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Rating: 
Summary: Heavy sledding about WWII
Review: Alvin D. Coox's Nomonhan is one of those books that's hard to review. It's packed with information, has good maps, and the author obviously plumbed every Japanese source he could get his hands on, but the text is wearing and somewhat dull, and the iteration of facts gets to be a bit much after a while. It's a real doorstop (1253 pages, including two sets of notes, bibliography, and index) and very long. In addition, you wonder how much the analysis would benefit from a better reading of the Soviet side of things (not Coox's fault; the book was published in 1984, and Soviet archives were not open). All of this notwithstanding, the serious student of WW2 won't find a better or more detailed study of this crucial and little-understood battle.
Rating: 
Summary: Sappir
Review: Being in the French military since 1976, I have studied quite extensively the Soviets. It took me twenty years to find a book on Khalkhin Gol (the Soviet name for Nomonhan). Coox's book, though written almost exclusively from Japanese sources, showed great insight into the way the Soviet commanders were thinking at the time. Since the 90s, a number of reports have emerged, which tend to support Coox's analyses. One very good book on the subject is recent, and not a doorstopper ! It is written by a French scholar on Soviet matters, called Jacques Sappir, and the title is (in French) "La Mandchourie oubliée" (Forgotten Manchuria). Sappir elaborates on the evolution of Soviet military doctrine, and traces back the tremendous impact of BOTH Manchurian campaigns (1939 and 1945). So his work is not focused exclusively on that precise story, but it gives a much wider perspective. Coox is cited as a source. All this to say that Sappir, judging from a totally different perspective, shows how Coox was right, even despite a dearth of Soviet contemporary sources. Proof that, even without material evidence, sound analysis can supplement much missing information.I therefore recommend reading BOTH books, probably Sappir first (for the wider picture, and because for most people who have some acquaintance with Soviet stuff, the point of departure will be more familiar). Then expand into Coox's work, to give the tactical story "as it happened", complete with great case studies of leadership, morale and propaganda, combined arms and air power, logistics, planning...
Rating: 
Summary: Especially recommended for China scholars
Review: Few in the west knew or cared that Japan and Russia fought a short but major war on the Siberian border in 1939--before the invasion and dismemberment of Poland pitched Europe into WWII. Nomonhan had great meaning for the U.S., because it diverted Japan from its desire to fight Russia and turned it south instead toward U.S., British, and Dutch interests. Very much worth the effort to read it.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book On Nomonhan
Review: If you're interested in the engagement at Nomonhan, this is an EXCELLENT source and by far the most comprehensive. However, be warned that it definitely is not "light reading" with some 1,250 pages in the soft cover edition. The only real objection I have with this book is that fact that it draws almost exclusively on Japanese records. Since it was published in the early/mid 80s before the fall of the USSR, I'm guessing Dr. Coox didn't have access to the Soviet records. As a result, one must learn to sometimes "read between the lines" and look past the "pro Japanese" slant toward the description of the battle. Still, in no way let this discourage you from checking out this book if you even have a passing interest in the subject. The detail is absolutely incredible!
Rating:
Summary: wonderful, thorough long
Review: The best and almost the only book on the conflist at Nomonhan. This was an epic battle that took place in 1939 between Japanese forces and Russians under the command of Zhukov. In this conlfict it quickly became obivous that the japanese forces were vastly inferior to their russian counterparts. Although brave the Japanese Armor, and planes and weapons were inferior. Zhukov, a military genious, eventually routed the japanese army causing horrendous losses to an army that had hiterhto only known victory against the militarily inferior Chinese. Russia gained a hero from this conflcit, Zhukov. He was able to test his theories regarding the goruping of armor, and his victorious tactics would later be used against the Germans. Nomonhan should have ended the superiority complex of the japanee military. They should have taken these lessons to heart. Unfortunatly the only thing they learned was that they should not try a full scale invasion of russia(this is why they did not help Hitler in 1941). They should have learned that America would have even better technology then the russians and a war with America would be disastrous. Nomonhan is a fascinitating story of two imperial countries facing off for months of brutal fighting in which thousands perished and yet neither country declared war oin the other. This mirrors the confrontations between Russia and China in the 60s and the confrntatiosn between China and India in the 50/60s when it became apparent that the Indians were no match for the Chinese(thus shattering Nehrus nerves). A very long book, very detailed with easy to read amps detailing the campaigns. The classic and sure to be the staple on this subject for decades to come. The other 'Nomonhan' book by Colvin is weak and inaccurate. This 'Nomonhan' is written mostly from the Japanese point of view, thats its only downside.
Rating:
Summary: wonderful, thorough long
Review: The best and almost the only book on the conflist at Nomonhan. This was an epic battle that took place in 1939 between Japanese forces and Russians under the command of Zhukov. In this conlfict it quickly became obivous that the japanese forces were vastly inferior to their russian counterparts. Although brave the Japanese Armor, and planes and weapons were inferior. Zhukov, a military genious, eventually routed the japanese army causing horrendous losses to an army that had hiterhto only known victory against the militarily inferior Chinese. Russia gained a hero from this conflcit, Zhukov. He was able to test his theories regarding the goruping of armor, and his victorious tactics would later be used against the Germans. Nomonhan should have ended the superiority complex of the japanee military. They should have taken these lessons to heart. Unfortunatly the only thing they learned was that they should not try a full scale invasion of russia(this is why they did not help Hitler in 1941). They should have learned that America would have even better technology then the russians and a war with America would be disastrous. Nomonhan is a fascinitating story of two imperial countries facing off for months of brutal fighting in which thousands perished and yet neither country declared war oin the other. This mirrors the confrontations between Russia and China in the 60s and the confrntatiosn between China and India in the 50/60s when it became apparent that the Indians were no match for the Chinese(thus shattering Nehrus nerves). A very long book, very detailed with easy to read amps detailing the campaigns. The classic and sure to be the staple on this subject for decades to come. The other 'Nomonhan' book by Colvin is weak and inaccurate. This 'Nomonhan' is written mostly from the Japanese point of view, thats its only downside.
Rating:
Summary: Exhaustive, but hamstrung due to lack of Soviet resources.
Review: This book is the authoritative work on the Nomonhan, or Khalkin-Gol battles of 1939. The book is well-written, with excellent battlefield maps. Coox was a Japanese scholar, so it is not surprising that his material leans heavily on Japanese sources. This is a problem in the sense that at the time of publication, there was very little material available from the Soviet side of the conflict, other than Marshal Zhukov's memoirs and a few other similiarly suspect works. However, if you are interested in this little-known but extremely important series of border engagements (the Japanese defeat here strengthened the Navy's 'go south' policy, with disasterous consequences for the European colonial powers) then there is no better reference work than Coox.
Rating:
Summary: Exhaustive, but hamstrung due to lack of Soviet resources.
Review: This book is the authoritative work on the Nomonhan, or Khalkin-Gol battles of 1939. The book is well-written, with excellent battlefield maps. Coox was a Japanese scholar, so it is not surprising that his material leans heavily on Japanese sources. This is a problem in the sense that at the time of publication, there was very little material available from the Soviet side of the conflict, other than Marshal Zhukov's memoirs and a few other similiarly suspect works. However, if you are interested in this little-known but extremely important series of border engagements (the Japanese defeat here strengthened the Navy's 'go south' policy, with disasterous consequences for the European colonial powers) then there is no better reference work than Coox.
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