Japanese Tanks 1939–45 (New Vanguard, 137)

Steven ‘book a month’ Zaloga has here filled a real need. A concise work on Japanese tanks of World War Two. Now the title is a tad misleading – basically what you are getting here is a full history of Japanese tank usage rather than just vehicles used in the World War Two years. Which is a good thing as it allows the reader to follow the development of the Japanese tank force.The book is the usual Osprey ‘New Vanguard’ work in that it has a small size, glossy pages, some lovely illustrations and a useful bibliography. Zaloga has included a number of useful tables including one about production numbers. The colour plates are good to get a vibe of the vehicle and many of the photographs in the book are very useful not only for the armchair historian but also the modeller.The work includes not only all the major types but also the tank types that were produced in tiny numbers – or even only as a couple of prototypes. Also included are the couple of assault guns the Japanese built and which were operational during the conflict. What was particularly useful and interesting was the section on the naval tanks – the Type 2 Ka Mi being credited with being the best designed amphibious tank of the war.What is not covered here are Japanese armoured cars and half-tracks – though there is a photo of a half-track towards the end of the book. Perhaps there is scope for another volume from the erstwhile Mr Zaloga on this topic in the future? Though there is a tiny amount of information on Japanese armoured cars in the volume on armoured trains in this same series.This book suffers only by dint of it’s brevity. But that is kind of the point of these New Vanguard books by Osprey. But for general military enthusiasts, modellers and those who just need an overview on the subject as it ties in with another subject more up their alley then this is a very useful purchase.

It is always a pleasure to read one of Stephen Zaloga's books. This one is no exception as there are not many books available covering this topic. The Imperial Japanese Army possessed many tanks and tankettes. The fact that several thousand were manufactured from 1927 to 1945 by a newly industrialized nation with limited means is more impressive. The Japanese followed the standard inner war doctrine of using tanks to support infantry. This was satisfactory since the main opponent was the Republic of China which possessed a small mixed bag of tanks. When the aggressive Kwangtung Army exceeded its authority by initiating a series of border conflicts with the Soviet Union the Japanese tanks were out numbered . The crews were well-trained and brave but the preponderance of Soviet BT tanks (also with light armor) caused the Japanese army to be hard-pressed. The IJA re-visited tanks design and production with an eye to develop better vehicles but the needs of the navy and the air units took precedence. Yet the Japanese did continue to improve their tanks and by war's end had 10 armor divisions in place.This book covers that main tanks designs and application of armor tactics from the early Renault Otsu, Type 89 I-go, Type 94 tankette, to the Type 95 Ha-Go, the type 97 Chi-Ha and the Chi-Nu. The artwork is wonderful and the information very complete for a book of this size. This is a must have for military history enthusiasts, World of Tanks players and any wargamer. Thank you Mr. Zaloga.

Packed with valuable information, photos, and illustrations - a must for the Japanese WWII tank enthusiast. Zologa delivers!

Japanese Tanks 1939-1945by Steven J. Zaloga This small but mighty work by Mr. Zaloga, an historian, and illustrated by British artist Peter Bull has all the virtues of the Osprey series. It has only 48 pages but like the best of the Osprey volumes it stays rigorously focused on the topic. Japan in 1939 had one of the largest tank parks in the world. Most of it however overflowed with tiny tankettes which turned out to have a quite limited utility in battle. Their main battle tank had a weak major weapon. All Japanese tanks in the early years suffered from a too small turret, suitable for only a single soldier, which turned out to be too great a burden, too many tasks for one man to accomplish. I needed a reference work for a project I'm working on and this book filled the bill. It would be good for modelers as well as the drawings are colorful and correct showing the vehicles in their full colors.

You would have to search far and wide to find a better summary of the subject (Japanese tanks prior to 1946) - it has good narrative, sufficient and (so far as I know) accurate information, and attractive illustrations. If you found that elusive better publication, it would be just like this but also include (1) A table of vital statistics and popular names of the various vehicles, (2) 4-view line scale drawings - the 2-view renderings are very nice, but not entirely adequate, and (3) a little "bridge" to post-WW2 Japanese armor design, production and doctrine.Given that this is strictly an electronic rendering of a short printed profile, their lack here is perfectly reasonable, especially at the price. But the publishers might consider enhanced digital versions with - at the very least - tabular specification data which takes next to no space or editorial effort in digital form. Licensing the Bradford drawings might also be cost-effective: they're already digitized.

A book about Japanese tanks. It is the only one I have that I don't have to translate. Lots of photos, some nice color illustrations, and a cutaway of a type 95 light tank. (Though I wish it had been a type 97). The book gives a brief history of the development of the different tank models, and then a short history of their employment in the Pacific war. I felt there could have been a bit more of the early war and pre- war history of the Japanese tank actions. So few books on this topic are around that this one is in a class of its own.

Stephen Zaloga's books in this series are normally worthwhile but this is one of the best, dealing as it does with a fairly obscure subject succinctly and well within the New Vanguard 48-page format. In particular there is coverage both of the 1930s AFVs that quickly fell into disuse (notably the early tankettes) and the late-war developments that could have given Japanese armour a better chance had they been developed in numbers or even left Japan. Recommended.

This book provides a fair introduction to Japanese armour used during WWII.If you already have a good understanding of the subject and/or own books about Japanese armour I don't think this book will add anything to your reference library.Books about Japanese armour are thin on the ground so 3 stars is a fair score and the book is recommended as an introduction to the subject for under £10.

The book itself was fine. A great guide to types of Japanese tanks used during ww2. The only issue I had was that the book was quite badly bent, making it uncomfortable to read.

Just what I was after

Classic osprey format, all you want to know and plenty of illustrations to go with a very informative text. Bit of a niche subject but well presented and easy to read. Useful for model makers, wargamers or those just interested in the subject.