building holiday was extended and aircraft carrier quotas were also retained. Thiaria, again, gained 40.600T in Aircraft Carrier construction and 41.600T in Heavy Cruisers. Heavy cruiser tonnage was set at 182.880T for the US Navy (for a total number of 18 units), 149.149T for the Royal Navy (for a total of 15 ships) and 110.134 for the IJN (for 12 ships), Thiaria could exploit it's tonnage with a maximum of 5 ships. Light cruisers were also limited in tonnage but not in numbers 145.796T for the USN, 195.275T for the RN, 102.057T for the IJN and 39.905T for Thiaria. Destroyer tonnage was capped at 152.400T for both the USN and RN, 107.188T for the IJN and 38.100T for thiaria. Maximum destroyer standard tonnage was set at 1.850T, with no more than 16% of the allotted tonnage to be exploited by vessels above 1.500T. Submarine tonnage numbers were 53.543T for the USN, RN and IJN, Thiaria got 13.385T. France and Italy ultimately decided no to sign.
The United States Navy allowed to retire B-32 Wyoming and convert her for training duties, while the Royal Navy would have scrapped the old Battleship Marlborough and demilitarized Iron Duke. Japan was to scrap Settsu and demilitarize or convert into a training ship the Battlecruiser Hiei.
Koko Tonnage ratios were the result of more complex negotiations that just a simple fulfillment of treaty ratios. In the years after the WNT Koko no Kaigun had built an enormous number of Cruisers, matching Japan in Light units, and had started to build heavy cruisers too. A large number of Destroyers had entered service or was being built, and a sizable Submarine program had been started recently. On top of that, duing the conference words started to spread that the two battleships built by Koko under the WNT agreement were possibly up as 4.000T over their declared 30.000T standard displacement.
Both the US and GB delegations worked in order to limit KnK at the lowest achievable level as to avoid where possible that the combined force of the Japanese and Koko fleets reached superiority. After a constant clash with Koko's delegation which was unwilling to give up on their claims, a last-minute agreement was finally reached.
Initial cruiser tonnage proposal was made by the British delegation as 45.720T for CAs and 48.818T for Cls, but koko was highly unwilling to scrap seven light cruisers built between 1920 and 1923 Heavy cruiser tonnage was capped at 14.200T, expendable on just two ships (the already commissioned Saimei and the under construction Nanto), with the remaining 77.338T allotted to the Light cruisers, for a total Cruiser allowance of 91.538T, roughly a quarter of the British total and not enough to reach parity with the US fleet even if added to the IJN's tally. Submarines were limited to just 12.605T enough to allow completion for the units already under construction, no new build were allowed. Battleship Yagumo was to be removed from active service and converted into a training ship.
A point of high divergence was that concerning Destroyer tonnage. Both the American and British initially proposed a 38.100T limit, which was bluntly rejected by Koko's delegation as it would have forced to scrap 30 Destroyers, two thirds of them less than 7 years old, other than another six under construction and four more already funded and about to be laid down, and thus deemed unacceptable. A compromise was reached by raising the cap tonnage at 72.806 and cutting the planned units from four to three, and Koko agreed to scrap the ten oldest Destroyers in the fleet. Still this apparently generous concession came with a counterbalance: 34.000 extra tons in Destroyers coupled with the overweight problems of the Kii class Battleships let both the US and British delegations to negate any Aircraft Carrier tonnage to Koko for the second time, despite some protests coming even from the Japanese delegation. Thiarians did not interfered with the matter, as they felt that the concessions they had managed to obtain were highly satisfactory and preferred to avoid any other matter. Koko's representatives strongly protested and tried again to obtain at least some 20.000T for Aircraft carriers, but when the British demanded that separate tonnage from Commonwealth members should have been added in that case Koko finally gave up any claim and accepted the limitations.
The London Naval treaty was thus officially signed on April 22nd 1930, and ultimately ratified on October 27, 1930.

10. Breaking Treaties (1931-1934)
A few years before the London Naval Conference, in 1928, Koko's third elections were won by a coalition led by Kusako Morimoto, which became Koko's new prime minister. Kusako, despite being a member of the Morimoto family, which had ruled Koko for centuries under their shogunate until forced out their positions during the Meiji restoration, had always been an outcast within his family. Unlike many of his relatives -which choose to retire to private life after beign overthrown from power during the late 1860s- Kusako had always been a fervent supporter of the Imperial rule and a militarist. He was firmly convinced that Koko's fortunes would have been grater the more Koko would have followed and supported Japanese policies. During his term, Morimoto took the advantage to put trustworthy officers within Koko no Kaigun and Koko no Rikugun, also tightening his connections with IJA's higher ups during his frequent trips to Tokyo, having served himself with the KnR - under Imperial Japanese Army command in China- during WWI, leaving service because of injuries he suffered during the siege of Tsingtao.
After the ratification of the LNT Morimoto used the limitations imposed upon Koko no Kaigun as a mean to spread anti-western propaganda to appeal right-wing nationalists, his government also passed a bill, later jointly ratified with Japan, that allowed an IJA division to be permanently stationed on Koko's territory. Officially this was for joint exercises, drills and training with Koko no Rikugun troops, in reality their purpose was to keep an eye on those groups inside KnR which were openly critical of the Government course of action.
Another bill was passed to fund the new Koko no Kaigun naval construction plan, centered around treaty-skirting Destroyers like the Shizuha class, the Suiraiteis and the Hayabusa Seaplane Tenders, which were actually Seaplane Cuisers in anything but name.
When the Mukden incident occurred, on September 18th 1931, Morimoto openly supported the Japanese claims, although he ultimately did not send Rikugun troops to support the IJA as he originally planned. His governemnt also recognized the puppet state of Manchuko when it was later established. The cabinet course of actions actually backfired after the subsequent international backlash towards Japan and Koko, leading Morimoto to lose the 1932 elections, although he still managed to held grips onto the political scene thanks to the trusted men he had placed were needed, ultimately succeeding of being appointed as the Minister fo the Interior in the new cabinet..
In March 1933 Japan withdrew from the League of Nations after it refused to acknowledge Machucko as an independent nation, Koko momentarily remained a member of it, as the new government struggled on it's internal factions about deciding what the most suited course of action would have been: Leaving the League of Nations or start to withdraw from their alliance with Japan. Later, on August 11th 1933, geological surveys on the island of Nintoku led to the discovery of a sizable oil field below the northwestern shores of the island. Morimoto immediately proposed to exploit the fields and to supply Japan with any extra storage the oil fields would have produced, this generated protests within those faction within the Government and Koko no Rikugun which opposed to further alliance with Japan in order to not to be caught in the crossfire of the recently building tensions between Japan and Western powers.
On November 8th 1933, a dissatisfied group of Rikugun soldiers tried to storm Kusako Morimoto house with the intent of preventing him to interfere anymore with the State affairs, being it by arrest or killing him if needed, Other men were supposed to secure the government buildings from external interference in order to protect politicians which were favorable of cutting ties with Japan from right-wing retaliation. The plan was foiled thanks to Morimoto links within the Rikugun, with the IJA garrisons also taking part in suppressing the rebels. Within two days the attempted coup was vanquished, with Morimoto exploiting the situation to place all the blame on the left wing and, supposedly, pacifist factions which were used as scapegoats for his benefit. Committing his loyal men and the IJA troops he actually reversed the coup while claiming that he was acting to restore order and stability to the country. By December 2nd 1933, all opposition factions were largely purged, and Morimoto was appointed to form a new government. As one of the first actions of the new cabinet, Morimoto renewed Koko's alliance with Japan, then, on February 5th, 1934, Koko officially withdrew from the League of Nations.

11. Towards WWII (1934-1941)
Within days of his reinstatement as a Prime Minister, Morimoto passed a rearmament bill that actually restarted Naval constructions despite the limitations of the London Naval Treaty. Submarines production was restarted in 1933, with two units being laid down under the pretext that they were going to replace the two oldest units within the fleet. Full-size destroyer production restarted by late 1934, immediately followed by heavy cruisers, although at first planned to be light cruisers, claimed to be replacing the older Kashino class. Thus, when Japan and koko jointly announced their denunciation of the Washington Naval Treaty on December 29th 1934, Koko was actually ignoring it since a year.
In December 1935, both Koko and Japan deserted the Second London Naval Conference, clearly revealing that both governments were inclined to let the treaty provision to expire at the end of the year. Then, on November 25th 1936, both nations ratified the Anti-Comintern pact along with Germany. Despite Morimoto pushed as usual in his immovable resolve to follow Japan, the pact was well accepted by most of the population,, as the Soviets had been perceived as a great threat since the years following WWI, with the distrust of Kokoans towards them being even stronger than that against the United States. In light of the newborn alliances and the imminent collapse of the Washington Naval Treaty Morimoto's government passed another rearmament bill: Light cruiser construction restarted in late 1936, with the first new battleship being laid down by December of the same year, with a second class of heavy cruisers following. For the first time in it's history, in 1937, Fleet carriers were laid down for Koko no Kaigun, with the establishment of the naval aviation branch for the Navy, two Seaplane tenders under construction were to be converted into Light Carriers.
When the Second Sino-Japanese War broke out after the Marco Polo bridge incident in August 1937, a few Koko no Rikugun garrisons joined the IJA during the first stages of the conflict, but no sizable reinforcements were made until 1939, so that, by chance, no Rikugun soldier was involved in the Nanjing Massacre.
By 1938, Morimoto had manged to extend his influence within the Rikugun higher-ups and the IJA troops stationed in Koko so much that this, combined with his ties with Tokoyo's government, almost placed his own country under direct Japanese control. Under this conditions, despite concern among civilian population about the current course of actions started to arise again, Morimoto's party had it's leadership confirmed. By September 1940 Koko and Japan had joined Germany, Italy and Thiaria in the Axis powers, subsequently, Koko and Japan signed the Neutrality Pact with the Soviet Union in April 1941. After the fall of France, in 1940, Japanese troops occupied the French Indochina, causing great backlash from the United States, which began an embargo on goods such as petroleum and scrap iron products. Such embargo was quickly extended to Koko as well.
When On July 25, 1941, all Japanese and Kokoan assets in the US were frozen, the situation deteriorated to a point of no-return. Despite being rich of raw materials deposits, Koko's resources were not enough to support both both countries military strength. While Iron and Copper mines production proved to be almost enough to supply the rearmament programs, the mobility of the IJN and Koko no Kaigun was dependent on now dwindling oil reserves, as Koko oil fields were could not support prolonged naval operation unless extra sources could be exploited. This had the effect of increasing Japan's dependence on and need for new acquisitions. When the attempted negotiations between Japan, Koko and the United States failed Most military leaders in Japan and Koko, including Kusasko Morimoto himself, believed that a war against the United states and the Western powers was now inevitable.
On the night between November 29th and November 30th 1941, under the cover of darkness, the IJN Kido Butai crossed Kyofu Kaikyo, en route to attack Pearl Harbor. Then on December 4th 1941, the bulk of Koko no Kaigun carrier force left Toumachi Bay bound for Midway Island, with another naval formation leaving Taniguchi on the same day and steaming for Attu, Aleutians.
The pacific war was about to start.

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-Koko's carrier-based aircrafts of WWII
-Koko Kaiun Yuso Kaisha - KoKaYu Line (Koko AU spinoff)
-Koko - Civil Aviation


Last edited by BB1987 on August 23rd, 2021, 11:18 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Post subject: Re: Koko Kyouwakoku (Republic of Koko)Posted: August 13th, 2017, 9:52 pm
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History - Part 2 (1941-1943):


12. Storm over the pacific (1941-1942)
On the morning of December the 7th 1941 bombs had been falling on Pearl Harbor for a little more than 30 minutes when Koko no Kaigun attacked Midway Island and Attu. The American garrison on Attu put up a fierce resistance but was eventually overwhelmed by the disparity of forces between them and the Rikugun troops. The last fighting dying by December 9th evening. Clashes around midway were the busiest, with the Kokoan carrier fleet engaging USS Lexington's planes in the first carrier-battle of the war. Despite suffering losses, the still green air-crews managed to damage the American carrier and sink a destroyer, forcing TF-12 to retreat. Midway eventually fell the next day after fierce bombardments when Rikugun tropps landed on the island. On December 11th another landing was made on the Island of Kiska, in the Aleutians. With the royal Navy losing two capital ships by the hands of Japanese planes near Singapore, the US navy quickly built up a task-force around the USS Saratoga to strengthen the Aleutian fleet and prevent more offensive movements from Koko. Luckily for Koko, Saratoga had just left Pearl Harbor one day before when Koko no Kaigun and TF-8 met off Seguam Island on December 16th. Aided only marginally by their respective land-based air forces the two fleet faced each other in the Battle off Turf Point, during which the light cruiser Trenton was sunk, again for negligible losses for Koko no Kaigun. The invasion of Adak started the same day.
Kokoan engineers quickly worked to built an operating airfield on Adak, providing air cover against US planes based on Dutch Harbor while troops from bot KnR and IJA occupied most of the other islands between Attu and Adak. KnK Koku Sentai (carrier division) started patrolling the waters around Midway, with most of the surface fleet split between them and the Aleutian waters. Submarines were deployed to hit merchants and any American warship that would have been spotted. As fiery as it had been during the first two weeks, the Aleutian theatre soon saw action dying down, reduced to sporadic bombing runs by Kokoans against Dutch Harbor and Americans against Adak, which in turn waned into dogfights between fighters and a handful of inconclusive skirmishes between light units, the most serious ones usually requiring a few days of repairs on either side Destroyers.
With the eastern front Against the United States temporarily motionless, Koko's attention shifted towards Supporting the Japanese invasion of the Philippines and Indonesia. KnK sent the Battleshp Amagi, Sentai 5 (a cruiser division) and a few Suirai Sentai (destroyer squadrons) to join the IJN ranks. During the night of January 25th 1942, part of this task force engaged the British Battlecruiser Irresistible and her escort in the Naval battle of Balikpapan. Despite the only ship sunk was the Australian Destroyer HMAS Vendetta, both side inflicted heavy damage to it's opponent, with Irresistible ultimately forced to withdraw after being hit by two torpedoes fired by the heavy cruiser Fujiwara. After the battle, Amagi returned to Koko for repairs, but was back within two months, backed by the Battleships Kii and Owari. The rest of Koko no Kaigun group was supplemented by auxiliary units and marginally involved in the subsequent battles, which saw the ABDACOM fleet being defeated in the battles of Makassar, Badung, Sunda and Java. In early April the three Kokoan battleships, accompanied by two destroyer squadrons joined the Kido Butai as escorts during the Indian Ocean Raids. Here, an accursed report from a British recon plane which inexplicably mistook the three ships for the Japanese Cruiser Kumano, Suzuya and the destroyer Shirakumo, led to the loss of the Battlecruiser Tiger sunk by Amagi herself and two Recerchean destroyers. Warspite, the other British battleship engaged, managed to retreat with minor damage after a gunnery duel with Kii.
The three Kokoan battleships then e scorted the carriers Hiryuu, Soryuu and Akagi for a further dash to the south: on April 13th aerial attacks were made against the Recerchean port of Hopetoun. The raids resulted in damage to infrastructure, harbor facilities and a few RRN ships berthed inside the bay. Five merchant ships were also sunk, and another seven damaged. The attack aimet at luring out a part of the Recerhean fleet in order to engage it in battle, splitting Recerchean war efforts on two fronts, indirectly relieving some pressure against the Maddelenians. The recerchean did depart, but worsening weather conditions caused by an incoming Cyclone caused the fleets to miss each other. Further operations against Recherche were initiallt planned, but subsequent events led them to be indefintely postponed and replaced by simple -although dense- air patrols from Japanese-held indonesia.
Overal, by mid April 1942, Koko and Japan had managed to hold half of the Aleutians, Midway, Wake, the Philippines, Indonesia and much of Indochina while keeping its advance towards India and New Guinea. All with a string of naval victories in which they had never lost anything larger than a destroyer. Japanese and Kokoan submarines patrolled the Pacific Ocean targeting warships and merchants, with the USS Saratoga torpedoed by I-6 on January 11th 1942 and the battlecruiser Constitution hit and almost sunk by Ki-32 on April 5th of the same year. With the Axis on the loose in Europe too, and Thiaria seemingly one step from defeating Brazil, victory appeared on sight, as Morimoto's government propaganda never failed to echo. Still, the Americans had not threw in the towel yet. On April 2nd a USN carrier task force had left Alameda, and was now slipping undetected south of Koko on her way to Japan.....

13. Stalemate and rebound (1942-1943)
The Doolittle Raid was a great embarrassment for Japan, but it was even more for Koko and it's Navy, as Hornet task group had managed to sail undetected through waters patrolled by KnK crafts. To add insult to injury, despite sailing en-masse after news of the attack reached Toumachi, Koko no Kaigun failed to locate the American fleet for three days. The carriers Umineko, Ahodori and Fukuro gave chase but failed to achieve something too. Attempting to attack with submarines resulted in the sinking of Ki-20. This utter failure caused great abashment within Morimoto's government, leading him to personally require the dispatch of more IJA troops to supplement the Rikugun ranks in the Aleutians fearing a possible imminent American offensive. Something that didn't help to mitigate the bitter rivalry that was breeding between the two arimes. Admiral Kensuke Kaneda, Koko no Kaigun Commander in chief, stepped down after taking the blame of having relaxed the fleet too much after the initial successes. His successor, Genzaburo Karasawa immediately crafted a new, more offensive, plan to be implemented together with Operation Mo, the Japanese invasion of Port Moresby. Departing from Toumachi on May 3rd Koko no Kaigun carrier force bombed and destroyed US installations on Tern Island (French frigate shoals) on May 6th, then steamed north to launch another raid against Dutch Harbor three days later. Success of the two raids was reappraised when the Umineko was torpedoed and damaged by the Submarine Pompano during the return leg, forcing the carrier to underwent a month of repairs.
Failure by the Japanese to land troops at Port Moresby thanks to US carrier interference led the joint Kokan-Japanese command to speed up operation AL/MI. The plan, developed by IJN CiC Isoroku Yamamoto, called for a large IJN and KnK carrier and surface fleet to attack Dutch Harbor, Akutan, Unimak, Cold bay, King Cove and other key settlements on Alaska Peninsula in advance of a large invasion force. This was supposed to lure out the American carrier fleet, which would have been ambushed and disposed by another IJN/KnK combined fleet centered around the Kido Butai, which would have been waiting off Midway Island. Unknown to either the Japanese and Kokoans, US intelligence had managed to discover about AL/MI in due time. On june 4th, 1942, while the light carriers Ryujo, Junyo, Ahodori and Fukuro were making the second attack run against Dutch Harbor, a force of three American carriers ambushed and sank Kaga, Akagi, Hiryuu and Soryuu during the Battle off Midway, while only losing Yorktown in the process.
Suddenly, with Umineko and Shokaku undergoing repairs the joint Japanese and Kokoan fleet found themselves with just a single operational Fleet Carrier: Zuikaku. The invasion of Dutch Harbor was canceled as attention was diverted into strengthening the positions on the Solomon Islands, in anticipation of a possible attack against the Fiji Islands. Despite this, most of Koko no Kaigun fleet, including the carriers was left in northern water under pressures from Morimoto, who feared a possible American counterattack, despite Admiral Karasawa strongly protested as he was not of the same opinion.
The Americans still took the initiative, landing troops on Guadalcanal on August 7th before the Japanese could complete an airfield on the island. To counter it, a fleet consisting of seven heavy cruisers (five IJN two KnK), two light cruisers and a destroyer was assembled and quickly departed from Rabaul. Just after midnight, on august 9th, the Kokoan-Japanese fleet ambushed the joint American-Australian and Recerchean escorting fleet sinking the cruisers Canberra, Quincy, Astoria, Vincennes and Hobart, also damaging the Australia and Norseman (both seriously), Chicago, San Juan, Anvil and five destroyers in the process. However, US troop transports were spared a disastrous fate when Admiral Mikawa ordered the fleet to turn back fearing attacks from USN carriers, only to have Kako sunk by USS S-44 on her way home.
Not involved in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons Kokoan ships returned into action during the Battle of Cape Esperance, with the cruisers Saimei and Nanto involved in the sinking of the American cruiser Boise and Destroyer McCalla. Other ships lost were the USS Duncan, and the IJN Furutaka and Fubuki. Saimei herself was also damaged. Still left to patrol Midway and Aleutian waters, guarding against a possible attack from USN TF8 based on Anchorage, Koko no Kaigun carrier fleet also missed the battle of Santa Cruz.
Finally Realizing that an American offensive in the Aleutians was not materializing, and that the Guadalcanal theatre was in dire need of new ships (especially carriers), Morimoto finally allowed Karasawa to deploy his ships. Koko no Kaigun combined fleet finally started to sail for southern waters, with battleships Amagi and Owari, escorting the Umineko and the brand new Tanchozoru beign the first to depart. The bulk of the fleet followed shortly after, centered around the light carriers Tobuio, Ajisashi, Ahodori and Fukuro.
The fleet arrived too late to help Hiroaki Abe mission to bombard Henderson Field during the First naval battle of Guadalcanal, but just day after planes from Umineko and Tanchozoru gave the IJN enough air cover to save Kinugasa form air attacks. Ten out of eleven of the reinforcement transports led by Raizo Tanaka also managed to escape destruction. On the night of November 14-15th Owari and Amagi, backed by a Suirai Sentai (Desron), joined Nobutake Kondo's fleet led by the battleship Kirishima. Together the three capital ships managed to force the USS Washington into retreat after suffering heavy damage despite Admiral Lee brilliant fight. The USS South Dakota was also crippled and left in sinking condition. Tanaka's convoy started landing troops and supplies during the night. After another day of airstrikes against each other, both fleets retreated on November 16th evening. During the course of the next days, while ground troops fought for Henderson Field, both sides mustered as much ships they could, as the Japanese also hastly prepared a new invasion force to reinforce the Guadalcanal contingent. On november 21st Kokoan carrier-based planes attacked Henderson field, then engaged in combat those launched by the USS Enterprise and Saratoga and HMRS Bremer Bay. That night Japanese/Kokoan a fleet made by six battleships, six heavy cruisers, three light cruisers and numerous destroyers met with an USN and Recerchean fleet composed by six battleships, three battlecruisers, four heavy cruisers, five light cruisers and many destroyers. The fierce battle that ensued, known as the Third naval battle of Guadalcanal saw the Japanese side prevail. Losing to enemy fire the destroyers IJN Teruzuki and KnK Yuki, they managed to sink the battleship New Mexico, the battlecruiser Constellation, the heavy cruiser HMRS Quagi and the light cruisers Concord and San diego, also inflicting heavy damage on the USS Alabama and HMRS Audacious, scoring hits on many of the other units. The US fleet regrouped and fell back to assit the damaged battleships, allowing the enemy to shell the airfields.
Anyhow, the IJN/KnK fleet had not escaped damage either, with many ships suffering various levels of damage -battleship Suruga being the most battered one- so that their fleet withdrew too as dawn approached. With the new day carrier-borne attacks resumed from both sides, followed by a nightime bombardment of Henderson field by IJN Kongo and Haruna non the night of November 23rd. The next day, at dawn, the Japanese convoy started to unload it's troops, with IJN Hiyo and Junyo joining the Kokoan carriers against Enterprise and Saratoga, which also got CVEs Nassau and Altamaha in support. In the ensuing skirmishes USS enterprise suffered damage despite her CAP shot down many of the attacking aircrafts. At the end of the battle the IJA and KnR garrison on Guadalcanal had been strengthened enough to go on the offensive. Americans attempts to open a secure route for supplies failed when the USS Northampton was sunk and three other CAs were heavily damaged during the Battle of Tassafaronga on November 30th. A further attempt was fended off by Umineko and Tanchozoru, whose planes sank the USS Chicago and USS DeHaven during the Battle of Rennel island on January 30th 1943. Ultimately, the US troops were forced to evacuate Guadalcanal starting on February 7th.
With the initiative regained once again, Admirals Yamamoto and Karasawa planned the next offensive against the allied forces. In order to cut off Australia and New Guinea from American supply runs Japanese and Kokoan troops were to occupy the new Hebrides and, later, the Fiji. To fend off any American opposition, a large fleet led by three fleet carriers (Zuikaku, Tanchozoru and Umineko) and seven light carriers took the seaf rom Truk in early March 1943, followed by a massive surface fleet led by the Battleship Yamato, the invasion force convoys shadowing them. To stand before it were two veterans of the south Pacific, US carriers Enterprise and Saratoga, aided the Recerchean Eyre, Bremer Bay and Peppermit Bay, plus six escort carriers. Everything the Allies could assemble at the time. In the subsequent Battle of Torres island surface units on both sides played marginal roles. The Kokoan/Japanese carrier fleet managed to damage Enterprise (but failed to sink her once again, much to their dismay) and sink three of the escort carriers while losing the light carrier Ajisashi.
Despite inflicting more damage on the enemy the joint fleet failed to destroy the most important targets, the two American fleet and the reacerchean fleet carriers, also suffering heavy loses in their air-crews to the growing experienced USN pilots. Failure to achieve air superiority negated the possibility for the surface fleet to open a path for the transports, so ultimately the Kokoan/Japanese combined fleet regrouped and returned to Truk.
Here it was planned to launch a new offensive the next month, as this time the fleet would have relied on two more fleet carriers, the Shokaku returning from japan and the brand new Inuwashi, which had just ended her post-shakedown trials, to replace the lost Ajisashi.
Still' once again American intelligence works would have changed the table in an unexpected way...

14. Vengeance, intelligence, lost chances (1943)
Planning for a new offensive against the New Hebrides was done by April 7th. This time the combined Japanese/Kokoan fleet would have moved as one, with the surface fleet sailing with the carriers as to bolster the anti-air defense instead of just shadowing them. Something that had been proved completely useless at Midway and the previous battle of Torres Island. Large waves of land-based sorties would have provided further air-power to hit any allied warship sighted during the operation before joining carrier-based squadrons against the expected Allied carrier fleet. The attack was planned to start on April 26nd when the fleet, which meanwhile was being assembled at Truk, would have departed. In order to boost personnel morale and review airfields, military positions, air groups and equipment -which had to be on station to counter any possible Allied surprise attack- Admirals Yamamoto and Karasawa started an inspection tour of New Guinea and Solomon Islands.
Unknown to both the Japanese and Kokoans, American Intelligence had intercepted a message which detailed the Admirals planned trip through the Solomons. On April 20th both were scheduled to visit Kirakira, on San Cristobal island. It was the closest stop to the New Hebrides and President Roosevelt himself ordered to take the risk and “get them both”. The planned raid was named “Operation Vengeance”. Since San Cristobal was out of range from land-based planes, a small carrier task force was assembled, composed by the USS Enterprise and Saratoga and the Recherchean HMRS Eyre. Enterprise selected eighteen Corsairs to launch the actual attack, while the other two carriers would have provided much needed air-cover in case anything had gone wrong.
Launched 500 miles south of San Cristobal, Enteprise fighters traveled as low as 15 meters (50 feet) above the water to avoid radar coverage and eventually intercepted two Betty bombers shooting both down while suffering only one plane lost. Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto was killed and his Chief of Staff Matome Ugaki survived by pure luck when his plane ditched in the water. However, the Americans had missed Admiral Karasawa, but not because of any wrong doing form their part. Karasawa had in fact canceled his flight from Guadalcanal to San Cristobal at the last moment, choosing to carry out a review of the Kokoan fleet at Truk instead, as no Kokoan personnel was stationed at San Cristobal yet. All of this still oblivious to the fact he was effectively saving his own life.
Anyhow, the death of Yamamoto was a terrific blow to both the Japanese and Kokoans. Japanese and Kokoan airfields on Guadalcanal and San Cristobal unleashed their entire air complement to hunt the enemy carriers, but the three Allied flattops had already reached the safety of Espiritu Santo air cover when they were finally located. Despite Mineichi Koga was appointed as CiC of the Japanese fleet by April 21st the planned sortie of the combined fleet stalled. Admiral Karasawa speculated that such enemy raid against the IJN and KnK highest ranking officers (he was supposed to be there after all) could only have been possible if there was a spy among the logistic or communication personnel, or worse, if the Americans had cracked Japanes and Kokoan codes. Upon receiving such news Morimoto immediately ordered all Koko no Kaigun operations in the south pacific to be temporarily halted, consequently forcing the Japanese to further postpone the planned attack against the New Hebrides as the grounded Kokoan fleet devoided them of six carriers and five battleships. This caused a rift between the newly appointed Koga and Karasawa. The first lamented how grounding the Kokoan fleet hampered the planned operation against the New Hebrides, although he was reluctant himself about launching it under the circumstances. The latter insisted that if the Americans knew precisely about Japanese and Kokoan planned movements, like it happened with Yamamoto, deploying the fleet could have resulted in an enemy ambush. Eventually, concern within the higher up of both navies spread enough that an investigation was started in an attempt to shed light on what had happened, with the planned offensive indefinitely postponed. Ultimately, the only finding came a few weeks later from the interrogation of a downed American pilot, who revealed that civilian coastwatchers in the Solomons observed Yamamoto boarding a bomber and relayed the information by radio to American naval forces in the immediate area. Unknown to both the Japanese and captive himself, it was only a ruse of the American secret service to make both the Japanese and Kokoans believe they had not broken their codes. Both Kokoan and Japanese fell for it once again, although Admiral Karasawa remained wary of American intentions. As an extra caution he still ordered naval codes to be changed. This led to a change in Koko no Kaigun internal communications, which became undecipherable to the Americans for almost a year-and-a-half. Unfortunately, as the IJN kept the former codes, all communications between the two naives were still vulnerable to Allied interception.
When the disarray caused by Operation Vengeance was finally over, a whole month had been lost. The irremissible error of postponing the operations made by koga, Karasawa and Morimoto allowed the Americans to regroup and strengthen their defenses around Espiritu Santo, something quickly corroborated by the increased losses of auxiliary ships, like minelayers, caused by land-based Allied air raids. Realizing his error of judgment, Karasawa proposed to finally deploy the combined fleet against Espiritu Santo, but Koga preferred to weaken again American air power in the area before attacking. While Japanese and Kokoans launched carrier and land based raids against enemy bases, the allied did the same. At this point, even despite no major battle had been fought, the whole southeastern front was stalling.

15. Exchange (1943-1944)
Since his appointment as the Commander-In-Chief of Koko no Kaigun in April 1942, Admiral Karasawa had always supported the start of a technology cooperation and exchange with other Axis powers, along the lines on the Japanese cooperation with Germany, in order to allow Koko to keep up more easily with Allied wartime developements. Despite the Naval Staff appeared interested, nothing actually moved until April 1943, when the aftermath of Operation Vengeance threw in jeopardy most of the certainties that Morimoto's Government had about the war. Now funded with high priority a technology-exchange program was immediately ordered to be started between Koko and Italy or between Koko and Thiaria. After some troubled and unsatisfactory meetings with the Italian (and Maddelenian) Embassies, the choiche befell on Thiaria, whose emissaries in Koko also appeared praticulary interested in starting such program.
Multiple submarine routes were considered for the trips between Hoshiguma and Noyalo. One, the southeastern route, called for the circumnavigation of South America, averaging 9.253 nautical miles for about of 24 days of navigation at an average speed of 16 knots. Another route, the southwestern one, crossed the Sunda strait and went south of Cape Good hope totaling as much as 11.360 nautical miles, or 29 days of navigation at 16 knots. Ultimately, the choice befell on the western route despite beign the longest of the two. The southeastern route would have crossed the tightly escorted American supply convoy routes towards the Fiji and Australia, the southeastern one instead offered as much as 4.640 nautical miles inside Kokoan and Japanese controlled waters, other than another 700 miles of safety around Maddelenian coastal waters.
Thus, by July 1943 the Koko-Thiarian technology exchange program became a reality. On August 17th 1943, the submarine Ki-33 left Hoshiguma carrying a load of 610mm 'Long Lance' oxygen torpedoes, technical drawings, blueprints and a team of twelve technicians that were to be working with Thiarian engineers. After 30 days of navigation the Kokoan submarine docked at Noyalo on September 16th, then embarking blueptrints and multiple sets of five different Thiarian search and fire-control radars. Four Thiarian engineers also joined the Submarine crew for the return trip. Once lading and refueling operations had been completed, Ki-33 departed Bauaine on September 23rd, finally returning to Hoshiguma by October 22nd.
The second exchange trip departed from Thiaria on October 4th. The submarine LT Airp carried examples of the catapults equipping Thiarian Carriers, TBS (talk-between-ship) and IFF (idenfication-frend/foe) sets, plus ciphers for Thiarian Naval codes. After a refueling stop in Jakarta, Airp finally reached Hoshiguma on November 12th 1943. Once unloaded her cargo she embarked Type95 and Type97 torpedoes (submarine variants of the Long Lances) and Kokoan ciphers for Naval codes, finally departing on November 17th and returning home by the 26th of December.
For the third trip the Kokoan submarine Ki-31 left Hoshiguma on December 1st 1943, carrying a wide assortment of optic sets for rangefinders and fire-control installations. Arriving in Thiaria December 31st Ki-31 loaded another batch of Thiarian Radars, Departing on January 6th and utimately reaching home waters by February 5th 1944.
The fourth planned trip started on February 2nd. Submarine LT Deirbhirseach left Noyalo loaded with seven more sets of Thiarian radars, The Thiarian unit was expected to reach Jakarta for refueling not later than March 3rd, ultimately reaching hoshiguma by the 16th of the same month. Still, the submarine never reached Jakarta. The Recerchean Destroyer HMRS Edwards reported sinking a submerged enemy submarine with all hands some 975 miles nortwest of Observatory Island on on February 28th.
As soon as it became clear that Deirbhirseach had been lost, the Kokoans hasted the departure of the next planned trip. The submarine Ki-33 -which had already made the first trip of the exchange program- reached Hoshiguma on March 14th, loading the aircraft blueprints that were planned to be carried by Deirbhirseach on her return trip, then left port on the 19th of the same month, crossing the Indian Ocean in 29 days, docking at Noyalo on April 17th. Ki-33 then embarked five of the seven radar types that had been lost with Deirbhirseach and set to the seas four days later, expected to reach Hoshiguma around the 21st or 22nd of May. Once again, no submarine ever reached Indonesian waters (let alone Koko). Ki-33 had been depth charged by HMRS Corbett on May 8th 1944. There were no survivors.
The Thiarians attempted one last trip with the LT Taibhse on May 21st, but the submarine was sighted while surfaced by Recerchean recon planes two weeks into the voyage. Taibhse was attacked and strafed by Recerchean planes and heavily damaged. Forced to an hasty retreat the Thiarian submarine barely made into Maddelenian waters, where she was offhandedly patched up to reach the safety of Thiarian waters.
The Kokoans seriously considerated attempting another trip by mid-June, leaving the submarine Ki-45 in standbay in case the possibility materialized. However, the renewed presence of Recerchean ships in the Indian Ocean, deteriorating situation of Maddelena fist, and Thiaria itself later, meant that no other attempt was made by any of the two sides.

_________________
My Worklist
Sources and documentations are the most welcome.

-Koko Kyouwakoku (Republic of Koko)
-Koko's carrier-based aircrafts of WWII
-Koko Kaiun Yuso Kaisha - KoKaYu Line (Koko AU spinoff)
-Koko - Civil Aviation


Last edited by BB1987 on August 23rd, 2021, 11:28 pm, edited 3 times in total.

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Post subject: Re: Koko Kyouwakoku (Republic of Koko)Posted: August 13th, 2017, 9:54 pm
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History - Part 3 (1943-1947):


16. War of Attriton (1943-1944)
The allied meanwhile, had gone forward with their plan of reversing the balance in the Pacific. On June 15th 1943, under Operation Chronicle, 2.600 American, Australian and Recherchean troops landed on Woodlark island, off the coast of New Guinea. Five days later 2.250 men landed on the nearby Kiriwina Island. Karasawa immediately ordered the fleet carrier Inuwashi and the light carriers Ahodori and Fukuro to be detached and sent to deal with the Allies. Koga made Zuiho and Junyo available after being pressured for nearly a whole day. The involvement of Japanese ships made possible to decipher the Kokoan/Japanese plan, so the carriers USS Enterprise and Saratoga and the HMRS Eyre, Bremer Bay and Peppermit Bay were sent to intercept them. In a twist of fortune, the Kokoans were the first to spot the enemy formation that was supposed to ambush them. On June 26th, the Battle of The Solomon sea resulted in a stalemate: with the battle fought exclusively by planes neither side managed to inflict more than light damage to any of the enemy surface units before both fleets broke off from the engagement. The Kokoan and Japanese could claim a tactical victory as they shot down more enemy planes, but the Allies could claim a strategic success as well, as Woodlark and Kiriwina had been spared from a potentially devastating airstrike. Eventually, the Americans built a fully operational airfields with little to no impunity by mid July.
Nearly at the same time, American presence and movements around the Aleutians and along the Hawaiian island chain increased. Kokoan airfields on Adak and Atka were bombed on July 17th, and a large American surface squadron was repeatedly sighted by submarines around the French Frigate Shoals during the first week of August. Karasawa reacted by sending north all his fast battleships and three aircraft carriers (two fleet, one light) to bolster the fleet based at Midway, currently strong of just two old slow battleships and a few escorts. The two fleets met in battle on august 21st 1943 in the Battle off the Frigate Shoals (also known as Battle off Gardner). The americans surprised the Kokoan fleet with the brand new and freshly deployed carriers USS Essex and Yorktown, sinking the old Battleship Inaba, but the Kokoan fleet fiercely reacted, managing to dash the fast battleships into range of the slow American squadron, damaging the USS New York. The next day another strike from the Kokoan carriers managed to finish off the damaged Battleship before concentrating on the two American Carriers. Despite suffering heavy pounding, the two Essex-class proved to be quite resistant to damage and the American squadron managed to slip off without further damage, leaving a tactical Victory to the Kokoan fleet. The Americans however, had effectively succeeded in their task: luring part of the kokoan fleet away from the Solomons to allow them to start their planned counterattack. On September 1st allied troops landed on New Georgia, followed a few days later by a much larger landing on San Cristobal. Despite Kokoan units won a successful night engagement against US and Recerchean cruisers off Makira the beachhead held, three brand new Independence-class Light carriers giving extra air-cover from Japanese and Kokoan raids. While incessant air-raids in the Aleutians kept the bulk of Koko no Kaigun on watch, new allied amphibious landings on Malaita Island were executed in November, effectively surrounding Guadalcanal and it's airfields between three different battlefields. Attempt to relief the situation at Malaita resulted in the sinking of the IJN Kinugasa in the battle of Cape Zeele on November 28th. While the southern front was slowly turning in a waring and bloody melee, the Americans started a second phase of their offensive operation in the Aleutians, in order to keep the Kokoan and Japanese forces split between two different fronts. With the Essex and Yorktown back in service after repairs, backed by the Light carriers Cowpens and Monterey, the US Navy delivered a handy defeat to the Kokoan Aleutian squadrons in the Battle of Unalaska on December 19th, sinking two light cruisers while suffering essentially negligible damage in return.
After a quiet January on both fronts, things heathed up around the Solomons in early February. On the 2nd, a Kokoan-Japanese fleet centered around the light carriers Chiyoda, Ahodori and Fukuro descended upon Malaita with the aim of hitting allied land positions. Once again the involevement of Japanese units allowed the allies to intercept and decode communications, so that the axis fleet was intercepted by another two brand-new Essex class carriers, the USS Lexington and Bunker hill, further backed by the CVLs Cowpens and Monterey. After a furious aerial clash both sides disengaged. It was another indecisive battle on the tactical side, but strategically, the Americans had thwarted another enemy raid against their positions. Just a week later, on February 9th, it was again a Japanese-Kokoan fleet the one to go on the offensive. A powerful surface group centered around the battleships IJN Nagato, Tosa, Mutsu and KnK Nakamori tried to slip into Manning Strait under the cover of darkness with the aim of bombarding allied positions in New Georgia. For the second time the Americans knew and were waiting with the battleships Massachussets, Alabama, New Jersey and the battlecruisers Constitution and United States. In the subsequent battle, the US ships turned Nakamori into a burning wreck, inflicting subtantial damage to Mutsu as well. Nagato and Tosa managed to inflict heavy and moderate damage on the United States and Alabama before going into full retreat, leaving the Allies with both a tactical and strategic victory. Things still got bleach for Kokoan and Japanese forces during the next month. On March 4th, a Japanese convoy made by eight troop transports and eight destroyers was wiped out by US, Austialian and Recerchean aviation in the Battle of the Bismarck Sea, two days later another two Japanese destroyers were lost near Kolombangara in the Battle of the Blackett Strait.
Later the same month, the Americans restarted operations against the Aleutians. Knowing that a japanese and Kokoan troop convoy was bound for Attu, an American surface fleet centered on the battleship Nevada boldly circumnavigated the Kokoan-occupied Aleutians to attack and sink the enemy transports. The Americans however were spotted by a Kokoan recon plane and the Kokoan/Japanese escorting fleet intercepted the US squadron northwest of Attu in the battle of the Komandorski islands. The Japanese cruiser force inflicted heavy damage to the American cruisers, but Japanese VADM Hosogaya went into full retreat when Nevada opened fire. The Kokoan battleship Yagumo then charged in, engaging Nevada in a long and devastating cannonade. Ultimately, the superior fire-control of the Nevada prevailed, dooming Yagumo. At that point however, Nevada had suffered substantial damage, and land-based Kokoan squadrons had departed Attu looking for the American fleet. Neveda and her escorts reversed course and sailed into safety. Tactically it was an American success, but strategically the victory went to the Kokoans as their transports were safe and available to reinforce Aletian positions.
With the arrival of the Japanese carriers, Taiho, Chitose and Chiyoda in Solomon waters, Karasawa recalled the three carriers still stationed at Truk, finally reuniting the entire Kokoan carrier arm at Toumachi, now strong of four fleet carriers after the new Haitaka had been commissioned in late February. Intel reports suggested a possible American naval offensive along the western Hawaiian island chain, something corroborated by multiple sightings made by recon planes based at Midway, so Karasawa ordered the entire fleet to be deployed in early May. The Ameircans were indeed attempting a raid against Midway, thus on May 15th the Kokoan fleet, strong of the fleet carriers Umineko, Tanchozoru, Inuwashi, Haitaka and the light carriers Ahodori, Fukuro, Tobuio met the US fleet, composed by the carriers Essex, Yorktown, Intrepid, Wasp, Langley, Cabot and Bataan in the Battle of Laysan. Evenly matched, with four fleet and three light carriers each the fleets also spotted each other almost simultaneously. In all, the Americans launched four differend waves of planes, while the Kokoans launched five. When the battle ended, with both fleets retreating, the Kokoan fleet had suffered damage to most of the carriers and a few escort ships but the US Navy had suprisingly suffered more: the light carrier Bataan had been sunk, along the Battleship Pennsylvania, hit by two torpedoes during the first wave and finally overwhelmed by enemy planes during the fifth strike as she attempted to leave the battle zone. However, it was also true that the Kokoan carriers had suffered heavy casualties within their airwings, with the Haitaka losing as much as half of its pilots. Ultimately, if Laysan had been a Kokoan tactical success, it was also an American strategic victory. Despite a possible US offensive towards Midway had been delayed, it was also true that Koko temporarily lacked the strength to mount an immediate counterattack.
On the southern front, along the Solomon Islands, things were even more twisted. Between July 4th and July 13th the Japanese won three separate night engagements at Rice, Kula gulf and Kolombangara, sinking or heavily damaging six Allied ships and succesfully landing over 4.000 reiforcement troops at Vila. Fightings on land had been ongoing by nearly a year with casualties mounting on both sides. With no apparent end on sight, the Pacific War dragged on...

17. Turning tides (1944-1945)
Overall, however, things were starting to look dire for the Axis powers. In Europe Germans were on the defensive on the eastern fron against the Russians, Italy had been invaded and a second front had been opened one June 6th 1944 when the Allies had landed in Normandy. Thiaria had also suffered serious defeats in recent operations and forced to withdraw from Brazil. Recherche was gaining the upper hand against Maddelena as well.
Changes in the Pacific theatre began to move in a subtle way, when on august 6th the US navy annihilated a Japanese reinforcement fleet bound for Vila in the Battle of Vella gulf. A mere week later amphibious landings were made on the island of Vella Lavella and, another three days later on August 18th another Japanese reinforcement mission was twarthed in the Battle off Horaniu. New Georgia, was finally occupied on august 25 after nearly a year of bloody fights. To the north instead, the events took a disastrous path for Koko when the US fleet attempted another raid against Midway island on September 10th . Contrary to the previous confrontations that had ended in stalemates or even Kokoan tactical success, what will be known as the Second battle of Midway concluded with Koko no Kaigun suffering its worst defeat up to that point, losing two light carriers, a fleet carrier and a cruiser to basically no losses for the Americans. Koko had lost one third of its carrier force in a single battle, foprcing the fleet to temporarily relay on its surface units. The controversial sinking of the Battleshp Yashima, torpedoed by the US submarine Archerfish later the same month, created further shock and forced Admiral Karasawa to rethink Koko no Kaigun ASW methods and regroup its fleet to concentrate operations to northern waters alone while the carrier-arm got rebuilt, effectively leaving the IJN alone to deal with the joint US and Recerchean forces in the Solomon theatre.
The Allies took full chance of the situation, so that after a phyrric Japanese naval victory at Vella Lavella on October 6th the US war machine stomped all oppositions without issues; Vella fell on October 9th, Bouganville was invaded on november 1st and the IJN counterattacks twarthed through the battle of Empress Augusta Bay and the carrier raid on Rabaul. The night between november 25th and 26th also marked the end of the Tokyo Express reinforcements when a Japanese reinforcement formation was soundly defeated, effectively dooming all Japanese and Kokoan tropps still fighting in the Solomons to certain defeat.
The overall course of the war was looking even bleacher, Italy, on the verge of defeat, had signed an Armistice with the Allies on September 8th 1944, and Thiaria had descended into civil war in early October after internal tentions exacerbated to the breaking point, resulting in its ultimate surrender in late November of the same year. Maddelena, now without its main allies, and alone against Recherche in the Indian Ocean, had wisely followed suit, asking for a ceasefire the same month.
As 1945 dawned, both the USA and Recerche had no major wartime commitment in the south Atlantic or Indian Ocean, allowing them to shift much needed assets to fight Kokoan and Japanese forces in the Pacific Ocean. With Recerche and Australia taking command of land operations in New Guinea the US navy moved for its first major operation in three months by attacking Truk atoll, the largest Japanese and Kokoan naval base left in the Pacific that posed an actual treath to the Solomon Islands. Both the Kokoan and Japanese had seen such attack coming, retreating most all major surface units before the attack came on Febrary 17th and 18th, but the base functionality was wrecked anyway.
Because of the recent fortunes Admiral Karasawa found himself in a nasty impasse, facing growing losses by both submarine and air attacks every time a Kokoan ship ventured south in the vain attempt to evacuate Kokoan garrisons from the Solomon Islands or Rabaul. All despite by that point its fleet had managed to master anti-submarine warfare much better than the Japanese counterpart, yielding safe shipping lanes towards Midway, the Aleutians and Japan. It was clear that the disparity of power between Koko, Japan and the United states was growing so much that holding the grounds (or the seas in this case) was becoming harder each passing day despite every possible effort was being made. A confirmation of Karasawa's worries came in early May 1945, when the US restarted its aleutian offensive. On May 11th, during Naval the battle of Adak, and in the following weeks through multiple air raids Kokoan naval forces in the area were nearly decimated while the US navy suffered small to no losses, leading to an essentially unopposed landing of American troops on the island of Adak.
However, one thing became clear to both Karasawa and Toyoda (IJN new CiC after Koga was killed in a plane crash), The Aleutians and midway were not the main goal of the US offensive. American major pushes, coupled with simultaneous offensives made by Recerchean forces from the south, had both commanders convene that the Caroline Islands were to be the next offensive. They would open a path to the Philippines, effectively treathening the oil supply lines coming from the captured Dutch Indies, if those were to fell, Koko oil production alone wouldn't be enough to sustain the war machine. A convinction that was strengthened when Recerchean forces landed in Timor in early June.
However, when the US Navy started air raids against the Marianas both Toyoda and Karasawa were surprised, as they aexpected the attack to come further south against Palau or the Caroline island. The two admirals immediately deployed all ships available, with a planned rendevoux in the Philippines for June 16th for refuel. The americans proved to be one step ahead when the first troops landed at Saipan on June 15th, however, the Kokoan/Japanese counterattack was already in motion and the Combined Fleet under the command of Vice Admiral jisaburo Ozawa joined Koko no Kaigun units under Vice Admiral Jun Minasoko and headed for Saipan. Waiting for them was the US 5th fleet under Admiral Raymond Spruance and Vice Admiral Mark Mitscher Task Force 58 carrier force, plus an attached division of Recerchean units.
The two opposing fleets were the largest ever assembled at sea by that point, The Kokoan and Japanese fielded 10 fleet carriers, 6 light carriers, 20 battleships, 32 cruisers, 45 destroyers and 36 submarines. The 1.066 carrier-based planes were to be supported by about 1.200 land-based ones coming from all available airfields of the Marianas. The US and Recerche has assembled 15 fleet carriers, 7 light carriers, 13 battleships and battlecruisers, 24 cruisers, 68 destroyers and 28 submarines. At their disposal were 1.688 carrier-based planes. Both Japanese and Kokoans relied on the longer-range of their aircraft and on the newly introduced A7M Reppu fighters and B7A Ryusei dive/torpedo bombers, and for most of the first day June 19th 1945, their convinction and hopes seemed to be well reposted. Despite the incredibly efficent anti-aircraft fire and combat air patrol executed by the Americans, Ozawa maintained the upper hand by constantly hitting US carriers, which in return were not able to locate the Kokoan/Japanese fleet and retaliate. When night fell, 5 American carriers were burining and sinking, with another two damaged. It would have been the perfect outcome Ozawa and Minasoko had hoped for if US submarines had not ruined the party. Despite Kokoan Destroyers had depth-charged into oblivion an american submarine early in the day, another had managed to sneak-in, torpedoeing Unryu, Shokaku and Taiho, sinking the former two and slightly damaging the latter. June 20th started once again with repeated Kokoan and Japanese sorties, which claimed another two American carriers sunk and three damaged, but in the afternoon Spruance insistence in trying to find the enemy fleet prevailed when Ozawa and Minasoko force was finally spotted. In the fierce US counterattack Hiyo and the already damaged Taiho were sunk and another five carriers damaged to some extent. At that point both sides disengaged.
Despite achieving an almost overwhelming tactical victory -Japanese/Kokoan planes sunk twice the carriers the Americans did- the battle ultimately also resulted in an American strategic victory. Ozawa's Fleet lost 299 of its 1.066 aircrafts (plus 500 out of 1.200 land-based ones that also took part in the attacks). The American suffered 449 aircraft shot down and another 123 lost during nighttime landings on June 20th, out of 1.688. But what the Americans could do that the Japanese and Kokoans could not was quickly replace the pilots lost during the battle. What was also clear was that despite the new planes were on par with the American ones the new pilots were not. Finally, the Americans were also able to fill their losses much quicker than what both the Japanese and Kokoans could. The US navy was able to replace in service all three fleet carriers lost during the battle in just two months, and despite all opposition made, Saipan ultimately fell in early June. Worth of mention, a part of the US 5th fleet not engaged in the carrier battle was Task force 52, or Saipan invasion fleet. Attached to it it had a co-belligerent Thiarian squadron of 2 battleships, 6 cruisers and 16 destroyers that would later pay a bigger role in the war. In a certain sense, the Japanese and Kokoan victory in the Battle of the Philippine sea was leading to their defeat.
The failure to defend Saipan despite technically winning the battle, and the slow but steady advance of the American forces in the Aleutians that appeared unstoppable (Kiska was invaded in August), started to sap the already shaky resolve that the war could still be won, bot within the civilian population and Koko no Kaigun higher-ups. The opinions within the Army (Koko no rikugun) were more confused, while Kusako Morimoto, Koko's Prime Minister appeared even more fanatic than many Japanese.
September went by relatively calm, allowing both Japanese and Kokoan governments to discuss what course of action would be better to take against a war that was clarly going awry for the axis -the only real success that reap some real benefit since summer 1944 was that of the Germans winning the battle of the Bulge in December 1944, pushing the allies back in france- only to reach no compromise whatsoever. Then in early October The US navy started a series of violent air attacks against Formosa, the Ryukyu Islands and Midway, clearly showing that something important was to be expected in the short term. For Karasawa and Toyoda, the most likely objective were the Philippines, so defenses were strengthened and once again both Japanese and Kokoan fleets departed in preparation of Operation Sho-Go, the decisive battle of the war. Just as the two Admirals expected US troops landed in the island of Leyte, in the Philippine archipelago, on October 20th 1945. The Combined Fleet immediately departed Burnei after refueling under the orders of admirals Takeo Kurita and Jun Minasoko. That was to form the Center force of the attack that was to cross the Sibuyan Sea and the San bernandino strait to descend on Leyte from the north. Another squadron under Shoji Nishimura and Kiyohide Shima was to cross the Surigao Strait and attack from the south. A third group composed by Japanese and Kokoan carriers under the command of Jisaburo Ozawa had the task of dealing with the US carrier force.
Overall, split between the various formations Kokoan and Japanese fielded 10 fleet carriers, 5 light carriers, 3 seaplane tenders , 21 battleships, 39 cruisers, and 52 destroyers. Against them there were the combined forces of the USN, RAN, RRN and co-belligerent Thiaria strong of 13 fleet carriers, 4 light carriers, 16 escort carriers, 21 battleships, 33 cruisers and 74 destroyers and destroyer escorts. An overall force even larger than that was assembled four months earlier at Saipan.
For the first two days, October 23rd and 24th everything went fairly well for the Japanese and Kokoan forces, they successfully escaped a Submarine ambush in the Palawan passages and endured an entire day of air attacks in the Sibuyan Sea losing only the Battleship Kirishima in the process. More so, as Kurita feinted a retreat, Admiral Halsey, commander of the US formation, made a grave judgement error by leaving unguarded the San Bernardino Strait, sending its fleet northwards against the incoming formation led by Ozawa. During the night the Japanese southern force led by Nishimura ad Shima clashed with the southern US division under Admiral Oldendorf. While the Japanese side suffered greater damage and casualties that forced its retreat, Oldendorf fleet had been effectively put out of action as well, making it impossible for his ships to intervene when the next morning, October 25th Ozawa and Minasoko center force appeared off Samar wrecking havoc through the lighlty armed Escort carriers and Destroyers defending the landing beaches. The Kokoan/Japanese formation would have probably succeded in its task if not for the gallant, fierce, brave and near suicidal run that the Thiarian squadron did, despite being outnumbered and outgunned in all respects (the disparity in battleships was as high as 6 to 1). Yet against all odds they succeded, as despite earlier intel reports stated otherwise Kurita convinced himself that he was engaging the entire US force and ordered to retreat despite Minasoko prolonged protests. North, near Cape Engano, Ozawa had much worse fortunes, despite his initial attacks managed to cripple three american aircraft carriers his fleet was ultimately overwhelmed and destroyed by the American counterattack, losing half of his carriers and basically all aircrafts before being able to withdraw. The last act of the battle happened at night, already on October 26th, when a naval formation detatched by Halsey, led by Admiral Lee, ambushed a retreating, battered and low on morale Kokoan/Japanese fleet at the mouth of San Bernardino Strait. Almost caught by suprise the Kokoan/Japanese fleet scattered fighting messily, with only a few ships effectively returning fire. After an hour of battle the Japanese/Kokoan fleet managed to escape having lost three battleships and two heavy cruisers. Worse, many of the surviving ships were either sunk by air raids the next days or were so damaged that they were of little to no use. After four days of fighting the decisive battle for both the Japanese and Kokoans had ended into a crushing defeat despite a promising start and all the careful planning. Every fighting chance their surface units still had against the allied fleets was made useless by the sheer superiority in numbers the US navy could exploit in naval aviation. When finally, in early November 1945 Kokoan ships started returning to home ports it was a sad sight to behold. What reached port back in Koko was only a fraction of the naval power that had left only weeks before. Its mighty battleships and cruisers battered and in need for repairs. Its once proud carrier-arm effectively destroyed and now inoffensive.
At that point almost everyone realized, or confirmed himself what he already knew. The war was all but lost. But not over yet.

18. Uprising (1945-1946)
As soon as the first news of the Leyte disaster had reached the Navy Headquarters back in Toumachi Admiral Karasawa reunited the Naval Staff to discuss the situation. Nearly all convened that the war strategy had been compromised and, depending on the state of the fleet upon re-entry it could have been impossible to mount another effective naval operation against enemy forces. Meanwhile, despite Morimoto ordered to censor all news about the failure of Operation Sho-Go rumors managed to spread anyway as days passed, inducing fear among the population as the anti-war sentiment -almost non existant in 1941 thanks to Morimoto's propaganda- had now become predominant. The Cabinet gathered on november 1st to discuss the same matters adressed by the Army and the Navy just days before. Consensus was that if the Philippines were to fell, something that most believed would happen, Koko would have been the next objective for an American attack, as cutting oil supplies to Japan would have crippled its war machine. However, the cabinet was divided over the course of actions: Some fringes advocated the possibility of pulling the Country out of the war, others insisted on fighting aside Japan until the last man if needed. As Morimoto backed the interventist faction the gathering achieved nothing and Kokoan commitment to the war remained in place.
Wen Minasoko finally returned home on November 4th with what was left of the Navy, Karasawa traveled to Hoshiguma together with other members of the Naval Staff to asses the situation: Koko no Kaigun was in shambles, naval aviation ranks had been depleted, part of the fleet had been left behind in the Philippines and Borneo and was now blocked there. Of the five battleships that had came back one was effectively crippled and three of the other four needed some kind of repairs, sending them out alone without the possibility of providing air cover would have been all but suicidal. For Karasawa this was the last confirmation he needed to understand that Koko had no means whatsoever to oppose an American attack on its mainland. He then believed that the only wise solution would have been to sought an armistice with the United States before it was too late. The Admiral immediately called for a new Cabinet assembly to revise wartime strategies together with the armed forces higher-ups. Possibly sensing Karasawa's goals Morimoto called off the meeting amidst protests from part of the Cabinet and alerted his loyal KnR and IJA commanders. Knowing that the political situation was deteriorating Karasawa met privately Koko's Foreign minister Hikaru Arai. After this meeting Arai comunicated to the US Ambassador in Koko that the country was willing to open a negotiation table for an armistice.
Upon hearing this, Morimoto accused Arai and Karasawa of treason and ordered to his loyal troops to occupy the embassy and immediately arrest all Cabinet members, Navy and Army personnel that sympathised with the "traitors". He mobilized all IJA and KNR garrisons he had at his disposal to start fierce roundups. Morimoto's purge started on November 6th evening with loyal troops storming the diet building. Immediately, Karasawa called for all Navy personnel to rebel against Morimoto, defend the cabinet and secure all valuable insallations. Jouji Yoshinori, General of the Kokoan Army, ordered the same. It was estimated that 90% of the Naval staff and 75% of the enlisted personnel followed Karasawa's call. In the Army the defection rate was 70 and 50% respectively (this was obviously different for all Kokoan forces stranded around the Pacific Teathre which, with few exceptions, had little to no chance that side with the Japanese). That very same night, the battleship Amagi, anchored in Hoshiguma harbor under Admiral Minasoko's command opened fire and shelled the local IJA detachment buildings. Within a few days civilians had took the streets as well, mostly joining the "rebels" against Morimoto. Koko uprisings had started. For the first month-and-a-half, the situation was chaotic, rebel ships shelled loyalist military positions, while the troops confronted on ground and sabotages of all kind were common on both sides. KnR units still loyal to Morimoto and IJA troops resorted to their aviation forces to bomb the rebels as a measure to balance out the rebels naval superiority. As a matter of fact, despite Japan was extremely concerned of Koko uprisings, as it posed a threat to the oil supply lines, its forces were fully committed to resist the US invasion of the Philippines and Recerche landings on the Indonesian islands of Sumba, Lombok and Flores. More so, the IJN appeared to be somewhat unwilling to engage Koko no Kaigun in battle, as despite what the situation was there was still a great mutual respect between the two naval counterparts. The only engagement between the IJN and KNK during the entire Kokoan rebellion was the Naval battle off Kaminato when a bunch of IJN escort carriers flanking an IJA convoy engaged a Kokoan formation, fending them off.
As 1945 grew to a close the loyalists firmly held the norther islands of Shinjma, Fujiwara, Daigo and Tenji while the rebels had liberated Jummu, Chichibu, Ojin, Kimmei and the western half of Koko island. The rest of the archipelago was still a war zone. Especially, times were hard for unsided civilians, which often fell victims of hard crackdowns in lolalist-held territories as Morimoto's troops attempted to eradicate all guerilla and resistance pockets. Worse, loyalists started to roundup western personnel and civilians indiscriminately. There were still roughly 11.000 of them living in Kokoan islands when the war started in 1941, with most not employed in diplomatic duties being already interned for security reasons, so it was even easier for the loyalists to get them. Around 3.000 were summarily executed by the time the uprisings ended, by far the worst war crime committed by Kokoan military -even if the IJA was involved as well- through the entire war. Amidst this chaos, the rebels still managed to extract part of the US Embassy personnel from Toumachi and trasfer them to Hoshiguma. Here, under the supervision of FM Arai, a channel was opened to the US government, asking to open a table to discuss armistice conditions for Koko. The rebels declared Morimoto's government to be illegittimate. US troops occupied both Attu and Midway Islands with little to no reistance by mid-January 1946, exploiting them immediately to launch bombardment raids against Kokoan harbors. Those targeted to the north, like Mizushimo and Shirominato were in the hands of the loyalists, but some of those targeted to the south, like Mitsuminato, were under rebel control by that point, causing a short-lived cooldown in the newborn diplomatic relationships between the US and the rebel forces led by Arai and Karasawa. Slowly, the fierce resistance -and accompaining brutalities- put up by the loyalists started to wane. When Toumachi was liberated on February 24th, with Morimoto fleeing north to Fuyuki with most of his personal guard, it became clear that the rebels were gaining the upper hand.
At this point the uprisings saw the sudden and unexpected involvement of the Soviet Union, which broke its non-aggression pact with Koko. The northern islands were the only territories still firmly in loyalist hands despite all US bombardments made, and they were those that encompassed most of the country oil deposits. Moscow hoped to get its hands on them under the excuse that they were helping in liberating the country. On February 28th the Russian Pacific fleet (which had nothing more than the cruiser Kalinin and 13 destroyers in its inventory anyway), started shelling Shirominato while a small fleet of transports departed Petropavlovsk carrying troops for the invasion. The Soviet move was seen as an outragious betrayal by almost everyone, as the Kokoans had always strongly distrusted the Russians ever since the Nikolayevsk incident. Karasawa himself was reportedly to be completely furious at the Soviet move, as he immediately deployed Amagi, escorted by two light cruisers and eight destroyers, treathening to sink the Soviet ships one by one if necessary. The crisis nearly escalated into actual conflict until the Soviets suddenly withdrew the fleet on March 5th, partly because of pressures from the other Allies and partly because they feared that Kalinin wouldn't have stood a chance against Amagi.
As soon as the crisis with the Soviets was resolved, Amagi descended south as the rebels launched their final offensive against Morimoto's forces, which were still barricaded in the city of Fuyuki. After an entire week of fightings resistance was broken, and Morimoto committed suicide to avoid capture. Battered and without their leader, all loyalist troops and surviving IJA garrisons ceased hostilities on March 16th. The armistice between Koko and the Allies was officially signed on March 22nd 1946.

19. End of the war and full independence (1946-1947)
While Koko uprisings raged, the Allies had managed to broke both Japanese and German resistance back in europe. In the Old Continent both Soviets and American troops were on their way to Berlin, while in the Pacific Japan had been completely cut off from its occupation forces in Indonesia and Indochina. Whith almost no successful reincorcements reaching Japan in the last month. Iwo Jima had fallen as well, and now that oil supplies from Koko were cut off as well Japan was suddenly starving and unable to fuel most of its forces.
Koko itself was occupied by nearly 560.000 American troops while a temporary government was inaugurated in Hoshiguma with Hikaru Arai as Prime Minister, which immediately declared war on Japan under the conditions of the armistice. All armed forces were temporarily demilitarized, planes grounded and warships interned either in Kokoan ports or at Midway. The only exceptions were three field Armies (for a total of 240.000 troops) Tasked to public orders duties and drive out any possible pocket of loyalist and IJA fanatics that might have still refused to surrender. Koko no Kaigun was allowed to retain an operational force of one Battelship (Amagi), one light cruiser and eight destroyers that had to respond to direct US orders. This particular naval formation joined the Thiarian co-belligerent squadron as part of the US 5th fleet during the invasion of Okinawa. While the Battle of Okinawa was being fought the war in Europe ended after Hitler's suicide and Germany's surrender. Only Japan was still fighting, but this all ended after the drop of the Atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. On September 2nd 1946 the war was finally over, tolling on Koko nearly 3 million casualties, over 400.000 of them civilians, the latter basically all during the uprisings.
The official peace treaty was signed on May 3rd 1947. Under the terms Koko had to surrender, disarm or decommission, its entire fleet with the exception of a few units: One battleship (mostly for flagship and training duties), two cruisers, ten destroyers and four submarines. In addition to them one aircraft carrier could be kept to support repatriation duties and then decommissioned at the end of its tasks. Another 50 small units, subchasers, minelayers and minesweepers, could also be retained to clear all wartime laid mines in the Kokoan archipelago, Midway Atoll and the Aleutians. Koko no Kaigun itself was also reorganized and renamed Koko Kaijou. The Army kept its name altough its ranks were reduced. Finally, both civil and military aviation were banned, the ban to last until 1949 for the first and indefinitely for the second. Admiral Kensuke Kaneda, Commander in Chief of Koko no Kaigun during the 30's and the first year of the war was prosecuted for starting a war of aggression and ultimately sentenced to life inprisonment (he died in prison in 1958, aged 84). Genzaburo Karasawa, Kaneda's successor, emerged instead as the highest-ranking Axis officer to not being prosecuted for his wartime commitments, and became himself the Commander in Chief of Koko Kaijou until his retirement in 1966. Admiral Jun Minasoko retired from the Navy in 1947. Foreign Minister Hikaru Arai won, in 1948, the first free-elections held in sixteen years, and led the country for two consecutive terms.

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My Worklist
Sources and documentations are the most welcome.

-Koko Kyouwakoku (Republic of Koko)
-Koko's carrier-based aircrafts of WWII
-Koko Kaiun Yuso Kaisha - KoKaYu Line (Koko AU spinoff)
-Koko - Civil Aviation


Last edited by BB1987 on September 1st, 2017, 7:51 pm, edited 4 times in total.

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BB1987
Post subject: Re: Koko Kyouwakoku (Republic of Koko)Posted: August 13th, 2017, 9:55 pm
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History - Part 4 (1947-present?):


20.Into the cold war (1947-1953)
(placeholder)

_________________
My Worklist
Sources and documentations are the most welcome.

-Koko Kyouwakoku (Republic of Koko)
-Koko's carrier-based aircrafts of WWII
-Koko Kaiun Yuso Kaisha - KoKaYu Line (Koko AU spinoff)
-Koko - Civil Aviation


Last edited by BB1987 on August 13th, 2017, 9:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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BB1987
Post subject: Re: Koko Kyouwakoku (Republic of Koko)Posted: August 13th, 2017, 9:56 pm
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Joined: May 23rd, 2012, 1:01 pm
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Finally managed to wrap up kokoan history up to the end of WWII. I planned to make only three entries, but the WWII part was 5.000 characters over what the forum allowed, so I had to split them.
History is linked in the first post as well.

This message also actes as an extra palceholder in case the postwar history becomes too long to fit in a single post.

_________________
My Worklist
Sources and documentations are the most welcome.

-Koko Kyouwakoku (Republic of Koko)
-Koko's carrier-based aircrafts of WWII
-Koko Kaiun Yuso Kaisha - KoKaYu Line (Koko AU spinoff)
-Koko - Civil Aviation


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