Ki-61 and Ki-100 Aces cover
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Description

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.

Table of 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

Product details

Published Nov 17 2015
Format Paperback
Edition 1st
Extent 96
ISBN 9781780962955
Imprint Osprey Publishing
Illustrations 90 b/w; 32 col
Dimensions 10 x 7 inches
Series Aircraft of the Aces
Short code ACE 114
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Nicholas Millman

Nicholas Millman is one of Britain’s leading resea…

Resources

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