In mid October 1941 British spies in Tokyo report that Japan bolstered by the thought of the imminent fall of Moscow and general collapse in Russian morale is about to seize assets of the British Empire. Also they have found that Germany is sharing its advanced technology with Japan on the basis that Japan first acts against British and Dutch interests. The first strike on the  Malaysian peninsula is imminent. The attack is expected to take the form of amphibious landings and a land campaign toward Singapore and the DEI and later towards India. Britain prepares to take on Japan to protect her interests in the region. 

At this stage little thought is given to the growing area of naval aviation by both the British and the Japanese in terms of a mobile conflict and the expected short lived conflict is likely to be decided by surface to surface combatants. Britain deploys two of its newest battleships and a modernised battlecruiser to defend the peninsula along with supporting assets, though the CV are depatched late from Convoy duties in the Atlantic. Despite asking America for assistance, America decides on a vigourous policy of neutrality, especially as Germany is passively now supporting the development of the Japanese war machine. America, whose Air Force is still modernising is not wishing to enter into an immediate conflict with Japan even by accident therefore withdraws its principal forces to Manila and Pearl Harbour. In late November,however, it sends some further reinforcement to the Philippines. Some of these units are still in transit as the war opens. Whilst hoping for a conflict to be avoided for a couple of years America orders the rapid advancement of the proposed expansion of the Carrier fleet against the coming conflict expected perhaps in 1943 or 44...

The Allies also fail though to break the code that plans for an attack on both.

Japan is not quite ready for war but the opportunity and overwhelming temptation to carve up the British Empire, with the support of German technology, leads the Empire of Japan to war. They still have many obsolete planes and the new more modern types are only just starting to be hurriedly produced. They still place their faith in surface units to support the campaign against Malaya and the British Empire but at the same time risk their most modern aircraft towards the risky strike against America at Pearl Harbour inspired by the attack on Toronto Harbour by the British.Both attacks are to open at the same time. 

Japan feels that with the collapse of the British Empire and the Dutch East Indies, that America is likely to sue for peace after its wounding and allow the Japanese to occupy the vacuum left by the formal colonial powers in the new super area of co-prosperity. 

Japan will become the Empire of the Pacific.

The stage is set.

V1.1 August 2020

Original RA Scenario Designers: Stanislav Bartoshevitch (FatR), Michael Benoit (NY59Giants), John R. Cochran, III (John 3rd), Juan Gomez (JuanG), Ben Kloosterman (BK), John (JWE), EJ (SuluSea) and John Young (Red Lancer) 
