Japan's Asian Allies 1941–45 (Men-at-Arms)

JAPAN'S ASIAN ALLIES 1941-45 is a good example of the collaborators who seem to always spring up whenever outside forces invade a territory. These opportunists all have their own reason for what their compatriots often view as treason, and it is sometimes difficult to judge them as one man's terrorist is another's freedom fighter. Such was the case with Japan's Asian allies who were often serving under the assumption that their service would be rewarded with their countries' eventual independence. But this was almost never the case, unless it was at the last possible moment when Japan was losing the war. This dream, however, often led to the eventual independence of the former European colonies in Asia.Not all these groups were fighting for independence. Some saw this collaboration as a chance to attack other tribes after being armed by the Japanese. Some had a hatred for Communists while others gave them their weapons and support. And in most territories the Japanese used these allies to oppress and kill ethnic Chinese in a fashion not so dissimilar to what the Nazis were doing to the Jews in Europe.Most of the time the Japanese didn't trust the people in the occupied territories. They organized them and dressed them but rarely gave them weapons. Oftentimes they simply armed them with bamboo spears while at other times they even took those away and simply gave them clubs! What the people didn't realize was that the Japanese were there to exploit them as much as if not worse than their former European masters.Some of these collaborators were hated by their own people. The Makapili in the Philippines were one such group. Those not killed outright at the end of the war were put on trial by the postwar government. In contrast those of the Indian National Army (INA) were viewed as heroes when India got her independence after the war. The INA were one of the few groups armed by the Japanese and they took part in the last Japanese offensive in Burma. Of special interest here was the INA women's unit, the Rani of Jhansi Regiment. They served mainly as a bodyguard unit for the leader of the INA.Like other books in this series. It was crammed with interesting text, photos and color plates. It is a welcome addition to my collection.

Another one of Osprey's helpful "cliff notes" for a military history topic (48 pages, including 8 pages of illustrations), in this case, Japan's Thai, Burmese, Indian, Chinese, Indonesian, Filipino, and Pacific Islander allies. Among other things, I wasn't aware of Siam's invasion of Cambodia in January 1941.

Osprey books are of consistent quality. I own dozens of them. I find them to be an excellent first look at a subject I want to know about. Here, in addition to the usual fine drawings of uniforms and equipment and the lavish selection of period photos, we get what we always hope for-enough text to give us information to go forward. Philip Jowett treats us to a taste of the melange of allied units that the Japanese encouraged, bought, coerced or came to agreements with. There are a lot of them. It struck me that in some places the Japanese came late to the idea of genuine co-operation with the many Asian peoples that came under her sway. Some units in conquered nations were not even formed until very late in the war. What would have been the result if they had genuine co-prosperity in mind in 1941? Would the peoples of Indonesia and Malaya or French Indochina have been more interested in supporting Japan? People often respond better to positive incentives rather than to 'do as I say or I will kill you." Another thing that came at me was that by the time Japan seriously began to organize some of the outlying nations, she did not have the ability to organize them properly. Getting thousands of laborers might be of some use but arming allied units with bamboo spears because of a lack of rifles and/or a lack of reliable officers and non-coms is quite another. A good book but of course only a brief look at a huge and fascinating subject. Recommended.

Between 1933 and 1945, Japan built a vast Asian empire, much of it conquered European colonies in the Far East and Southeast Asia. Locals were tempted into Japanese service by promises of eventual autonomy or even independence. In fact, only a few such organizations were trusted enough by the Japanese to be armed and trained for combat. Most were at best service troops for Japanese military units.This concise Osprey Men-at-Arms Series book offers a brief summary of the various units formed by Japanese occupation authorities. The narrative provides brief entries by nationality, supplemented with period photographs and the expected color plates of uniforms and equipment. Worth a read as an often overlooked aspect of the Second World War.

While I suspect some have heard of the Nazis bolstering their manpower through the use of troops recruited from conquered European states, I suspect very few are aware of the extent to which the Japanese also tried this trick. This book is a brief introduction to these armies, discussing what conquered territories were involved, the troops' numbers, organization and accomplishments (Not much in that category). The recruitment of the Indian National Army from captured Indian troops in Japanese hands is a part of the story.The author does a fine job of succinctly introducing and assessing these troops. The author has written more extensively on the subject for those interested.

Another good book from osprey. This was a short and sweet book that highlighted armies I had never heard of. I learned a lot from it and you should too!

GOOD READING

Something I never knew

This book gives a run-down of many of the allies the Japanese had during World War II. I found the book to be difficult to read, often eye-glazing, covering such things as uniforms worn and the weapons the allies of Japan had, and, as such, the book is only for the very dedicated. In many respects, despite the often mind-numbing detailed information contained in this book, at just 48 pages, it is thin, as in insubstantial. Furthermore, the book does not deal with the absolutely phenomenal long-term problems created by these Imperial Japanese trained groups.These were Imperial Japanese raised and trained armies. The culture of these armies is very much Imperial Japanese in the sheer inhumanity of their behaviour and their militarism. This book fails to cover this aspect properly, although it sometimes hints at it, and it definitely fails to deal with the absolutely tragic long-term adverse consequences for countries saddled with these troops.

Something always said to me that our colonial friends were so only to a point. When push came to shove many would seek the path to their ends and that is what this book outlines. The number of our allies who sided with Japan was vast. How we managed what we did until the drooping of the Atomic bomb is even more remarcable. And it shows' me that it had to be done.

Gave me new insight into the extent that the Japanese mobilized local forces from countries they had invaded. The Germans did likewise, using the SS, but this was the first detailed account I'd read of the forces raised by the Japanese. I had some knowledge of the Indian National Army, but there were many other national forces raised - though the others had little combat use.

Great history book on WW2

Normal Osprey product, provides a interesting but brief history of the subject.