Ki-61 and Ki-100 Aces (Osprey)
This is the story of the elite Japanese Army Air force (JAAF) aces that flew the Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien (Swallow), and the Ki-100 Goshikisen in the Pacific Theatre of World War 2.
The former, codenamed 'Tony' by the allies, was a technically excellent aircraft, possessing power, stability and a good rate of climb - differing radically from the usual Japanese philosophy of building light, ultra-manoeuvrable fighters. Its pilots soon realised, however, that the type was plagued by a number of dangerous mechanical issues.
Then as the war moved relentlessly closer to Japan's doorstep, a desperate, expedient innovation to the Ki-61 airframe by fitting it with a radial instead of inline engine resulted in one of the finest fighters of World War 2 - the Ki-100.
This book uses the latest findings to provide a gripping account of some of the most remarkable and hard-pressed fighter pilots of the war. It reveals how these men, unlike so many of their unfortunate late-war colleagues, could surprise Allied aircraft in high-performance fighters and claim successes in the face of enormous odds.
Contents:
- Introduction
- A Difficult Birth
- The Rush to Combat - New Guinea 1943-44
- Attrition - The Philippines and South-East Asia
- The Noose Tightens - The Island Campaigns
- A Desperate Battle - The Air Defence of Japan
- Seven Week Fighter - the Ki-100
- Appendices
Auteur : | Nicholas Millman |
Présentation : | 96 pages, 25 x 18.5 x 0.7 cm, broché |
Illustration : | abondamment illustré avec des photos et des dessins (en N&B et couleurs) |
Editeur : | Osprey Publishing (GB, 2015) |
Série : | Aircraft of the Aces (114) |