Number 131 in the Elite series, this volume looks at how the Allies and Japanese looked at and handled warfare in the jungles. The truth of the matter is that in the beginning, neither side gave any real concentrated effort to dealing with jungle warfare. For the most part, the British thought of it as impenetrable and did little to train its men to fight in its environs. The Japanese were a bit more prepared, but not much, and learned as they went. While in the US, thanks to the Philippine insurrection of the turn of the 20th Century, some knowledge of jungle warfare was gained. There was a school for it in Panama, though few soldiers actually went through the training.

The book covers the change in tactics as the war progressed. It starts with an introduction that covers general warfare in the jungles and how it differs from what was the standard way of operations. Very basically, gone was the ability to see far into the distance and units had to be able to operate where line of sight was in short distances. This meant little use of armor or other motorized weapons as the sometimes very dense jungles forbade its use, especially in the wet seasons.

The main sections are:

Allied Failure 1941-42
Japanese Success 1941-42
Allied Reaction 1942-43
Long Range Penetration 1943-44
US Tactics 1944
To the Last Man 1944-45

All of this is accompanied by a well-chosen array of photographs and period diagrams from various tactical manuals. In addition, the illustrations of these tactics and some of the differences in uniforms given to us by Steve Noon, help to provide a greater understanding of the situations and how each side perceived them.

Though you may think the title to be dry and boring, it is just the opposite as I found it to be quite interesting and easy to read. A book that I know you'll enjoy once you start reading. Like all Osprey titles, it is one you can buy with confidence.

March 2007

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