Entering service during the Sino-Japanese War; the Nakajima B5N (code-named “Kateâ€) excelled and went on to achieve surprising and dramatic successes in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. It also contributed to the sinking of the U.S. aircraft carriers USS Lexington at the Battle of the Coral Sea; USS Yorktown at the Battle of Midway; and USS Hornet at the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. Its replacement; the Nakajima B6N “Jill;†while a marked improvement over its illustrious predecessor; was never able to achieve its full potential in combat due to advances in Allied aircraft; finding itself relegated to the dreaded Kamikaze strikes in the latter part of the war.Using previously unpublished photographs as well as color illustrations; this book will cover the history of the “Kate†and “Jill†torpedo/attack bombers; including their design and development; as well as the combat highs and lows of the Imperial Japanese Navy's premier torpedo bombers.
#56101 in Books Osprey Publishing 2014-12-09 2014-12-09Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 251.71 x 1.39 x 7.87l; 1.00 #File Name: 1472801466392 pages9781472801463
Review
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful. A Compilation of Osprey's IJN New Vanguard SeriesBy Donald W. WootenI don't mind all that much but would not have felt deceived if that fact had not been withheld from the the publisher's descriptions of it. Having purchased all but the volume on submarines; I now have that plus additional information on strategy; doctrine; overall analysis; and the corrections to the original individual volumes. Many of the photos and illustrations are larger; which makes up for those that are smaller.As it stands; this book will be a bargain over purchasing the 7 individual volumes since you could purchase it for what 3 of them would cost and have money left over. It has the same page size and takes up only a little more room in my library as compared to the combined set.It seems that Osprey has killed the individual volumes since at almost $126 list price for the set this book gives the same updated content for $40 in hardback. I was also glad to see that the author; Mark Stille; now holds the copyright instead of the publisher.Now with my bookshelves overflowing; I need to decide what t do with my six duplicates. Only having larger photos and illustrations in some cases bid me to keep them.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. For Naval Students and Historians; NOT action junkies!By WanekiaThis is not a book for those who seek a narrative of campaigns or specific battles. Instead; it is a technical review of the development of Imperial Japan's warship types as the Imperial Japanese Navy envisioned their tactical usage in a naval war in the Pacific. As such; it is a very good; detailed read. For other readers; it would likely prove to be uninteresting.The development of the Imperial Japanese Navy began in the last decades of the nineteenth century; and followed the role model of the British Royal Navy closely. Still; after World War I; Japan was largely ignored as a potential power; although her fleet was subject to the same restrictions; but greater; as the Royal Navy and the US Navy with the aim of preventing another large scale conflict. Given the restrictions that Japan accepted; it is remarkable that she made the great strides that she did before the Pacific War. This is a chronological and technical history of the development of each class of warship through the end of that war.Do not expect to read a sea yarn with blazing guns; torpedo attacks; or feats of naval aviation. Instead; enjoy a fairly scholarly review and interpretation of the creation and demise of one of the world's great navies.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. An excellent look at the ships of the IJNBy Hrafnkell HaraldssonThis is a great overview of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) in World War II. This is less an operational history than an examination of the IJN's various ship types; from destroyers all the way up to carriers and super battleships like the Musashi and Yamamoto.The book is well-illustrated photos and diagrams as well as info-boxes full of ship and weapon data. It is a hefty book; and the author offers a brief history of the Pacific War to get things going; followed up a conclusion and analysis and a very brief bibliography.I bought this book both because of my interest in the Pacific War; and because of an interest in warships in general and also to provide some background to Wargamers' World of Warships; where players fight battles using ships of the pre-war and WWII era.This book contains pretty much all the information you will need to understand the ships of the IJN and how they were used; including not only what they were expected to do; but what they actually did. It will serve as an excellent resource as I read further books on the Pacific War; and I will keep is handy for just that purpose.
