The quality of Japanese aircraft came as an unpleasant surprise to
the Allies at the outbreak of the Pacific War, and it was
personified in one type, the Mitsubishi A6M Zero. One of the finest
aircraft of all time, the Mitsubishi A6M Reisen (Zero fighter)
first flew on 1 April 1939\. It soon showed itself to be clearly
superior to any fighter the Allies could put into the air in the
early stages of the Pacific campaign. Armed with two 20mm cannon
and two 7.7mm machine-guns, it was highly manoeuvrable and
structurally very strong, despite being lightweight. Instead of
being built in several separate units, the Zero was revolutionary
in that it was constructed in two pieces. The engine, cockpit and
forward fuselage combined with the wings to form one rigid unit;
the second part comprised the rear fuselage and the tail. The two
units were joined by a ring of 80 bolts. Although the Mitsubishi
Zero had some serious drawbacks in combat, the greatest of which
was its inability to absorb punishment because of its lack of
self-sealing fuel tanks and armour plating, its greatest assets
were its manoeuvrability and its long range. In 1942 the Americans
allocated the code-name Zeke to the A6M, but as time went by the
name Zero came into general use. During the first months of the
Pacific War, the Zeros carved out an impressive combat record. For
example, in the battle for Java alone, which ended on 8 March 1942,
they destroyed 550 Allied aircraft. As the war progressed, however,
the Zero gradually came to be outclassed by American fighters such
as the Grumman F6F Wildcat and Vought Corsair. In the latter
months, many were fitted with bombs and expended in Kamikaze
suicide attacks. This book provides a perfect introduction to the
design and combat career of a fighter that made history. Why was
the Zero conceived? What was it like to fly in combat? How did it
compare with Allied types? Who were the engineers and designers who
brought it to fruition and the pilots who became aces while flying
it? Here is a feast for the modeller, with a wealth of technical
information, photographs and colour profiles.
General
Imprint: |
Air World
|
Country of origin: |
United Kingdom |
Series: |
Flight Craft |
Release date: |
November 2020 |
Authors: |
Robert Jackson
|
Dimensions: |
297 x 210 x 10mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback
|
Pages: |
96 |
ISBN-13: |
978-1-5267-5994-8 |
Categories: |
Books >
Humanities >
History >
General
Books >
History >
General
|
LSN: |
1-5267-5994-2 |
Barcode: |
9781526759948 |
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!