Narses2's Blog - or what I'm slowly making progress on

[NARSES2]

Well the Ik-2 has got to the stage where she can get a coat of Klear and I can then move on to the transfers which I think is my favourite part of the build process. Brings a model to life I feel.

The Tamiya Thunderbolt is now a series of sub-assemblies and all I can say is "Wow". Every time I do something on this kit I just feel like chanting "I'm not worthy"  Fit is just incredible 

[NARSES2]

Progress

The IK-2 has had her transfers affixed and there were relatively few, so it wasn't a long job. When they were being camouflaged in 1940 they obviously painted over most of the markings the natural metal ones wore. The Fromm/Azure markings behaved very well.

The Mohawk has had her I.D. markings painted and masked up, and work has started on the undersides. If transfer application is my favourite part of the business then masking is my least.

I've continued my battle with Tamiya paints on the Ki-102 by attempting to paint the upper surfaces after masking off the lower. I nearly gave up at one point and was ready to give what I'd done a couple of coats of Klear and break out the Xtracolour. That's how desperate I got. But I was always told perseverance was a virtue, so ..........

Done some detail painting on the Thunderbolt and dug out the markings and weapons load I want. In the process of which I found a couple of kits I'd forgotten all about 

[NARSES2]

Slow progress, but working on the P-47 got me musing on Seversky/Republic and I had a peek at the MPM XP-47 H I have, immediately put it back  , and then their P-35A. On opening the box I discovered a note I'd put in there when I bought it I presume which simply said :-

"P-35A USAAF Mexican Front, early 1942 with two Mexican Bf 109 D kills"

So brain suddenly remembered a scenario I had in mind which was a Fascist Mexico taking advantage of Pearl harbour and in early 1942 launching an attack into the S.W. U.S.A. whilst the U.S. is occupied elsewhere ? A P-35 with a hastily applied desert camouflage ?

[DogfighterZen]

Mexico attacking the U.S. in early 1942 sounds like a very interesting scenario...  
You say Bf 109s but it got me thinking of a secret Japanese/Mexican alliance that had Mexican forces equipped with Japanese material. Imagine that Japan wanted to go further than just destroy the Pacific fleet and decided to invade Hawaii as a first stage of a U.S. mainland invasion... create a distraction in the mainland for them to be able to have more time to consolidate their foothold in Hawaii before the U.S. could concentrate on retaking the islands? This would enable them to get their forces ready for the mainland invasion using Hawaii as a stepping stone... send some Zero/Oscar/Tojo fighters and some bomber types to Mexico prior to the Pearl Harbor attack to give them a stronger hand in the fight and then attack the U.S. West coast while Mexican forces attacked from the south.
This would be a very different strategy, concentrating on invading the U.S. mainland would probably cut off the rest of the pacific U.S. forces spread around the islands. I see it as going for the head instead of the knees...

[scooter]

Slow progress, but working on the P-47 got me musing on Seversky/Republic and I had a peek at the MPM XP-47 H I have, immediately put it back  , and then their P-35A. On opening the box I discovered a note I'd put in there when I bought it I presume which simply said :-

"P-35A USAAF Mexican Front, early 1942 with two Mexican Bf 109 D kills"

So brain suddenly remembered a scenario I had in mind which was a Fascist Mexico taking advantage of Pearl harbour and in early 1942 launching an attack into the S.W. U.S.A. whilst the U.S. is occupied elsewhere ? A P-35 with a hastily applied desert camouflage ?

A second Zimmerman Note from von Ribbentrop to the German ambassador to Mexico sometime between 18 April (the extension of the Pan American Security Zone) and December 11, 1941 (the German Declaration of War) perhaps?

[NARSES2]

A second Zimmerman Note from von Ribbentrop to the German ambassador to Mexico sometime between 18 April (the extension of the Pan American Security Zone) and December 11, 1941 (the German Declaration of War) perhaps?

Oh yes Scoot'. I should of remembered Herr Zimmerman as we covered it in my O Level History syllabus. Mind you it was 52 years ago 

[NARSES2]

Mexico attacking the U.S. in early 1942 sounds like a very interesting scenario...  
You say Bf 109s but it got me thinking of a secret Japanese/Mexican alliance that had Mexican forces equipped with Japanese material. Imagine that Japan wanted to go further than just destroy the Pacific fleet and decided to invade Hawaii as a first stage of a U.S. mainland invasion... create a distraction in the mainland for them to be able to have more time to consolidate their foothold in Hawaii before the U.S. could concentrate on retaking the islands? This would enable them to get their forces ready for the mainland invasion using Hawaii as a stepping stone... send some Zero/Oscar/Tojo fighters and some bomber types to Mexico prior to the Pearl Harbor attack to give them a stronger hand in the fight and then attack the U.S. West coast while Mexican forces attacked from the south.
This would be a very different strategy, concentrating on invading the U.S. mainland would probably cut off the rest of the pacific U.S. forces spread around the islands. I see it as going for the head instead of the knees...

Interesting. Although the Japanese in the real world weren't really into alliances post 1919. They were never really active in co-operating with other countries unless they were in total control . But this of course is Whif World 

[NARSES2]

Thought I'd just mention that all my old Photobucket photos going back to the year dot have re-appeared. I've been having some correspondence with them over the deal I had with the "original" company which rather strangely had been renewed earlier in the year even though the current company doesn't offer that deal ?

Anyway to cut a long story short they offered me one of their current packages at a fairly hefty discount and I accepted  Gives me a year to decide if I want to continue with them or move on. I've a lot of other stuff on there as well as my model photographs. In all honesty I'm quite happy with their current deals anyway so will probably stick with them. The only possible problem of course is the way they seem to be constantly changing their deals and packages, but that's not confined just to them.

Anyway thought I'd mention it in case anyone wondered why long gone photos had suddenly reappeared.

[DogfighterZen]

Mexico attacking the U.S. in early 1942 sounds like a very interesting scenario...  
You say Bf 109s but it got me thinking of a secret Japanese/Mexican alliance that had Mexican forces equipped with Japanese material. Imagine that Japan wanted to go further than just destroy the Pacific fleet and decided to invade Hawaii as a first stage of a U.S. mainland invasion... create a distraction in the mainland for them to be able to have more time to consolidate their foothold in Hawaii before the U.S. could concentrate on retaking the islands? This would enable them to get their forces ready for the mainland invasion using Hawaii as a stepping stone... send some Zero/Oscar/Tojo fighters and some bomber types to Mexico prior to the Pearl Harbor attack to give them a stronger hand in the fight and then attack the U.S. West coast while Mexican forces attacked from the south.
This would be a very different strategy, concentrating on invading the U.S. mainland would probably cut off the rest of the pacific U.S. forces spread around the islands. I see it as going for the head instead of the knees...

Interesting. Although the Japanese in the real world weren't really into alliances post 1919. They were never really active in co-operating with other countries unless they were in total control . But this of course is Whif World 

Oh yeah, we are free men in the whif world, brother!!
I understand that they weren't into alliances at the time but they did become part of the Axis so, i think it wouldn't be such a far fetched idea, would it?
If they really wanted to totally eliminate the U.S. opposition before moving on to all of the countries they actually did invade back then, i believe they could've given the U.S. quite a blow if they moved quickly as the American forces were not very prepared for such a conflict in early 1942.

[NARSES2]

I understand that they weren't into alliances at the time but they did become part of the Axis so, i think it wouldn't be such a far fetched idea, would it?

It's certainly not far fetched as a scenario in which to build models that's for sure, but the Axis wasn't really an alliance in the way that we understand the Allies one to be. It was at best informal, and indeed even then Japan didn't really regard themselves as part of it. There was no coordination of planning between the European members, let alone between Japan and the Europeans. In Europe the members of the Axis did what the German's told them to do, and somewhat reluctantly at that in some cases. The alternative was to face being occupied by the Germans. The German's would have loved the Japanese to attack the Soviets, but after Khalkhin Gol the Japanese were having none of it. Indeed they went out of their way to make sure the Soviets were aware of that. That's why they were able to concentrate against the German front. When things started to get desperate in 1945 then there were some "mutterings" of possible exchange of ideas and equipment, but by then it was all to late and anyway what little had happened earlier had been done on commercial terms. There was no equivalent of Lend-Lease.

Axis is a term that has come to be used to describe the Allies "opposition" in WWII simply because it's easier than spelling them out individually when describing the broad picture.

As an aside the Japanese felt they had been poorly treated at Versailles in 1919 when as an active member of the Allies *, or at least the Anglo-Japanese Naval Alliance they felt they hadn't got their fair share of the spoils. That put them off alliances and even "understandings".

* Japanese destroyers had served in the Med as well as their engagements in the Pacific.

[Rheged]

Chris, that summary is one any historian would be proud of !

[DogfighterZen]

Chris, that summary is one any historian would be proud of !

Sure is! 
I can say i've learned something new today, thanks to that explanation, Chris! I now understand what you meant, and i agree.
Anyway, like you also said, my idea is good enough for whiffing so, i may have a go at it someday.

[zenrat]

I understand that they weren't into alliances at the time but they did become part of the Axis so, i think it wouldn't be such a far fetched idea, would it?

It's certainly not far fetched as a scenario in which to build models that's for sure, but the Axis wasn't really an alliance in the way that we understand the Allies one to be. It was at best informal, and indeed even then Japan didn't really regard themselves as part of it. There was no coordination of planning between the European members, let alone between Japan and the Europeans. In Europe the members of the Axis did what the German's told them to do, and somewhat reluctantly at that in some cases. The alternative was to face being occupied by the Germans. The German's would have loved the Japanese to attack the Soviets, but after Khalkhin Gol the Japanese were having none of it. Indeed they went out of their way to make sure the Soviets were aware of that. That's why they were able to concentrate against the German front. When things started to get desperate in 1945 then there were some "mutterings" of possible exchange of ideas and equipment, but by then it was all to late and anyway what little had happened earlier had been done on commercial terms. There was no equivalent of Lend-Lease.

Axis is a term that has come to be used to describe the Allies "opposition" in WWII simply because it's easier than spelling them out individually when describing the broad picture.

As an aside the Japanese felt they had been poorly treated at Versailles in 1919 when as an active member of the Allies *, or at least the Anglo-Japanese Naval Alliance they felt they hadn't got their fair share of the spoils. That put them off alliances and even "understandings".

* Japanese destroyers had served in the Med as well as their engagements in the Pacific.

I've pondered a Japan simultaneously invaded by the Soviet Union, US and Commonwealth forces resulting in a divided Japan and Tokyo similar to East Germany and Berlin in OTL.

[NARSES2]

Firstly thank you gentlemen

Secondly

I've pondered a Japan simultaneously invaded by the Soviet Union, US and Commonwealth forces resulting in a divided Japan and Tokyo similar to East Germany and Berlin in OTL.

That's not as far fetched as you might think. There is some mention in a couple of books by well respected historians of possible Soviet involvement in any necessary invasion of Japan. Initially the U.S. had seen the Pacific War as their "domain", at least in the primary theatres of war, however losses sustained in the island hopping campaign, particularly Iwo Jima, and the appearance of organised, rather than spontaneous, kamikaze attacks had made them think again. It's highly likely that Commonwealth forces would have been involved in any invasion, initially not in great numbers, but who knows subsequently ?  The Soviets might have been asked to invade some of the northern home islands, but whether they would have or not is another matter. Their attack into Japanese occupied Northern China (Manchukuo) suited their aims perfectly and also left them in control of North Korea.

Anyway the Atomic bomb avoided the necessity for such a costly invasion. Subsequent U.S./Soviet relations meant that a lot of the initial planning for any such request by the U.S. was quietly forgotten and buried within the archives. Well that's the opinion I've read a couple of times anyway.

[zenrat]

Mrs z's uncle was in the RAN post war and his ship visited Japan.  He was arrested by US MPs for fraternising with a local woman the night before it was due to sail.
His crime was to help to her feet a girl who had stumbled and fallen coming down a flight of stairs.  His captain had to intercede to get charges dropped and him released in time to depart.