Czytaj recenzję

• Cybermodeler.com • 2012-03-16
• Modelingmadness.com • 2012-03-16
• InternetModeler.com • 2012-03-16
• Hyperscale.com • 2012-03-16
• amazon.co.uk customer review (2) • 2012-03-16
• Amazon.com customer review • 2012-03-16
• Amazon.com customer review (2) • 2012-03-16
• IPMSUSA.org • 2012-03-16
• Amazon.com customer review (3) • 2012-03-16

• Cybermodeler.com • 2012-03-16

  This new book is the second and final book in the series about the Russo-Japanese Naval War of 1904-1905. Vol. 1 has already been reviewed elsewhere here on Cybermodeler previously.

  The book is in soft-cover 8 ¼” x 11 ½” page format and 312 pages in length.

  It concludes the study of this war, which was the first major conflict of the 20th Century and the first to involve “modern” warships and weapons. Volume 2 covers the later stages of the war and the very significant battle of Tsushima, where the Russian fleet was comprehensively defeated by the Japanese. This conflict was the first time “modern” Japan flexed it’s military muscles, and provides an important insight into later (and better known) historical events in the Far East.

  The book is profusely illustrated with 83 black and white photos of mostly the ships involved. There are also 9 pictures of individuals that were involved. Eleven battle maps are included, 27 data lists, a bibliography and an index at the end of the book.

  Black and white scale drawings of the Russian Navy ships involved are provided.

  Similar black and white line scale line drawings of the Japanese Navy vessels appeared in the previous volume 1.

  The only color illustration in the book is the front cover, which is a painting of the Russian battleship Borodino I believe. It would have been nice to have had some color profiles of some of these ships for modellers.

  The 2 volumes are a wealth of information about this war. The book will be of great interest to naval enthusiasts and historians as well as ship modellers.

  Highly recommended.

• Modelingmadness.com • 2012-03-16

  Reviewer:Scott Van Aken

  I was delighted to see this book arrive in the mails a week or so back. I've always been interested in this particular event, not so much because it was a stunning Japanese victory, but because of the ships and the men involved in the battle. Not only that, but the events surrounding it are simply fascinating to a student of modern warfare. Not only was the 1905 war with Russia the first truly modern war, but it was the last major naval battle fought with pre-dreadnaught ships.

  Somehow I missed seeing the first volume. This one starts on chapter 30 and covers the Russian cruiser raids on Japanese shipping by the Vladivostok fleet. In fact, the next chapters cover additional raids and the Japanese response. Then the book goes into the background of the final battle of Tsushima, which begins a year before. I very much appreciate how the chapters are set up and divided. They make it so that one can read just a single chapter is time is short, or read several of them in a row when one has more time to get into the book.

  This includes the short lived auxiliary cruiser ops and the gathering of the Baltic fleet on its very long journey to the Far East. It also fully covers Japanese operations during this time in preparation for this battle. Once the battle is underway, the information gets more and more detailed. In all, it is probably one of the best accounts of events that I have read.

  All of this is superbly illustrated with period photos of the ships involved as well as the major personalities. There are well drawn and easy to understand maneuvering charts covering all the various minor and major actions. This includes what has to be a most comprehensive series of appendixes that go into things like the gunnery abilities of the various ships, a description of each ship in terms of equipment, speed, complement, as well various other appendices. This is all topped off by many pages of line profile drawings of all Russian ships in either 1/500 or 1/350 scale.

  It is yet another of Mushroom Model Publications' must have books for the ship fan. A book that most thoroughly enjoyed reading and one that I am sure you will want as well. Most highly recommended.

  November 2010

• InternetModeler.com • 2012-03-16

  By Chris Banyai-Riepl

  While many recognize 1917 as a major revolutionary year in Russian history, 1905 was almost as important. The political changes resulting from 1905 set the stage for the dramatic changes in 1917, and many a book has been written about the political and social aspects of that pivotal year. One of the issues that took place during that year was the ill-advised (for the Russians, anyway) Russo-Japanese war. This latest book from Mushroom Model Publications provides the second volume detailing the naval war of 1904-05 between Japan and Russia, which (not wanting to spoil it too much) was decidedly not in the favor of the Russians.

  This book, as noted, is volume two, and unlike some other multi-part series, this title is not a stand-alone book. It picks up right where the first volume leaves off, with no introduction to either the conflict or the scope of the book. However, given the detail and research that went into this volume, if you are at all interested in this conflict, you will definitely want to get both volumes, so this is not too big an issue. This volume begins with the Vladivostok cruiser raids in 1904 and runs through to the final major battle at Tsushima where the Russian fleet was decisively defeated by Japan. From a naval battle standpoint, this conflict was important as it was the first war employing modern warships and weapons and it was the first military test of the modern Japanese navy. As such, it is great to have such a thorough and detailed history of this naval war. In addition to the well written text, this volume also has detailed drawings of the Russian vessels that took part in the conflict (the Japanese ships were similarly documented in Volume 1).

  This book, together with the first volume, provides what is likely to be the most thorough examination of the Russo-Japanese naval war, and anyone interested in the birth of the modern Japanese navy, or early 20th Century naval warfare should not hesitate to pick up these two volumes. My thanks to Mushroom Model Publications for the review copy.

• Hyperscale.com • 2012-03-16

  Review Type: FirstRead

  Advantages:

  Covers the later stages of the war including Tsushima, profusely illustrated with photos, maps and drawings of all of the Russian ships involved from battleships to submarines.

  Disadvantages:

  I think MMP has missed an opportunity to show some colour profiles or at least some 3 or 4 view plans of some of the more prominent ships.

  Conclusion:

  A must for naval enthusiasts and anyone interested in “turn of the century” naval history.

  Reviewed by Glen Porter

  F i r s t R e a d

  The Russo-Japanese War and in particular the Battle of Tsushima were important as the first major conflict of the 20th Century, the first involving modern weapons and the first time the “modernized” Japanese flexed their muscles giving us an insight of things to come.

  This book by Mushroom Model Publications is the second on the subject. Vol. 1, by the same author, covers the early part of the conflict and ships of the Japanese fleet. The page and chapter counts of volume 2 carry on from volume 1 so this one begins with chapter 30 on page 160 through to chapter 55 on page 233 and the index on page 305.

  The first 15 chapters of vol. 2 concern the operations of various ships out of Vladivostok and Japan in and around the Sea of Japan between Russia, Korea and the Islands of Japan. With many period B&W photos of the units involved plus maps showing the various actions, this is just the prelude to the voyage of the II and III Pacific fleets from the Baltic Sea and culminating in the Battle of Tsushima.

  The final 13 chapters are about the build-up of these two strengthening fleets, their passage to the Sea of Japan via the Cape of Good Hope (II fleet) and Suez Canal (III fleet) including accidentally opening fire on the British fishing fleet due to poor communications, poor intelligence and panic.

  So it comes as no surprise, considering the distance the Russian ships had sailed, the poor leadership of their Admirals and the hodge-podge of ships, none of which would be considered first class and the mostly British built warships of the Japanese fleet, capably led with well trained crews, that the Japanese walked all over the Russians in a very quick and decisive victory that was the Battle of Tsushima.

  Over 18 pages, each stage of the battle is described, clearly showing the units of both protagonists in very clear maps with many period photos to illustrate the text.

  Chapters 54 (The End Of The War) and 55 (The Balance Of Loss) brings the main part of the book to an end.

  After Appendixes and Bibliography, there is the Russian Naval Scale Drawings. Over 44 pages, these are all starboard side waterline images, although with the larger ships the lower hull is indicated by broken lines, from battleships to submarines and everything in between. As noted above, the Japanese ships are covered in Vol. 1. An extensive index bring us to the end.

  Conclusion

  It is unfortunate that only a very small number models of the ships involved in this war have ever been produced, mainly Russian Cruisers and the Japanese Flagship, but maybe the publication of these two books will stimulate some interest

  Heres hoping.

• amazon.co.uk customer review (2) • 2012-03-16

  Excellent- But can we have a 'Hard' cover version, please?, 11 Oct 2011

  By Ralph Cook.

  I was not expecting such a high quality production, and the two books together 'disect' the war in a very logical and highly readable way. I have Julian Corbetts mammoth original account, but it is so complex and, frankly, boring that I have never finished reading it! Here, there are a large number of short chapters that 'break down' the action so that the reader can make proper sense of it- this being especially necessary in Volume One, which deals with the complex operations of 1904. There are good plans showing the actions and there are a really large number of photographs, though the reproduction of these is usually small and there are better pictures available of many of the ships: that said the pictures showing ships in action during the war are very atmospheric. One small quibble: the general map of the area of operations does not show all of the towns and locations that are prominently mentioned in the text. However, at least the text seems to be quite pleasingly 'unbiased'. The Russians were certainly demoralized by 1905, but were actually far from being the total incompetents that many accounts in English would lead you to suppose.

  The line drawings are large and of superb quality, though, like another reviewer, I would like to see deck plans, at least of the battleships and large cruisers. The paintings on the card covers are superb- but those covers will easily be damaged, and I would have preferred a hard back edition, even though that would be a lot more expensive. Overall though, these are nice books, concise and easy to read. Oh, yes- the title should of course read '1904- 5', not just '1905'.

• Amazon.com customer review • 2012-03-16

  5.0 out of 5 stars Awealth of information on a little known war., February 17, 2011

  By John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV)

  The Russo-Japanese war is often mentioned slightly in the World War II history books. The Russo-Japanese war really set the stage for World War II.

  It was in this war that Japan's naval leaders realized that they could indeed beat a western power. It convinced them that their view of the destiny of Japan to rule over Asia was established. The Japanese WW II naval commander, Admiral Yamamoto was wounded while serving on the cruiser Nisshin, losing two fingers on his left hand. In spite of this wars impact on history, it is rarely discussed, rarely even described in the American history books.

  This small two volume set goes a long way to fixing this problem. The books give a very good, although fairly brief description of all the major events of the war. This volume is primarily concerned with the decisive Battle of Tsushima (Tsushima is an island in the Korea Strait between Korea and Japan.), where the Japanese fleet decisively beat the Russian fleet arriving from Europe.

  A surprising thing about the book is the amazing collection of photographs showing the ships themselves. These are ships during the time of transition when the big gun steel hulled ships were coming into being, but they still carried masts square rigged with sails. Volume II has fully detailed specifications and engineering drawings of the Russian ships involved. The Japanese ship drawings are to be found in Volume I.

• Amazon.com customer review (2) • 2012-03-16

  Minor editing flaws don't detract from this five star effort, March 20, 2011

  By Jim Davis (St. Charles, MO USA) - See all my reviews

  This book completes a two volume history of the naval side of the war between Russia and Japan at the start of the last century. The book picks up directly from its predecessor right down to the page numbers and chapter numbers. The bibliography and index for the two volumes are also combined in the present book. As such only the first can really stand on its own if one is willing to forgo a bibliography and index.

  The current volume backtracks into 1904 to deal with the attempts of the Russian cruisers based in Vladivostok to disrupt Japanese trade to relieve the pressure on Port Arthur. Also covered are the Japanese responses, of course. The highlight of the book is the cruise of the Baltic fleet around the world and its annihilation at the Battle of Tsushima.

  Coverage and analysis, although brief, seem comprehensive enough. The end of the war is covered then there are copious appendices detailing torpedo attacks, merchant ships captured, and fleet status.

  There is a comprehensive collection of well done line drawings of the Russian ships. (Japanese ships were covered in the first volume).

  While reading the book I recommend looking ahead for the map that goes with the text. There usually is one but it shows up a few pages later.

  The text and captions are translations but one would never know it. It is very well done with only an occasional false note.

  The book is marred but not significantly by several editing glitches. For example the cover painting description is given as "Japanese Battleship Mikasa in the battle of the Yellow Sea" where a Russian naval ensign is clearly shown! Someone forgot to change the description from Volume 1. Appendix 3 refers repeatedly to something it calls "II" for example "The II includes seaworthy battleships..." Again, someone forgot to do a global replace.

  There was also a curious decision to have the underwater portions of the line drawings done in dashed lines. This was also done in the first volume. I can't fathom the reason for such a decision. Also, plan views would have been great also. As it is, only profiles.

  But these are nits. I highly recommend both volumes. Mushroom's Maritime Series is off to a fine start.

• IPMSUSA.org • 2012-03-16

  Reviewed by: Charles Landrum, IPMS# 26328

  The Russo-Japanese War was the opening salvo in a series of conflicts that would dominate the first half of the 20thcentury and upend the status quo of the world’s great powers. Waged at the height of European colonial period, it would signal Japan’s entry onto the world’s stage and portend the demise of the Russian Empire 12 years later. Russia, like Turkey was a “sick man” of Europe and Japan was ready to wrest control of the Far East from Moscow’s influence. The series of Japanese victories and the decimation of the Russian Navy shocked the world and provided a stage for President Theodore Roosevelt to increase the stature of the United States. Much was written soon after the Treaty of Portsmouth but the war and these respective writings were overshadowed by the epic struggle of the World War of 1914-1918. One hundred years later it is refreshing to re-visit such an important conflict.

  In this the second volume by Piotr Olender, he deals with the major events leading up to the Battle of Tsushima and the demise of the Russian Pacific and Baltic Squadrons. This volume is 160 pages, with the narrative supplemented by 93 period photographs and illustrations, 11 diagrams, 12 tables, and 60 drawings of Russian ships. The chapters are laid out in chronological order and are split between two topics of focus, Vladivostok and Tsushima, with the chapters chronicling the events surrounding these major events in the war. The chapters are short but interesting and the story tells tends more to a narrative of facts and events. With access to Russian primary sources and extensive bibliography of period publications, this book is authoritative as it is interesting. For this reason this volume (and I am sure too Vol. 1) is told more from the Russian perspective and the challenges these forces faced.

  The focus of this volume really is on the Battle of Tsushima and the events associated with the series of engagements that make up the battle. While there is a section on the back and forth naval actions involving the 1stPacific Squadron in Vladivostok, these are more of a scene setter to the coup de grace of Tsushima. In fact only 20 pages are devoted to the events around Vladivostok. The most familiar and most part of the Russo-Japanese War was the Battle of Tsushima and the destruction of not only the Fleet in the Russian Far East but also that of the ships sent from the Baltic and Black Sea Fleets to reinforce the 1stPacific Squadrons. The author devotes 50 pages to the story, but far more could be written. It was an immense undertaking to send so many vessels in questionable states of readiness such an immense distance with sketchy logistics, no intelligence, lots of rumors, and little long range communications. Things seemed to go wrong from the start when the 2ndPacific Squadron enroute from the Baltic, fired on a British fishing fleet in the English channel under the mistaken belief that Japanese forces were operating so far from home. How the ships got to the Far East as a fighting force, despite numerous incidents along the way is a testament to the resourcefulness of the Russian leadership afloat and ashore at various consulates. It was this part of the story that I was most amazed by. It is a shame that the Warfighting prowess of this force did not match their logistic ingenuity.

  Tsushima unfolds as a series of engagements between an overly-centralized, unseasoned combined Russian fleet with no real plan of engagement against a well trained, seasoned Japanese Fleet with very sophisticated plans. The ensuing chapters detail the Russian catastrophe and the piecemeal destruction of their fleet. The author does a good job outlining the flow of what to be confusing engagements. He then goes on to convey that during the disarray and retreat, the Russians were hunted down by a Japanese force always one step ahead and waiting. To the West, this was the most shocking aspect of this whole war, the systematic destruction and dismantlement of the Russian Navy by such a small nation. The final few chapters deal with the aftermath of the battle: more Russian ships lost to internment, the loss of Sakhalin Island (a fact I did not know - there was so much cold war talk about Stalin taking it from the Japanese, when in fact they had taken it from Russia) and the ensuing peace negotiations and treaty in Portsmouth, NH.

  The back end of the book contains appendices filled with information about the Russian and Japanese ships involved in the conflict. Included is an appendix of illustrations by Robert Panek of all of the Russian ship classes involved. These drawings are for the most part scaled to 1/350 except a few of the smallest vessels.

  I found this book informative on many levels, not only as a narrative of events, but of the naval details which are quite hard to find. Since receiving this review edition I have collected some period narratives, mostly from the Japanese side, so I am looking forward to comparing this new and revealing information against what was believed at the time. In June of 2010 I had the opportunity to visit IJN Mikasa and see the Japanese perspective. Since reading this volume, my perspective on the war has not changed, the Russians were still a bit hapless, but now I better understood the odds they faced. A must read for anyone with an interest in the roots of 20thCentury naval warfare and later the war in the Pacific.

• Amazon.com customer review (3) • 2012-03-16

  Awealth of information on a little known war.,

  February 17, 2011 By John Matlock

  The Russo-Japanese war is often mentioned slightly in the World War II history books. The Russo-Japanese war really set the stage for World War II. It was in this war that Japan's naval leaders realized that they could indeed beat a western power. It convinced them that their view of the destiny of Japan to rule over Asia was established. The Japanese WW II naval commander, Admiral Yamamoto was wounded while serving on the cruiser Nisshin, losing two fingers on his left hand. In spite of this wars impact on history, it is rarely discussed, rarely even described in the American history books.

  This small two volume set goes a long way to fixing this problem. The books give a very good, although fairly brief description of all the major events of the war. This volume is primarily concerned with the decisive Battle of Tsushima (Tsushima is an island in the Korea Strait between Korea and Japan.), where the Japanese fleet decisively beat the Russian fleet arriving from Europe.

  A surprising thing about the book is the amazing collection of photographs showing the ships themselves. These are ships during the time of transition when the big gun steel hulled ships were coming into being, but they still carried masts square rigged with sails. Volume II has fully detailed specifications and engineering drawings of the Russian ships involved. The Japanese ship drawings are to be found in Volume I.