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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The ONLY military history of the 1937-45 War,
By A Customer
This review is from: When Tigers Fight: The Story of the Sino-Japanese War, 1937-1945 (Hardcover)
Students of Sino-Japanese History will know that very few military histories of the Sino-Japanese War of 1937-45 were ever written in English. This largely reflects the lack of interest in the West about this important theater of WW2 - which is usually passed over, with Western focus directed exclusively to Europe and the US war in the Pacific. This is a shame and a tragedy for the Sino-Japanese War was vast in scale - in terms of land areas, numbers of combatants, the numbers of civilians affected and the spill-over effects it had on other theaters of WW2. The Holocaust of European Jews is well-known, but how many in the West know about the Rape of Nanjing ? How many in the West understood the significance of China's contribution to victory in Asia ? How many in the West can say how far westward Japan's ambitions would have led if not checked in China ? Obviously, the West has much to learn about this colorful chapter in history. And Dick Wilson's book is THE place to look.Students of Sino-Japanese history will also know Dick Wilson's book well. In 3 continents and over 10 countries, countless students, historians, doctors, scientists and casual readers I have spoken to seem to know this book well ... over 20 years after it was first published !! That's basically because Dick Wilson's book is still the ONLY popular military history of the war ever written in English. Oh sure, there are countless military histories in Chinese popular press (not Japanese because Japan officially has a 'different' view of history) and many academic texts exploring this war in English. But the latter are so scholarly and academic that they are beyond the attention span of the average reader. Dick Wilson's book is one you can pick up at anytime and have a good, satisfying read. The narrative is exciting, action-packed, full of amusing anecdotes and interesting events and yet sober and sympathetic in the right places. The author brings the charisma and quirks of the main characters in the war to vivid life. The brilliance, follies, and unique savagery of this ferociously fought war are presented with almost CNN-realism. Dick Wilson uses 1st hand witness accounts of the events of the war to captivating effect. It's as good to read as a good novel - yet you are assured through every page that the facts have been authoritatively researched. So much so that many students will find details and insights to the charcters that they probably never knew before. What a brilliant way to study this fascinating, epic war ! I first read this book in high school. It has remained on my list of 'desert island books' ever since. I was disappointed it has never been reprinted, or had a second edition. I was disappointed no other similar books have ever been written in English. In the end, I couldn't resist and book a used copy of this book. I arrived in 'well read' condition - I can understand why.
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A tale of two tigers,
By "clsung" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
This review is from: When Tigers Fight: The Story of the Sino-Japanese War, 1937-1945 (Hardcover)
Dick Wilson's book on the land war in China during world war two is one of the exceedingly few comprehensive volumes on the subject in English, and as such is valuable to most students of the subject. That being said, this book tends to paint with a broad brush the titanic clash that occurred in China between the Japanese China Expeditionary Army and the Chinese Nationalist Army, and completely excludes the Chinese Communists's role in the struggle for China. Nevertheless, in combination with Barbara Tuchman's biography of Stillwell, as well as Ronald Spector's "Eagle Against the Sun," the casual enthusiast and the serious student of the Pacific War will be able to form a detailed chronology of the war, understand all major issues related to the Pacific theater, and gain a "ground-level" insight into the brutal reality of the China-Burma-India/Pacific Theater. As a necessary tonic against the tendency of most scholars to bury the CBI theater in an afterthought chapter at the back of voluminous chronicles of the European Theater of operations in WW2, this book is an invaluable resource.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good book on understudied subject,
By marc sorrells "mercsor" (Hermitage, PA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: When Tigers Fight: The Story of the Sino-Japanese War, 1937-1945 (Hardcover)
Plenty of books out there on the Pacific War that give a glance at the events in Asia but relativly few that focus on the sino-jap war. This is unfortuanate because it is important to understand to get a true grasp of the importance of China in the great conflict. Book gives us a look into the leaders, troop movements, and phases of the war. I dont agree with other review that says its unbalanced at all. Also talks alot about the unconventional warfare used by the chinese and the negative effects of the jap atrocities as well as possible motives behind them.Would have liked it better if it said more about events in Manchuria before 37 it stil is easy to understand for average reader.
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