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AUTHOR: Cea, E
FORMAT: 96pp col/Bw 297x210 Pb
Carrier-based aircraft, 1922-1945. * Lavishly illustrated with
computer generated images throughout * Shows a multitude of markings -
ideal for modellers * Covers all ship borne aircraft At the begining of
World War II, the Imperial Navy had created the finest naval aviation corps in
the world. Japanese aircraft were at least the equals of anything then flying in
the West, and in some cases (as with the legendary Zero fighter) were
substantially better. Japanese aircrews were superbly trained and had been
battle tested in the conflict in China during the late 1930s. When war tore
across the Pacific in December 1941, the IJNAF was more than a match for any of
its opponents. It is not surprsing, then, that Japanese aviators scored victory
after stunning victory during the first six months of the war, from the attack
on Pearl Harbor, through the sinking of the British men-of-war Prince of Wales
and Repulse, to the fearsome raids on northern Australia and the IJN's rampage
through the Indian Ocean in April 1942. Only after the defeat at Coral Sea and
the debacle at Midway was this force finally able to be engaged on nearly equal
terms. Throughout the war, the IJNAF remained a potent weapon, though Japanese
equipment was eventually outclassed by newer American models, and relentless
attrition began to take its toll on pilot quality. Even in defeat, though, the
IJNAF refused to wilt away, finally immolating itself in the form of the
Kamikaze air corps.
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