B-29 Hunters of the JAAF

Description

'B-29!' No other term struck such terror in the hearts of the Japanese public during World War 2 than this single, most-hated name. It was then only natural that the pilots who attempted to shoot these high-flying Boeing bombers out of the skies over Tokyo, Nagasaki, Hiroshima and Kobe should become known as the elite of the Japanese Army Air Force. This book details the exploits of the 'Dragon Slayers' who, flying the very latest single- and twin-engined fighters, exacted a heavy toll on the AAF Boeing bombers using a range of tactics including ramming.

KOJI TAKAKI can remember seeing B-29s and other military aircraft in the skies over Saeki City in Oita Prefecture, East Kyushu, during his primary school years. Taught to speak English when still a student, he has been an avid collector of literature on wartime Japanese military aviation since the late 1950s. Now retired after a long career in the textiles industry, Takaki is working on several book projects with Henry Sakaida. This is his first volume for Osprey. A third generation Japanese American (Sansei), Henry Sakaida has spent much of his life researching the shadowy history of the Japanese fighter pilot. His eye for detail and exhaustive research has led to him being given access to much archive material by former aces who have remained silent since the end of the war. Tom Tullis has illustrated a number of books in both the Aces and Combat Aircraft series, and was the first artist to produce material for Osprey Aviation electronically. Jim Laurier graduated with honours from the Paiers School of Art, Connecticut and has worked as a freelance illustrator ever since. Jim is a Fellow of the American Society of Aviation Artists, the New York Society of Illustrators and the American Fighter Aces Association.

"Little is written about the Japanese air defense of the the home islands at the end of WWII. This story is told in with vivid pilot profiles, mission histories and stunning photographs. History and accounts from both the Japanese and American sides of the campaign allow the reader to understand the vicious aerial combat that occurred in the skys over Japan, from late 1944 until the end of the war... For anyone interrested in the aerial battles, over Japan, or the Japanese defense against B-29 mission this book is an essential release that you will want in your aviation book library." --www.pacificwrecks.com