Russo-Japanese War

Books and Other Research Material

by Major Jeff Leser


Problems of Research

The war was fought during the golden age of military writing. There are a plethora of books written in English by military observers, newspaper reporters, historians, and by the participants. Many foreign works were translated as soon as they were published in their home country. The downside is that WW I quickly followed, and eclipsed interest in the Russo-Japanese War. Little new on the Russo-Japanese War has been published since 1914, so many books are difficult to find and can be expensive to purchase. I assume that a large research library, such as the New York Public, would have many of these books. Below is a quick look at the better books on the war. It is not by any means a complete list, but an excellent place to start.

There are several recent histories that cover the war, or provide information on the war. They are good for the general flow of events, but lack the detail needed to really wargame the period. You should read the three books listed below, as they provide an excellent foundation to study the period:

Book Reviews in Brief

The War of the Rising Sun and Tumbling Bear by R. M. Connaughton and published by Routledge, 1988. An excellent military history of the land campaign in one volume. Provides a balanced treatment of both sides. The maps support the text well, but lack the detail needed to set up a scenario. There is only one poor order of battle (OB) on Liaoyang. This should be the first book you read; it covers all the war's engagements, and forms the basis for further research.

Soldiers of the Sun: By Meirion and Susie Harries and published by Random House, 1991. This is a modern study of the Japanese Army from its creation during the Meiji Restoration to its defeat at the end of WW 11. There are two chapters that deal directly with the war. It provides insight into the weaknesses of the Japanese Army that were overlooked during the Russo-Japanese War. A good book on a subject that is often ignored.

The Short Victorious War: Written by Warner, David and published by Harper & Row, New York, 1973. A general history on the war covering all the major land and naval battles. Useful as background material, but the book lacks the detail needed to wargame the war. The book has three large scale maps and several pictures, but lacks any unit information.

The Tide at Sunrise: By Denis and Peggy Warner, London, 1915. Covers all aspects of the war (political, economic, military, naval), with good detail on the major battles. Poor maps and no OBS, but very informative as to the whys behind the events of the war. The official histories are excellent and are difficult to find. The Russian histories were not translated into English, but the Germans had free access to Russian materials (after all, the Czar and the Kaiser were family). The maps and orders of battle in these volumes are superb, providing the data wargamers dream about. They are: Official History of the Russo-Japanese War (British): Three vol w/ 2 vol of maps. Historical Section of the Committee of Imperial Defense, 1910-1920. Covers both the naval and land campaign. Excellent, with great maps and OBs. Provides detailed coverage of the war, but tends to dismiss the Russians as incompetent rather than examine their problems and tl-ieir effect on operations.

The Russo-Japanese War (British): Reports from British Officers 3 vol w/ 2 vols of maps. HMSO, 1908. These volumes cover only the land campaign. Excellent, with good OB information, very good maps, Same comment as above in regards to even treatment of the two sides.

Official Account of the Russo-Japanese War (German): 9 vols Trans. by Karl von Donat London 1909-14 (the tenth volume, Mukden part II, was never published because of WW I). This set only covers the land campaign. Each volume has ten to twelve topographic maps, and one to two complete OBs for each army. This account provides a better balance between the two armies than the British histories of the war. However, if you can find any of these official sets, you have plenty of information to wargame the war. Accounts by the observers and participants are generally good. Maps in these books are a mixed bag, ranging from official history quality to sketches only a mother could love, with mediocre to poor OBs. The advantage of these accounts is that the authors are professional military officers sent to Manchuria to study the war. They discuss tactics, movement techniques, effectiveness of weapons, organizations, etc. The best are:

The Japanese in Manchuria: By Col. E. V. Cordonnier in 2 vols. w/ 1vol. of maps. Hugh Rees, Ltd. 1912. Col. Cordonnier was one of the French observers. Good information up through Liaoyang. Poor maps, several pretty good OBs. Many clear discussions on tactics, weapons, and organization problems of both armies.

Lessons of the Russo-Japanese War: By General de Negrier, de Negrier, General. London, 1906. A leading French military historian. Talks about the lessons from the war. Average information. Poor maps, limited Obs.

A Staff Officer's Scrap Book: Hamilton, General Sir Ian. vols. London, 1906. A well written study of the war up through the battle of the Sha Ho. Hamilton was the senior British officer sent to observe the war. Excellent maps, sketches of battlefields. No OBs. Very pro-Japanese. He was with Kuroki's I st Army, and provides a detailed description of all the actions involving that army. Not hard to find.

The Russo-Japanese War (British): Reports from British Officers attached to the Japanese and Russian Forces in the Field. 3 vols w/ 2 vols maps. London, 1908. Good information, but still pro Japanese.

The Russian Army and the Japanese War: General A.N.General Kuropatkin in 2 vols. London, 1909. Not a great book, but included here because he is the only senior leader (CinC of the Russian Army in Manchuria) to write. No maps, no OBs, but good information on the organization and problems of the Russian Army. Some detail on the Battle of Mukden. Only parts of his original 4 vols. have been translated. Fairly easy to find.

Actual Experiences in War: CPT L.Z. Soloviev, War Department, Washington, 1906. A little gem on the war. This is a U.S. Army pamphlet written by a Russian infantry company commander on tactics and techniques used during the last part of the war. It is a how-to type of book. Hard to find.

My Experiences at Nan Shan and Port Arthur with the Fifth East Siberian Rifles: Lt. General N.A. Tretyakov, London, 1911. What can I say, this is my favorite book on the war. It is a classic study of command and leadership in war. Extremely well written. If you don't read this book, you won't know all there is about the great siege. Tretyakov was one of the few Russians who came out of the war with an enhanced reputation. His regiment defended Nan Shan and 203 Meter Hill. Excellent maps, organization data on the East Siberian Rifle Regiments, but lacks any OBs. Hard to find, but worth the search. U.S. War Department. Reports of Military Observers attached to the Armies in Manchuria during the Russo-Japanese War. Washington, 1906. The most balanced of the official observers reports. Average OB information, average maps. Hard to find.

Best of the Newspaper Reports

Newspaper reporters wrote many books on the war. Unfortunately, most are valueless to the wargamer, and of limited value to the military historian. Most of these books are travel logs and talk more about the history of Korea and Manchuria rather than the war, but, there are exceptions:

Port Arthur, the Siege and Capitulation: Ellis. Ashmeand-Bartlett, London, 1906. Good history on the siege. Plans of two forts, no OBs, average maps.

The War in the Far East: Military Corespondents of the Times. London, 1904-5. 1 saw this in a London book store, but I didn't have the sixty pounds to buy it. Great maps, looked like a nice book. On my shopping list.

The Great Siege, The Investment and Fall of Port Arthur: Norregaard, B.W. London, 1906. Very good on the siege. Detailed plans of some of the forts, and the overall defense of the port. No OB data. Good maps.

Finally, what did the war took like? The war was well documented by the camera. There are three good collections of photographs published after the war. Colliers magazine sent many photographers to cover the campaign, and their two collections of photos published in 1905-6 are superb. Some of these photos are used to illustrate the articles in this issue of The Courier. The third is The Illustrated History of the Russo-Japanese War, by J.N. Westwood, London, 1973. A nice collection of photographs, supported with well written text.

I hope that this introduction to the Russo-Japanese War will cause the readers of The Courier to think about wargaming this period. The articles in this issue will discuss some of the battles, uniforms, and organizations of the armies. In the future, I plan to cover rules for the period and the naval side of this interesting war. Enjoy!

Russo-Japanese War

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