Lengerer, Hans/Ahlberg, Lars Kaibokans

Japanese Coastal Defense Vessels of WWII

A volume in the "Legends of Warfare: Naval" series. These ships were numerous and played a very active role in the naval battles of the Pacific, yetuntil nowthey have never been the subject of an English-language book. During World War II, the Imperial Japanese Navy used the term "Kaibokan" to designate several classes of ships. The "Kaibokan" were positioned in the hierarchy below Japanese destroyerscomparable to the frigates and corvettes of the British Royal Navy or the destroyer escorts of the U.S. Navy. In total, 171 units of the "Kaibokan" family were completed, making it one of the most frequentlyif not *the* most frequentlyproduced warship types of the Imperial Japanese Navy during the war. These ships were present in large numbers and played a highly active role in the naval engagements of the Pacific theater. This is the illustrated history of this ship type, featuring historical context, a comprehensive technical description, and more than 100 photographs and line drawings. Naval historians Lars Ahlberg and Hans Lengerer have established themselves as experts and specialists regarding the warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Their work is particularly distinguished by the fact that it is based primarily on the analysis of Japanese-language primary sources.