The Imperial Japanese Army

The Invincible Years 1941–42

The Imperial Japanese Army cover

Description

So many histories of the War in the Pacific focus on the Allied experience. This title reverses this trend by examining the year of Japanese victory, when the might Japanese naval and ground forces swept all before them both throughout the Pacific and on mainland Asia.

The German offensives which crushed Poland in 1939 and swallowed most of Western Europe in less than two months in 1940 have been well documented and heavily studied, however, the overall picture of the remarkable Japanese offensive land campaign in 1941–42 has received less attention.

In this fascinating book, Bill Yenne documents the years when the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) was conducting its equally unstoppable ground campaign in the Far East, and unlike other books on this subject, he studies the campaign from the Japanese point of view. He reveals how the IJA were able to conquer huge swathes of Southeast Asia in a little over eight weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Using first-hand accounts from Japanese sources, Yenne reveals the tactics and mindset of the IJA during their offensive, detailing the capturing of Manila, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, Burma, and the Dutch East Indies.

Exploring the infrastructure and technical challenges of waging war across such a huge area, Yenne delves into the hardships that faced individual Japanese soldiers in theatre and explains how the Japanese were able to remain undefeated and establish the aura of invincibility that marked their campaign between 1941–42.

Table of Contents

Maps
Introduction
Prologue

PART I: ONE FOOT ON THE ROAD
Chapter 1: Two Young Warriors and the Emperor's Army
Chapter 2: Two Senior Officers and the Emperor's Armies
Chapter 3: The First Bridges on the Road to War
Chapter 4: The World at War
Chapter 5: Two Building Blocks Fall into Place
Chapter 6: Taking the Southern Road
Chapter 7: Final Preparations

Part II: BANZAI BLITZKRIEG
Chapter 8: December 8, 1941
Chapter 9: The First Week
Chapter 10: Homma in the Philippines
Chapter 11: Black Christmas

Part III: RISING SUN OVER ASIA
Chapter 12: A New Year in Malaya
Chapter 13: A New Year in the Philippines
Chapter 14: The Ploesti of the East
Chapter 15: Indies Stepping Stones
Chapter 16: The Tiger of Malaya Strikes at Singapore
Chapter 17: War Comes to Burma

Part IV: A CROWN JEWEL, FROM ONE EMPIRE TO ANOTHER
Chapter 18: The Heart of the Dutch East Indies
Chapter 19: Tightening the Noose Across the Indies
Chapter 20: Beautiful Bali, Stepping Stone to Java
Chapter 21: Tightening the Noose in the Java Sea
Chapter 22: The Axe Falls on Java
Chapter 23: Four Days on Java
Chapter 24: The Conquest of the Dutch East Indies

Part V: THE UNSTOPPABLE FIRE OF THE RISING SUN
Chapter 25: The Battle of Australia
Chapter 26: The Battle of America
Chapter 27: Climax in Burma
Chapter 28: Bataan and Corregidor, the Final Days

Part VI: THE SETTING OF THE SUN
Chapter 29: The End of the Beginning
Chapter 30: Under the Emperor's Roof
Chapter 31: The Beginning of the End
Chapter 32: The End

Epilogue
An Overview of the Japanese Order of Battle in Southeast Asia (1941–42)
Glossary
Bibliography
Index

Product details

Published Sep 20 2014
Format Ebook (PDF)
Edition 1st
Extent 376
ISBN 9781782009818
Imprint Osprey Publishing
Illustrations 36 b/w
Series General Military
Short code GNM
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Bill Yenne

Bill Yenne is the author of ten novels and more th…

Resources

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