World War II Japanese Tank Tactics

by Gordon L. Rottman, Akira Takizawa, Peter Dennis (Illustrator)

Overview

ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN E-BOOK. In this book, expert author and tactician Gordon L Rottman provides the first English-language study of Japanese Army and Navy tank units, their tactics and how they were deployed in action. The Japanese army made extensive use of its tanks in the campaigns in China in the 1930s, and it was in these early successes that the Japanese began to develop their own unique style of tank tactics. From the steam-rolling success of the Japanese as they invaded Manchuria until the eventual Japanese defeat, Rottman provides a battle history of the Japanese tank units as they faced the Chinese, the Russians, the British and the Americans.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781780961446
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	10/20/2011
Series:	Elite , #169
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	64
File size:	9 MB

About the Author

Gordon L. Rottman entered the US Army in 1967, volunteered for Special Forces and completed training as a weapons specialist. He served in the 5th Special Forces Group in Vietnam in 1969–70 and subsequently in airborne infantry, long-range patrol and intelligence assignments until retiring after 26 years. He was a special operations forces scenario writer at the Joint Readiness Training Center for 12 years and is now a freelance writer, living in Texas. Akira Takizawa was born in Japan in 1954 and studied history at the Tokyo University. He worked as a computer programmer developing PC wargames. Now, devoted to the study on the Imperial Japanese Army he maintains the IJA website (http://www3.plala.or.jp/takihome/). A member of Japanese Tank Research Group, “j-tank,” he lives in Tokyo with his wife.
Gordon L. Rottman entered the US Army in 1967, volunteered for Special Forces and completed training as a weapons specialist. He served in the 5th Special Forces Group in Vietnam in 1969–70 and subsequently in airborne infantry, long-range patrol and intelligence assignments before retiring after 26 years. He was a Special Operations Forces scenario writer at the Joint Readiness Training Center for 12 years and is now a freelance writer, living in Texas.
Peter Dennis was inspired by contemporary magazines such as Look and Learn, leading him to study Illustration at Liverpool Art College. Peter has since contributed to hundreds of books, predominantly on historical subjects, including many Osprey titles. A keen wargamer and modelmaker, he is based in Nottinghamshire, UK.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION: 1st Independent Mixed Brigade, 1934 – Armored Forces, 1941/ UNIT ORGANIZATION: The tank regiment – reconnaissance units – groups and divisions – other tank units/ DOCTRINE: From infantry support to spearheading assaults – dispersal/ TACTICS:

Attack – firing methods – night attack – antitank tactics – defense; Formations: movement – the company and platoon – the regiment and division/ TANK TROOPS: Selection and basic training – tank schools/ COMMUNICATIONS & MAINTENANCE/ BATTLE HISTORY: Shanghai 1932 – China 1937–38 – China 1944; Malaya 1941–42; Burma 1942 – Imphal 1944; Netherlands East Indies 1942; Pacific Islands: Guadalcanal 1942 – Saipan 1944 – Luzon 1945; Manchuria 1945/ SUMMARY/ SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY/ PLATE COMMENTARIES/ INDEX

Editorial Reviews

World War II Japanese Tank Tactics is indeed a great resource for learning how the Japanese WW2-era tank doctrine came to be.” —Peter Chen, World War II Database (March 2009)

“Author Rottmann and Takizawa cover the full range of units, tactics and equipment used by the Japanese during the war. Some of the results you may find quite surprising, while others are more as expected. Superbly illustrated by Peter Dennis in showing tactical movements and combined with what few period photographs are still extant on the subject, the reader gets a better idea of what these men and their equipment were like. I found the book to be particularly interesting as so little has been written on the subject for Western readers. It is a book I know you'll find of interest and is highly recommended.” —Scott Van Aken, modelingmadness.com (November 2008)

“Any aficionado of armor warfare will appreciate this book. The details in tactics and types of armor in the Imperial Japanese Army are excellent ... In addition to the detailed text, the book is full of color diagrams and black and white photographs (many from Japanese archives — never seen by Western publishers) ... [and] an excellent reference for knowing and understanding how Japanese armor was used in World War II.” —Jeff Grim, CollectedMiscellany.com (October 2008)

“...appears for the first time in the English language, using original Japanese sources to detail the battles and strategies of the Imperial Japanese Army's tank units.” —The Midwest Book Review (January 2009)

From the Publisher