Another new book from the prolific folks at Osprey Publishing. Again, in their 9 3/4" x 7 1/4" page format with a soft cover.
The cover art shows 2Lt. Osamu Hirose, a pilot from the 53rd Sentai, getting ready to ram a B-29 with his Ki-45 Toryu "Nick", on the 19th of February, 1945, east of Mount Fuji.
The book contains 128 pages, 120 wartime photos, two maps, copies of citations given to Japanese pilots, 34 color side profiles of Japanese aircraft that were used against B-29's, four color tail insignias for Japanese air units, and 12 variations of Japanese kill marks (also in color).
Aircraft covered in these side profiles are:
The Ki-44 "Tojo", Ki-61 "Tony", Ki-45 "Nick", Ki-46 "Dinah", Ki-84 "Oscar", and the Ki-100 (the radial engined "Tony").
These profiles are very well done and show a lot of the Japanese ace's planes, with all the wear, tear, and scuff marks...as well as the kill marks on them. A real reference for Japanese aircraft modelers.
Photos show various Japanese aces and U.S. personalities. There are numerous shots of B-29 crash sites and stories of how they came to their ill fates.
This is a great book for anyone interested in the Pacific War. I was surprised that a lot of the B-29's that were lost were due to ramming attacks. Even more surprising was the fact that some Japanese pilots actually survived these rammings.
