Tuesday 16 March 2021

Mitsubishi A6M Reisen Zeke - book review


 
Mitsubishi A6M Reisen Zeke Vol. I by Dariusz Paduch
Kagero, Monograph 3072
ISBN: 9788366673014
 
This soft bound volume is a study of the development of the Imperial Japanese Navy carrier-borne fighter. The Japanese were the first to have a purpose built carrier-based aircraft. Paduch takes us through the evolution and development of the naval fighter and how from the earliest days from examined samples from France, Great Britain, U.S.A. and Germany the Japanese were able to synthesise their own superior aircraft. It is filled with historical data and exposes the conflict between the hierarchy, competitors, and demands of experienced pilots and how Jiro Horikoshi with his team developed the most heavily armed of all contemporary single engine fighters. The 12 Shi specification was nigh impossible to entertain, but Mitsubishi persevered and the result was the A6M. It was a marriage of powerplant propellor, aerodynamic efficiency and maximum reduction of weight. This excellent in-depth work contains 104 pages, 119 black and white photos, 8 colour profiles and plan view and scale drawings in 1/72 and 1/48. It's a must for any student of Japanese aviation.
 
- Gary Wenko -

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