Images of War

Japan Triumphant - The Far East Campaign 1941-1942

by Philip Jowett

Reviewed by David Couche

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The Japanese offensive in the Far East in 1941-2 was extraordinary in its ambition for their aim was to advance across the entire region. They clashed with an array of forces in a series of lightning campaigns that included famous episodes like the raid on Pearl Harbor and the conquest of Singapore. Among the opposing armies were those of the Americans, Dutch and Filipinos as well as the British imperial forces which included the Indians, Malays and Burmese. Philip Jowett in this vivid photographic history covers the whole course of the offensive, portraying not only the Japanese military which achieved such incredible success but the armies they overwhelmed.

In a sequence of over 200 wartime photographs - many of which have not been published before - he focuses on the land, sea and air fighting as the Japanese occupied so much of the region. Rare images of the Japanese forces as they prepared for war and then made seemingly unstoppable progress are matched by a selection of images of the armies they surprised and vanquished. The book gives a powerful impression of the character of the war in the area and records the appearance, equipment and weaponry of the armies involved and the conditions in which they fought.

The book is a particularly valuable addition to the literature on the Second World War in the Far East because it draws attention to important events, like the conquest of the Dutch East Indies, which are often overlooked.

The author, Philip Jowett, has been writing military history since 1997. He has published many books on the armies of Asia in the first half of the twentieth century, and has made a special study of the armies of China. He has also published on the Russo-Japanese War, the Mexican revolution and the Italian and Japanese armies of the Second World War. His most recent books are China and Japan at War 1937-1945 and Chiang Kai-shek versus Mao Tse-tung: The Battle for China 1946-1949.

As an aircraft modeller with a keen interest in the Pacific war, of which my father was involved in, this book, next in the series of ‘Images of War’ series, has a wealth of interesting photos which I have never seen before and provide a valuable resource to as a modeller. The written sections give a clear and concise explanation and description of what actions happened in this time period. Philip Jowett does look from all sides of each campaign and not just from the Japanese side of things. It explains some of the lesser known parts of the early war years, such as the Netherlands (Dutch) East Indies and the Philippines, which makes interesting reading.

The various chapters look at individual aspects of these campaigns and are;

1. Japan Prepares for War, 1940/41

2. The British Empire in the Far East Prepares 1941

3. “Defence on a Shoestring’ – The Philippines Army, 1941

4. ‘The Forgotten Army’ – The Army of the Netherlands East Indies, 1941

5. The Japanese Empire Versus the USA –‘Japan Strikes, 1941’

6. ‘For Reasons of Prestige’ – The Fall of Hong Kong, 1941

7. The Malayan Campaign, 1941/42

8. ‘The British Arm’s Greatest Defeat’ – The Fall of Singapore, 1942

9. Battle for the Philippines, 1941/42

10. The Burma Campaign, December 1941- February 1942

11. The Burma Campaign, March - May 1942

12. The War at Sea,  December 1941 – May 1942

13. Japan’s Spreading Tentacles, 1941/42

I have scanned a few pages for you to get a feel for this book but it would take far too many to cover each chapter properly.

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Photos of Japanese aircraft in action are not copious but there are so many different ones here that would be inspiration for dioramas and just as sole aircraft. That said, there is so much for the armour, naval and figure modeller to use as inspiration.

This book, whilst not deliberately produced for the modeller, provides an absolute wealth of reference photographs and detail that one could wish for to produce some interesting dioramas as well as historically accurate models of aircraft, armour and naval vessels. It is also just a good and interesting read for anyone just into the historical aspects of the Far East War. This is well recommended.

Thanks to Pen & Sword Books for the sample.

Review Copyright © 2020 by David Couche
This Page Created on 12 April, 2020
Last updated 12 April, 2020

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