Nihon Silk

After observing German successes in early 1940 with parachute drops, the warriors of Nihon (Japan) ignited their own airborne program, as did the USA, Britain, Italy and the USSR. In keeping with their traditional rivalry, the Imperial Japanese Navy and Imperial Japanese Army competed against each other with equivalent paratroop formations. The naval paratroopers were officially part of the Special Naval Landing Forces (SNLF or Rikusentai), established in 1941. They came from the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Yokosuka SNLFs, and fell under the operational control of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service. Conversely, the Army's program, under the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (IJAAF) called the Teishin Shudan, developed their airborne paratroop force in the late 1930s, but the program received renewed interest in 1940. They augmented their capabilities with the 1st Glider Tank Troop in 1943. Together, the two Japanese paratroop forces suffered disproportionately high casualties, and the loss of men who required such extensive and expensive training limited their operations to only the most critical ones. For the most part, the Rikusentai and Teishan Shudan were deployed as elite light infantry. The lightly armed parachute units were intended to assault coastal areas, support amphibious landings or seize enemy airfields and other strategic objectives. They were not meant to become entangled in heavy, pitched land battles. However, their operational use would prove to be contrary to this doctrine. The action in Nihon Silk takes players from early 1942 through late summer of 1945, as numerous Allied nations tackle the Japanese paratroopers. And for you tank aficionados, we've included the battle of San Manuel in the Philippines in 1945. This supplement also adds 165 fabulous new playing pieces and markers to your Panzer Grenadier fun! That's right - Dutch troops and tankettes, Japanese tanks and other armored vehicles, airfield and oil refinery markers, and even an Australian Brigadier (in shorts, of course)!