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USN Cruiser vs IJN Cruiser: Guadalcanal 1942 (Duel) Paperback – Illustrated, October 20, 2009

by Mark Stille (Author), Paul Wright (Illustrator), Howard Gerrard (Illustrator)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 73 ratings
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Although the war in the Pacific is usually considered a carrier war, it was the cruisers that dominated the early fighting. This thrilling duel presents the cruiser clashes during the crucial battles for Guadacanal in 1942, highlighting the Battle of Savo Island on the August 9 and the Battle of Cape Esperance October 11-12th , 1942. The first was an overwhelming Japanese victory that resulted in the loss of four Allied cruisers. However, in the latter, the Americans managed to successfully turn the tables despite the fact that the was fought through the night under dangerous conditions.

This book presents a side-by-side view of the design and development of the opposing weapons systems, illustrated with newly commissioned digital artwork. It uses first-hand accounts to bring the desperate battles to life and explain why the American forces suffered early on, but eventually had their revenge.

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Previous page
  1. Part of series
    Duel
  2. Print length
    80 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Osprey Publishing
  5. Publication date
    October 20, 2009
  6. Dimensions
    7.31 x 0.22 x 9.87 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    1846034663
  8. ISBN-13
    978-1846034664
  9. See all details
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From the Publisher

The Duel Series

Duel

Duel

Duel

Full colour battlescenes

Beautifully illustrated battlescenes are included to bring the narrative of the conflict to life.

Maps

Detailed historical maps frame each battle or campaign, and provide the key historical context.

Technical drawings

Each illustration is meticulously researched to depict the machines used in the battle. The images are accompanied by full captions to detail their technical features.

Duel series

Editorial Reviews

Review

“This book does not disappoint in detailed descriptions and contemporary black and white photos of the various classes of these scouts for the fleet. There are also several beautifully rendered color plates of artist's depictions at various stages of the covered battles. The illustrators are the well known Howard Gerrard and Paul Wright. From this modeler's perspective, I recommend this book.” ―Ned Ricks, IPMS/USA (December 2009)

“These cruisers were what is known as 'Treaty Ships' developed at a time when it was felt that a limit on the size and number of ships would prevent an all out spiraling of weapons costs amongst those nations who were involved. It is with these ships that the US and Japan went to war. In this edition, author Mark Stille looks at the design and development of these ships on both sides... It is a book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading and is one that I know you will find a delight as well.” ―Scott Van Aken, Modeling Madness, www.modelingmadness.com (October 2009)

“A solid pick for such [military history] collections... Mark Stille's USN Cruiser vs IJN Cruiser: Guadalcanal 1942, telling of the US Navy's first major amphibious offensive.” ―The Bookwatch (January 2010)

“...fully illustrated with original artwork and rare photographs.” ―Wonderpedia

About the Author

Mark Stille is the author of numerous Osprey titles focusing on naval history in the Pacific. He recently concluded a nearly 40-year career in the intelligence community, including tours on the faculty of the Naval War College, on the Joint Staff and on US Navy ships. He received his BA in History from the University of Maryland and also holds an MA from the Naval War College.

Paul Wright has painted ships of all kinds for most of his career, specializing in steel and steam warships from the late 19th century to the present day. Paul's art has illustrated the works of Patrick O'Brian, Dudley Pope and C.S. Forester amongst others, and hangs in many corporate and private collections all over the world. A Member of the Royal Society of Marine Artists, Paul lives and works in Surrey.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Osprey Publishing; Illustrated edition (October 20, 2009)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 80 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1846034663
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1846034664
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.31 x 0.22 x 9.87 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 73 ratings

About the author

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Mark Stille

Mark Stille

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Mark E. Stille (Commander, United States Navy, retired), received his BA in History from the University of Maryland and also holds an MA from the Naval War College. He worked in the intelligence community for 38 years including tours on the faculty of the Naval War College, on the Joint Staff, on US Navy ships, and as a Senior Intelligence Officer at a national intelligence agency. He is the author of almost 50 Osprey titles with a focus on Pacific War naval history.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
73 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

James J. Gillen
5.0 out of 5 stars Well written
Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2021
Verified Purchase
Nice addition to my collection! Enjoyed it very much!
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Freie Jagd
4.0 out of 5 stars One of the better Osprey Duel's
Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2012
Verified Purchase
(Commander) Mark Stille has written a compelling book that specifically concerns the two prominent cruiser battles that occurred in the waters around Guadalcanal in 1942, specifically the battles of Savo and Cape Esperance. He already hit it out of the park with Osprey's IJN vs USN Carrier 1942, so I had to read this one.

He begins with a strong intro section that discusses United States (US)and Japanese thought processes before the war from a standpoint of how a decisive battle was though upon by both sides as being that to determine victory, somewhere in the Central or South Pacific. More specifically, he touches on that both sides believe that battleships would determine the outcome of this fight. He explains how that light and heavy cruiser was possessed by both sides in 1942 with an abundance that guaranteed (along with the more narrow waters around Guadalcanal), with the carrier losses being suffered by both sides, they (the cruisers) would determine victory or defeat in this first American offensive.

His next section is on cruiser development leading up to the war. Interesting in this section is the degree of specificity he speaks to when going over naval treaty that dictated to both the United States and Japan the size and strength of their cruiser forces. Some examples include how both navies were restricted to 10,000lbs per cruiser and #'s of cruisers both sides were allowed to possess. The focal points around the Japanese, US, and Britain (a little bit) concerning this treaty. What is interesting is that just a few years into the treaty the Japanese start to blatantly disregard the treaty in regard to armaments and weight of their cruisers while the US is more diligent in trying to meet requirements. There is concern on the part of US war planners that the US is behind on the cruiser race due to these things.

Next comes The strategic situation and he does a great job explaining with brevity the battles leading up to Guadalcanal on the water, and especially keys in Japanese tactics that are enabling their success. There are exceptions (Midway, for example), but in general, the Japanese are winning. I could get more in detail here, but suffice it to say, quite a bit of their success is stemming from their superior tactics with their superior torpedoes (at this stage in the war). However, they are having some issues with torpedo accuracy. But still, their Long Lance torpedo completely outclasses US torpedoes in '41-42. The Commander also goes into US reasons for seizing Guadalcanal and establishing a strategic springboard while also depriving the Japanese of a new airstrip there that they have built for their own strategic purposes.

Technical specifications come next, and this is where I always get frustrated with the Osprey Duel format. Commander Stille had me on the razor's edge in being ready to read about the fantastic naval battles in the strategic situation, but, through no fault of his own (because he is mandated to follow the Osprey formula) he has to talk about the makeup of the ships again, versus going into the action. Now, don't get me wrong, the info provided is very good, and specific, I wish it could be merged with the development section, so after the strategic situation, we get right into the campaign details and battles. While the Duel series is great, this is a major pet peeve of mine, and I would hazard a guess, a pet peeve of many other loyal osprey readers of this series, also.

Combat is the next section. To me, talking about this section too much is a spoiler, so I will be briefer here. The Commander's has enough space only, due to the Osprey format, to describe the Savo and Cape Esperance battles. He does this well, and there are two good maps that shows the movements and actions taken by the belligerents. The first map though of the Savo battle is not as well done though as the Cape Esperance battle, in that it does not have a major actions box like the Cape Esperance battle map does. Some more recent scholarship has attempted to debunk some myths about Savo also, specifically the one that most immediately comes to mind is that even if Vice Admiral Mikawa had attacked the transports of Guadalcanal, it has recently been argued that sinking the transports would not of mattered per that the US marines were already ashore and more transports could be brought to bear in a follow on offensive/resupply. As was seen by the way the Japanese fought the battle, they were still able to re enforce Guadalcanal after the Americans landed (albeit, not as successfully due to poor air cover) and it is hard to see where we would not of proceeded in doing the same had the transports been sunk post the amphibious landing.

The Aftermath section deals primarily with the fate of these ships and especially the Japanese ships, after the battle, through the end of the war. Photos through the book are excellent and if you are a collector or like to model, this is also a good book to have for those purposes.

Overall, this is a very good Osprey duel book to read, and I will give it four stars. A great book with the flaw of not going into more detail concerning varying arguments of the significance of the battle of Savo. More space is needed to do this, and indeed, more space that would exist if Osprey could tweak their Duel book setup to merge the Development and Technical specifications sections. Recommend.
5 people found this helpful
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James B. Lineberry
5.0 out of 5 stars USN Cruisers vs. IJN Cruisers
Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2010
Verified Purchase
This Osprey book arrived in good order, along with four other military books. Naval warfare, especially WWII in the Pacific, has been an interest of mine for a number of years. This book fits into that realm of providing the strengths and weaknesses of the various cruisers involved in that slugfest of battles around Guadalcanal. It will fit in well with the simulation naval games for the Pacific Theater. Overall, a very good book. Hats off to Amazon for the order and service. B.L.
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J. Walker
5.0 out of 5 stars Good read.
Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2018
Verified Purchase
Good read. The book is balanced between technical information about the Japanese and American ships and their employment in battles. Also included is information about training of crew and officers. Well organized, well read, and a good read.
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Randy shop
5.0 out of 5 stars Cri
Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2019
Verified Purchase
Great analysis of early war cruiser warfare
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Steven Peterson
4.0 out of 5 stars The story of cruiser battles at Guadalcanal
Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2010
Verified Purchase
This volume, slender as it is, is one more in the "Duel" series. Here, the focus is on Guadalcanal in 1942. The American troops have landed; they have warships nearby, to help protect them against a Japanese counteroffensive.

This book describes the naval conflicts that ensued, as the Imperial Japanese Navy advanced to attack the American fleet. The battles that took place focused on cruisers. Battleships and aircraft carriers were not major participants here. This was one of the few surface battles where ship-to-ship firepower was key.

The book begins with a chronology and a listing of key leaders for both sides. A chronology on Pages 8-9 provides some context on the development of cruiser forces after World War I. Following is a discussion of the various classes of cruisers developed by Japan and the United States. In addition, the doctrines of the two sides are addressed. One interesting difference: the Japanese relied much more on torpedo use by their cruisers. Another? Japanese were more inclined to carry out night battles.

Technical specifications for the various types of cruisers are provided, as is a discussion of the operational key leaders of the two fleets. Their differences are a part of the larger story. . . . Then, the specific battles themselves--Savo Island and Cape Esperance.

A short book, not long on detail. But a good introduction to the conflict at sea during the battle for Guadalcanal.
6 people found this helpful
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Spike61
3.0 out of 5 stars Not enough
Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2013
Verified Purchase
Only a partial overview of the cruiser battles of the Solomons. Not as good as the Destroyer vs Destroyer book. One problem with this series is that you cannot expand the charts on the Kindle Fire. They are too small to make out in this format.
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great historical document
Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2017
Verified Purchase
Nothing said about how the crews trained and lived nor how poorly radar was used by U.S. navy staff... Snafu
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Virginie
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 14, 2016
Verified Purchase
Excellent book !!
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Amazonカスタマー
3.0 out of 5 stars 著者の米軍を高く評価する傾向が強いし、艦艇の選定もご都合主義的です。
Reviewed in Japan on November 6, 2019
Verified Purchase
オスプレイでは第二次大戦の日本、イタリア軍艦の著書が多い筆者ですが、今回はガダルカナル戦で発生した日米巡洋艦の対決がテーマです。

構成は導入部、日米の巡洋艦の開発史と運用構想、日米の置かれた戦略的状況、日米巡洋艦各型の概要（日本の軽巡洋艦陣とアトランタ級軽巡も除外されています）、乗員の説明、実戦、実戦結果の解析、後日談という構成です。

　本文にはサンフランシスコと鳥海の側面・上面イラスト、米軍の主要武器（ニューオリンズ級の8インチ三連装砲塔、ブルックリン級の6インチ三連装砲塔、条約型巡洋艦の5インチ25口径高角砲）、日本の主要武器（青葉級の8インチ連装砲塔、日本重巡洋艦の5インチ40口径89式高角砲、四連装魚雷発射管）、第一次ソロモン海海戦でのクィンシーの被弾経過を4フレームで表したイラスト、サボ島沖海戦での日本艦隊の進撃、見開き2頁の第一次ソロモン海海戦で奮戦する鳥海のインアクションイラストとモノクロ写真が収録されています。
モノクロ写真には目新しいものは少ないです。

　そもそも日本の軽巡陣は水雷戦隊の旗艦的役割で戦線形成には寄与していないという著者の都合に合わせて砲巡洋艦を中心に記述を進めていることが、意図的であるように思います。
実戦には巡洋艦同士の戦いを描いているので第一次ソロモン海海戦とサボ島沖海戦が挙げられていますが、記述が重巡の砲戦を重視しており、雷撃に関しては淡泊な内容になっていますし、軽巡陣の戦いぶりは無視しています。
　人物評価にしても三川中将とスコット少将の評価は米軍側に甘目なのは著者のいつもの様子ですので今更驚きません。

　本書は和訳本が大日本絵画から「日本海軍巡洋艦対米海軍巡洋艦ガダルカナル1942」として出ています。
　
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Sebz
3.0 out of 5 stars Good little reference book for Pacific war era cruiser warfare
Reviewed in Canada on February 15, 2015
Verified Purchase
Good little reference book for Pacific war era cruiser warfare.
Technical data for every USN cruisers class pre-1942.
Good pictures.
Technical feedback about crews, battles and tactics.
Short and sweet.
Just for ''die hard'' Pacific war naval warfare enthusiasts.
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