Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War [Hardcover]

Eric LaCroix (Author), Linton Wells (Author), Linton Wells II (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 880 pages
• Publisher: US Naval Institute Press (November 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0870213113
• ISBN-13: 978-0870213113
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 9 x 2.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,040,957 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding investment., April 20, 2004

By 

CrystalEye - See all my reviews

This review is from: Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War (Hardcover)

Your first impression upon recieving this will be just how huge it is. At just over 6cm (2.5 inchs) in thickness you had better strengthen your shelves and coffee tables. The huge impression does not stop there for inside the covers is a cruiser policy, design and operational history that makes excellent books like "Norman Friedman's US Cruisers - An Illustrated design history" and "Robert's - Britsh cruisers of WWII" look childlike in comparison (and these last two titles are amongst the best that money can buy being far better than their closest rivals). This book is for the dedicated naval buff and anyone intent on research in this topic.

Those of you who thought they had all the information they needed on Japanease cruisers from either "Whitley's - Cruisers of WWII" or "Conway's all the world's fighting ships 1922-47", think again. These books often berate the Japanease designs and certainly don't do them justice. Where as the authors of "Japanease cruisers of the Pacific War" have gone to great pains searching through even Japanease sources to write the most complete work on Japanease cruisers that there will ever be. You could say that the title often strays a little from cruisers as it delves deeply into policy and then the conplex subject of firecontrol. If you wanted to know how a type 94 Japanease director and computer functioned, its in this book along with simple diagrams and any of its ancesters used on board Japanease cruisers in WWII. In fact the number crunchers among you might enjoy the dispersion figures and statistical chances of hitting a target at 20000 metres and so on....

For those who just want to know the life and times of these ships, thats in there too. Modellers will find this work invaluable, for while the ship diagrams are small (they have to fit inside), none the less the diagrams and details on the ships superstrutures, the modifications they underwent, the internal arrangements, the armour schemes etc. are all in there. As far as I can tell only paint schemes and crew member names have been left out!

On general Japanease policy and Japanease ambitions in the interwar period and beyond, this work will prove an invaluble resource. Containing amongst other things, some Japanease inteligence of the time and their projected building programs. For example we now know that the 1940 Battlecruiser B64 often quoted in the west, should be B65 and that a class of 6 (not 2) ships were planned.

Like any book, there are some weaknesses. For me it was in the layout which was quite alien and tiring. A graphist here or there might have made it easier on the eye especially when flicking back and forth. However for the dedicated reader this work will leeve your jaw dropping in places such as when you learn that the cruiser Nachi underwent a final torrid ordeal of 9 torpedo and 20 bomb hits (a lot for a cruiser) and so on. This outstanding work has yet to become widely known as the definitive work on the subject. I fear that by the time it does, it will be no longer available with a high second hand market price. My advice is get it while you can or pay far more in the future.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most indispensible resources on the IJN, August 27, 2002

By 

wonderrat "wonderrat" (Mountain View, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War (Hardcover)

This book is one of the best English language works on a specific subject, that of the cruisers of the Japanese Navy during World War 2. During the early phases of World War 2, Japanese cruisers posted an impressive combat record. The authors are experts on the IJN and many of the sources are unavailable outside Japan

For the modeler and historian, all aspects of Japanese heavy and light cruisers are illustrated, including armament, profile drawings, and operational histories. Some of the successes and failures of Japanese design, including the Takao class, possibly the most successful Japanese heavy cruisers to the Mogaim class, which attempted to place a heavy armament on a lightly constructed hull and were considerably overweight and later rebuilt, are explained in great detail

The profile drawings are well detailed, albeit extremely small; however they are useful in showing the arrangements of the ships. For the modeler and naval historian, this is a must book. With the recent proliferation of better detailed IJN cruiser models, this book is needed in any naval library.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely THE best book available on the IJN cruisers!!!, March 24, 2005

By 

Adrian H. S. Tan "Gruppenfuehrer Haetch" (Nilai, Malaysia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War (Hardcover)

I am speechless regarding the content of this book. No doubt it is quite heavy to carry around, but the quality of the book is not compromised at all. I have 2 books by Norman Friedman - U.S. Battleship Designs and U.S. Cruiser Designs - and I must say that the level of technical information is easily comprehendable by the average reader in the Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War. Also, the line drawings are not that small as was mentioned by the other reviewers, and they are the dream of all scale model enthusiasts who want to have the side and top views of the Japanese cruisers.
In conclusion, save your money and get this book while you can... You will not regret your decision (I didn't...).