The Chinese Army 1937-49: World War II and Civil War (Men-at-Arms) [Paperback]

Philip Jowett (Author), Stephen Walsh (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Men-at-Arms | Publication Date: July 13, 2005

Although the Chinese contribution to Allied victory in World War II (1939-1945) is often ignored, China fought the Japanese Empire for far longer than any other belligerent nation. By the time that the Sino-Japanese War became absorbed into the wider conflict at the end of 1941, Chinese armies had already suffered huge casualties and half the country had been lost. By fighting on with Allied support, China tied down a million Japanese troops. After Japan’s defeat in 1945, China was immediately plunged back into civil war between Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalists and Mao Tse-tung’s Communists; and the latter’s victory in 1949 changed the world for the rest of the 20th century and beyond.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Packed with specially commissioned artwork, maps and diagrams, the Men-at-Arms series is an unrivalled illustrated reference on the history, organisation, uniforms and equipment of the world's military forces, past and present.

About the Author

Philip Jowett was born in Leeds in 1961 and has been interested in military history for as long as he can remember. His first Osprey book was the ground-breaking Men-at-Arms 306: ‘Chinese Civil War Armies 1911–49’; he has since published a three-part sequence on the Italian Army 1940–45 (Men-at-Arms volumes 340, 349 & 353). A rugby league enthusiast and amateur genealogist, he is married and lives in Lincolnshire, UK.

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (July 13, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841769045
• ISBN-13: 978-1841769042
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 0.1 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #697,759 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you thought it was rough in the Japanese army..., October 3, 2005

By 

Alan D. Cranford (Salt Lake City, Utah USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Chinese Army 1937-49: World War II and Civil War (Men-at-Arms) (Paperback)

I was undecided about which soldier had a rougher life--the Japanese, Soviet, or Chinese soldier. After reading Philip Jowett's "The Chinese Army," I'll vote for the Chinese soldier. One in four soldiers issued a blanket? The virtual lack of a logistics pipeline severely hindered the Chinese Army's effectiveness. What little trickled down to the soldier's unit was often stolen and sold by his officers. No wonder Mao won! China was in a state of civil war since the mid 1920's. Japan needed resources and saw a failed nation as ripe for the picking. After Japan exhausted itself in China, Japan declared war on the rest of the world and was utterly crushed--Chinese soldiers played an important role in that defeat. Afterwards, China resumed its civil war, with the Communists routing the Nationalists. That civil war continues today with the conflict over Taiwan.

"The Chinese Army" covers the Nationalist Chinese Army--and I am abusing the term "army." Most of the Nationalist army was a half-trained peasant rabble that would have felt at home in the 100 Years War. It astounds me that the Chinese managed to survive close to three decades of civil war--with nearly a third of that in a formal declared war against Japan. I'll have to look up the other Chinese army, Mao's.

Details on uniforms and equipment included a series of color plates that are worth the price of the book. The details on unit organization are sketchy--but then, Chinese Army organization was flexible to the extreme. This book is 48 pages long, a bit slimmer than other Osprey products--but then, the Chinese fought a "come as you are" war. Virtually all weapons were either imports or copies of foreign weapons. Uniforms ranged from ordinary peasent garb (and a sack for ammunition--the few cartridges available) to German-based uniforms for Chaing's personal divisions.

I have to respect these tough soldiers. The only thing harder than being a Chinese soldier was being a Chinese peasant.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A mixed review of this book, January 21, 2010

By 

N. Wang (CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Chinese Army 1937-49: World War II and Civil War (Men-at-Arms) (Paperback)

As a Chinese American interested in the 2nd world war history, this is the ONLY book in English on this subject I know of (of course there is a sibling book covering the time period starting 20 years earlier).

The book does cover a lot of information and the readers need to go through evey page and every picture including the captions of the drawings. The author tried to cover so many issues in such a small booklet: army organization, uniform, persoal equipment, and weaponry from light firearm to artillery and armored vehicle. The vast amount of material can be better organized for easier reading. I'll give it a 5 for the fact that there is much information in such a thin book and the only one on this subject in English.

However, as I also accessed information in Chinese, I'm somewhat disappointed by the mistakes in the book and the somewhat poor way of organization of the material. Majority of the information is accurate, but some mistakes are made, such as some of the weaponry used - not a surprise as Chinese Army had to use what they could lay hands on and even article in American Rifleman on the rifles used by Chinese army in the WWII also has several mistakes! It is a total chaos in fact. For the shortage of some important information, I feel it is a 3.

Therefore a rating of 4 is given. But for readers of English only and interested in this subject, it is still highly recommended as a starting material.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Chinese Army of WWII, September 21, 2008

By 

K. Murphy "Fortune favors the Bold" (The thriving metropolis of Masury, OH) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Chinese Army 1937-49: World War II and Civil War (Men-at-Arms) (Paperback)

This is a great short overview of the history of Chinese involvement in WWII and the Sino-Japanese War, and the contemporary internal conflicts. Uniforms, weapons, insignia, and organization are all also examined, and the color plates are of high quality and powerfully support the text.