JAPANESE NAVAL ACES AND FIGHTER UNITS IN WORLD WAR II

An indispensable reference book for everyone interested in the Pacific War.

This book provides information on Japan's naval fighter pilots, their aircraft, and their war that is simply not available elsewhere in English. Even the personality traits of individual aces are included to lend a human dimension to the technical facts and figures provided. Hundreds of photographs, most never before seen in the West, offer additional perspectives of the war. 

ABOUT THE BOOK

The Pacific War was an air war, yet, until now, Western readers have had little chance to learn about Japan's naval fighter pilots and their World War II air groups. This English translation of a classic Japanese work finally lifts the cloak of anonymity that has hidden their identities from the West for so long. Within these pages the reader gains an intimate and unprecedented view of the men, their aircraft, and their victories and defeats. Divided into three parts, the book opens with rare photos and brief descriptions of the principal Japanese naval aircraft. The second part offers concise histories of the air groups, including every carrier- and land-based fighter unit in the Imperial Navy from the China Incident in the early 1930s to the end of the Pacific War in September 1945. Dates of organization and disbanding, key movements and action results, brief summaries of important battles, and anecdotes about leaders and aces are all provided. The third part captures Japan's leading naval aces in photos and individual biographical sketches.

This translation the only one available in English — is based on the revised and enlarged 1975 edition of Nihon Kaigun Sentōki-tai, the definitive work on the subject in Japan. To produce this unique record Ikuhiko Hata, an internationally known military historians, and his highly regarded researcher Yasuho Izawa' spent years tracking down information and conducting interviews with surviving aces and the families of those killed in the war. Their Japanese perspective adds a significant new dimension to the annals of World War II.

Nearly 350 photographs of aces and aircraft many new to this edition supplement the text. Some 100 line-drawings of aircraft show unit markings and paint colours. To aid the Western reader this edition adds a section on Japanese naval terminology. Appendix tables chronicle naval fighter aces by record, pilots killed in action, pilots by training class, and major air battles. Indexes by name and unit and end maps of the entire Pacific theatre provide excellent references.

« Little excites an aviation enthusiast more than the opportunity to see a campaign from both sides, and this book is a wonderful way to accomplish that goal. It will also serve to spur more vital and detailed research on U.S. naval fighter operations, with the hope that someday there will be as detailed a history of the fighter squadrons and aces of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. »

–John B. Lundstrom

Author of The First Team: Pacific Naval Air Combat from Pearl Harbor to Midway