Japanese Monograph series
(Historica reprints)
Updated: Sorry! The website
no longer works. I'm leaving the page here in hopes that the
publisher will get back into business sometime. -- Dan Ford
These mimeographed documents were published by the U.S. Army of occupation, which hired demobilized Japanese officers to write campaign histories and the like. They were published in Tokyo in the late 1940s and early 1950s. They vary greatly in quality and amount of detail, but all are worth reading. The Library of Congress has a full set on microfilm.
Historica has begun to reprint the monographs, evidently scanning
them into a comuter and converting the blurred copies to sharp new
text. The books are then spiral-bound. See the
Historica website [the link no longer works] for more information. These are the volumes
presently available:
Air Operations in the China Area, July 1937 - August 1945,
Japanese Monograph No. 76 135 pages, $18.50
China Incident - Naval Air Operations (July - November 1937).
Japanese Monograph No. 166. 184 pages, 7 charts.
Philippines Air Operations Record, Phase One, Japanese Monograph
No. 11. 45 pages, $10.00
5th Air Fleet Operations Feb - Aug. 1945, Japanese Monograph No.
86 137 pages $18.50
Burma Air Operations Record Jan. 1942 - Aug. 1945, Japanese
Monograph No. 64 92 pages, six charts, four maps. $12.50
Future Titles: Southeast Area Air Operations: Nov. 1941-Feb.
1942; June 1942 - July 1944; July 1944-Aug. 1945. This title is a
reprint of three seperate Japanese Monographs. Available
approximately September 1, 2003
Handling and shipping are included in the cost. You can order
direct by sending cash, check or
money order to Michael T. Fletcher, 591 Sadlier Way, #1, Reno, NV
89512, USA., (775) 324-7214. Shipping costs are included in the
price and books are sent Book Rate USPS unless otherwise
requested.
A look at the almost overlooked subject of Japanese [Army] Air
Operations in China, this 135 page re-print of Japanese Monograph
No. 76 devotes almost half of the data to those operations that
occurred prior to the American involvement in China.
This work deals with the five months when the Japanese developed
many of the concepts that would help them attain the victories of
late 1941/early 1942. The utilization of fighter aircraft to gain
air supremacy, the development of long range fighters capable of
escorting bombers, and the initial steps in air-ground
coordination.
A 45 page dissertation on Japanese air operations from the
begining of the Pacific War, through the surrender of American
forces in the Philippines. With 14 charts including losses
sustained, orders of battle, etc, this is basically a day to day
chronology of those operations.
This reprint of Japanese Monograph No. 86 is a day to day
chronology of the operations of the IJNAF 5th Air Fleet which was
responsible for the majority of the Kamikaze operations against
the USN based off of Okinawa.
This is an overall view of the air war from the Japanese side.
The emphasis is on the years 1943 to 1945, with detailed
information on the Imphal and Irrawaddy River operations.
See the Warbird's Bookshelf