Imperial Japanese Navy Submarines 1941-45 (New Vanguard)

by Mark Stille

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Product Description

The Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II possessed the most technologically advanced and varied submarine fleet in the world. Ranging from the largest pre-nuclear submarines in the world to manned torpedoes, with the fastest combat vessels and midget submarines operating alongside craft capable of carrying floatplane bombers, the fleet should have been an awe-inspiring and highly effective force. Yet, despite playing a crucial scouting role and being equipped with the best torpedoes available, the Japanese submarine fleet was surprisingly ineffective.

With unique color plates, Mark Stille highlights the technical details of this diverse fleet, including the design successes and operational errors as well as investigating the underlying causes behind the failures of one of the greatest naval forces in the Pacific.

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All Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review: 4 out of 5 stars

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3 out of 5 stars

Basic Info, 2008-09-15
Good info, but not quite enough of it. There needed to be more on the pros and cons of the Japanese designs and how they were used. Still worth the read.

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

5 out of 5 stars

A must-read for submarine enthusiasts, 2008-08-16
While there is a lot of information that has been written or otherwise produced about American submarines in World War 2, there is a surprising lack of information about Japanese submarines. For instance, the first shots of WW2 were fired by an American destroyer at a Japanese mini-sub in Hawaiian waters just prior to the Japanese attack; Japanese submarines were engaging in coastal attacks on the US' west coast; and the Japanese and Germans were exchanging war materials and research items via submarine (this was how the Germans were helping the Japanese get their atomic bomb information).
This book is an excellent source of information to fill that gap. It describes the various classes and unique submarines of the Japanese navy, with excellent illustrations (both photographs and paintings) throughout the book. The strategy that the Japanese navy used when employing them is also mentioned, along with the weapons the submarines used.
I would highly recommend this book for anyone interested in either World War Two or submarines in general.

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

4 out of 5 stars

Handy reference, 2008-07-23
This booklet is a quick guide to the major IJN submarine types of WW2. Nice color plates and basic information. I definitely recommend it.

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

4 out of 5 stars

Short,sharp and to the point, 2008-03-25
In WW2 Japan had some of the largest submarines with well tested technologies and a doctrine that was completely impractical. Even when the German and american navies showed how submarines should be used, the Japanese lagged far behind, resulting on one of the least effective submarine forces in the war.

In a few pages Stille explained the development and doctrine of the Imperial navy's submarine force and why these were fatally flawed. He then proceesed to document the different fleet submarines, their design and fate.

There is no grand sweeping vision of the war but considering how japan misused their submarines, that makes sense. you probably can find larger, more detailed books but for a quick refference and overview, this does the job.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2 out of 5 stars

Save your money!, 2007-11-20
You can get the information (and in greater detail) in this book on-line for free...note "www.combinedfleet.com" in the bibliography. Very few "new" pictures. Very few interior pics except the 2-3 "standard" ones you can get anywhere. Only 1 exploded view of an IJN sub, with minimal detail. Nice artwork though.

Somewhere in the USN archives is a treasure trove of information and pictures taken from IJN subs postwar...this book did nothing to tap into it. Just the same old tired information from the standard IJN sub texts rearranged and regurgitated yet again for a royalty check.

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