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Ikuhiko Hata
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Japanese Naval Air Force Fighter Units and Their Aces, 1932–1945 Kindle Edition

by Ikuhiko Hata (Author), Yasuho Izawa (Author), Christopher Shores (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 24 ratings
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An extensive guide to Japan’s Naval Air Force Fighter Units and their ace pilots during conflicts in the 1930s and ‘40s, now in English.

The book begins by looking at the land- and aircraft carrier-based navy fighter units and their operations from 1932 to 1945, as well as their history and achievements. This is followed with biographical details for all pilots who claimed eight or more aerial victories.

The thorough appendix provides detailed listings of all pilots known to have claimed five or more victories (and thus considered to be “aces”), listings of the graduation from training of all Japanese Navy fighter pilots, and of fighter pilot casualties. Photographs, maps, and artist’s side-view drawings and paintings of aircraft relevant to each of the units are also included.

This revised edition is a companion volume to Japanese Army Air Force Fighter Units and Their Aces, 1931–1945.
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  1. Print length
    911 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Grub Street Publishing
  5. Publication date
    September 20, 2012
  6. File size
    48116 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ikuhiko Hata is a past Fellow of the Woodrow Wilson Center and presently Professor of History at Nihon University. His previous works include A History of the Japanese-Chinese War, 1931-1941. Yasuho Izawa is an Opthalmic Optician whose past works include Japanese Naval Aces and Fighter Units (with Professor Hata) and Bloody Shambles Vols 1 and 2 (with Christopher Shores).

Christopher Shores began by writing the occasional book about military aviation, then quickened the pace as he grew older. By now, readers and reviewers are hard-pressed to keep up with him. Meanwhile, he pursued a career as a land surveyor and director of one of Europe's largest firms of property advisers.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B009EE1GBU
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Grub Street Publishing (September 20, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 20, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 48116 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 911 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 24 ratings

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Ikuhiko Hata

Ikuhiko Hata

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
24 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Luka Peternel
5.0 out of 5 stars A definitive book on the subject.
Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2020
Verified Purchase
This is a definitive book on the subject and is a major update of an earlier book written by Hata and Izawa (original in Japanese but it was later translated in English). This time with a contribution from Christopher Shores, who is well known for The Bloody Shambles book series. The book is very well structured and reads nicely. It includes a lot of good photo material too. I would say it is a great complement to John Lundstrom's The First Team, which is another set of definitive books on naval air combat in the Pacific that focuses more on the US side. I highly recommend this book.

The only downside is that, unlike Lundstrom in his books, the authors of this book often provide only the Japanese claims for the number Allied aircraft shot down in any particular action and do not always compare it to the actual record of losses from Allied documents. Perhaps due to limited access to the non-Japanese documents at the time the book was written. Nevertheless, the numbers of actual aircraft losses for the Japanese side in each action are consistently provided.
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scott bailey
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book on subject
Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2014
Verified Purchase
Very well researched book on this subject. Book covers all the formation and the many campaigns they fought at. Book shows these unit in action and the amount of planes shot down. Reader will like the formation that were formed and their destruction. By the end of the war you see many units getting destroyed
One person found this helpful
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John
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Reference
Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2011
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Whilst not full of air craft data this text and its Army Fighter unit companion are excellent references for the often mysterious world of Japanese air unit types.

With extensive unit histories, as well as potted summaries of aircraft operated it fills many of the blanks that historians and gamers alike need filled, and provides and extensive overview of the successes and failures of the Japanese air arm.

Highly Recommended.
3 people found this helpful
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Paul Black
5.0 out of 5 stars This book is a perfect match for the Japanese Army fighter arm
Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2015
Verified Purchase
5 Stars....This book is a perfect match for the Japanese Army fighter arm. I now have both and the quality of the book is better than most other books I have bought. Get it as it will make a great addition to any collection.
One person found this helpful
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Gonzo
5.0 out of 5 stars Pacific War diary
Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2014
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Very detailed narration of the Pacific War from the viewpoint of the Japanese navy. Details on Aces and squadrons, Kukutai's.
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J n P
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best references if you are interested in this aspect of the pacific war.
Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2013
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Very detailed book with a history of the Japanese units involved, their deployment locations and a bio of each Ace.
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Curtis Lee Abshier
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2015
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Great book!
One person found this helpful
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Mike O'Connor
4.0 out of 5 stars Superlative History of IJNAF Aces and Units!
Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2012
Wow! JAPANESE NAVAL AIR FORCE FIGHTER UNITS AND THEIR ACES 1932-1945 is an incredibly-detailed volume packed to the brim with authoritative information, photographs and profiles on Japanese Naval pilots, units, their aircraft and the air war they waged from 1932 to 1945. Worth every penny of its $59.95 price tag, this 2011 Grubb Street release will, in all likelihood, stand as THE definitive work on the subject.

The book is divided into five main sections: 'Japanese Naval Aviation Fighter Operations,' 'Unit Histories,' 'Aces - An Alphabetical Listing of Biographical Notes,' 'A-Z of Fighter Aces' Planes' and 'Maps.' Four appendices contain detailed information on aces by number of kills, key fighter pilots KIA by date, claims/losses of major air battles involving IJNAF units, etc. Illustrated throughout by hundreds of photographs, the book also contains, as mentioned, profiles of aircraft flown by various aces.

Fifty years ago, information on Japanese fighter pilots was limited to Saburo Sakai and bits and pieces on various other aces. It was generally believed all official group/squadron records had been destroyed at war's end and that surviving Japanese pilots had no desire to talk about World War II. I don't know where Hata, Izawa and Shores got their info - they don't cite sources - but the information found in their book is truly monumental.

JAPANESE NAVAL AIR FORCE FIGHTER UNITS AND THEIR ACES 1932-1945 deserves six stars. I had to give it four because it lacks an index.

Anyone interested in the Pacific air war or Japanese military aviation needs to have this book on their shelves. Military aviation history doesn't get much better than this, folks. Highly recommended.

*****
4,450 Helpful Votes!
4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Maciej Peda
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 17, 2015
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Fantastic ! Superb seller
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Davide
3.0 out of 5 stars Salvataggio in Extremis
Reviewed in Italy on July 8, 2013
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Il testo è pieno di refusi ed errori di stampa. Mal realizzata la traduzione. In alcuni casi lacunosa con didascalie e miniature in giapponese spiegate da "scomode" legende poco pratiche all'uso. La carta utilizzata si macchia ed è di bassa qualità. Si salva solo in quanto è un libro unico nel suo genere: non esiste altro testo che raccolga tale mole di dati ed informazioni in merito allo stesso argomento.
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