Imperial Japanese Navy Heavy Cruisers 1941–45 Book Review

By David L. Veres

Review

Heavy cruisers formed key components of Imperial Japanese Navy offensive capacity in World War II.  Fast, fearsome, and formidable, they often overshadowed their Allied equivalents.

Another superb introduction from Osprey Publishing, Imperial Japanese Navy Heavy Cruisers 1941–45 outlines the development and operations of all 18 ships in six heavy cruiser classes during the Second World War.

Contents course through Japanese naval strategy and combat doctrine, segue to international treaty and construction considerations, and move to armament and radar details.

Text then traverses histories of the individual cruiser classes – with subsections detailing design, construction, armament, modifications, wartime service, and fates of each.  Coverage concludes with a handy retrospective of Japanese heavy cruiser doctrine and combat performance.

Photos, illustrations, and bibliography supplement author Stille’s admirably indexed effort.  Enthusiasts will find it an excellent précis of this vital topic.

Robustly recommended.

My sincere thanks to Osprey Publishing for this review sample!