The Russo-Japanese War 1904–05

Osprey Men at Arms #414

by Alexei Ivanov, Philip Jowett, Andrei Karachtchouk (Illustrator)

The Russo-Japanese War in Manchuria was the first 20th century conflict fought between the regular armies of major powers, employing the most modern means – machine guns, trench warfare, minefields and telephone communications; and the battle of Mukden in March 1905 was the largest clash of armies in world history up to that date. Events were followed by many foreign observers; but the events of 1914 in Western Europe suggest that not all of them drew the correct conclusions. For the first time in the West the armies of this distant but important war are described and illustrated in detail, with rare photos and the superbly atmospheric paintings of Russia's leading military illustrator.

Genres: History, Military History, Russia, Nonfiction

48 pages, Paperback

First published July 25, 2004

About the author

Alexei Ivanov (Russian: Алексей Иванов) is a Russian award-winning writer. He is known for his books about the Urals.
Ivanov’s novels have been nominated three times for the National Bestseller prize, and for several other awards within Russia, including the Big Book Award. His works have been adapted for the big and small screen, most notably his 2003 novel The Geographer Drank Away his Globe, which was made into a multi-award-winning film starring Konstantin Khabensky.

Reviews

[Nick]

Osprey's book on uniforms and equipment from the Russo-Japanese War 1904-05 is a good reference. Sections covered are a short summary of the war with major milestone dates, a fairly complete description of unit organization through Army (Japanese) and Corps (Russian) including a summary of the incorporation of machine guns and the use of the field phone, a description of uniforms and personal arms and equipment of the enlisted and officer ranks.

[Manolo González]

Brief and superb book about the uniforms and equipment of both sides during the conflict