Japanese Army 1931-45 (Volume 1, 1931-42) [Paperback]

Philip Jowett (Author), Stephen Andrew (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Men-at-Arms | Publication Date: January 25, 2002

During Japan's devastating Pacific offensive of the 1941-42 period of World War II, the Allies paid a high price for their failure to take seriously an army which had already been fighting in Manchuria and China for ten years. That army was a unique blend of the ancient and the modern and its up-to-date equipment and resourceful tactics served an almost medieval code of unquestioning obedience and ruthless aggression. This first of two titles covers the organisation, equipment, uniforms and character of Japanese ground forces in the Chinese and early Pacific campaigns, illustrated with insignia charts, many rare photographs, and eight meticulous uniform plates.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Although the book is very brief in its description of the JIA’s military background, organization and character (due to that information being kept within the series’ previous installment), its brilliant artwork coupled with detailed descriptions is a treasure trove for any modeller interested in the subject." -Chas Young, Armorama (March 2008) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing; First published edition (January 25, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841763535
• ISBN-13: 978-1841763538
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.1 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #697,320 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Almost No Information on Tactics or Doctrine, February 15, 2002

By 

R. A Forczyk (MD, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Japanese Army 1931-45 (Volume 1, 1931-42) (Paperback)

Volume 1 of Osprey's Men-at-Arms title on the Japanese Army in Second World War is the first of two thin volumes that will cover this often-neglected subject. While the color uniform plates are excellent as always, the rest of the volume is rather bland and without much unique detail. For readers interested in Japanese uniforms of the Second World War, this volume is quite good but for the military historian, it is a disappointment.

The volume begins with a brief background on the Japanese strategic situation and the nature of Japanese soldiers. An excellent 4-page section covers the organization of Japanese army units from army-level down to platoon. Unfortunately, six pages are then wasted in a generalized chronology that astounds the reader with facts like Pearl Harbor was bombed on December 7, 1941. Osprey seems not to grasp the fact that anyone having enough interest in the Japanese army in the Second World War to purchase this volume will probably be aware of the basic chronology of the war and prefer the limited space to concentrate on the subject. Another 11 excruciatingly dull pages are spent discussing the finer points of Japanese army uniforms and ancillary items, including minutiae like armbands and optional footwear. Only three quick pages cover all weaponry, from pistols to artillery; tanks are ignored. There is virtually no discussion of Japanese tactics or doctrine, except for one or two paragraphs intermixed in the chronology section, and this is an unpardonable error in this kind of volume. The fact that the author buries the reader under a mass of near-useless information about various types of Japanese field jackets and then neglects to mention how these troops were trained or fought is ludicrous. Perhaps the second volume in this series will make amends, but that appears doubtful.

On the plus side, the author does provide some order of battle data on the Japanese army in China and in December 1941, as well as sidebars on Japanese military terminology. While the author does discuss the three different types of Japanese infantry division, there is little information on independent brigades or unique qualities of any specific units. Japanese corps and army level organization is ignored, as well as the relationship with Japanese army aviation. Issues like soldier psychology, training, officer selection, military intelligence and logistic support are skimmed over or ignored altogether. This volume is certainly colorful and the subject interesting, but it does not deliver much.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good reference on a little documented subject, October 14, 2004

By 

Michael J. D. Auben (Madison, AL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Japanese Army 1931-45 (Volume 2, 1942-45) (Paperback)

I thought that this was one of Osprey's better books in the "Warrior" series. Some excellent information on unit structure and the various unifroms worn by the Japanese soldiers of this period that is hard to come by in english language references. A previous reviewer criticized the book for spending too much time on the "minutia" of Japanese military uniforms and not enough on tactics. This is, however, akin to complaining that an apple does not taste like an orange; these books are not meant to discuss tactics or campaigns, but are intended to focus on the "minutia" of uniforms and personal equipment. The brief format does not really allow the subject matter to range too far. Anyone interested in more information on Japanese tactics in WW2 should consider some of the excellent Osprey "Campaign" series of books, including ones on Iwo Jima and Peleilui.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good reference for small details, September 23, 2007

By 

Irina (California) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Japanese Army 1931-45 (Volume 1, 1931-42) (Paperback)

This like the other titles in Osprey's "Men at Arms" series is devoted to the minutia of the soldiers' equipment, uniforms, and life in the military. The difference in quality between these various volumes is quite small- they are all packed with information. None of them pretend to be histories of campaigns or wars. This particular volume covers well, the pre- WWII era to early war of the Japanese Army. It is not a subject on which a great deal is written. I was hoping for some more photos of the Manchurian army and Nomonhan event in particular, than was included in this book. Stephen Andrew's illustrations are among the better in Ospreys' series, but I do think he could do better faces. And I have found some contradictory photo evidence to the descriptions of the uniforms. One last point, since many of us who purchase these volumes use them for reference in modelling and painting would be that they include fairly accurate color samples of the uniforms and equipment rather than descriptive words like brown and khaki which are just too generic; or at least some assurance the color artwork is based on some substantial evidence. All in all this is a really great volume and I would highly recomend it to anyone interested in the Japanese soldier of the 30's and early WWII.