Genda's Blade: Japan's Squadron of Aces: 343 Kokutai
Very good description of a desperate nation trying their best effort to use their best fighter aircraft(N1K2 "George" or Shiden Kai) and what was left of their elite pilots to defend their homeland. Didn't work too well! As a famous quote from a Japanese soldier "Japan had the best warriors, the enemy had the most warriors". Highly recommended for WW2 historians and hobbyists. --By wayne frolichHenry Sakaida and Koji Takaki teamed together and put together an AMAZING book on the 343 Air Group. What is truly so incredible is that they have pulled together both sides of the story teaching us about the Japanese and their American and Allied counterparts to many of the air battles. Very useful for the WWII aviation buff or serious historian. I defer to Sakaida and Takaki on all matters regarding Japanese Naval aviation. Since 1990 I myself have personally interviewed (in their own language) 25 Japanese pilots & aviators and am preparing a book about their firsthand experiences. It won't focus on one particular unit, but will follow the aviators' experiences from the start of the war to the end. The reader will learn why they joined the Navy, their thoughts on the war, their experiences in basic training and their first combat. If you don't have this 343 Air Group book yet, do yourself a favor and order it now! --By Dan King, Pacific War Historian