General Books on Japanese Aviation

Here's a list of recommended and required reading for people interested in Japanese Aviation.

Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War, by Rene' J. Francillon, Naval Institute Press, Isbn 0-87021-313-X. This by far is the single best book on the subject. The book contains several photos of each Japanese aircraft used in the Pacific War, as well as line drawings. In the text, each major varient is discussed in some detail. Production charts are also provided, as well as aicraft dimensions. There is a great introduction to the Japanese Army and Navy and their organization, as well as a very clear description of naming conventions. As I said, BUY THIS BOOK!!! I believe that it's still available from the Naval Institute Press for around $40. There is also another web page that is about "Japanese Naval Aircraft" on the internet that copies this source word for word and picture for picture, this is extremely unfortunate to see this going on and the link to this page has been removed from my references. Buy the book and support this type of research.

Broken Wings of the Samurai, The Destruction of the Japanese Air Force, by Robert C. Mikesh, Airlife Publishing Ltd, Isbn 1-85310-303-9. This book does not provide as much information as the Francillon book, but Mikesh is of of the most knowledgeable folks that I've read on Japanese subjects. This book is a collection of post war photos of the Japanese Army and Navy Air Forces. There are some detail shots that you get quite by accident which you will not see anywhere else. It's also one of the few books that covers such a variety of aircraft in detail. This book is also still available from various sources and runs around $30.

Japanese Naval Aces and Fighter Units in World War II, by Ikuhiko Hata and Yasuho Izawa and translated by Don Cyril Gorham, Naval Institute Press, Isbn 0-87021-315-6. This is a comprehensive history of Japanese Naval units. It inlcludes unit histories and some profiles of Japanese Aces. It's a spendy book ($54), but well worth the price. One of the interesting angles of this book is that it is truly from the Japanese perspective. It is still available from the Naval Institute Press as well as one source in WWII magazine for about half the price.

Japanese Aircraft 1910-1941, Robert C. Mikesh & Shorzoe Abe, Isbn 1-55750-563-2, Naval Institute Press- This is a collection of photos and histories of pre-WWII aircraft. Each aircraft is briefly described and most have a photo of some type. This book is tough to get as it is currently out of print so if you find one, grab it!

Japanese Aircraft Code Names & Designations, by Robert C. Mikesh, Schiffer Military /Aviation History, Isbn 0-88740-447-2. If you've ever wondered where the Allied Code names came from? This book has most of the answers. The scheme for naming aircraft by the allies is explained, as well as many of the named aircraft. A good book and at $15, a good value. It's still available from Zenith books and other Schiffer sources.

Japanese Army Air Force Camouflage and Markings in WWII & Japanese Navy Camouflage and Markings in WWII, Aero Publishers, Isbn 0-8168-6579-5. These were the books that defined Japanese Aircraft research for many years. These books still hold up today as fine resources for the Japanese Aircraft builder. If you can find them, grab them!! Softcovers are selling for around $40 and hard covers around $50 each.

Imperial Japanese Naval Air Force Fighters, Camouflage and Markings, Model Art #272, No ISBN. These books are a bit hard to find in the US and are pretty expensive ($30-$45), but they have a great amount of information. Aviation Usk usually stocks them along with English translations (about $15). Grab them when you can! There is an updated version of this book that was released as Model Art #510 in early 1998. I have not seen this one myself, but it has been highly recommended to me by some folks I trust, so it's probably worth a look.

Imperial Japanese Army Air Force Fighter Camouflage & Markings, Model Art #329, No ISBM. Another good one in the same price range as the Navy Fighters above. Aviation Usk also has a translation for this volume.

IJNAF Bombers/Attackers Colors and Markings, Model Art #406, No ISBM. Another good one in the same price range as the Navy Fighters above. Aviation Usk also has a translation for this volume.

Samurai, Saburo Sakai/Martin Caiden, A great look at the life of the Japanese Fighter Pilot. If you're interested in Aces or would just like to read about what life was like on Rabaul, this is a terrific read. It's no longer in print (that I know of anyway), but is pretty readily available from many sources.

Eagles of Mitsubishi, The Story of the Zero Fighter, Jiro Horikoshi, ISBN 0-295-95826-X. If you have an interest in the Zero (A6M) you must have this book. It was re-released 2-3 years ago in paperback and is priced at around $15, it's packed with information and history of the Zero from it's creator's point of view.

These were submitted by Ron Werneth

The Siege of Rabaul (Henry Sakaida), ISBN# 1-883809-09-6, the true story of the air war over Rabual as told by both American+Japanese participants. Filled with great information and photos.

East Wind Rain (Stan Cohen), ISBN# 0-933126-15-8, excellent pictorial history of the air attack that changed history.

Japanese Army Air Force Aces 1937-45 (Henry Sakaida), ISBN# 1-85532-529-2 (Osprey Aces series). This is a great book filled with first-hand accounts, pictures of the planes and pilots, etc.

Imperial Japanese Navy Aces 1937-45 (Henry Sakaida), ISBN# 1-85532-727-9 (Osprey Aces series). Another excellent reference book with first-hand accounts, biographies, etc.

These were submitted by Tony Lovell

The First Team : Pacific Naval Fighter Combat from Pearl Harbor to Midway, John Lundstrom

The First Team and the Guadalcanal Campaign : Naval Fighter Combat from August to November 1942, John Lundstrom

Is there other books that should be included on the page? info@j-aircraft.com to drop me a note if you have one.

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