The aircraft carriers of the Shōkaku class are generally regarded as being the most-successful carriers designed by the Imperial Japanese Navy. They became operational just prior to the Pearl Harbor attack in December 1941, and their combat records are impressive. Compared with the preceding aircraft carrier designs, they represented a great design leap, combining excellent striking power with good protection. Even by the US Navy these ships were rated highly. During the Pacific War the two ships of the class participated in all carrier battles with the exception of Midway, Shōkaku being lost in the Battle of the Philippine Sea and Zuikaku off Cape Engaño (Battle of Leyte Gulf) in 1944. This is the history of their design and construction, and it relies heavily on Japanese source material and includes numerous photos and drawings.

The battleships of the Kongo-class were the oldest, smallest, and fastest battleships in the Imperial Japanese Navy during WWII. Initially classified as battle cruisers, the lead ship in the class, Kongo, was built in England just prior to WWI. The remaining three ships in the class -- Haruna, Kirishima, and Hiei -- were all built and completed in Japan by 1915. All four ships were highly reconfigured in the 1920s, and they were reclassified as battleships in the 1930s. The four Kongo-class ships were the most active among the 12 WWII-era Japanese battleships and saw heavy combat throughout the war in such major campaigns as Pearl Harbor, Midway, Guadalcanal, and Leyte. All four ships were sunk by Allied forces by wars end. This book features rare Japanese primary source material, including numerous photos, line schemes, and detailed charts.

The destroyers of the Akizuki "Autumn Moon" class were very different from the standard fleet type of Imperial Japanese Navy destroyers inaugurated with the Fubuki class. They were designed for the protection of the Imperial Japanese Navy's carrier task forces, and in order to achieve this they carried a particularly powerful antiaircraft armament and had an extremely long radius of action. However, only 12 out of a planned number of 39 entered service, and they arrived too late to play a crucial role in the decisive carrier battles of World War II. Despite this, their history is of particular interest since the Akizuki class foreshadowed the postwar fleet escort. This is the history of their design and construction, and it relies heavily on Japanese source material and includes numerous photos and drawings.

This book covers the design and construction of the two well-known Soryu and Hiryu carriers, and the lesser-known ships of the Unryu class, and relies on original Japanese source material, including numerous photos, drawings, and specifications. How and why the Japanese designed and constructed the WWII-era, medium-sized Soryu, Hiryu, and Unryu-class aircraft carriers, and how they were operated, is covered in detail. The Imperial Japanese Navy planned the construction of 45 aircraft carriers from 1918 to 1943 and commissioned 25 of them between 1922 and 1944. These types were large, medium, and small aircraft carriers, with some converted from other warship classes, and escort aircraft carriers remodeled from passenger ships. The medium type presented here formed the majority, with a total of 18 planned: five were completed, three remained in various completion stages at the end of the Pacific War, and ten were eventually canceled.