Product Description

The Imperial Japanese Navy was a pioneer in naval aviation, having commissioned the world's first built-from-the-keel-up carrier, the Hosho. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, it experimented with its carriers, perfecting their design and construction. As a result, by the time Japan entered World War II and attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor in 1941, it possessed a fantastically effective naval aviation force. This book covers the design, development and operation of IJN aircraft carriers built prior to and during World War II. Pearl Harbor, Midway and the first carrier vs carrier battle, the battle of the Coral Sea, are all discussed.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #179391 in Books
• Published on: 2005-05-08
• Released on: 2005-05-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 48 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781841768533
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review
"Though it only has 48 pages, the book works well with what is has as it provides some impressive information about all of the carriers (some of it, which may impress those that have researched about the subject matter for a long time). This book is mainly for historians (mainly as a starting point for those wanting to learn more about the subject matter), collectors and modelers." -Andrew Nguyen, www.combinedfleet.com (July 2009)

From the Publisher
The unrivalled illustrated reference on fighting vehicles, transport and artillery through the ages. Each volume is illustrated throughout, making these books uniquely accessible to history enthusiasts of all ages.

About the Author
Mark Stille is a retired commander in the US Navy, currently working in Naval Intelligence. He has had numerous war games published in the past, including some concerning Japanese Aircraft Carriers. Interested in the navy, in particular the Imperial Japanese Navy, for most of his life, he devotes much of his time to researching the IJN and the vessels they used.

Customer Reviews

value for money
I was pleased with this book. For 48 pages, the book had a substantial amount of material, some of which I was previously unfamiliar with. The artwork looks great and the cutaway is very detailed for the space allowed. I enjoyed this book and recommend it anyone interested in these formidable vessels.

Usual good value for the money
As with most Osprey books, the info is compact and useful, and it fills the need for a short overview - What does the name of the ship mean? Why is the island on the wrong side? How many planes were carried? Where was it sunk? Everything provided is at the level of detail I need at this time. When I need broad, deep set of information I'll invest in the >1000 pages of information in "Sunburst" and "Kaigun" as recommended by another reviewer.

IJN Aircraft Carriers
I feel I need to defend this book. It does not deserve the low review ratings it has received.

My interest is mainly in the Battle of Midway, particularly the aircraft involved. In order to have a meaningful understanding of the battle, I needed a better mental picture of the ships. But I didn't need a full, in depth treatment. The Osprey book is just right. It gives me a basic history of the fleet carriers, a good physical description, with lots of photos and some very nice paintings, and a few fundamental specifications. It isn't a lot of material, it's just enough.

It seemed obvious to me that I was not buying a exhaustive description of these ships. After all, Amazon's book description plainly says that it is only 48 pages long! What can you expect in 48 pages?

I must say that I did in fact learn quite a bit from this book. I found one clue to the USN's stunning victory at Midway, here. It seems that the IJN's saftey practices and training were typically very poor. The USN was able to sink the IJN carriers with relatively few hits largely because of the IJN carriers' tendency to blow themselves up with aviation fuel vapor! The USN, on the other hand, had elaborate safety procedures that were adhered to strictly. The IJN carriers were not designed with as much attention to survivability as the USN carriers. That would explain why the Yorktown took the better part of 3 days and repeated attacks to sink, while the IJN ships went down quite fast.

Mark Stille is very clear and easy to read. Tony Bryan is a superb technical artist.

If you need a fully developed history and analysis of these ships, look elsewhere. If you want a concise, clear idea of what these vessels were like and how they operated, then this book is excellent.