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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.
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.
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.
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