ePub Sunburst: The Rise of Japanese Naval Air Power; 1909-1941 by Mark Peattie in History

Review

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. The rise and fall of IJN airpowerBy William S. GrassThis book is about the history of Japanese naval aviation from its creation in the early twentieth century; to its effective destruction in 1944. Although the subtitle does say; "1909-1941;" there is a chapter at the end entitled; "Descending in Flame;" that covers the destruction of IJN air power in WW2. The author; Mark Peattie; is also coauthor of Kaigun; the remarkable one-volume study of the history of the IJN. The information in Sunburst was initially to be included in Kaigun; but due to size limitations; was published separately at a later date.Sunburst can be enjoyed either by the casual Pacific War reader who is interested in the general developments that led up to December; 1941 for IJN airpower; or serve as a reference for the technical aficionado who is more interested in aircraft designs and tactics. For example the "hineri-komi" aerobatic tactic; so skillfully employed by Zero pilots early in the war; is covered in Appendix 9. The appendices fill out the last 150 or so pages of Sunburst and cover biographical sketches; aircraft and aircraft carrier drawings and specifications.Peattie makes extensive use of various Japanese language sources; enabling him to assemble into a single volume much information on this topic that has never appeared all together in English. The result is a fascinating tale of how the Japanese not only arrived on the eve of WW2 with the best naval aircrews in the world; but also what inherent shortcomings existed to set them on the path to eventual destruction at the hands of the U.S. navy.6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Academic Overview: Not a Standard NarrativeBy Rodney J. SzaszGood "Academic" version of the rise of Japanese Naval Air power up the Pacific War. The detail is good. It should be noted that this is an academic book and covers some ground in English that has not been available in translation before. It is not a traditional narrative history and therefore is a little dry in places.Several points worthy of note are:- initial influence of the British of Naval Airpower- Japanese aircraft carrier design; poor; cramped; elevators could not assemble and retreive aircraft; and a lot of half measures such as the hybrid carriers (e.g. Hyuga) that fullfilled no effective role.- no development of recce planes and low numbers.- emphasis upon bomber fleets un-related to sea warfare.- believed that island archipelagos would supplant the need for an in-depth carrier strike force- dispersal of carrier forces to render them weak and inferior in some battles.- individual fighting tactics of the Japanese pilot could not compete with the engine power and fire-power of the Americans and British.---Exceptional training and development of the isshin-denshin model of attack; but this had limitations in a world where radio was of increasing importance.Most of the results accord with what I have read in Japanese. Some of this information appears in English for the first time.For those who wanting to learn about Japanese Naval aviation in the interwar period it is indeed fascinating and I have used it on two occassions to find older airfields and remnants of others in Kasumigaura and Tateyama. A good worthy book; but a little dry to read. Read it only if you want to obtain new insights into the Pacific War. If you want a more snappy read; pick another title. I give it four stars for its original content and presentation of new ideas.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Great coverageBy scott baileyThis book covers training and formation. A great amount of coverage is the battles covered by this service before the american entry into WW2. The amount of cambat coverage before the start of WW2 is well worth reading about. The type of aircraft is well covered also.