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Just like to know what reference stuff you found to be the best for this?

I just found a book on amazon called War Plan Orange. I don't know if it is good or not. The ratings seemed to have gotten spammed by the same comment many times so there is no way to tell if it truly deserves 5 stars or not.

That book is pretty good (War Plan Orange).

Anything Jane's or Conway's is really good (but that is a given).

One thing that really helped is an online book hosted by the US Army Center for Military History, MANEUVER AND FIREPOWER: THE EVOLUTION OF DIVISIONS AND SEPARATE BRIGADES (this is a link). Particularly Chapter IV, the Aftermath of World War I.

Its not a book per se, but this link also helped, from the US Naval Historical Center, Naval Aviation Chronology 1920-1929

My Brother Bill, written by Billy Mitchell's Sister (Ruth I think) is very insightful into early Army aviation.

And for now, another informative link again from the USNHC, Yangtze River Patrol and Other US Navy Asiatic Fleet Activities in China, 1920-1942, as Described in the Annual Reports of the Navy Department. More to come later, but those are some really good books/links.

Cheers mate, I did not know about that link.

Kaigun, Strategy, Tactics, and Technology in the Imperial Japanese Navy 1887-1941 by David C. Evans and Mark R. Peattie is good. talks about why the japanese thought the way they did which explains why they built yamato and musashi and why they never fully committed to the solomons in '42.

1931 The Great Pacific War by Hector C. Bywater is an interesting "what if" novel written in 1925. it's an interesting read not only because of the topic but the writing style of the time and, at least his perceptions, of what the japanese were (would be) like in a war at that time. this was before they went into manchuria, rape of nanking, etc.

found them both at amazon.

boy i had fat fingers when i initially inputed this message.

ORIGINAL: Vyshka

I just found a book on amazon called War Plan Orange. I don't know if it is good or not. The ratings seemed to have gotten spammed by the same comment many times so there is no way to tell if it truly deserves 5 stars or not.

I've got the book. Only read bits and pieces of it, but what I read was interesting.

Mike

i agree. it is an interesting read and worth the time and money to start to understand the strategy of the pacific from 1900-1941.

ORIGINAL: ATCSMike

ORIGINAL: Vyshka

I just found a book on amazon called War Plan Orange. I don't know if it is good or not. The ratings seemed to have gotten spammed by the same comment many times so there is no way to tell if it truly deserves 5 stars or not.

I've got the book. Only read bits and pieces of it, but what I read was interesting.

Mike

Funny that book should be mentioned. I picked it up at the Naval Aviation Museum (as it was then known) in Pensacola in 1998. When I got home I stuck the book on a shelf and forgot about it (I have lots of others, so that's not so odd [;)]). Seeing it mentioned here in the forum motivated me to go find it and I've already read about three chapters. I know some people will find it a dull read, but I prefer analytical histories over anecdotal ones and WPO The Book is meat and potatoes to me [:D].

Dreadnought by Robert Massie is one of the better books I have read on naval history and the history of Britain from 1870-1918

A useful one is "Royal Navy Srategy in the Far East 1919 - 1939: Planning for a war against Japan"

I just got War Plan Orange by Ed Miller in the mail today. I have Castles of Steel by Massie, but I still need to grab Dreadnought.

Has anyone read The Imperial Japanese Navy by Fred Jane, or A Battle History of the IJN 1941-1945 by Dull?

I figure if anyone has it is the ppl in here and/or those that play witp.

i have Dull's book and it's ok if you don't know much about the pacific war. I have an entire book case with just pacifc ww2 books so, for me, it didn't add that much.