The Pacific Ocean theater of World War II was a major theater of the Pacific War, the war between the Allies and the Empire of Japan. It was defined by the Allied powers' Pacific Ocean Area command, which included most of the Pacific Ocean and its islands, while mainland Asia was excluded, as were the Philippines, the Dutch East Indies, Borneo, Australia, most of the Territory of New Guinea, and the western part of the Solomon Islands.
It officially came into existence on March 30, 1942, when US Admiral Chester Nimitz was appointed Supreme Allied Commander Pacific Ocean Areas. In the other major theater in the Pacific region, known as the South West Pacific theatre, Allied forces were commanded by US General Douglas MacArthur. Both Nimitz and MacArthur were overseen by the US Joint Chiefs and the
Western Allies Combined Chiefs of Staff (CCoS).
Most Japanese forces in the theater were part of the Combined Fleet (Rengō Kantai) of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), which was responsible for all Japanese warships, naval aircraft, and marine infantry units. The Rengō Kantai was led by Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, until he was killed in an attack by U.S. fighter planes in April 1943.
Yamamoto was succeeded by Admiral Mineichi Koga (1943–44) and Admiral Soemu Toyoda (1944–45). The General Staff (Sanbō Honbu) of the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) was responsible for Imperial Japanese Army ground and air units in Southeast Asia and the South Pacific. The IJN and IJA did not formally use joint/combined staff at the operational level, and their command structures/geographical areas of operations overlapped with each other and those of the Allies.
In the Pacific Ocean theater, Japanese forces fought primarily against the United States Navy, the U.S. Army, which had 6 Corps and 21 Divisions, and the U.S. Marine Corps, which had only 6 Divisions. The United Kingdom (British Pacific Fleet), New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and other Allied nations, also contributed forces.
The Pacific Theatre fanmade expansion expands on the already epic Tide of Iron (“TOI”) game experience by adding new American and Japanese units and vehicles, new terrain features (beaches, jungles and dense jungles), new scenarios, and more.
All of these new components can be used to play the included scenarios, as well as future scenarios, both official and playermade, which will be available online at ww.commandsandcolors.net/tideofiron .
Detailed descriptions of these new components, as well as how they are used, are included on the following pages.
COMPONENTS
• Rulebook and Scenario Guide
• Japanese Units details
• Japanese Initiative Card
• Japanese Control Markers
• Japanese Concealed Squad Markers
• Japanese Command Objectives (various values)
• Japanese Victory Point Token
• American New Units details
• Updated Unit Reference Sheets
• 15 Pacific Island/Sea Map Boards (double sided)
• 20 Map Overlay Tiles (specific for sea/island/
tropical jungle terrains)
• New Strategy Cards (Decks)
– 1 Japanese Imperial Army Deck
– 1 USA Marine Corps Deck
• New Operations Cards
COMPONENT OVERVIEW
Below you will find illustrations and brief descriptions of all the components found in this expansion.
Japanese Plastic Figures
These detailed plastic figures represent the Japanese military personnel and vehicles that Tide of Iron players can command.
You can use German figures as replacements.
Unit Reference Sheets
These sheets provide players with the combat values and special abilities for each of the new plastic units.
Japanese Tokens
A variety of Japanese tokens are provided. These include Japanese control markers, concealed squad markers, command objective markers, transport markers, offboard indicator tokens, and a victory point token. These tokens function exactly as their American and German counterparts.
Pacific Theatre Map Boards
These fifteen thick, doublesided map boards are used to build the game board for each Tail of the Dragon scenario. Rules governing new terrain features can be found on next pages.
Map Overlay Tiles
New map overlay tiles are provided for use in the Tail of the Dragon scenarios. These overlays include Jungle Tropical Forest (both sparse and dense). As with the overlay tiles provided in the main game, these new overlays are placed on top of the map boards, adding to or altering their terrain features.
Fortification and Obstacle Tokens
New entrenchment/pillbox tokens and tank trap/barbed wire tokens are included for aesthetically appropriate use on the beach map boards. These obstacles function the same as their nonbeach counterparts.
Specialization Tokens
Tail of the Dragon introduces one new type of specialization token, the Devil Dog unit.
Strategy Cards
Two new decks of Strategy cards are included in this expansion.
These Strategy cards are used in the new scenarios and can be used in playercreated scenarios, adding a wide range of new benefits and abilities to Tide of Iron.
Operations Cards
The new Operations cards provide a variety of rules to their assigned scenarios, mostly pertaining to the Pacific theater of war.
Japanese Initiative Card
The Japanese initiative card functions exactly the same as its American and German counterparts.
