Description: Up for sale is an exceedingly rare book titled "Underground Escape," which details the flight from justice by notorious war criminal IJA Colonel Masanobu Tsuji in 1945. Tsuji, who was nicknamed "the god of operations," was probably the most influential officer in the Imperial Japanese Army, but judge for yourself: He was a staff officer in the Kwantung Army in the late 1930s; he incited the border conflict with the Soviet Union in 1939 (the Battles of Khalkhin Gol), after which he lobbied to avoid further battles with the Soviets and instead attack the U.S. in the Pacific; while on the staff of General Yamashita, he planned the invasion of Malaya and the capture of Singapore, where he helped instigate the Sook Ching massacres of Malayan Chinese; as a staff officer under General Homma, he developed the plan for the capture of the Philippines, where he orchestrated the Bataan Death March; he planned the Japanese attack in New Guinea via the Kokoda Trail; and he planned and led the last major Japanese offensive on Guadalcanal. After that campaign failed, Tsuji was sent back to China and then the following year (1944) to Burma, where he fought for the rest of the war. When the war ended, he fled to Thailand and eluded capture long enough to avoid facing trial for the many war crimes of which he stood accused--including encouraging his men to execute captured Allied flyers and eat their livers. Tsuji returned to Japan in 1949 and was elected to the Diet on a militarist ticket, then disappeared while traveling in Laos in 1962. This book chronicles Tsuji's years in exile, and he has signed and personalized this copy to a "Mr. J. Fromm" in fountain pen. I have no idea how many other copies were signed, but I have never seen another (I've only ever seen two other copies of the book, both unsigned and both lacking dust jackets). As repugnant as his record of atrocities is, he was also the heart and soul of the Imperial Japanese Army during its heyday (check out his Wiki page), and thus his signature has some historical significance. As with all my items, I unconditionally guarantee its authenticity in perpetuity, so buy with confidence.
Price: 125 USD
Location: New York, New York
End Time: 2024-09-21T13:24:22.000Z
Shipping Cost: 5.38 USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
Restocking Fee: No
Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 14 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Signed By: Colonel Masanobu Tsuji
Book Title: Underground Escape
Signed: Yes
Ex Libris: No
Publisher: Robert Booth and Taro Fukuda
Original Language: English
Intended Audience: Adults
Inscribed: No
Vintage: Yes
Publication Year: 1952
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
Special Attributes: 1st Edition
Author: Masanobu Tsuji
Personalized: Yes
Features: Dust Jacket
Genre: History, Law
Topic: Asia / Japan, Military