A concentration of world fleets against Japan is viable only if it can be sustained through a long chain of bases and merchant vessels. Trade shipping would have to be requisitioned and some merchant ships converted into fleet refuellers before the coalition could move in strength. The proposed route gathers at Singapore, advances to Manila, and then aims to retake Shanghai with naval support and ground forces. The resulting army would mix US Marines, British troops, Italians, Germans, and the French Foreign Legion. Moving and commanding that force would matter as much as its numerical strength.
Chapter · 19:17-20:16
Supplying a drive toward Shanghai
A coalition advance through Singapore and Manila toward Shanghai depends on merchant shipping, fuel conversion, and an unwieldy multinational force.