J2M Raiden and N1K1/2 Shiden/Shiden-Kai Aces (Aircraft of the Aces, 129)

J2M Raiden and N1K1/2 Shiden/Shiden-Kai Aces (Aircraft of the Aces): Another great volume in my go-to series to supplement my 1/48 aircraft model kit building. The color illustrations give me a much better idea of how the painting & decals should appear, even if what I have isn't an exact match to the book. And the text adds valuable historic context. As always, high quality, heavy gloss paper. High Recommended!

With the tide turning against Japan in the Pacific war, the Japanese rapidly discovered that their frontline fighters were being confronted by stronger, more powerful and manoeuvrable fighters such as the Vought Corsair and the Grumman Hellcat. As the allied forces approached Japan's homeland the need for more advanced design in interceptors was required, the once-mighty Mitsubishi Zero was being outclassed, and outflown and was not able to answer the B-29's when they commenced raids on the Japanese mainland.Author Yasuho Izawa has produced a good reference that looks at two of Japan's later fighters, the Mitsubishi J2M 'Raiden' (codenamed 'Jack' by the Allies) and the Kawanishi N1K 'Shiden' (codenamed 'George'). Both these aircraft were a significant improvement on the dated 'Zero' with armour plate and heavier cannon. The 96 page book is a good introductory reference to both these fighters and their design, development and deployment. The author has briefly also examined the experiences of both the pilots who flew these aircraft as well as the Allied pilots who test flew captured examples. He includes a photo of a Vought Corsair that had a portion of its wing shot away as well as rudder from the cannon of a Shiden, the pilot making it back with his wing further shredding away as he flew on to base.The book has many black and white photos with 6 pages of colour plates of the colour schemes and markings of these aircraft. Additionally he gives some space to the float plane versions of the 'George', the N1K1 'Kyofu' (codenamed 'Rex').I found this book a very interesting reference on these aircraft and being a kit modeller in my spare time, a valuable resource to these aircraft with regards to paint schemes and markings. The book is not a lengthy exposition of the aircraft and being in this series, is not intended to be, those seeking in-depth information will need to research additional titles.In summary a well authored and finished book on three types of significant late war Japanese aircraft, which contains salient information on their design and development as well as where deployed. Well recommended to any student of Japanese WW2 aircraft and/or kit modellers of these aircraft types. Well done, Yasaho Izawa!

Highly detailed story of the development and deployment of these two fighters. The book focuses primarily on the combat deployment, mostly in the Philippines and in Japan proper. It appears that just about every combat encounter between these airplane units and US Navy and USAAF units is described. Individual Japanese pilots, especially the Aces and almost Aces, are frequently discussed. The engagements with B - 29s bombing Japanese targets are described extensively. There is also very good, although not as highly detailed, discussion of the design and production efforts of the two planes. There are also some discussions of the defects that prevented the two planes from being truly effective. Unfortunately, this discussion is somewhat superficial. For example, the authors discuss the engine vibration problems but do not really discuss why the problems occurred and why little was achieved in solving the problems. I have read in other books that the severe reduction in imports of vanadium and manganese (for example) significantly affected the manufacturing quality of Japanese aero engines. The book does discuss the consequences of running high - powered engines on fuel diluted with pine oil. The book at least touches upon other manufacturing issues, such as the shortage of engineering design and manufacturing personnel and the consequences of trying to construct technologically advanced airframes and engines with a work force that was declining in experience and quality: the Japanese Navy and Army consistently took the short term approach of drafting skilled workers and the getting them killed, and substituting the skilled workers with unskilled teenagers.

Yasuho Izawa and Tony Holmes' J2M RAIDEN AND N1K1/2 SHIDEN/SHIDEN-KAI ACES presents a fascinating and information profile of two of Japan's most potent, late-war fighters. Luckily for the Allies, the potential promised by both the Raiden and Shiden fighters was seldom realized but both planes were amongst the deadliest warbirds in the skies over Japan in 1945. A 2016 Osprey release, the book is #129 in their AIRCRAFT OF THE ACES series.Within the usual 96 pages, the authors do an excellent job of detailing the life and combat times of the Raiden and Shiden. They detail the development and operational history of both fighters, chronicling their combat exploits and the problems that dogged each aircraft, therein reducing their effectiveness. Both birds saw combat over various locales but saw their greatest moments in defense of the Japanese Homeland.The book is illustrated with vintage b&w photographs and six pages of marvelous color side-profiles by Jim Laurie.Osprey's air books have always been good value for the dollar. I have been especially impressed by their AIRCRAFT OF THE ACES and DUEL books that focus on Japan's air war since they have provided authoritative, interesting and easy-on-the-pocketbook accounts of Japanese aircraft and aircrew previously unavailable in the West. J2M RAIDEN AND N1K1/2 SHIDEN/SHIDEN-KAI ACES continues that tradition. Highly recommended.

This book filled a void in my collection of Japanese aircraft. It has super drawings of the various units. Very helpful in painting up my 1/300 collection that I use for my war games.

Osprey’s ‘Aircraft of the Aces’ #129 is a detailed history of the IJNAF’s late-war land-based interceptors, the J2M Raiden (‘Jack’) and floatplane-derived N1K1 Shiden (George’), together with its substantially improved & redesigned successor the N1K2 Shiden-kai (George 2’). The writer is Yasuho Izawa, a Tokyo-based ophthalmic optician and amateur aviation historian, with contributions and editing by Tony Holmes.Izawa knows his stuff and clearly has a great love for his subject. The book details the troubled development history of these heavyweight IJNAF fighters and their subsequent combat deployment during the 1944 defensive campaign in the Philippines and later on the Japanese home islands, over which they engaged the B29 and USN carrier-based Hellcats and Corsairs in combat. Later, USAAF P51s and P47s were encountered when they had established forward bases firstly on Iwo Jima and later on Okinawa, plus a handful of other US types.Combat encounters are described in some detail and there is an excellent history of the Shiden-kai equipped 343 Kotukai, inspired and formed by Minoru Genda who was by 1944 serving on the IJN General Staff. USN combat tactics and formations were adopted by the 343 Kotukai (these were originally worked out by Luftwaffe pilots in the Spanish Civil War, later adopted by the RAF, then by the USAAF & USN, and belatedly by the IJNAF).The judgement overall is that the J2M Raiden was a disappointment, especially its high-altitude performance, troublesome MK4R-A Kasei 23 engine and never-resolved vibration problems. Many of these issues were probably caused by poor quality fuel diluted with palm oil in order to eke out the limited supply of aviation fuel available from 1944 due to the successes of the USN’s submarine campaign against the Japanese tanker fleet.The mid-wing, Kyofu-floatplane-derived N1K1 was plagued by a troublesome and overly complex main undercarriage which often dropped in combat or collapsed on landing even when undamaged, or while taxiing on grass airfields. The Homare 21 engine was also plagued by reliability problems, caused in part again by poor quality fuel but exacerbated by overheating and a less-than-perfect design & development process. The N1K2 Shiden-kai resolved most of these issues and proved to be the best IJNAF fighter of the war, notably its unique, innovative combat flaps, but unfortunately B29 raids on the production plants and severe shortages of materials curtailed production so drastically that only around 300 of the planned 2,000 N1K2s were produced and delivered by the summer of 1945.Overall this is a well-told and interesting history, especially of the late-war combat experiences of IJNAF fighter units. The appendices include (on p.93) a comprehensive list of IJNAF aces who flew these aircraft. The photo and colour-plate sections are superb, as we have come to expect from Osprey. Recommended for any serious aviation enthusiast.

Very interesting account of two of the latest IJNAF fighters. It is interesting to read about all the production problems: it seems that Japanese industry was not as efficient then as it now is.

A great book

Lange haben wir auf dieses Buch gewartet ,das den Maschinen und Piloten der letzten noch zum Einsatz gekommenen Abfangjäger der kaiserlich japanischen Marine 1945 ein Denkmal setzt.Eigentlich wäre es ein 5 Sterne Buch-wenn da nicht die auffällige Diskrepanz bei den Abschusszahlen der Shiden Jäger im Buch wäre .Dieses Ärgernis wiederholt sich immer wieder. Die Angaben der Erfolge durch den Japanischen Autor wurden offensichtlich vom US Mitautor so korrigiert dass aus einem von namhaften Beteiligten längst akzeptierten Abschussverhältnis von 3:1 zu Gunsten der Japaner im Jahr 2016 eines von 1:1 wurde. Natürlich wird dem Leser dieser Unterschied nicht zur Diskussion gestellt sondern die viel zu niedrigen US Verlusteinräumungen und bekannt zu hohen Abschusszahlen als Wahrheit suggeriert. Bisher ist man bei OSPREY Büchern so etwas nicht gewöhnt und man müsste doch so viele Jahre nach Kriegsende endlich darüber stehen-und die Leistungen des ehemaligen Gegners mit nur wenigen technisch nicht voll ausgereiften Maschinen gegen eine unglaubliche zahlenmässige US Überlegenheit in den letzten Kriegsmonaten anerkennen- auch wenn es wehtut.

This book covers the subject matter about as thoroughly as one is likely to find. Typically of the series there is a lot of detailed information accompanied by well place photos and the usual colour renderings of representative aircraft. If one is looking for much in the way of technical information this volume does not cover that aspect too thoroughly. This is a people/places/time work.A great work for anyone's library that is lacking in late IJN fighter aircraft.