RELEASE ON MAY 23, 2023!
Long before the signing of the Naval Treaty of Washington, Japanese engineers had developed a project that would lead to the construction of the first cruisers called, at that time in the Empire of the Rising Sun, 'Ittō junyōkan' or 1st class cruisers. At the end of the 1920s, the Imperial Japanese Navy could boast of owning the 'Jū-junyōkan', better known as the most powerful heavy cruisers in the world with the 'Myōkō' class. From 1939, it will have commissioned eighteen of these buildings.
Within the most important navies in the world, these legendary ships will only shine during the Second World War, but the Japanese cruisers will undoubtedly be those who will have to suffer the most from American maritime and naval air power.
The genesis and history of Japanese heavy cruisers will be brought to you in two special editions bringing together 356 photos, 38 plans, 20 profiles and 12 maps.