Taiyo class carriers.

[Eugen Pinak]

Occasionally I see a few military-technical books in Polish, but they tend to be are air- and ground-related (and European-oriented) rather than naval.

Well, Poles indeed publish more European-oriented books on military history, but so does other countries. Even Japan has a lot of military books published on various European-oriented matters.
Last years number of naval books in Poland indeed diminished, but they have several magazines which publish articles on naval matters - some of them are of very high quality.

However, it seems to follow that these better books refer to the best original Japanese sources.

Usually not. At least, not more, than average US or British book.

To a faraway newcomer, similar good scholarship in Russian might be expected because of history of Russo-Japanese conflict.

There were a lot of books in 1990th - mostly on naval matters, but now their quantity is much smaller. On the other hand, those available are usually of the high quality (for example, book by Andrei Polutow on Inchon landing operation in 1904).

In Poland is there a wider standing interest and study of Japan in general, beyond the military?

AFAIK, no.

Bibliography about the Yamato-class battleships is fairly extensive, well-illustrated, and much translated. It is the interest in those near-legendary ships that led to good and readily-available books about them. But even half as much coverage for other IJN ship classes and types would be good to see.

Well, "Yamato" has a special place in the heart on every Japanese book publisher, as books about that ship are very popular in Japan

Japanese Embassy in Poland prepared a page how Poland had good relationship with Japan. On military issue, Józef Piłsudski, the leader of anti-Russian movement in Poland, proposed Polish POWs be treated better than Russians in Russo-Japanese War in exchange for their activity in Poland. Japan did so and it affected the image to Japan in Poland.

And there was a long and good cooperation between Polish and Japanese Army intelligence between world wars.
Also note, that in early 1930th there were talks in Poland of buying 1-2 obsolete Japanese cruisers.

[Sewer King]

Hisashi and Eugen, many thanks for your explanations. This forum has many experts. But among the best of those are ones who take both time and skill to stir interest in other people who know less about something than they do. It may be a long way from Taiyo-class carriers, and learning something new there too, but it is one of the joys of the forum.

Military or not, my knowledge of modern Polish history has mostly been general. Although there have been many “Polish Legions” well-known in the Battles of Britain, Monte Cassino, Arnhem, and elsewhere, I had not known of another one proposed in the Far East. Thirty years ago I first read of Poland’s part in the intelligence war from Józef Garlinski’s book The Enigma War. What I have read here and looked up elsewhere in the Forum encourages me to return to the subject.

Just now, I was pleased to find an affordable ($15) copy of Janusz Skulski’s The Battleship Yamato, which Hisashi said was well-received in Japan. Long ago I had only borrowed the book briefly, but I did not know that the author came from scale modeling. Even though I know it is really coincidence, it almost feels as if your discussion “sent” the book to me and I should thank you for that also.

-- Alan

[hisashi]

On converted CVLs and catapult I gathered some informations and here is a summary. Sorry that it has considerable overlap on existing posts.

(1) early attempt

After they had CVL Hosho in 1922, IJN sought their way to subsidize large merchant ship on the condition that at war she would be mobilized and converted to CV. Asama-Maru Family (Asama-Maru, Tatsuta-Maru and Chichibu-Maru), laid down in 1927, was the first case. Max 20 kt was a compromise between fuel efficiency and the budget. In WWII this type was too slow for any kind of CV and eventually IJN simply used them as a freighter.

(2) ship improvement subsidization program

船舶改善助成施設 (ship improvement subsidization program), 1932-1938 was a relief program of Japanese ship industry. The applicant was required to scrap a tonnage of old ships in exchange for new subsidized ship. It was for freighters and no CVL was born from this program. Of course many ships on this program served as a freighter, personnel transporter and a lightly armed auxiliary cruiser.

(3)excellent ship building subsidization program

優秀船舶建造助成施設(excellent ship building subsidization program), 1937-1938 was clearly for IJN needs, but ship companies resisted on the ships' fuel efficiency. IJN had kasuga-Maru Family (21.0kt) and Argentina-Maru Family (21.5kt). In WWII they were converted to CVL Taiyo, Unyo, Chuyo and Kaiyo. The last ship, Brazil-Maru was sunk in Aug 1942 before conversion.

Perhaps when the conversion began IJN had in mind their use, aircraft transporter. I am not sure when subsidization was contracted to what extent IJN had the idea clearly.

In this program many (in-the-future) fleet oilers, auxiliary cruiser Aikoku-Maru and two sister ships were born.

(4) excellent large ship building subsidization program

大型優秀船舶建造助成施設(excellent large ship building subsidization program)

This program run in 1938 was in fact only for two fast passenger ships, planned seeing demands on Tokyo Olympic 1940. Ship company was reluctant to have fuel-eater 25.5kt ships but IJN gave it strong pressure to accept. The two were finished as CV Junyo and Hiyo.

(*) catapult

IJN catapult suffered from underpower for heavy full-equipped attacker/dive-bomber. In 1943 explosive-type catapult became ready. But then IJN had so many unfinished CVs laid down after Midway and CVL with catapult was not built. BB Ise and Hyuga had this brand-new catapult but eventually their aircrafts (E16A Paul and D4Y Judy, 634th NAG) and battleships were separately deployed in Philippine theater.