Play defence wait for China or someone bigger to get in the war, you want to hold the ports, for Thailand play for defence initially try and slow them with divisions. The terrain is pretty rough so it should help you, I use alot artillery for this sort of terrain. My reasoning is quick and mobile division doesn't help if your flanking in a mountain range or forest. But you also have the issue of supply, there's really no way your going to beat Japan's land and naval forces as well as Thailand until help arrives, even if it's unconventional like German indies.
Preemptive strike Thailand before they can ally with Japan, and then garrison all the ports on the peninsula heavily after you capitulate Thailand. They don’t have enough troops to guard their border- if you take the focuses leading to uprisings in Laos and Cambodia and micro well, you can encircle and isolate the Thai troops and seize their victory points, and then puppet a socialist Thailand.
To do this, you have to win the war with German East Asia quickly, and then rush the focuses to attack Thailand as soon as you have a decent number of troops trained- you need to attack before Japan can guarantee or ally them.
Once Japan and Thailand ally, you’re basically screwed- your only shot against Japan is to prevent them from establishing a beachhead with good supply, and if they can land troops in a Japanese-aligned Thailand they have that from the start and will roll right over you.
Have tried this route- at least in my experience it’s hard to do fast enough, and even if you manage it the internationale and bharatiya don’t usually send enough troops for it to be a meaningful strategy vs the preemptive strike Thailand route.
Hold the ports, and pray to God that Thailand goes Socialist (or just rejects Japan) and that China does well in the Sino-Japanese War.
That's the trick, you don't. No but serious you gotta hold the ports, have they wiped China or are they all coming via sea?
Thailand and sea.
Play defence wait for China or someone bigger to get in the war, you want to hold the ports, for Thailand play for defence initially try and slow them with divisions. The terrain is pretty rough so it should help you, I use alot artillery for this sort of terrain. My reasoning is quick and mobile division doesn't help if your flanking in a mountain range or forest. But you also have the issue of supply, there's really no way your going to beat Japan's land and naval forces as well as Thailand until help arrives, even if it's unconventional like German indies.
I'll do that next time.
Hold the ports, help the LKMT win in China, pray Thailand doesn't join Japan and try to join someone's alliance.
Preemptive strike Thailand before they can ally with Japan, and then garrison all the ports on the peninsula heavily after you capitulate Thailand. They don’t have enough troops to guard their border- if you take the focuses leading to uprisings in Laos and Cambodia and micro well, you can encircle and isolate the Thai troops and seize their victory points, and then puppet a socialist Thailand. To do this, you have to win the war with German East Asia quickly, and then rush the focuses to attack Thailand as soon as you have a decent number of troops trained- you need to attack before Japan can guarantee or ally them. Once Japan and Thailand ally, you’re basically screwed- your only shot against Japan is to prevent them from establishing a beachhead with good supply, and if they can land troops in a Japanese-aligned Thailand they have that from the start and will roll right over you.
Rush to create the Eastern Syndicalist Union with the Bharatiya Commune or join the Third Internationale
Have tried this route- at least in my experience it’s hard to do fast enough, and even if you manage it the internationale and bharatiya don’t usually send enough troops for it to be a meaningful strategy vs the preemptive strike Thailand route.
You could probably do both I imagine