Andrew Field's Royal Navy Strategy in the Far East, 1919-1939, Albert Nofi's To Train the Fleet for War, and Mark Peattie's Sunburst offer complementary introductions to interwar naval preparation. Field explains British Far East strategy from the basics, while Nofi follows the U.S. fleet problems of 1923-1940 and Peattie traces Japanese naval air power from 1909 to 1941. The selection favors English-language books that explain unfamiliar institutions without assuming prior study. Kaigun offers a more demanding account of Japanese naval development for readers who already have some grounding in the subject. The recommendation allows for disagreement: differences with Field chiefly concern perspective and the weight given to particular factors, while the quality of the research remains highly regarded.
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Three entry books for interwar naval preparation
Three approachable studies introduce Royal Navy Far East strategy, U.S. fleet problems, and the rise of Japanese naval air power before the Pacific War.