Handbook On Japanese Military Forces War Department Technical Manual

"Created during WWII by the War Department, the Handbook on Japanese military forces was intended to familiarize command staff with nearly every aspect of ... [Japan's] war machine. Originally classified "restricted", the Handbook ... contains comprehensive information and analysis of the Japanese military system"--Page 4 of cover.

A Restricted publication containing details of the Japanese military system, organisation of the field forces, their tactics, fortification, supply & evacuation arrangements, weapons, equipment, uniforms, insignia and individual equipment.

Created during WWII by the War Department, the Handbook on German Military Forces was intended to familiarize command staff with nearly every aspect of Hitler's war machine. Originally classified "restricted," the Handbook was created from the best intelligence that the OSS and other military information sources could offer. It contains comprehensive information and analysis of the German military system, and includes chapters on the organization of Wehrmacht field forces, military and auxiliary organizations (including SS and SA), tactics, fortifications and defenses, movement, supply and evacuation. It also contains a description of German uniforms and equipment. This includes mechanized forces and weapons from small arms to mortars, artillery, vehicles and tanks, and rocket weapons. The Handbook's final chapters are devoted to a study of the Luftwaffe, including its chain of command, equipment, training and tactics. While some of the details within this book may bear review in light of history, it remains one of the most comprehensive compendiums of information about the German forces ever assembled. Although it was declassified after WWII, it's never been easy to obtain a copy of this book. This high quality reprint includes all the original text, diagrams and photographs from the final, 1945 revised version of the manual.

In 1944 the U.S. Army published this manual for its officers in the Pacific Theater an expanded version of the original 1942 manual of the same name—and ever since, it has been the best single reference source on the wartime Japanese military available in the English language. By 1944, the army had had time to assess its enemy closely and was coming to understand him, and its vast knowledge was distilled into the handbook. The handbook details the Japanese military system, field organization, tactics, and weapons and equipment, and the strengths and weaknesses that resulted from them. Extensively illustrated, it contains sections on the Japanese special forces, the military police, uniforms and insignia, and conventional signs and abbreviations. It covers, besides the army, the Japanese Air Service, with emphasis on its tactics and organization. Issued to officers for briefings and periodically updated, the handbook’s purpose was to assist in the winning of the war, and thus it strove to be absolutely reliable for its users in combat. It was compiled by a team of officers who integrated the research of others, and it contains information provided by the U.S. Marines and also by British and Australian intelligence. Packed with information, it is a major primary source that military historians and World War II buffs will find fascinating.