VLR P-51 Mustang vs Japanese Fighter

Japan 1945

VLR P-51 Mustang vs Japanese Fighter cover

VLR P-51 Mustang vs Japanese Fighter

Japan 1945

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Pre-order. Available 20 Nov 2025
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Description

An illustrated study of some of the final and most fierce aerial clashes of the Pacific War, featuring first-hand accounts and combat reports.

For four months in 1945, the skies over Tokyo saw USAAF P-51 Mustang pilots clash with Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (IJAAF) and Imperial Japanese Naval Air Force (IJNAF) fighters in some of the most intense aerial battles of the Pacific War. The Japanese marshalled ten different fighter types to defend the relatively small and well-defined target area, but the already iconic Merlin-engined P-51D Mustang, with its game-changing Very Long-Range (VLR) capabilities, would prove more than a match for their combined forces.

In this engaging new study, respected Pacific War historian Carl Molesworth employs combat reports and first-hand accounts to tell the story of how VII Fighter Command's Mustang pilots went from escorting B-29 bombers to actively seeking out enemy aircraft to attack. Newly commissioned armament, cockpit and battlescene illustrations, as well as a wealth of archive photos, bring the narrative to life, giving a vivid and illuminating sense of what it was like to be a fighter pilot in the air war over Japan in 1945.

Table of Contents

(Subject to Confirmation)
Introduction
Chronology
Design and Development
Doctrine, Tactics, Leadership, Deployment of Forces
The Strategic Situation
The Combatants
Combat
Statistics and Analysis
Aftermath
Further Reading
Index

Product details

Published 20 Nov 2025
Format Ebook (Epub & Mobi)
Edition 1st
Extent 80
ISBN 9781472866431
Imprint Osprey Publishing
Illustrations Colour artwork plates and maps; black & white and colour photographs and illustrations.
Series Duel
Short code DUE 147
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Carl Molesworth

Carl Molesworth is a former newspaper and magazine…

Illustrator

Gareth Hector

Gareth Hector is a digital artist of international…

Illustrator

Jim Laurier

Jim Laurier is a native of New England and lives i…

Resources

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