Japanese Tanks and Armored Warfare 1932-45

A Military and Political History

by

David McCormack

 The Japanese tanks and their usage are usually compared to the Italians in World War II. Both their tank tactics and the tanks themselves seem to be better suited to the 1930s than the 1940s. So, let us see if the author has some new insights on the Japanese tanks and warfare.

 It actually turns out that he does. For a country that had a very limited supply of automobiles and trucks and no home-grown plants to make them, Japan produced the first diesel powered tank in 1936. Using European tanks during the Manchurian incident in 1932, the Japanese had used tanks and trucks to move 320 kilometers in three days. This was by a combined arms ad hoc group of Infantry, tanks and towed guns. While it is true that the resistance they faced was not that great, it did show how some of the Japanese military was able to think in a manner very outside of the box for the time. This was the same as blitzkrieg or deep penetration that was written about in other armies, but just put on paper and never actually used. Britain was the first country to experiment with these units in the 1920s. However, lack of funds stopped all of their training in this direction.

 The author goes onto show how even though the Japanese thinking was very advanced, their manufacturing of tanks was slowed to a crawl. The Japanese Navy and Army were in a struggle for all of the limited manufacturing that Japan had during those years. The Japanese infrastructure was nowhere near the size that it needed to be to fight in World War II. 

 On page eighteen there is what first looks to be a small tidbit of information but in reality, is very significant. The author writes that the Japanese Army had an Achilles heel. This was their looking at logistics as an afterthought if it was thought about at all. I know we have read constantly that "amateurs talk about tactics, but professionals study logistics" (USMC Gen. Robert H. Barrow). On this page we find quotes from Edward J. Drea that shows that the Japanese actually looked down upon the transport and logistic troops. Military academy officers were not demeaned by being placed to such postings. He goes onto say that the troops assigned to logistics were not even eligible for promotion. This one page of the author's book explains away a lot of what happened during the Pacific War. The book has many other interesting points as well to share with us. 

 Thank you, Casemate Publishers, for allowing me to read this short but very deep book. This book is meant for anyone who has interest in World War II in the Pacific or the Japanese Armed Forces before and during the war.

Robert

Book: Japanese Tanks and Armoured Warfare 1932-45 a Military and Political History

Author: David McCormack

Publisher: Fonthill Media

Distributor: Casemate Publishers

 Fighters of the Dying Sun

The Most Advanced Japanese Fighters of The Second World War

by

Justo Miranda

 Every country in World War II had some interesting and cringe worthy attempts at making an aviation marvel during the war. Tons of books have been written about the German aircraft that were envisioned at sometime during the war. This book takes a look at the Japanese aircraft plans to help turn the tide in the airwar. Even though the planes are engineering marvels, (some of them at least), Japan had almost no manufacturing left by 1944, and had long since run out of trained pilots. So, we can admire these plans while still knowing their chance of flight was almost nil.

 

 This is a book of line drawings of tremendous amounts of planes that were put on the drawing board during the war. Some of these planes actually made it from blueprint to being manufactured. Some had a few built as test beds, but most did not make the cut.

 One thing that the Japanese planes had that is a stumbling block to historians is their nomenclature. The Army and Navy had their own planes, and their own process for 'naming' planes. The US was so stymied by the Japanese process that they used a simple plan to refer to the Japanese planes. The US gave fighters men's names, and the bombers women's names. So, a KI-84, in its most simple form, became a 'Frank' to US pilots. 

 As was mentioned, some of the planes in the book like the 'Zero', which was never used by the US forces which used 'Zeke', were used throughout the entire war. So, the reader gets a consolidated history of many of the known Japanese planes along with the planned ones. The Japanese were able to come up with some designs by 1944 to match the new US planes, such as the 'George' and 'Tony' etc. What they did not have was trained pilots or aviation fuel for them to use. That is why you will see numerous speeds listed for Japanese planes. The Frank probably only made 399 mph or less on the crude Japanese fuel. When tested in the US with high octane aviation fuel it could make 427 mph.

 This is an excellent book to have for the reader interested in the Pacific War, but also for the aviation buff. The book has some information on the different weapons systems that serve employed by the Japanese. Thank you, Casemate Publishers for allowing me to review this book.

Robert

Book: Fighters of the Dying Sun: The Most Advanced Japanese Fighters of The Second World War

Author: Justo Miranda

Publisher: Fonthill Media

Distributor: Casemate Publishers

Saladin and the Fall of Jerusalem

by

Stanley Lane-Poole

  This book was originally published in 1898. The Introduction is done by Dr. David Nicolle, who also did some minor alterations on the book for this release. The book is about Al-Nasir Salah al-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub. This is normally shortened to just Saladin. He represents a strange character in the history of the Crusades. For not only did the Arab world sing his praises, but the Crusaders also looked upon him as a just and gallant enemy. Most people do not know much about the Crusades, but if they have read or heard about them there are only two names they really know. These would be Saladin and Richard the Lionheart, unless they remember the character Balien from the movie 'Kingdom of Heaven' (he was an actual historical figure).  

 According to the author, Saladin was born in either 1137, or 1138. He also says that he was of Kurdish descent. Saladin was born into the turmoil of the Middle East after the First Crusade had won Jerusalem and lands in which we now know as Lebanon, Israel, and Syria. He spent some of his youth in Damascus.

 During this time in the Middle East, things were not so black and white as we have been lead to believe. There was animosity between the Franks (collectively what the Moslems called the Crusaders), and the indigenous population. However, there was also friendship and trade etc. going on between the two sides. The author recounts a story that Saladin was actually knighted by a Crusader when he was a young man.

 Saladin accompanied his uncle from Damascus to help in the conquest of Egypt from the Fatimids. His sovereign at this time was Nur-ed-din the ruler of most of Syria. The conquest of Egypt was the death knell of the Crusader States. Up until that time the Crusaders were able to play the different Moslem factions against one another.

 

 Through luck and force of character, Saladin eventually became ruler of all of the Moslem States surrounding the Crusader States. He tasked himself with the reconquest of Jerusalem and all of the the lands under the Franks. His campaign against the Crusaders ends with their terrible defeat at the Horns of Hattin. Saladin is then able to conquer Jerusalem and everything but a few cities and lands adjacent to the coast of the Mediterranean. The Third Crusade is then undertaken by the Europeans to take back Jerusalem. This then leads to the great showdown between Saladin and Richard coeur de lion.

 This book is about 120 years old. This history was written in a style that was heavily in vogue at the time. I have always liked the Harold Lamb style of  'telling the tale' of history type of book, as long as the facts are still the most important part of the book. This book is a wonderful and enjoyable read that holds to the facts, and yet still weaves a good tale for the reader. Thank you Casemate Publishers for letting me review this re-release of a classic.

Robert

Book: Saladin and the Fall of Jerusalem

Author: Stanley Lane-Poole

Publisher: Fonthill Media

Distributor: Casemate Publishers

German Heavy Fighting Vehicles

of the Second World War

by

Kenneth W. Estes

 This book is only about the German heavy fighting vehicles that were actually built to some degree. This book does not include the Third Reich's flights of fantasy, or designs that were still on drawing boards. From The Tiger I to the E-100 these vehicles were either used in battle or at least had a hull manufactured.

 The book starts with German tank development from 1918-1939. Then there is a small chapter on the German heavy tank program in general.

 The next part of the book has separate chapters on the various types of heavy fighting vehicles, from the Tiger I to the Sturmmorser Tiger (Sturmtiger). It then continues with a history of the numerous German heavy tank, or antitank, units in the war. The middle of the book is filled with sixteen pages of colored photos, most of them of the inside of a Tiger II.

 The most interesting part of the book are the five appendices. These are either US or British evaluations of German heavy tanks, or interrogations of German engineering doctors involved in the production of them. In the epilogue, there is a list of all the remaining German heavy fighting vehicles that can be seen, and what museum they are in. The small amount of them remaining means that few of us will be able to see any of them in person.

 One of the recurring themes of the book is the detrimental effect Dr. Ferdinand Porsche had on the German heavy vehicles program. His interjections into most of the programs seem to be a Godsend to the Allies. From what the book shows, he should have stuck with Volkswagens and race cars.

 The author also shows us that the hurried nature of the development of these behemoths led to tons of teething troubles. We are also shown how the actual engine development lagged far behind the rest of the parts of these vehicles. The engines and transmissions of these large tanks and tank destroyers were always their Achilles heel.

 This is a well written book for the military reader to see the inner workings of German engineering and back story to the development of these vehicles.

Robert

Book: German Heavy Fighting Vehicles of the Second World War

Author: Kenneth W. Estes

Publisher: Fonthill Media

Distributor: Casemate Publishers

Messerschmitt BF 109

by

Jan Forsgren

 The Bayerische Flugzeugwerke 109, is sometimes called the ME 109, after the designer Willy Messerschmitt. He was actually a designer at Bayerische Flugzeuwerke in the early 1930s.

 The BF 109 was the Luftwaffe's epee to the saber that was the Focke-Wulf 190. Most of the high scoring aces of the Luftwaffe flew in BF 109s, even when given the chance to switch to the FW 190.

 The choice for a contract as the newest Luftwaffe fighter for the BF 109 was not a done deal. As a matter of fact Field Marshal Milch, a high ranking Luftwaffe officer, had a long standing feud with Messerschmitt and his designs. One of Milch's closest friends was killed in an accident flying an early model of an older Messerschmitt design. Milch always held Messerschmitt responsible. The book shows that the fighter BF 109 was derived from the sport plane BF 108. Oddly enough, in warplanes at the time, the Supermarine Spitfire was designed right around the same time, and both planes' lifespan continued throughout the war and beyond. This shows how well made and upgradable the two designs were.

 The author goes into all of the different versions of the BF 109, from describing the fate of all of the different test frames to the BF 109 Kurfurst, ME 209, and the ME 309. A unarmed and specially fitted BF 109 actually held the world speed record for over thirty years.  He also doesn't shy away from all of the BF 109's faults. Although a great fighter, it was a difficult plane to master. Take offs and landings were especially dangerous. One of the BF 109's points in its favor was also its greatest flaw. The landing gear were attached to the fuselage and not the wings. This made replacing the wings, if damaged, relatively easy. However, that made the landing gear very narrow and was hard to taxi while on the ground. The plane also had a tendency to drop one wing when getting close to stall speed in landing, and it came with a real chance of doing a ground loop when taking off. The very narrow landing gear made both habits even worse. In this it should be equated with another excellent fighter, the US Corsair, nicknamed the 'Ensign killer'. Both were spectacular fighters, but both also needed to be flown by a skilled and alert pilot or disaster would ensue. Many BF 109s were damaged or destroyed before their pilots learned their temperament. Some planes are known for their docile flight characteristics; the BF 109 was not one of them. Many fighter pilots prefer a 'twitchy' fighter plane that needs constant attention than docility. For other examples, see the Sopwith Camel and the Fokker DR.1.

 Mr. Forsgren goes into every detail of the BF 109 from its inception to the last flights. The constant upgrading of the plane is shown as well as the attempts to make a Jabo (fighter bomber ground attack plane) out of it. The various upgrades in weapons from two small machine guns to the thirty millimeter cannon on some of the later models is shown. The author also goes into its use in the other Axis countries during the war, and its surprising appearance as a fighter used by Israel in its earliest battles.

 The book also comes with various tables and 120 pictures of the aircraft and different close ups of various parts of the designs. I can easily recommend the book to a newbie who is just starting to learn about the BF 109, but the book is also full of facts for the aficionados of the plane. As a matter of fact I liked the book so much, I am looking to get my hands on the author's book on the Ju-52. The Junkers 'Tante ju" has always interested me.

Robert

Book: Messerschmitt BF 109

Author: Jan Forsgren

Publisher: Fonthill Media

Distributor: Casemate Publishers

The Sirdar and The Khalifa

by

 

Mark Simner 

  'Khartoum', a big motion picture from Hollywood, was made in 1966. It starred Laurence Olivier as the 'Mahdi', and Charlton Heston as 'Chinese Gordon'. Like many movies, it plays with the actual history. However, unlike most it follows the historical narrative fairly closely. The movie deals with how England came to be entangled with Sudan. If you haven't seen it, take a gander. It is a perfect segue for this book.

 Like the movie, the author begins with the history of Sudan and the rise of Muhammad Ahmed as the 'Mahdi' the expected one of Islam. According to either Sunni or Shia beliefs and writings, the Mahdi will rule all of Islam before Jesus comes back for Judgement Day. The book takes us back to the early days of Muhammad Ahmed's life, and goes into the history of the Sudan, explaining that it was considered a part of Egypt at the time. Egypt was still considered a part of the Ottoman Empire in the late 19th century. Egypt was ruled by a 'Khedive', roughly a governor for the Ottoman Sultan. Egypt however, was only nominally under Turkish rule, and was greatly under English sway.

 The Khedive's armies were smashed by the Mahdist forces, so he asked England for help. The English prime minister refused to get involved other than to send General Gordon to supervise the removal of Egyptian citizens out of Sudan. Gordan had other ideas. He attempted to fight the Mahdists with the few troops on hand in Khartoum. Gordon and the troops were then besieged in Khartoum. At this time public opinion forced the English government to form a relief force to save him. The relief force was under Lord Wolsley. It was too little and too late. Gordon was killed with the relief force just days away. This was in 1885. This campaign was where Kipling came up with his poem 'Fuzzy Wuzzy'. This was an English term for the Sudanese warriors. Strangely, the poem praises the Sudanese warriors' valor and commends them on the fact that they 'broke a British square'.

 The above history takes up roughly the first third of the book, just so the reader can get a grasp of the history up to the main part of the book. British involvement continued to grow in Egypt, and in 1892 Lord Kitchener became the 'Sirdar' or Commander-in-chief of the Anglo-Egyptian army. 

 The Mahdi had died not too long after the fall of Khartoum to his forces. His Sudanese uprising continued under one of the three men he named as Khalipha (Caliph) Abdullahi Al-Taishi. The British press still campaigned for England to avenge Gordon. 

 The rest of the book covers the campaign of Kitchener to reconquer Sudan. The Anglo-Egyptian Army was now much better trained and armed. The battles of Omdurman and others are shown to the reader. These include some of the last successful cavalry charges in history, including none other than a young Winston Churchill with the 21st lancers at Omdurman. Omdurman was the last great battle between a European army and one of so called 'savages'. Although the Sudanese fought valiantly, the Anglo-Egyptian Army was even equipped with some early machine guns, so the issue was never really in doubt. 

 The author, Mark Simner, knows his history well, and writes engagingly about it. He even continues with the 'Fashoda Incident', which almost brought Britain and France to war in 1898.

 The book comes with five pages of maps. It also includes thirty-two pages of black and white photos of the campaign.


Robert


Book: The Sirdar And The Khalifa
Author: Mark Simner
Publisher: Fonthill Media
Distributor: Casemate Publishers

Warfare In New Kingdom Egypt

By

Paul Elliot

 We have gazed in wonder at the treasures that were found in Tutankhamun's burial chamber for almost one hundred years. In reality he was a boy king whose rule was very short, and his burial a hurried affair. What treasures or history would have been found in an intact tomb of Tuthmosis III or Rameses II? The ancient grave robbers stole from us more than gold and gems.

 Between the Middle and New Kingdoms Egypt was prostrate under the invaders we call the 'Hyksos'. Their names are Semitic in origin, so it is assumed that it was also their heritage. So the proud Egyptian people who built the pyramids etc. were beset, and half of their country was conquered by outsiders. The book starts with the Egyptian fight to regain control of the northern part of their country. Then it continues with the founding of the New Kingdom by the pharaoh Ahmose.

 The book itself is small at 140+ pages, but it is filled with all we know at present about warfare in that age. It comes with maps and illustrations, and fourteen pages of colored photos.

 This was an age where Egyptian armies strode over a large portion of the Middle East. The book also goes into the other Egyptian enemies: the Mitanni, Hittite, and the Sea Peoples. The New Kingdom seems to have been born and died under different foreign invaders.

 The campaigns of the 'Napoleon of Egypt' Tuthmosis III are gone into along with those of Rameses II and other pharaohs. The nuts and bolts of these campaigns are shown to the reader. The book also goes into the simple soldiers' lot in life, along with all of the different weaponry he used. The Egyptians had not known of the chariot before the Hyksos invasion. However, they quickly became masters of chariot warfare.

 Mr. Elliot has written an excellent primer on the warfare of the time. Hopefully the book will make the reader explore more of the history and personalities of the age.


 Robert

Book: Warfare In New Kingdom Egypt
Author: Paul Elliot
Publisher: Fonthill media
Distributor: Casemate Publishing

The Ultimate Piston Fighters of The Luftwaffe

by

Justo Miranda

 The Ultimate Piston Fighters of The Luftwaffe is not the book I thought it would be. I thought it was going to be a book about the possible 1946 air war, and all of the (some outlandish) propeller planes that Germany might have flown. Instead, it is an encyclopedia of all the different propeller fighters that were on the drawing board for pretty much the entire war. 

 The introduction discusses the effects of  'compressibility buffering' and how advanced the Germans were in understanding it. Then it goes on to list all of their major aeronautic testing sites, especially the wind tunnels that were state of the art, for the time. It also examines the effect that the blockade had on German industry, and their attempts to come up with ersatz solutions for the missing pieces, such as high octane fuel, oil, and rubber. One of the things the Germans could do nothing about was the lack of metals like chromium and molybdenum that were used in hardening steel. Without these, their jet engines would always be prone to breakdowns, meltdowns, and have a generally short life. The Jumo 004 jet engines sometimes had a span of only thirty hours between overhauls.

 The German airplane industry worked hard to develop the best piston engine fighters they possibly could. The book is not a compendium of crackpot last minute war winning schemes. It is a treasure trove of actual designs for the continued development of in use aircraft (BF 109, FW 190 etc.), and some advanced aircraft and weapons that we were lucky to not have to face. 

 The book has more than a few plans for for dual contra-rotating  propeller planes. This then segues into the development of the ejector seat, these being needed to escape instant and horrible pilot death by the pusher props.

 The book continues with plans for large caliber weapons, and then goes on to show the many rocket projectile plans. There are also some plans based on the 'Schrage Musik' weapons. These were weapons that were pointed at an angle coming out of the top of the airplane, to allow night fighters to fire into the bombers' bellies from below. There are also some designs that were based on the photo sensitive rocket/shells that were actually used on some ME 163s. The shadow of the bomber going over the aircraft would set them off. At least one Allied bomber was lost to this weapon.

  Each plane and weapon is accompanied by scale drawings of them. The planes have listed their weapons, speed, and ceiling based upon wind tunnel experiments, etc. The descriptions are filled with the aircrafts' uses, and what specifications from the Luftwaffe they were meant to fill. 

 The book is the ultimate for German prop plane junkies. Hopefully Mr. Miranda is working on more books about the other Axis and Allied countries' designs.

Robert 


Book: The Ultimate Piston Fighters of The Luftwaffe
Author: Justo Miranda
Publisher: Fonthill Media
Distributor: Casemate Publishers

Rorke's Drift a New Perspective

by 

Neil Thornton

 The Title of the book pretty much sums this book up in a nutshell. For those of us who thought we knew the story of Rorke's Drift and how and why it was fought, and also the story about all of the Victoria Crosses that were won there, we might be in for a bit of a shock. 

 The Zulus destroyed a camp and killed over 1,300 British soldiers and their African allies at iSandlwana on January 22, 1879. A few hours after that the Zulu Undi regiment crossed the Buffalo river into Natal. The Undi regiment was kept in reserve during the battle, so the warriors' blood was up. Prince Dabulamanzi, the Undi regiment's commander, decided to cross the river against his king Cetshwayo's orders. The next British encampment of any size would be Rorke's Drift. When Lord Chelmsford came back to his destroyed camp at iSandlwana, he could see the fire in the distance from the battle at Rorke's drift.

 For those of us who have had the pleasure to see it, the 1964 movie 'Zulu' starring Michael Caine and Stanley Baker encapsulates all of our thoughts about the battle. The only thing is that, as usual, the movie version of a historical event is not really historical. Although to be honest, this movie stays closer to the truth than many others. The real story of Rorke's drift does have all of the makings for a movie blockbuster. You have cowardice, bravery, and a desperate defense of about twenty to one odds or better. 

 The book starts with the actual history of Rorke's drift and why it was there and it's various uses before that fateful day. It started out as a trading post owned by Jim Rorke at a crossing place of the Buffalo River. Strangely enough its next incarnation was as a missionary post and chapel owned by the Church of Sweden, no less. The British negotiated the rental of it for their invasion of the Zulu's lands. It was used by the British as a supply depot at this time. The fact that it was stuffed with supplies for the army was an extremely good stroke of luck for the British soldiers stationed there. The tons of mealie bags and biscuit boxes that were stored, were the makings of their impromptu walls and fortifications besides the little bit that the Drift had to offer itself. 

 The Drift was awash with escapees from the massacre at iSandlwana before the battle. Almost 500 African allies and British soldiers were there. The appearance of the Undi regiment caused a panic and only 155 soldiers, mostly of B company of the 2/24th regiment, stayed to defend the Drift. 

 The book goes into minute details of the actual defenses that the soldiers built, and who was where at what time during the battle. The exploits of John Chard and Gonville Bromhead, and all of the other heroes of the battle are described in detail. For more than 10 hours, the 3,000+ Zulus attacked the Drift and its 155 defenders. A lot of the time the fighting was down to bayonet against assegai. The defenders and attackers had nothing to say about their enemies, except to mention their bravery. 

 The book first sets the scene and then goes into the battle itself. It then goes on to describe the battle's aftermath. Next it goes into a long list of the 'Gallantry Recipients' with a short biography and the stated reasons for their awards. To many, the book's part of 'Unjust Criticism' will be the most interesting. Apparently many, including the new area commander Sir Garnet Wolsley, did not think much of the heroes of the Drift, and didn't even think some of them deserved their medals!

 The stirring epic of the defense of Rorke's Drift certainly needed this book to separate fact from fiction. Hopefully the author is at work on a book about the battle of iSandlwana with this much detail.


Robert

Book: Rorke's Drift A new Perspective
Author: Neil Thornton
Publisher: Fonthill Media
Distributor: Casemate Publishers