Book Review of
Japanese Heavy Fighters 1937-1945
Author: Dariusz Paduch
Kagero Publications
ISBN: 978-83-66673-89-2
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2022
MSRP: $ 46.00
ISBN: 978-83-66673-89-2
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2022
MSRP: $ 46.00
THE BOOK:
Kagero Publications is based in Lublin, Poland.
Japanese heavy fighters – were they even made? Yes, they were created, but it is relatively difficult to determine which Japanese fighters can be called heavy and which cannot.
In Japan, the division into light and heavy fighters was completely different from that in Europe and the USA, and basically every plane armed with large-calibre machine guns or cannons was considered heavy, despite the fact that it often had no or only “symbolic” armour and its gross weight in Europe would be considered low.
In the second half of the war, this began to change and there were fighter designs that can be safely considered heavy, but few of them went into serial production, and even fewer managed to participate in combat. The choice of Japanese planes touched in this book is certainly controversial, but it allows you to recall many little-known, though very interesting designs.
The book also covers Japanese aircraft machine-guns and cannons, which will make it easier to get the idea of the subject, despite the complex marking system.
The cover art of the book shows 2 black and white photos of Japanese Heavy Fighters.
At the top is a photo of a Ki-102 Ko interceptor fighter with its propellers and armament removed after the capitulation of Japan. Wires of the supercharger are visible.
The photo at the bottom shows a full-scale wooden mockup of the Tachikawa Ki-94 in a hangar.
The book contains 240 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format.
The book begins with a TABLE OF CONTENTS and AUTHOR’S NOTES.
There are 34 chapters on aircraft and 2 chapters on weapons.
Each chapter on the various aircraft contains the aircraft’s history and specifications, except for three.
Chapter 1 is on the Kawasaki Ki-45 Toryu (Nick). There are 43 black and white wartime photos of it. They include ground-crewmen and pilots and the cockpit interior. Plus a 3-view line drawing.
Chapter 2 is on the Kawasaki Ki-96. There are 8 black and white wartime photos of it.
Chapter 3 is on the Kawasaki Ki-102 (Randy. There are 15 black and white photos of it. They include a photo of one in captured US Air Force markings, 2 of the cockpit interior and one of the nose gun. Also a cut-away line drawing side profile.
Chapter 4 is on the Kawasaki Ki-108. There are 7 black and white wartime photos, 2 of them are of the cockpit. Also a cut-away line drawing of the cockpit.
Chapter 5 is on the Mitsubishi Ki-83. There are 19 black and white wartime photos, 9 of them are of a captured one in US markings and 3 are of the cockpit and 1 is of a cowling. A 3-view line drawing is included.
Chapter 6 is on the Rikugun Ki-93. There are 8 black and white wartime photos. It’s 6-bladed propeller is shown.
Chapter 7 is on the Tachikawa Ki-94 (the lower cover art subject). There are 11 black and white wartime photos. It also has a 6 bladed propeller. Aircraft is shown on saw-horses in a hangar.
Chapter 8 is on the Nakajima Ki-87. There are 8 black and white wartime photos and a 4-view line drawing of it.
Chapter 9 is on the Kawasaki Ki-64 “Rob”. There are 7 black and white wartime photos and a cut-way side profile included.
Chapter 10 is on the Mitsubishi Ki-73 “Steve”. No photos are shown. Only a black and white side view illustration.
Chapter 11 is on the Mansyu (Manshu) Ki-98. There is only one black and white photo of it’s engine. A black and white illustration of it in flight, a cut-away line side view line drawing and two 3-view line drawings. This aircraft has a layout similar to the US P-38 Lightning.
Chapter 12 is on the Kawasaki K-119. Only a 3-view line drawing is shown.
Chapter 13 is on the Nakajima Ki-201 Karyu. There are 4 black and white wartime photos. This aircraft is a copy of the German Me-262 jet fighter. A small 3-view line drawing and a German Me-163 Komet jet fighter in Japanese markings is shown.
Chapter 14 is on the Nakajima Ki-58. There are 3 black and white wartime photos shown.
Chapter 15 is on the Mitsubishi Ki-109. There are 7 black and white wartime photos and a 3-view line drawing shown.
Chapter 16 is on the Mitsubishi Ki-67 Hiryu ( Peggy). Only one black and white wartime photos are shown.
Chapter 17 is on the Kawasaki Ki-81 (Ki-48 II a Kai). Only one black and white photo is shown.
Chapter 18 is on the Mitsubishi Ki-46. There are 9 black and white wartime photos shown. One photo is of the cockpit interior and there is a 3-view line drawing of it.
Chapter 19 is of a Kawasaki Ki-88. There are 2 black and white photos of its skeletal frame sitting in a hangar shown and a 4 view line drawing included.
Chapter 20 is on a Nakajima J1N Gekko (Irving). There are 29 black and white wartime photos of it and a 3-view line drawing.
Chapter 21 is on a Aichi S1A Denko. Three black and white photos of its engine is shown.
Chapter 22 is on the Nakajima J5N Tenrai. There are 7 black and white wartime photos shown and a 3-view line drawing.
Chapter 23 is on the Kawanishi J3K/J6K Jinpu. Three black and white photos of it sitting on saw-horses in a hangar are shown.
Chapter 24 is on the Mitsubishi A7M Reppu (Sam). There are 4 black and white wartime photos of it in a hangar shown.
Chapter 25 is on the Mitsubishi A8M Rifuku. Only a 2-view line drawing is shown.
Chapter 26 is on the Kyushu J7W Shinden. There are 15 black and white wartime photos, that include one of the cockpit interior.
Chapter 27 is on the Mitsubishi J4M Senden (Luke). Only 3-view line drawing and a cut-away side-view line drawing is given.
Chapter 28 is on the Mitsubishi G3M2 Model 22 (Nell). One black and white wartime photo is given and one photo of a Seversky 2PA-83, bought from the USA between the wars.
Chapter 29 is on the Mitsubishi G6M1 (Betty). Three black and white wartime photos are given.
Chapter 30 is on the Kugisho P1Y2-8 Kyokko. There are 7 black and white wartime photos and a 3-view line drawing provided.
Chapter 31 is on the Nakajima C6N1-S Saiun (Myrt). A black and white photo of two Japanese officers is shown and 5 of the aircraft.
Chapter 32 is on the Kugisho D4Y2-S (Judy). Seven black and white photos, included one of the cockpit and one of pilots is shown, along with a 3-view line drawing of the aircraft.
Chapter 33 shows a Nakajima AT-27 as a small 3-view line drawing and a black and white illustration of a Suzukaze 20 and a black and white wartime photo of it. A black and white photo and a 3-view line drawing of a Payen PA-400. A black and white photo of a Fokker D.XXIII, 2 black and white photos of a Stal-6 and a 3-view line drawing of it.
Chapter 34 is on the Kagiken Plan. It shows a 3-view blueprint of the Type A aircraft and the Type B, a black and white photo of a Mitsubishi Otori aircraft, 3-view line drawings of the Type A and B’s.
The next two chapters in the book are on weapons.
There is histories and specifications, plus black and white photos of Japanese machine guns types: 03 6.5mm, Type 89 Special 7.7mm,Te-4, Type 89-2, Vickers E, Te-1, Type 92, Type 98,Type 100 double-barreled, He-101 and He-102 and He-104, the Mg.131 bought from Germany, the 3mm Type 2 & 3, the Type 90 Model 2 autocannon.
The second chapter is on autocannons.
Shown are histories and black and white photos of: the 20mm Type 99-1, The Type 99-2, the Type 97, the Ho-3, Ho-4 and Ho-5 20mm’s, Ho-T2, Ho-155, Type 5, aircraft they were mounted on, Ho-204, Ho-301 40mm Ho-203.
At the end of the book there is an INDEX OF NAMES AND ABBREVIATIONS and the BIBLIOGRAPHY.
Eight black and white cover arts of other aircraft books by Kagero are shown:
Three different books on the A6M Reisen Zero, the A5M Claude, the Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa, the Nakajima B5N Kate, Soviet Heavy Fighters 1926-1949 and Nakajima B5N Kate.
This is followed by a color illustration of a Type 98 7.92mm machine gun and 8 color side view profiles of:
Four of the Kawasaki Ki-45 Kai, a Nakajima J1N1-CKai, a Nakajima J1N1 Sa Gekko Model 11, a prototype of the Mitsubishi Ki-43 and a Yokosuka
D4Y2-S.
This is a neat book about these Japanese aircraft and weapons. It will be of great interest to modelers and aviation historians alike.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample.
Casemate is the N. American distributor of Kagero Publications books and all their titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
Kagero Publications is based in Lublin, Poland.
Japanese heavy fighters – were they even made? Yes, they were created, but it is relatively difficult to determine which Japanese fighters can be called heavy and which cannot.
In Japan, the division into light and heavy fighters was completely different from that in Europe and the USA, and basically every plane armed with large-calibre machine guns or cannons was considered heavy, despite the fact that it often had no or only “symbolic” armour and its gross weight in Europe would be considered low.
In the second half of the war, this began to change and there were fighter designs that can be safely considered heavy, but few of them went into serial production, and even fewer managed to participate in combat. The choice of Japanese planes touched in this book is certainly controversial, but it allows you to recall many little-known, though very interesting designs.
The book also covers Japanese aircraft machine-guns and cannons, which will make it easier to get the idea of the subject, despite the complex marking system.
The cover art of the book shows 2 black and white photos of Japanese Heavy Fighters.
At the top is a photo of a Ki-102 Ko interceptor fighter with its propellers and armament removed after the capitulation of Japan. Wires of the supercharger are visible.
The photo at the bottom shows a full-scale wooden mockup of the Tachikawa Ki-94 in a hangar.
The book contains 240 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format.
The book begins with a TABLE OF CONTENTS and AUTHOR’S NOTES.
There are 34 chapters on aircraft and 2 chapters on weapons.
Each chapter on the various aircraft contains the aircraft’s history and specifications, except for three.
Chapter 1 is on the Kawasaki Ki-45 Toryu (Nick). There are 43 black and white wartime photos of it. They include ground-crewmen and pilots and the cockpit interior. Plus a 3-view line drawing.
Chapter 2 is on the Kawasaki Ki-96. There are 8 black and white wartime photos of it.
Chapter 3 is on the Kawasaki Ki-102 (Randy. There are 15 black and white photos of it. They include a photo of one in captured US Air Force markings, 2 of the cockpit interior and one of the nose gun. Also a cut-away line drawing side profile.
Chapter 4 is on the Kawasaki Ki-108. There are 7 black and white wartime photos, 2 of them are of the cockpit. Also a cut-away line drawing of the cockpit.
Chapter 5 is on the Mitsubishi Ki-83. There are 19 black and white wartime photos, 9 of them are of a captured one in US markings and 3 are of the cockpit and 1 is of a cowling. A 3-view line drawing is included.
Chapter 6 is on the Rikugun Ki-93. There are 8 black and white wartime photos. It’s 6-bladed propeller is shown.
Chapter 7 is on the Tachikawa Ki-94 (the lower cover art subject). There are 11 black and white wartime photos. It also has a 6 bladed propeller. Aircraft is shown on saw-horses in a hangar.
Chapter 8 is on the Nakajima Ki-87. There are 8 black and white wartime photos and a 4-view line drawing of it.
Chapter 9 is on the Kawasaki Ki-64 “Rob”. There are 7 black and white wartime photos and a cut-way side profile included.
Chapter 10 is on the Mitsubishi Ki-73 “Steve”. No photos are shown. Only a black and white side view illustration.
Chapter 11 is on the Mansyu (Manshu) Ki-98. There is only one black and white photo of it’s engine. A black and white illustration of it in flight, a cut-away line side view line drawing and two 3-view line drawings. This aircraft has a layout similar to the US P-38 Lightning.
Chapter 12 is on the Kawasaki K-119. Only a 3-view line drawing is shown.
Chapter 13 is on the Nakajima Ki-201 Karyu. There are 4 black and white wartime photos. This aircraft is a copy of the German Me-262 jet fighter. A small 3-view line drawing and a German Me-163 Komet jet fighter in Japanese markings is shown.
Chapter 14 is on the Nakajima Ki-58. There are 3 black and white wartime photos shown.
Chapter 15 is on the Mitsubishi Ki-109. There are 7 black and white wartime photos and a 3-view line drawing shown.
Chapter 16 is on the Mitsubishi Ki-67 Hiryu ( Peggy). Only one black and white wartime photos are shown.
Chapter 17 is on the Kawasaki Ki-81 (Ki-48 II a Kai). Only one black and white photo is shown.
Chapter 18 is on the Mitsubishi Ki-46. There are 9 black and white wartime photos shown. One photo is of the cockpit interior and there is a 3-view line drawing of it.
Chapter 19 is of a Kawasaki Ki-88. There are 2 black and white photos of its skeletal frame sitting in a hangar shown and a 4 view line drawing included.
Chapter 20 is on a Nakajima J1N Gekko (Irving). There are 29 black and white wartime photos of it and a 3-view line drawing.
Chapter 21 is on a Aichi S1A Denko. Three black and white photos of its engine is shown.
Chapter 22 is on the Nakajima J5N Tenrai. There are 7 black and white wartime photos shown and a 3-view line drawing.
Chapter 23 is on the Kawanishi J3K/J6K Jinpu. Three black and white photos of it sitting on saw-horses in a hangar are shown.
Chapter 24 is on the Mitsubishi A7M Reppu (Sam). There are 4 black and white wartime photos of it in a hangar shown.
Chapter 25 is on the Mitsubishi A8M Rifuku. Only a 2-view line drawing is shown.
Chapter 26 is on the Kyushu J7W Shinden. There are 15 black and white wartime photos, that include one of the cockpit interior.
Chapter 27 is on the Mitsubishi J4M Senden (Luke). Only 3-view line drawing and a cut-away side-view line drawing is given.
Chapter 28 is on the Mitsubishi G3M2 Model 22 (Nell). One black and white wartime photo is given and one photo of a Seversky 2PA-83, bought from the USA between the wars.
Chapter 29 is on the Mitsubishi G6M1 (Betty). Three black and white wartime photos are given.
Chapter 30 is on the Kugisho P1Y2-8 Kyokko. There are 7 black and white wartime photos and a 3-view line drawing provided.
Chapter 31 is on the Nakajima C6N1-S Saiun (Myrt). A black and white photo of two Japanese officers is shown and 5 of the aircraft.
Chapter 32 is on the Kugisho D4Y2-S (Judy). Seven black and white photos, included one of the cockpit and one of pilots is shown, along with a 3-view line drawing of the aircraft.
Chapter 33 shows a Nakajima AT-27 as a small 3-view line drawing and a black and white illustration of a Suzukaze 20 and a black and white wartime photo of it. A black and white photo and a 3-view line drawing of a Payen PA-400. A black and white photo of a Fokker D.XXIII, 2 black and white photos of a Stal-6 and a 3-view line drawing of it.
Chapter 34 is on the Kagiken Plan. It shows a 3-view blueprint of the Type A aircraft and the Type B, a black and white photo of a Mitsubishi Otori aircraft, 3-view line drawings of the Type A and B’s.
The next two chapters in the book are on weapons.
There is histories and specifications, plus black and white photos of Japanese machine guns types: 03 6.5mm, Type 89 Special 7.7mm,Te-4, Type 89-2, Vickers E, Te-1, Type 92, Type 98,Type 100 double-barreled, He-101 and He-102 and He-104, the Mg.131 bought from Germany, the 3mm Type 2 & 3, the Type 90 Model 2 autocannon.
The second chapter is on autocannons.
Shown are histories and black and white photos of: the 20mm Type 99-1, The Type 99-2, the Type 97, the Ho-3, Ho-4 and Ho-5 20mm’s, Ho-T2, Ho-155, Type 5, aircraft they were mounted on, Ho-204, Ho-301 40mm Ho-203.
At the end of the book there is an INDEX OF NAMES AND ABBREVIATIONS and the BIBLIOGRAPHY.
Eight black and white cover arts of other aircraft books by Kagero are shown:
Three different books on the A6M Reisen Zero, the A5M Claude, the Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa, the Nakajima B5N Kate, Soviet Heavy Fighters 1926-1949 and Nakajima B5N Kate.
This is followed by a color illustration of a Type 98 7.92mm machine gun and 8 color side view profiles of:
Four of the Kawasaki Ki-45 Kai, a Nakajima J1N1-CKai, a Nakajima J1N1 Sa Gekko Model 11, a prototype of the Mitsubishi Ki-43 and a Yokosuka
D4Y2-S.
This is a neat book about these Japanese aircraft and weapons. It will be of great interest to modelers and aviation historians alike.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample.
Casemate is the N. American distributor of Kagero Publications books and all their titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
Very highly recommended.