Books for Japanese Players

[herwin]

Please recommend a summer reading list for Japanese players.

[warspite1]

Have to say Shattered Sword, but realistically can't imagine anyone interested in the Pacific War has not read this...

[YankeeAirRat]

Samurai! by Saburo Saki

[Shellshock]

If you haven't already, The Rising Sun by John Toland.

Japan's War by Edwin P. Hoyt.

[JeffroK]

ORIGINAL: YankeeAirRat

Samurai! by Saburo Saki

Samurai was written by Saburo Sakai with Martin Caiden and Fred Saito
Since its publication Sakai removed himself from supporting many of the passages in the book. Apparently Caiden was a better sci-fi writer than biographer.
http://www.warbirdforum.com/samurai.htm
But it still gives a feel as to the japanese pilots side of the war.

[JeffroK]

I once posted (maybe in WITP) about a book, I think its AFTER PEARL HARBOUR, The story of the IJN attack pilots after Pearl Harbour.

I'll see if I can find the ISBN etc.

And because I am what I am.
KNIGHT OF THE BUSHIDO by Lord Russel of Liverpool.
If you are going to be a fanboy, dont keep your head in the sands,

[DivePac88]

About the best Pacific War book I've acquired and read lately is; Ronald H. Spector's Eagle against the Sun. It has a lot of factual material I not come across before, and is light enough to read in the Toilet.

[Heeward]

Japanese Destroyer Captain: Pearl Harbor, Guadalcanal, Midway - The Great Naval Battles As Seen Through Japanese Eyes Tameichi Hara, Fred Saito, and Roger Pineau.
Hardback edition of the classic Japanese Destroyer Captain.from the 1960's

[Local Yokel]

ORIGINAL: JeffK

I once posted (maybe in WITP) about a book, I think its AFTER PEARL HARBOUR, The story of the IJN attack pilots after Pearl Harbour.

I'll see if I can find the ISBN etc.

And because I am what I am.
KNIGHT OF THE BUSHIDO by Lord Russel of Liverpool.
If you are going to be a fanboy, dont keep your head in the sands,

Jeff, I think the book you may be thinking of is Ron Werneth's "Beyond Pearl Harbor The Untold Stories of Japan's Naval Airmen", published by Schiffer Publishing Ltd, PA, ISBN: 978-0-7643-2932-6.

In addition, obvious recommendations are Evans and Peattie's "Kaigun" and Paul Dull's "A Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy 1941-1945".

If you can find a second-hand copy, I also recommend Mark Parillo's "The Japanese Merchant Marine in World War II". Previously I have written about this in somewhat critical terms, but it's a book to which I keep coming back as an essential reference point.

[ilovestrategy]

The Decline of the Japanese Empire by Toland and Shattered Sword. I must have read Toland's book at least ten times and I'm now finishing Shattered Sword for the third. I LOVE that book! I wish there was a thread here just for that book. 

[Pascal_slith]

"A World at Arms" by Gerhard Weinberg. Not battle history but grand strategic. Sections on the Japanese are quite good and have excellent references.

Just picked up "Japanese Intelligence in World War II" by Ken Kotani. Very interesting read.

[Mac Linehan]

ORIGINAL: DivePac88

About the best Pacific War book I've acquired and read lately is; Ronald H. Spector's Eagle against the Sun. It has a lot of factual material I not come across before, and is light enough to read in the Toilet.

DivePac88 -

Eagle against the Sun is indeed first class. I ordered it used, in May, and am almost done with it here at Camp. Took a pause to read O'Brien's "The Yellow Admiral", but am now back on Spector. Very well written, fast moving and informative.

Mac

[FatR]

Kaigun by Evans and Peattie
Sunburst by Peattie
Japanese Cruisers of the Pacific War by Lacroix and Wells

[seydlitz_slith]

Battle of Surigao Strait by Anthony P. Tully (2009).
He is the co-author of Shattered Sword along with John Paschal.
Like SS, it tells the story of the battle from the Japanese side using Japanese primary sources, TROMS, and also allied records.
It changed my whole perception of this battle about as much as SS changed my perception of the battle of Midway.


I am also reading a historical novel titled Days of Infamy by Newt Gingrich (yes, the politician) and William R. Forstchen.
The book picks up after their other book Pearl Harbor, which I have not read.
In PH, Yamamoto replaces Nagumo in command of the strike, and hangs around to conduct a third wave to destroy the drydocks, oil farms, and repair facilities.

Days of Infamy picks up with nightfall on the 7th with Yamamoto setting a trap for the allied carriers that he thinks are in the area. These include using Hiei and Kirishima to bombard Oahu hoping to attract a reaction from the American carriers. I am not through yet but I can confirm that there has already been multiple naval actions including a carrier battle with more fighting to come. Oh, and surprisingly, not a hint of partisan politics.
I picked this one up in hard back at Barnes & Noble for $5.98 in their discount/clearance/special deals section. From reading it, I would not be a bit surprised if the authors weren't Witp:AE players as the novel contains many elements similar to potential moves in the game.

[ram_971]

If you are interested in books from the perspective of the Japanese people try Japan at War: An Oral History by Haruko Taya Cook. This book is a must reading.

[Wirraway_Ace]

Requim for Battleship Yamato, Yoshida Mitsuru. Very fast read. Chilling. Classic.

[ETF]

Sorry guys the search system on Matrix is not the best. I have downloaded most of the above. Any for the Allies you would suggest?

Thanks guys.....

[John 3rd]

ORIGINAL: seydlitz

Battle of Surigao Strait by Anthony P. Tully (2009).
He is the co-author of Shattered Sword along with John Paschal.
Like SS, it tells the story of the battle from the Japanese side using Japanese primary sources, TROMS, and also allied records.
It changed my whole perception of this battle about as much as SS changed my perception of the battle of Midway.


I am also reading a historical novel titled Days of Infamy by Newt Gingrich (yes, the politician) and William R. Forstchen.
The book picks up after their other book Pearl Harbor, which I have not read.
In PH, Yamamoto replaces Nagumo in command of the strike, and hangs around to conduct a third wave to destroy the drydocks, oil farms, and repair facilities.

Days of Infamy picks up with nightfall on the 7th with Yamamoto setting a trap for the allied carriers that he thinks are in the area. These include using Hiei and Kirishima to bombard Oahu hoping to attract a reaction from the American carriers. I am not through yet but I can confirm that there has already been multiple naval actions including a carrier battle with more fighting to come. Oh, and surprisingly, not a hint of partisan politics.
I picked this one up in hard back at Barnes & Noble for $5.98 in their discount/clearance/special deals section. From reading it, I would not be a bit surprised if the authors weren't Witp:AE players as the novel contains many elements similar to potential moves in the game.

All the books by Newt and Forstchen are good. The Civil War set is excellent as well.

Read Richard Frank's Guadalcanal. It is both sides but there is GOOD info from the Japanese side.

Just ordered the Surigao Strait book by Tully. Didn't know about it. Thanks for that recommendation!

[pws1225]

Homage to DivePac who posted in this thread. The Emu lives!

[tiemanjw]

ORIGINAL: ETF

Sorry guys the search system on Matrix is not the best. I have downloaded most of the above. Any for the Allies you would suggest?

Thanks guys.....

Neptunes Inferno - excellent all the way around, but the build up to and through the first naval battle of Guadalcanal gets 6/5 stars.

Fleet tactics by capt Hughes. Not WWII specific, but a good primer to naval combat.

The Art of maneuver - cpt leonard. Not WWII or even naval, but a good primer on setting objectives and defeating the enemy. Introduces (go me at least) the concept of "battlefield physics" and drills on the importance of time. He also wrote "fighting by minutes", which I read forever ago. I remember it being good, but not quite as good.