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Books Related to Nomonhan John Colvin - ISBN: 070437112X
Welcome light on Nomonhan - but where are the maps? - Rated
The undeclared Kalkhin Gol war, or "Nomonhan Incident", between Japan and the USSR in 1939 is one of those tantalising subjects which we know to be important, but on which it is difficult to find out much in detail, though there are limited references to it in many books on the period. One is aware that this massive but short-duratiion conflict, which involved large-scale air and armour deployments as well as ground troops, was the key factor in diverting Japanese aggression southwards from then onwards, thus abandoning a half-century of north westwards expansion. Any new volume on the subject is therefore extremely welcome and it is with regret that one must report that Mr.Colvin's work is something of a disappointment. Though the early part of the book goes some way to putting the conflict into context, more detailed treatment would be desirable of Japanese activity in Manchuria from 1931, and of the composition, weapons and tactics of the forces deployed there, chiefly the Kwantung Army. The semi-autonomy of the command structure vis-à-vis Imperial Headquarters also merits better treatment (readers are directed to David Bergamini's magnificent "Japan's Imperial Conspiracy" for more on this). The incident occurred at a critical juncture for the Soviet forces as well, reeling as they were from the impact of the purges of their senior commanders. In view of the key military victim having been Marshal Tukhachevski, and of his theories on armoured warfare having been discredited with him, one would have liked more on the Soviet armoured doctrine employed at Nomonhan. In marked contrast to its performance a year later against the Finns, Soviet armour did well on the Mongolian/Manchurian border and one is left wondering what the vital ingredient was on this occasion - the genius of Zhukov himself, or the initiative of more junior commanders. Mr. Colvin writes a fluid and readable narrative, enlivened with many colourful details and character summaries and his research and indeed his personal-appreciation of the nature of the terrain gives credibility and immediacy. The most serious weakness of the book is however the lack of maps, for though two scanty ones are provided, neither identify the majority of the place names mentioned in the text. Though the narrative is quite detailed as regards the movements of the various units involved, it is almost impossible to put these into context without a better feel for the relative locations of the various topographical and geographical features which are named. In summary, a disappointing, but nevertheless welcome, addition to the literature on Soviet-Japanese confrontation.
