August Storm: the Soviet-Japanese War, 1945

August Storm a game for two or more players that simulate the campaign of 1945 in Manchuria, Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands, with the possibility of extending operations to Hokkaido. The 16th Soviet Army, after invading the southern half of Sakhalin Island, had orders to be prepared, within 10 to 14 days, to invade Hokkaido. This game follows the theory proposed by Japanese historian Tsuyoshi Hasegawa, who wrote that it was the Soviet declaration of war, and not the atomic bomb, what finally led the Japanese to surrender. August Storm plays with the what-if possibility that the Japanese government delayed for a few weeks the decision to surrender because the military believed that they could successfully defend the Kuril and Hokkaido with the resources at hand, and because the Soviets lacked the experience and equipment needed for launching such a complex operation as an amphibious landing. In fact, the dismal performance of the Soviet amphibious attack against Shumshu Island seemed to confirm the idea that they could resist a Soviet amphibious invasion. First published with Command Magazine Japan #142 in August 2018.