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Imperial Japanese Navy Aces of World War Two

$17.95

Aircraft of the Aces: Men & Legends - Book 4

Published in 1999 by Del Prado / Osprey, UK
Softcover, 64 Pages
Size - 25cm * 19cm

The outcome of the Pacific War was heavily influenced by the results of naval battles between the Imperial Japanese fleet and the US Navy. One of the key elements was Japan's large fighter component, which had gained experience over Manchuria, China and Mongolia in the late 1930s.

Flying A5Ms, at least 21 pilots achieved "acedom" securing air superiority for the invaders. Manufacturer Mitsubishi derived much from these campaigns, producing one of the best fighters of the War, the A6M Zero-Sen.

Navy pilots proved to be highly skilled when engaged by the Allied forces in the Pacific. Pilots like Nishizawa, Sugita and Sakai scoring more than 60 kills apiece. Following a series of key carrier battles, navy pilots began to operate predominantly from shore bases in New Guinea, the Philippines and finally the Japanese home islands.

New fighter types like the Raiden, Shiden/Shiden-kai, Gekko and later versions of the Zero only helped delay the inevitable defeat, and hundreds of naval pilots paid the ultimate price in the final monts of war as kamikazes.

Fully Illustrated with B&W photos, 12 pages of colour drawings and 2 pages of line drawings