The definitive history of the Russo-Japanese war
The Russians were wrong-footed from the start, fighting in Manchuria at
the end of a 5,000 mile single track railway; the Japanese were a week
or so from their bases. The Russian command structure was hopelessly
confused, their generals old and incompetent, the Tsar cautious and
uncertain. The Russian naval defeat at Tsushima was as farcical as it
was complete. The Japanese had defeated a big European power, and the
lessons for the West were there for all to see, had they cared to do so.
From this curious war, so unsafely ignored for the most part by the
military minds of the day, Richard Connaughton has woven a fascinating
narrative to appeal to readers at all levels.