Japanese Military Forces (March 1942)

Japanese armed forces entered the Second World War with the attack on Pearl Harbour in the Pacific Ocean on 7 December, 1941. Almost simultaneously Japanese land forces invaded the Malayan peninsula, sweeping southwards towards Singapore. Although the attacks were shrouded in initial secrecy, both American and British Intelligence had studied the Japanese forces, and this is one of the resulting publications. The pamphlet is a very rare item, and is reprinted because of both its rarity and importance.General Headquarters India issued it in March 1942, and it covers the Japanese Army and, to a lesser degree, the Japanese Air Force. As with all military intelligence publications the pamphlet starts with an overview of the subject, in this case the political influence of the Japanese Army, which was considerable. There follows a detailed examination of the organisation of the Army and its administration. Chapters on infantry, cavalry, artillery, armoured fighting vehicles and airborne troops are accompanied by descriptions of Japanese engineer and service troops. There are also descriptions of chemical warfare, tactics (all forms), and the fifth column, so important in the campaign in Malaya. There are tables and coloured plates to illustrate the pamphlet, and line drawings of Japanese tanks and their flags, together with some contemporary photographs of Japanese troops in action.