June 22, 1941 : Japan Joins In Operation Barbarossa !

[Arizona Ranger]

WI Japan had decided to join with Germany in attacking the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941 ? Would they fare better or worse by intervening ? Would the Siberian Units be a factor in a Axis Victory or Defeat ?

One point is that Japan was perfectly willing to use various Ehtnic Minorities and Anti-Communist White Russian exiles to administrate the captured territory and provide intelligence. The Nazi's with their Racial Attitudes refused the use the valuable Ukranian and other Stalin Hating Minorities...

Could the Soviet Union manage to hold off both the might of Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany or would we be looking at a dismembered Russia sprinkled with a few Pro Axis vassal states ?

Would the UK & US help Russia or just sit back and watch three Major Enemies beat their brains out ?

How would this affect the War in China ? Would Chiang ally himself with a Communist Tyrant ot slug it out alone ?

 

[Bulldawg85]

Well

They probably would have done well, but only if they had waited until after the Russians had redeployed some troops westward. They had tussled with the Russians in the late 1930's and had their heads handed to them by Zhukov.

 

[Arizona Ranger]

They probably would have done well, but only if they had waited until after the Russians had redeployed some troops westward. They had tussled with the Russians in the late 1930's and had their heads handed to them by Zhukov.

Yeah, the SECOND RUSSO - JAPANESE WAR Scenario in the book Rising Sun Victorious plays out that area. The Japs build up their forces as the Russians are forced to strip the Far East Frontier to send forces to the West. Then Yamashita launches his attack and meets with success....A major factor in this plot is Richard Sorge is captured earlier and offered a way out with his life if he delivers false messages to his Soviet Superiors...

Also how would the Japs fare against Russian T-34's if they were brought into action against their Lighter Tanks ?

 

[Max Sinister]

Hmmm, Ranger did not exactly specify whether the Japanese also attacked Pearl harbor and so on or not. But since there's Roosevelt's embargo against Japan, they're in difficulties: They won't get any oil, and they won't find it in Siberia either. (That was AFAIK the reason why they decided to attck south.)
Zhukov will be occupied in the West, so they won't have to face him, though. Of course, once their army stops lacking oil, that doesn't matter either. But Hitler can do more damage in the West... maybe if Japan starts its attack with a delay, let's say in October, when the time for Russia is most critical? Then Hitler could take Moscow... but even then the Japanese can't rely that they can meet the Germans in Siberia...

 

[Bulldawg85]

Badly

Probably would have fared pretty badly. It would have given the Japanese some impetus to upgrade their armor. But it would be interesting to see how Vladivostok would go against banzai tactics. Wouldn't have been difficult to cut off the Trans Siberian railway.

 

[zoomar]

I agree with Max.

For this to work, Japan would have to be willing to negotiate some pretty humiliating about-faces in China to mend fences significantly enough with the USA to end the oil embargo. Of course, once they formally entered "The European War" and turned it into a USA-less "World War 2", I don't see how they avoid eventually attacking in the south to get the British out of SE asia, very possibly inviting a resumption of the US oil embargo.

Plus, I really wonder what real advantages a Japanese army attempting to attack in Siberia would give the axis. Japanese tanks stunk and the Russians could ship all their old stuff east and still stop them. Japanese performance in the Manchurian Incident was not particularly good. Japanese strengths lay in its modern navy, torpedos, and naval aviation. A war with the USSR would not use the advantages they really had and not substantially help the Germans. A better option would be to focus on the Indian ocean, perhaps including an invasion of India thru Vichy Indochina (sorry Thailand) and carrier group actions against Allied shipping in and forces in east africa and the Persion gulf.
All of this would also risk US entry into the war.