Imperial Japanese Navy Aces 1937-45 (Osprey Aircraft of the Aces 22)

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, Pacific. Pilots like Nishizawa, Sagita and Sakai scoring more than 60 kills apiece. "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, Pacific. Pilots like Nishizawa, Sugita and Sakai scoring more than 60 kills apiece. Following a series of key carriers battles, navy pilots began to operate predominantly from shore bases in New Guinea, the Philippines and filnally 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 months of was as kamikazes."--Back cover Japan's top aces doubled the best efforts of the Allies due to pre-war experience in China and Manchuria and their excellent aircraft types from Nakajima and Kawasaki. Described here in detail, the book also features colour uniform plates showing pilots of the period. The Japanese naval Air Force pilots achieved ace status during the eight years of near constant war in the Far East. They fought for control of the skies and their exploits are detailed in this volume of the "Aircraft of the Aces" series. It was inevitable that Japan and China would eventually go to war.