Japan
Degraded Performance of the Japanese Navy Air ForceĀ (JNAF)
Pacific Glory, by Nicolas Trudgian (P-38 Lightning vs Mitsubishi Zero) By 16 June photographs showed that aircraft at Rabaul had increased to 245; the subsidiary āringā airfields were also full of planes. There followed the single largest air battle of the entire Solomon Islands Campaign; 120 Japanese aircraft went up against 104 defenders in a dogfight over Savo Island, Tulagi…
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SAMURAI OF THEĀ SKIES
The Imperial Japanese Navy began experimenting with aviation as early as the British and Americans. But because Japan did not see much combat in World War I, it had fallen behind the other powers by 1918. To catch up, it turned to its traditional mentors: for the army, the French;…
Japanese Pre-WWII Navy PartĀ I
Japanese battleship Kirishima In China and later in the Pacific, Japanese amphibious assaults were marked by surprise landings, often at night, at several spots simultaneously or in rapid sequence. Air and naval superiority were always present at the point of attack. Japan had no marine corps as such. The army…
Japanese Pre-WWII Navy PartĀ II
CV Kaga converted from a Tosa-class battleship. Mindful of Americaās industrial superiority, Japanese authorities realized that any protracted war, even if waged defensively, would require as many aviation resources as the empire could muster. The solution lay in building fast, medium size merchant and passenger ships that could be quickly…
The Battle of Dan noĀ Ura
With the rise of the samurai class to a position of power Japan became split by the bitter fighting of the Gempei War, fought between the rival clans of Minamoto and Taira. Much use was made of ships in Minamoto Yoshitsuneās pursuit of the Taira through the waters of the…
Prince ShÅtoku 573ā621
Prince ShÅtoku flanked by younger brother (left: Prince Eguri) and first son (right: Prince Yamashiro), drawn by unknown author Founding Fatherā was suddenly delivered of him without effort. He was able to speak as soon as he was born, and was so wise when he grew up that he could…
The Battle ofĀ Samar
At 6:35 A.M., as sunrise revealed a grayed-out and hazy dawn, the most powerful concentration of naval gun power the Japanese empire had ever assembled reordered its geometry in preparation for daylight operations. Twenty-five miles to Taffy 3ās north, lookouts on the heavy cruiser Chokai and light cruiser Noshiro reported…