Nomonhan: Japan Against Russia, 1939

Coox's magisterial Nomonhan, which has stood the test of time extraordinarily well, is not only the best study of this particular obscure border battle between Imperial Japan and the Soviet Union in 1939, it is also one of the best World War II era operational level studies (though it extends far beyond operations in its scope).Moreover and most importantly, it is the single most impressive English-language book on the conduct of operations by the Japanese Army. Even though it describes a battle in Manchuria in 1939, anybody who reads this book will gain great insight into why the Japanese Army fought as it did (and fought so poorly) from 1941-1945. The IJA's lack of the heavy weaponry needed to conduct a modern war, its lack of emphasis on intelligence and reconnaissance, its impulsive leadership, its focus on will over weaponry, and perhaps most importantly the unusual and often self-defeating ways that the Japanese officer corps tended to react to tactical or operational setbacks, are all on full display here. Coox manages to present a portrait of the dynamics of the IJA that are almost unmatched in English.This is simply one of the most important reads for anybody seeking to understand the Japanese Army in the World War II era. It well repays the effort it takes to read such a long volume.

Detailed Study of the Nomonhan incident. It's really more like a lot of small and medium scale skirmishes for half of 1939. Despite losing diplomatically, the Japanese forces preform very well, while having lighter, and mostly inferior materiel, as well as some bad policies from military command. Disproportionate damage was done to Red army and Mongolian troops, which was quite unexpected to read. It goes into fantastic and technical detail of tactics used. This may seem a bit dry if you're looking for an engrossing narrative. But to me, the information is highly engrossing because I love reading this kind of material.This sheds some light on why Japan viewed its Kwangtung army (stationed in Manchuria) as its best. This army so no real action against US forces in the South Pacific, and primarily remained stationed in Manchuria. Their combat record is well documented in this book.

This book as well as anatomy of a small war illustrate the Political and Military Tensions in the Far East 1931-1939 between Japan and Soviet Russia. The information of this confrontation between Japan and Soviet Russia requires significant contemplation of the reader to discern what exactly transpired in the events, for the reason that official reports tended to be altered for effect either for Political, Military, or Publicity means. The wealth of information has to be continually compared with after action and casualty reports as well as first hand statements throughout to dissipate the Fog of WAR.for example, units engaged may be larger than they are and considerably reinforced, as at Changkufeng and Lake Khansan. The Official Japanese reports of only the Japanese 75th Regiment holding off the Soviet 39 Corps for 10 days outnumbered 5-1 sounds heroic. Cross referencing TOP SECRET Japanese casualty reports published after the War included in this information discloses that the number of Japanese forces was 3 X what was estimated.The most valuable information is that on Soviet Operations.

The book is very well written mostly from Japanese sources & view point. It covers the incident very well. I was particulary impressed by the coverage given to the IJA's 23rd Infantry Division. The units background is covered, as is it's training, deployments, & equipment. The divisiom was woefully equiped, some or most of it's equipment dated from the Russo-Japanese War! This division was mostly destroyed.in a Sovied attack led by none other than Zhukov of ww2 fame. Who attacked using some of the armored tactics he would use against the Germans. In striking contrast the 2 armies are protraied. The Soviets having many of the elements, but not all of the them they would later use in ww2. And the Japanese, who's army was an essentially an Infantry army! The incident bloodied the Japanese so bad that they didn't attack the soviets again. Not even when they were on the verge of defeat. All of that is covered. Well worth the price & time it takes to read it. ENJOY!

There is to my knowlege no other book in English that has been written with such depth and research on the battle of Khalkin Gol (or as the Japanese call it -"Nomonhan") Alvin Coox has drawn from primarily Japanese sources, so the book which is a massive 1200 pages, tells the story of the conflict from the Japanese perspective. Yet it is not one-sided. The book delves into the inner workings of the Japanese and Manchurian armies' leadership and their amazingly incompetent and disasterous strategems against the Soviet Union. The author also takes us to the level of the battlefield with descriptions of the war in detail. I cannot say more, read it. It is an excellent book.

“Nomonhan: Japan Against Russia, 1939” von Alvin D. Coox ist ein umfassendes Werk, das die wenig bekannte, aber bedeutende Schlacht zwischen Japan und der Sowjetunion im Jahr 1939 detailliert beleuchtet. Als Leser beeindruckt mich die Tiefe der Recherche und die Fülle an Informationen, die Coox in dieses Buch eingebracht hat. Eigentlich hat mich Murakamis Buch über den Aufziehvogel (bzw das Literaturverzeichnis) auf dieses Buch aufmerksam gemacht.Das Buch bietet eine gründliche Analyse der militärischen Strategien und Taktiken beider Seiten und beleuchtet die politischen und historischen Hintergründe, die zu diesem Konflikt führten. Besonders hilfreich finde ich die zahlreichen Karten und Diagramme, die das Verständnis der komplexen militärischen Bewegungen erleichtern.Die Darstellung der Schlacht ist minutiös und gibt einen klaren Einblick in die Herausforderungen und Fehler, die beide Seiten gemacht haben. Coox gelingt es, die Dynamik und die Dramatik des Konflikts lebendig zu vermitteln, was das Buch trotz seiner Länge von über 1200 Seiten spannend und lehrreich macht.Ein kleiner Nachteil ist, dass das Buch aufgrund seiner Detailfülle und der wissenschaftlichen Herangehensweise manchmal etwas schwer zu lesen sein kann. Es richtet sich eher an ernsthafte Geschichtsinteressierte und Militärhistoriker als an den allgemeinen Leser, da muss man echt etwas Biss mitbringen.

While the author had some difficulty accessing Russian sources, this will stand for many years as the definitive history of the Nomonhan incident/conflict of 1939. An impressive and well written account.

The book is exhaustive, detailed and goes in depth in the matter. It is really a great work. Absolutely well done is also the inlook at the Japanese Officer Corp attitude and situation. It is a pity that it does not provide any info about the Russian side (at least roughly), as, for example, why they withdrew from the disputed heights of the river afterwards the first clash (Russian Chief of Staff mistake).