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War in the Far East #1
Storm Clouds over the Pacific, 1931-1941: War in the Far East Series, Book 1
War in the Far East is a trilogy of books offering the most complete narrative yet written about the Pacific Theater of World War II, and the first truly international treatment of the epic conflict. Historian Peter Harmsen weaves together a complex and revealing narrative, including facets of the war that are often overlooked in historic narratives. He explores the war in subarctic conditions on the Aleutians; details the mass starvations in China, Indochina, and India; and offers a range of perspectives on the war experience, from the Oval Office to the blistering sands of Peleliu.
Storm Clouds over the Pacific begins the story long before Pearl Harbor, showing how the war can only be understood if ancient hatreds and long-standing geopolitics are taken into account. Harmsen demonstrates how Japan and China's ancient enmity led to increased tensions in the 1930s, which, in turn, exploded into conflict in 1937.
The battles of Shanghai and Nanjing were followed by the Battle of Taierzhuang in 1938, China's only major victory. A war of attrition continued up to 1941, the year when Japan made the momentous decision to pursue all-out war. The infamous attack on Pearl Harbor catapulted the United States into the war, as the Japanese also overran British and Dutch territories throughout the western Pacific.
Storm Clouds over the Pacific begins the story long before Pearl Harbor, showing how the war can only be understood if ancient hatreds and long-standing geopolitics are taken into account. Harmsen demonstrates how Japan and China's ancient enmity led to increased tensions in the 1930s, which, in turn, exploded into conflict in 1937.
The battles of Shanghai and Nanjing were followed by the Battle of Taierzhuang in 1938, China's only major victory. A war of attrition continued up to 1941, the year when Japan made the momentous decision to pursue all-out war. The infamous attack on Pearl Harbor catapulted the United States into the war, as the Japanese also overran British and Dutch territories throughout the western Pacific.
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March 21, 2019
This is a brief political and military overview of the escalating Asian War from 1931 to the end of December 7/8, 1941. The emphasis in this book is heavily slanted towards the political arena, with military events often getting quite short shrift.
The book begins with, honestly, it's best chapter: the long history of conflict between the Chinese, Koreans and Japanese. 500 years of history are condensed into a single chapter, but the font size is small enough and the spacing is tight enough that a considerable amount of detail is offered up in a single chapter.
What was a real treat with this book was the look at how the Guomindang (the Nationalists) United much of the nation of China following the collapse of the Qing and the early 1910's with Sun Yat Sen and his revolution. The Northern Expeditions are mostly ignored in most histories of the period, and while Harmsen only offers a very cursory overview of them (as he does all military events) it is still better than the vast majority of other works out there.
Despite the detail the author lavished on the military campaigns in 1937 in China in two prior books, he at best skims over the same topic in this work, offering very little in the way of a narrative or analysis of the military events of Japan's invasion from 1937 to the end of the book.
While some military events are chronicled that often get overlooked, such as the two Soviet-Japanese border wars, the Franco-Thai War, and the little glimpses of the massive war in China, the narrative is overwhelmed by the politics leading up to the war with the US and Britain. And this is my main negative critique of the book.
Harmsen had a golden opportunity to really turn the focus much more on the war in China, and offer more of an Asian centric view of the Great Asian War, the other half of World War II.
Instead Harmsen treaded all too familiar ground with the political and diplomatic leadup to the linking of the European and Asian wars into a global one.
Not to say that this book isn't of any value or worth reading. If one is unfamiliar with the story, Harmsen puts events into a broader perspective that most do not, and the initial three chapters are worth the price of admission alone.
And while this is the first of a projected trilogy on the war in Asia, it is still my belief that the author missed a chance to really illuminate the Second Sino-Japanese War for a mass audience.
Still, I can recommend this work, though for a more detailed military narrative and analysis, one will have to either learn Mandarin or Cantonese or hope other authors begin working the subject in English.
The book begins with, honestly, it's best chapter: the long history of conflict between the Chinese, Koreans and Japanese. 500 years of history are condensed into a single chapter, but the font size is small enough and the spacing is tight enough that a considerable amount of detail is offered up in a single chapter.
What was a real treat with this book was the look at how the Guomindang (the Nationalists) United much of the nation of China following the collapse of the Qing and the early 1910's with Sun Yat Sen and his revolution. The Northern Expeditions are mostly ignored in most histories of the period, and while Harmsen only offers a very cursory overview of them (as he does all military events) it is still better than the vast majority of other works out there.
Despite the detail the author lavished on the military campaigns in 1937 in China in two prior books, he at best skims over the same topic in this work, offering very little in the way of a narrative or analysis of the military events of Japan's invasion from 1937 to the end of the book.
While some military events are chronicled that often get overlooked, such as the two Soviet-Japanese border wars, the Franco-Thai War, and the little glimpses of the massive war in China, the narrative is overwhelmed by the politics leading up to the war with the US and Britain. And this is my main negative critique of the book.
Harmsen had a golden opportunity to really turn the focus much more on the war in China, and offer more of an Asian centric view of the Great Asian War, the other half of World War II.
Instead Harmsen treaded all too familiar ground with the political and diplomatic leadup to the linking of the European and Asian wars into a global one.
Not to say that this book isn't of any value or worth reading. If one is unfamiliar with the story, Harmsen puts events into a broader perspective that most do not, and the initial three chapters are worth the price of admission alone.
And while this is the first of a projected trilogy on the war in Asia, it is still my belief that the author missed a chance to really illuminate the Second Sino-Japanese War for a mass audience.
Still, I can recommend this work, though for a more detailed military narrative and analysis, one will have to either learn Mandarin or Cantonese or hope other authors begin working the subject in English.
December 2, 2019
A concise political and military history of the Pacific War from the start of the Manchurian Crisis to the attack on Pearl Harbor.
[Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this book by the author on the condition that I would publish a review of it]
One of the reasons why I got interested about the Pacific War was the fact that there seemed to be so little popular consciousness about it. My school textbooks never focused a lot on it, the pop culture I watched rarely mentioned it, and even while my local bookstore had rows and rows of works dedicated to Nazis and the war in Europe, I was lucky to find a single row of book dedicated to Asia and the Pacific. And even then, most books were just the same old American-centic military histories of Midway, Guadalcanal, and Okinawa repeated time and time again. Luckily for future generations, many recently published works will prevent them from facing a similar lack of good reading. From Rana Mitter's China's War with Japan, 1937-1945: The Struggle for Survival which looked at the Japanese war in China which began (officially) in 1937, to Eri Hotta's Japan 1941: Countdown to Infamy which offered and accessible account of the Japanese road to Pearl Harbor, recent works for popular audiences have done much to move the conflict beyond the American centered 1941-1945 conflict. Another notable writer in this field is undeniably Peter Harmsen, who's past books on the battles of Shanghai (Shanghai 1937: Stalingrad on the Yangtze) and Nanjing (Nanjing 1937: Battle for a Doomed City) have now been followed by this, the first book in a coming trilogy on the Pacific War covering the entire conflict from 1931 to 1945.
For such a short book (178 pages + citations) it is quite remarkable how much information and sources Harmsen has been able to cram within its covers. Within these pages we get a brief history of Sino-Japanese relations to 1931, the creation of Manchukuo from 1931-1933, the hardening domestic political situation in both China and Japan which made backing down from war increasingly impossible, the course of the war from 1937 to 1940, the occupation of French Indochina and the brief war between Siam and France which occurred soon after, before finally ending with the political machinations which led to war with the Western powers in December 1941. As a work of narrative history, the result is impressive.
Furthermore, lest one be tempted to read my use of "popular history" as short for "amateur work for readers who like lots of guns and drama", Harmsen has clearly read his sources and has expertly synthesized a large amount of scholarship to write this book. As a professional historian, one of the things that has always struck me about Harmsen's books in general is his close attention to sources, and this book is no exception. Indeed, even my former MA supervisor, no slouch he, admitted that he had recently rummaged though Harmsen's previous books to prepare for a course he was going to teach on the Pacific War! While there are some facts I could quibble with (I question the use of Mitsuo Fuchida's works given the airman's unfortunate tendency to stretch the truth in many things, especially in regards to the Pearl Harbor attack), overall this is an excellent work of scholarship that is well worth the attention of teachers who are looking for an introductory text for their classes as Harmsen combines deep knowledge with conciseness.
I would also be remiss if I didn't mention the images in the book. As Harmsen also runs the website China in WW2 (http://www.chinaww2.com/) which is dedicated to sharing unique photos of that conflict, Storm Clouds is also well stocked with fascinating images, many of which I had never seen before.
Overall, I give 4/5 stars, an excellent read I wish I'd had growing up.
[Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this book by the author on the condition that I would publish a review of it]
One of the reasons why I got interested about the Pacific War was the fact that there seemed to be so little popular consciousness about it. My school textbooks never focused a lot on it, the pop culture I watched rarely mentioned it, and even while my local bookstore had rows and rows of works dedicated to Nazis and the war in Europe, I was lucky to find a single row of book dedicated to Asia and the Pacific. And even then, most books were just the same old American-centic military histories of Midway, Guadalcanal, and Okinawa repeated time and time again. Luckily for future generations, many recently published works will prevent them from facing a similar lack of good reading. From Rana Mitter's China's War with Japan, 1937-1945: The Struggle for Survival which looked at the Japanese war in China which began (officially) in 1937, to Eri Hotta's Japan 1941: Countdown to Infamy which offered and accessible account of the Japanese road to Pearl Harbor, recent works for popular audiences have done much to move the conflict beyond the American centered 1941-1945 conflict. Another notable writer in this field is undeniably Peter Harmsen, who's past books on the battles of Shanghai (Shanghai 1937: Stalingrad on the Yangtze) and Nanjing (Nanjing 1937: Battle for a Doomed City) have now been followed by this, the first book in a coming trilogy on the Pacific War covering the entire conflict from 1931 to 1945.
For such a short book (178 pages + citations) it is quite remarkable how much information and sources Harmsen has been able to cram within its covers. Within these pages we get a brief history of Sino-Japanese relations to 1931, the creation of Manchukuo from 1931-1933, the hardening domestic political situation in both China and Japan which made backing down from war increasingly impossible, the course of the war from 1937 to 1940, the occupation of French Indochina and the brief war between Siam and France which occurred soon after, before finally ending with the political machinations which led to war with the Western powers in December 1941. As a work of narrative history, the result is impressive.
Furthermore, lest one be tempted to read my use of "popular history" as short for "amateur work for readers who like lots of guns and drama", Harmsen has clearly read his sources and has expertly synthesized a large amount of scholarship to write this book. As a professional historian, one of the things that has always struck me about Harmsen's books in general is his close attention to sources, and this book is no exception. Indeed, even my former MA supervisor, no slouch he, admitted that he had recently rummaged though Harmsen's previous books to prepare for a course he was going to teach on the Pacific War! While there are some facts I could quibble with (I question the use of Mitsuo Fuchida's works given the airman's unfortunate tendency to stretch the truth in many things, especially in regards to the Pearl Harbor attack), overall this is an excellent work of scholarship that is well worth the attention of teachers who are looking for an introductory text for their classes as Harmsen combines deep knowledge with conciseness.
I would also be remiss if I didn't mention the images in the book. As Harmsen also runs the website China in WW2 (http://www.chinaww2.com/) which is dedicated to sharing unique photos of that conflict, Storm Clouds is also well stocked with fascinating images, many of which I had never seen before.
Overall, I give 4/5 stars, an excellent read I wish I'd had growing up.
March 11, 2022
Fremragende overblik, informativ indsigt og solid analyse i den pan-asiatiske krig der strakte sig fra 1937-1945. Særligt balancen mellem de velkendte amerikanske operationer efter Pearl Harbor og den langt længere og større (?) konflikt i Kina er prisværdigt. Inspirerer til detail-studier af kampagner, slag og andre aspekter af denne kolossale konfrontation.
Vigtigst af alt er værket gennemsyret af empati for og sorg over de utallige menneskelige lidelser, der fulgte i kølvandet på invasioner, bombardementer og besættelser.
Vigtigst af alt er værket gennemsyret af empati for og sorg over de utallige menneskelige lidelser, der fulgte i kølvandet på invasioner, bombardementer og besættelser.
February 28, 2024
THE FIRST DECADE OF WORLD WAR II IN THE PACIFIC
Anyone with more than a cursory knowledge of World War II knows that the Soviet Union paid the greatest price for resisting the Nazis. Estimates of the country’s total dead range from 24 to 30 million. But fewer know that China’s losses in the war were also massive. They were somewhere between 15 and 20 million, far greater than those in any other country. But for the USSR the war lasted four years. For China, it lasted fourteen. Because beginning in 1931, the Empire of Japan seized China’s northernmost province, Manchuria, and held it until the war’s bitter end—while occupying nearly half the rest of the country. And, in Storm Clouds Over the Pacific, 1931-1941, the first in a series of three short books, author Peter Harmsen offers an account of the first decade of World War II in China in grim and sometimes painful detail.
EVENTS THAT STILL RESONATE IN CHINA TO THIS DAY
Harmsen has written two other well-received books about World War II in China, one about the battle for Shanghai, the other that for Nanjing. He studied Chinese history at National Taiwan University and has spent decades reporting from the Far East. He knows, and understands, the roots of the historic conflict between China and Japan and has dug deeply into available sources to provide a credible, detailed account of the war as it unfolded on the Chinese mainland from 1931 to 1941. It’s a sad story that still weighs heavily not just on the few remaining survivors of the war but on their descendants. And those events have played a major role in shaping China’s stance toward the world today.
THE HISTORICAL ANTECEDENTS OF WORLD WAR II IN CHINA
Harmsen begins his account with a brief survey of the seesawing relations between Japan and China from ancient times to the 1930s. On several occasions Imperial China tried in vain to invade Japan. The island country was a nuisance to the mandarins because of seemingly endless raids by thousands of Japanese pirates on its coastal provinces. But open warfare between the two countries didn’t break out until the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95, which inflicted a humiliating loss on China.
Then, the Japanese Empire, newly energized by the Meiji Restoration, set the tone for continuing hostility throughout the twentieth century. But open warfare didn’t erupt again until 1931, when rogue officers in Japan’s aggressive Kwantung Army seized Manchuria in 1931. And many scholars date the opening of World War II to that event. However, fighting between Chinese and Japanese troops was sporadic and limited until 1937, when Emperor Hirohito gave the order for his forces to invade Shanghai. And that was the point at which American and British military planners, long uneasy about Japan’s growing navy, began to understand that they would not be able to avoid war with Japan in the coming years.
OCCUPYING HALF OF CHINA
Harmsen follows the shifting balance of forces within China after Japan’s defeat of the Nationalist Army in Shanghai. But the war that ensued involved three contending armies, the Nationalists and the Communists as well as the Japanese—and sometimes even a fourth, that of the Soviet Union. Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek considered the Communist forces under Mao Zedong to be the greatest threat. From time to time, open warfare broke out in the ongoing civil war, all the while the Japanese were pushing westward into the heart of China. But the Japanese advance was relentless.
By the end of the decade, the Imperial Army occupied nearly half the country, including its most prosperous coastal provinces and its biggest cities (Shanghai, Nanjing, Beijing, Guangzhou). Harmsen writes about the ferocious battles for two of those cities, Shanghai and Nanjing, in especially gruesome detail. Because the same fanatic and often suicidal behavior that greeted American troops in the Pacific was on display in China as well.
WAR WITH THE US AND BRITAIN ON THE HORIZON
However, Harmsen’s canvas in Storm Clouds Over the Pacific is broader than just the territory of China. He takes us behind the scenes in Tokyo and Washington, DC, as well. Throughout the book, he demonstrates how the increasingly aggressive behavior of the Japanese Empire as the twentieth century unfolded set off alarm bells in Washington and London. In fact, the die was cast in the 1860s when reformers in the Japanese Empire set out to build a powerful military focused on the sea.
Within less than half a century, Japan had become such a powerful force on the Pacific that its two rival powers, Great Britain and the United States, conceded near-parity to the Empire in the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922. And when the Japanese revoked that treaty in 1936, the British and Americans knew that war in the Pacific was on the horizon. Because, as Harmsen writes, “The naval build-up that Japan carried out in the 1930s, especially after abandoning the Washington Treaty system, facilitated a fundamental adjustment to its national strategies in the form of a commitment to expand into the Pacific Ocean.”
At the top of the militaristic Japanese regime, sentiment steadily shifted toward war with the United States. But there were those among them who grasped that taking on the world’s greatest industrial power was suicidal if the conflict lasted more than a year. And the man who started it, Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku, the strategist behind the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, understood that perfectly.
A BALANCED VIEW OF THE WAR IN THE PACIFIC
With its emphasis on Japan’s war against China, where the bulk of World War II in the Pacific was fought, Storm Clouds Over the Pacific helps counterbalance the enormous outpouring of books that center the war in the US island-hopping campaign that ultimately led to Japan’s defeat. It’s not an easy read. But the effort will be worthwhile for anyone who seeks a balanced view of the war in the Pacific.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
According to his bio on Amazon,com, “Peter Harmsen, PhD, is the author of New York Times best seller Shanghai 1937: Stalingrad on the Yangtze and Nanjing 1937: Battle for a Doomed City. He studied history at National Taiwan University and has been a foreign correspondent in East Asia for two decades. He has focused mainly on the Chinese-speaking countries, but has reported from nearly every corner of the region, including Mongolia and North Korea.”
Anyone with more than a cursory knowledge of World War II knows that the Soviet Union paid the greatest price for resisting the Nazis. Estimates of the country’s total dead range from 24 to 30 million. But fewer know that China’s losses in the war were also massive. They were somewhere between 15 and 20 million, far greater than those in any other country. But for the USSR the war lasted four years. For China, it lasted fourteen. Because beginning in 1931, the Empire of Japan seized China’s northernmost province, Manchuria, and held it until the war’s bitter end—while occupying nearly half the rest of the country. And, in Storm Clouds Over the Pacific, 1931-1941, the first in a series of three short books, author Peter Harmsen offers an account of the first decade of World War II in China in grim and sometimes painful detail.
EVENTS THAT STILL RESONATE IN CHINA TO THIS DAY
Harmsen has written two other well-received books about World War II in China, one about the battle for Shanghai, the other that for Nanjing. He studied Chinese history at National Taiwan University and has spent decades reporting from the Far East. He knows, and understands, the roots of the historic conflict between China and Japan and has dug deeply into available sources to provide a credible, detailed account of the war as it unfolded on the Chinese mainland from 1931 to 1941. It’s a sad story that still weighs heavily not just on the few remaining survivors of the war but on their descendants. And those events have played a major role in shaping China’s stance toward the world today.
THE HISTORICAL ANTECEDENTS OF WORLD WAR II IN CHINA
Harmsen begins his account with a brief survey of the seesawing relations between Japan and China from ancient times to the 1930s. On several occasions Imperial China tried in vain to invade Japan. The island country was a nuisance to the mandarins because of seemingly endless raids by thousands of Japanese pirates on its coastal provinces. But open warfare between the two countries didn’t break out until the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95, which inflicted a humiliating loss on China.
Then, the Japanese Empire, newly energized by the Meiji Restoration, set the tone for continuing hostility throughout the twentieth century. But open warfare didn’t erupt again until 1931, when rogue officers in Japan’s aggressive Kwantung Army seized Manchuria in 1931. And many scholars date the opening of World War II to that event. However, fighting between Chinese and Japanese troops was sporadic and limited until 1937, when Emperor Hirohito gave the order for his forces to invade Shanghai. And that was the point at which American and British military planners, long uneasy about Japan’s growing navy, began to understand that they would not be able to avoid war with Japan in the coming years.
OCCUPYING HALF OF CHINA
Harmsen follows the shifting balance of forces within China after Japan’s defeat of the Nationalist Army in Shanghai. But the war that ensued involved three contending armies, the Nationalists and the Communists as well as the Japanese—and sometimes even a fourth, that of the Soviet Union. Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek considered the Communist forces under Mao Zedong to be the greatest threat. From time to time, open warfare broke out in the ongoing civil war, all the while the Japanese were pushing westward into the heart of China. But the Japanese advance was relentless.
By the end of the decade, the Imperial Army occupied nearly half the country, including its most prosperous coastal provinces and its biggest cities (Shanghai, Nanjing, Beijing, Guangzhou). Harmsen writes about the ferocious battles for two of those cities, Shanghai and Nanjing, in especially gruesome detail. Because the same fanatic and often suicidal behavior that greeted American troops in the Pacific was on display in China as well.
WAR WITH THE US AND BRITAIN ON THE HORIZON
However, Harmsen’s canvas in Storm Clouds Over the Pacific is broader than just the territory of China. He takes us behind the scenes in Tokyo and Washington, DC, as well. Throughout the book, he demonstrates how the increasingly aggressive behavior of the Japanese Empire as the twentieth century unfolded set off alarm bells in Washington and London. In fact, the die was cast in the 1860s when reformers in the Japanese Empire set out to build a powerful military focused on the sea.
Within less than half a century, Japan had become such a powerful force on the Pacific that its two rival powers, Great Britain and the United States, conceded near-parity to the Empire in the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922. And when the Japanese revoked that treaty in 1936, the British and Americans knew that war in the Pacific was on the horizon. Because, as Harmsen writes, “The naval build-up that Japan carried out in the 1930s, especially after abandoning the Washington Treaty system, facilitated a fundamental adjustment to its national strategies in the form of a commitment to expand into the Pacific Ocean.”
At the top of the militaristic Japanese regime, sentiment steadily shifted toward war with the United States. But there were those among them who grasped that taking on the world’s greatest industrial power was suicidal if the conflict lasted more than a year. And the man who started it, Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku, the strategist behind the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, understood that perfectly.
A BALANCED VIEW OF THE WAR IN THE PACIFIC
With its emphasis on Japan’s war against China, where the bulk of World War II in the Pacific was fought, Storm Clouds Over the Pacific helps counterbalance the enormous outpouring of books that center the war in the US island-hopping campaign that ultimately led to Japan’s defeat. It’s not an easy read. But the effort will be worthwhile for anyone who seeks a balanced view of the war in the Pacific.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
According to his bio on Amazon,com, “Peter Harmsen, PhD, is the author of New York Times best seller Shanghai 1937: Stalingrad on the Yangtze and Nanjing 1937: Battle for a Doomed City. He studied history at National Taiwan University and has been a foreign correspondent in East Asia for two decades. He has focused mainly on the Chinese-speaking countries, but has reported from nearly every corner of the region, including Mongolia and North Korea.”
November 13, 2021
En meget detaljeret beretning om op- og forløbet af konflikten mellem Japan og USA under 2. verdenskrig. En særdeles læseværdig bog, der lærte mig meget om de historiske forudsætninger for den krig, der kostede ubeskrivelig menneskelig lidelse.
July 12, 2020
This book is volume 1 of (what I think is to be) a 3-part series. From what I can gather from reading this first volume is this 3-part series is meant to highlight the role of Japan in the second world war. This first book was rather short – less than 300 pages, but it is an excellent primer for those wanting to understand the nation of Japan; it’s history, it’s conquest of China during the 1930s, and it’s goal to quickly wipe out the United States as an adversary so they can continue their rapacious goal of dominating the Far East.
Most of this book details Japan’s surge into China during the 1930s. History tells us that World War II officially started on September 1, 1939 when Hitler invaded Poland, but upon closer examination, you could make the argument that Japan was the real instigator of the crisis even though there really wasn’t any alliance or connection between Japan and Germany at the time.
In addition to reading about Japan, we also read a lot about the inner turmoil within China as well; specifically the rivalry between Chiang Kai Shek’s Nationalists and Mao Zedong’s Communists. The main drive of this book though is that none of this internal conflict would have been so turbulent had it not been for neighboring Japan. So although we do read snippets of Russia, Thailand, and Indochina, the whole narrative is dependent on the Japanese goal of ruthless expansion.
Although this book is somewhat brief, it’s also very well detailed. This, for me, is a sign of an excellent book. I don’t like a book that is too thick with irrelevant details, but I never like it when the author cuts corners just to make the book concise. In other words, I’m fine with a long book as long as I can stay interested, but a shorter well-thought out narrative is good as well. This book seemed the perfect length. I was never bored. As stated though, there are more volumes to follow. So Peter Harmsen could have easily trebled the length of this book had he compiled all three of his narratives into one volume.
If one is unfamiliar with the events in the Far East during the 1930s, it should be pointed out that entire books have been written about events that this author quickly summarizes in a few pages. The Rape of Nanking is a great example. When one quickly reads of the events within the pages of this book, one really can’t begin to understand the true horrors. But again, the goal of this book is not to dive too deep into particular events. It must be said, though, that there are much more detailed (and horrific) accounts out there about such events. (I should also add that this author has a standalone book about the Rape of Nanking.)
As a native of the United States, the most interesting part of this book is when the U.S. gets “involved” in the business between Japan and China. This essentially led to the United States’ engagement in World War II. As time progresses, I’m betting fewer and fewer Americans truly understand the reason why Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941. If you want to understand without getting bogged down with particulars, this book is an excellent place to start. In fact, this book ends directly after the Pearl Harbor attack (the same day when Japan also attacked the Philippines, Guam, and Malaya among other places).
What’s also nice is that the first chapter of this book gives a very nice brief history of Japan and China starting over one-thousand years ago. So not only does this book do a great job of telling you the “what”, but it also succeeds in explaining “why” Japan was such a torrid hawkish country for so many centuries.
As I write this review, the second book of the series has now been released. I’m eagerly awaiting to read the follow up to this book; as I am any future additions to this narrative.
Most of this book details Japan’s surge into China during the 1930s. History tells us that World War II officially started on September 1, 1939 when Hitler invaded Poland, but upon closer examination, you could make the argument that Japan was the real instigator of the crisis even though there really wasn’t any alliance or connection between Japan and Germany at the time.
In addition to reading about Japan, we also read a lot about the inner turmoil within China as well; specifically the rivalry between Chiang Kai Shek’s Nationalists and Mao Zedong’s Communists. The main drive of this book though is that none of this internal conflict would have been so turbulent had it not been for neighboring Japan. So although we do read snippets of Russia, Thailand, and Indochina, the whole narrative is dependent on the Japanese goal of ruthless expansion.
Although this book is somewhat brief, it’s also very well detailed. This, for me, is a sign of an excellent book. I don’t like a book that is too thick with irrelevant details, but I never like it when the author cuts corners just to make the book concise. In other words, I’m fine with a long book as long as I can stay interested, but a shorter well-thought out narrative is good as well. This book seemed the perfect length. I was never bored. As stated though, there are more volumes to follow. So Peter Harmsen could have easily trebled the length of this book had he compiled all three of his narratives into one volume.
If one is unfamiliar with the events in the Far East during the 1930s, it should be pointed out that entire books have been written about events that this author quickly summarizes in a few pages. The Rape of Nanking is a great example. When one quickly reads of the events within the pages of this book, one really can’t begin to understand the true horrors. But again, the goal of this book is not to dive too deep into particular events. It must be said, though, that there are much more detailed (and horrific) accounts out there about such events. (I should also add that this author has a standalone book about the Rape of Nanking.)
As a native of the United States, the most interesting part of this book is when the U.S. gets “involved” in the business between Japan and China. This essentially led to the United States’ engagement in World War II. As time progresses, I’m betting fewer and fewer Americans truly understand the reason why Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941. If you want to understand without getting bogged down with particulars, this book is an excellent place to start. In fact, this book ends directly after the Pearl Harbor attack (the same day when Japan also attacked the Philippines, Guam, and Malaya among other places).
What’s also nice is that the first chapter of this book gives a very nice brief history of Japan and China starting over one-thousand years ago. So not only does this book do a great job of telling you the “what”, but it also succeeds in explaining “why” Japan was such a torrid hawkish country for so many centuries.
As I write this review, the second book of the series has now been released. I’m eagerly awaiting to read the follow up to this book; as I am any future additions to this narrative.
April 5, 2022
War in the Far East: Storm Clouds Over the Pacific, 1931-1941 is the first volume of a trilogy that runs up through the end of World War II. The title is a misnomer, since almost all of the action in the decade it covers occurred not in the Pacific but in China, as Japan first conquered Manchuria and created a puppet state called Manchukuo and then tried to take the rest of the country. Only at the end of the period, in 1940 and 1941, do events fall outside China, when Japan turned its attention to Southeast Asia and the Dutch East Indies. The Pacific finally comes into purview with attacks on Pearl Harbor, Guam, Wake Island, and the Philippines, in December 1941.
Covering a decade in 177 pp of text requires a great deal of compression. Major events are treated in a couple of pages, like the Japanese capture of Nanjing or the Chinese Communists' Long March. Harmsen pays admirable attention to internal political struggles in Japan that make it clear how much uncertainty there was about war aims and indeed whether to provoke a war with the US. But deeper social issues, and the motivations of the players, receive less discussion, and so missing the opportunity to offer more grounded historical explanations for the events of the 1930s. To give just one example, the complexities of the Japanese decision to carry out the attack on Pearl Harbor is basically attributed to Yamamoto's success in convincing Japanese military leadership to commit. A far more complicated and ambiguous story emerges, however, in Gordon W. Prange's At Dawn We Slept.
And for a book about "Storm Clouds Over the Pacific" it's surprising to see nothing at all about Japanese policy on the Pacific Islands. As a reward for its entry into the Allied side in World War I, Japan was awarded mandates over many islands that had been part of Germany's empire. The US received control of others, farther east, mostly. In violation of the nominal terms of the mandate, the Japanese began fortifying their islands (as did the US) as early as the 1920s. These actions were part of an imperial expansionist project and placed the Japanese in confrontation with the US. These moves laid part of the groundwork both for further Japanese expansion and for the bloody, brutal island-hopping war of 1942-1945. To omit any treatment of this aspect of Japanese and American activity in the 1920s and 1930s leaves the picture quite incomplete.
Harmsen, it should be noted, is not a professional historian but rather a journalist with two decades of experience in East Asia. His bibliography consists of English- and Chinese-language scholarship but nothing in Japanese and, as far as I can tell, no primary source material. His reading in Chinese is admirably extensive and up-to-date (again, as far as I can tell, not knowing Chinese myself).
Bearing these qualifications in mind, this first volume of War in the Far East can provide a fair introduction to one of the major theaters of mid-twentieth century global conflict. The bibliography can lead the curious to more detailed studies.
Covering a decade in 177 pp of text requires a great deal of compression. Major events are treated in a couple of pages, like the Japanese capture of Nanjing or the Chinese Communists' Long March. Harmsen pays admirable attention to internal political struggles in Japan that make it clear how much uncertainty there was about war aims and indeed whether to provoke a war with the US. But deeper social issues, and the motivations of the players, receive less discussion, and so missing the opportunity to offer more grounded historical explanations for the events of the 1930s. To give just one example, the complexities of the Japanese decision to carry out the attack on Pearl Harbor is basically attributed to Yamamoto's success in convincing Japanese military leadership to commit. A far more complicated and ambiguous story emerges, however, in Gordon W. Prange's At Dawn We Slept.
And for a book about "Storm Clouds Over the Pacific" it's surprising to see nothing at all about Japanese policy on the Pacific Islands. As a reward for its entry into the Allied side in World War I, Japan was awarded mandates over many islands that had been part of Germany's empire. The US received control of others, farther east, mostly. In violation of the nominal terms of the mandate, the Japanese began fortifying their islands (as did the US) as early as the 1920s. These actions were part of an imperial expansionist project and placed the Japanese in confrontation with the US. These moves laid part of the groundwork both for further Japanese expansion and for the bloody, brutal island-hopping war of 1942-1945. To omit any treatment of this aspect of Japanese and American activity in the 1920s and 1930s leaves the picture quite incomplete.
Harmsen, it should be noted, is not a professional historian but rather a journalist with two decades of experience in East Asia. His bibliography consists of English- and Chinese-language scholarship but nothing in Japanese and, as far as I can tell, no primary source material. His reading in Chinese is admirably extensive and up-to-date (again, as far as I can tell, not knowing Chinese myself).
Bearing these qualifications in mind, this first volume of War in the Far East can provide a fair introduction to one of the major theaters of mid-twentieth century global conflict. The bibliography can lead the curious to more detailed studies.
July 8, 2020
Excellent, and actually detailed, overview of the start of the Pacific War tracing the troubles back to 1931. The coverage of the war in China is worth the price of the book, much better than Forgotten Ally. Harmsen's review of Chang and his critical decisions, especially opening the Yellow River dikes, is very good. The contest between Mao and Chang is discussed, and how the communist and Nationalist hated one another.
My only complaint is the chapters covering Pearl Harbor. The author used old sources and reports that the Japanese command considered a third strike on Pearl Harbor; however, this story comes from Commander Fuchida and he simply lied. Newer sources point out that no third wave was planned and no third wave was even considered. Newer sources have translated the actual orders given to the pilots and the order of importance of each target.
Excellent coverage of the era.
AD2
My only complaint is the chapters covering Pearl Harbor. The author used old sources and reports that the Japanese command considered a third strike on Pearl Harbor; however, this story comes from Commander Fuchida and he simply lied. Newer sources point out that no third wave was planned and no third wave was even considered. Newer sources have translated the actual orders given to the pilots and the order of importance of each target.
Excellent coverage of the era.
AD2
January 11, 2024
World War II was truly a global war... and many histories focus on Europe or on America's entry into the Pacific. Harmsen starts witht eh Japanese invasion of China. The decade of fighting against the Chinese, the brief battles against the Russians and the decision to attack the United States.
Why I started this book: Eager for a WWII series that started with Japan's invasion of China and not Pearl Harbor.
Why I finished it: Japan was so awful in China... it was a struggle to get through it. And so necessary that we know more about this time period and this theater of the war. Great general history to read along Our Man in Tokyo: An American Ambassador and the Countdown to Pearl Harbor.
Why I started this book: Eager for a WWII series that started with Japan's invasion of China and not Pearl Harbor.
Why I finished it: Japan was so awful in China... it was a struggle to get through it. And so necessary that we know more about this time period and this theater of the war. Great general history to read along Our Man in Tokyo: An American Ambassador and the Countdown to Pearl Harbor.
May 30, 2021
Unlike the other reviewers of the book, I would say it focuses excessively on the mundane day-to-day military conflict without providing much insight into civilian life. The story of the war is basically predictable - one group decided to conquer another group for mostly bad reasons, the other group doesn't want to be conquered so attempts to resist, lots of atrocities happen because everybody is consumed with hatred, and innocent civilians end up being the victims. The big question, for me, is how we end up in these dumb wars, and the book only provides some brief glimmers of insight into how Japan descended into a fascist monarchy. The opening chapters are definitely better than the later ones.
March 11, 2021
An Overview
"War in the Far East" is an excellent summary of the events and circumstances leading up to the entry of the United States into the Pacific Theater of World War II. It tells the often overlooked role of the Chinese in fighting against Imperial Japan, who agreed to a ceasefire in their civil war to focus on their common external enemy. It highlights Japanese exploits in Southeast Asia in its attempt to create the Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere. The book is well-written and well-sourced, and contains all the important information one would expect from such a title.
"War in the Far East" is an excellent summary of the events and circumstances leading up to the entry of the United States into the Pacific Theater of World War II. It tells the often overlooked role of the Chinese in fighting against Imperial Japan, who agreed to a ceasefire in their civil war to focus on their common external enemy. It highlights Japanese exploits in Southeast Asia in its attempt to create the Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere. The book is well-written and well-sourced, and contains all the important information one would expect from such a title.
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December 27, 2020This is a thorough examination of the developments leading to the Pacific War.
One is surprised at how in fact, the Japanese all but blundered into what became their demise.
Little known history such as the Thai invasion of French Indo-China comes to light.
The dangers inherent in the lack of civilian control of the military are sharply outlined. Junior officers apparently instigated events with world-shaking consequences and their superiors blithely went along.
Any serious student of that time period needs to read this excellent and readable account.
One is surprised at how in fact, the Japanese all but blundered into what became their demise.
Little known history such as the Thai invasion of French Indo-China comes to light.
The dangers inherent in the lack of civilian control of the military are sharply outlined. Junior officers apparently instigated events with world-shaking consequences and their superiors blithely went along.
Any serious student of that time period needs to read this excellent and readable account.
July 5, 2021
Good overview of the Pacific war.
Harmsen has written an invaluable survey that covers the war in the Pacific, including China and Southeast Asia, theatres that most U.S. histories neglect. The writing moves quickly and blends illustrative anecdotes with high-Ievel policy insights, but has less to say about the underlying roots of the war. The sources of Japan's reckless militarism, for example, are only thinly discussed. But as an introduction to a vast and complex conflict, covering areas slighted by most other U.S. books on the subject, this is very good.
Harmsen has written an invaluable survey that covers the war in the Pacific, including China and Southeast Asia, theatres that most U.S. histories neglect. The writing moves quickly and blends illustrative anecdotes with high-Ievel policy insights, but has less to say about the underlying roots of the war. The sources of Japan's reckless militarism, for example, are only thinly discussed. But as an introduction to a vast and complex conflict, covering areas slighted by most other U.S. books on the subject, this is very good.
August 8, 2022
So WWII did not begin in Poland in 1939?
Often forgotten, Japan fought China long before Germany fought Poland. Japan even fought Russia. Storm Clouds over the Pacific does a good job of presenting Japan's drive to expand its empire. Why the US and Britain believed they could push Japan to give back all of captured China and not risk war with Japan remains a question with no good answer. The US broke Japan's code and knew that Japan planned war if a settlement could not be reached.
Often forgotten, Japan fought China long before Germany fought Poland. Japan even fought Russia. Storm Clouds over the Pacific does a good job of presenting Japan's drive to expand its empire. Why the US and Britain believed they could push Japan to give back all of captured China and not risk war with Japan remains a question with no good answer. The US broke Japan's code and knew that Japan planned war if a settlement could not be reached.
March 11, 2025
Got this book from my dad's kindle library when I needed something a bit soporific to read. Not the best written book I've ever read, but very interesting to understand the history of Japan and China and what caused Japan to clash with the US. Quite interesting to see the conflict of the military establishment with the civilian government and interesting to think of what alternative arrangements could have been made if Japan had been willing to give up a bit of China.
October 22, 2020
Excellent Overview of Japan’s Slide into World War 2
Excellent explanation of how Japan became entangled in China and how that led to American position unacceptable to Japan a few of the judgments about the US military can be questioned, but on the balance it is new information well presented
Excellent explanation of how Japan became entangled in China and how that led to American position unacceptable to Japan a few of the judgments about the US military can be questioned, but on the balance it is new information well presented
November 14, 2024
Peter Harmsen's "Storm Clouds over the Pacific, 1931-41" offers an overview of events leading to World War II in Asia. The analysis feels superficial and biased, often portraying Japan as the sole aggressor without exploring deeper motivations.
Though it blends strategic analysis with human stories, the book ultimately provides an engaging but limited perspective on the roots of the Pacific War.
Though it blends strategic analysis with human stories, the book ultimately provides an engaging but limited perspective on the roots of the Pacific War.
March 6, 2025
I am at the half way point and it has been a very exiciting read, as a history buff, the explanation and comparisons of the two rivals China and Japan are excellently illustrated and cleary brought across the table. The escalation of violence that leads into the 8 year war is clear for all to see. Historical turning points are also well highlighted.
January 20, 2021
Asian, Pacific, Japanese prelude to WWII
A review of economics, politics, and cultural sociology relating to some of the factors that developed the foundations held responsible for the war in the Pacific. Covers a segment of history often overlooked. Presented as factual with little apparent bias. An absorbing worthwhile read.
A review of economics, politics, and cultural sociology relating to some of the factors that developed the foundations held responsible for the war in the Pacific. Covers a segment of history often overlooked. Presented as factual with little apparent bias. An absorbing worthwhile read.
April 27, 2021
Riveting
We written and researched.
Provides many “aha” moments when author skillfully brings to light conclusions that should Hs e been obvious.
Example; only 3 nations can be safeguarded by their Navy- Great Britain, Japan and America.
We written and researched.
Provides many “aha” moments when author skillfully brings to light conclusions that should Hs e been obvious.
Example; only 3 nations can be safeguarded by their Navy- Great Britain, Japan and America.
July 8, 2021
This is a concise story of Japanese military conquests through 1941. If you, like me, have a limited knowledge military operations in China and Indochina. It is an easy read to give you exposure to the military campaigns without getting so far in depth that it becomes boring.
July 25, 2022
Provides useful context in the years preceding Pearl Harbour. Helps one understand the logic of the Japanese government at the time and provides a great narrative as to why Imperial Japan embarked on a seemingly suicidal war against the Western powers when it did
September 23, 2023
Fascinating book about World War 2 that focuses on the Pacific region, mainly Japan and China. Basically, there's a ton of pre-war info that I didn't know about during the war between Japan and China that I thought was interesting to learn.
September 7, 2020
Great Book
The best book that I have read on the early stages of WWII in Asia. Will definitely get the next book in the trilogy.
The best book that I have read on the early stages of WWII in Asia. Will definitely get the next book in the trilogy.
May 17, 2021
Interesting background
The four years of war as Japan tried to conquer China, and the resulting lead up to the attack on Pearl Harbor.
The four years of war as Japan tried to conquer China, and the resulting lead up to the attack on Pearl Harbor.
July 14, 2021
Rich Historical Details
A book rich with historical details of a part of history that I had some overview of, but had not prior really understood.
A book rich with historical details of a part of history that I had some overview of, but had not prior really understood.
Read
August 16, 2021Solid prelude to WW2
This is a nice overview of the China and Japan. Conflict, along with the start of WW2 in East Asia.
This is a nice overview of the China and Japan. Conflict, along with the start of WW2 in East Asia.
September 12, 2022
This was a serious deep dive into parts of WW2 I was not familiar with. Great good background explanation of the build-up of the China-Japan friction and intriguing anecdotes from the WW2 battles.
December 1, 2022
Interesting survey of the Pacific war from a centrist perspective giving equal time to China, Japan, the United States, United Kingdom and even the Netherlands. Long overdue.
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