Kaigun

Evans and Peattie trace the strategy, tactics and technology of the Imperial Japanese Navy from 1887 to 1941. They show how the navy built itself around the idea of a decisive battle against the American fleet, and how that obsession shaped ship design, training, aviation and doctrine.

Exhaustively researched in Japanese sources, the book explains both the navy's remarkable technical achievements and the strategic blind spots, such as its neglect of trade protection and logistics, that undid it. It is the standard work on the subject.