F4U Corsair vs Ki-84 “Frank”: Pacific Theater 1945

Osprey Duel #73

by Edward M. Young

The Vought Corsair was the first American single-engined fighter to exceed 400 mph and establish dominance over the legendary Mitsubishi Type Zero-sen. The Ki-84 Hayate was introduced by the Japanese specifically to counter this growing American dominance of the skies over the Pacific. Built in greater numbers than any other late war Japanese fighter, nearly 3000 were completed between 1944 and 1945. This volume examines the clashes between the Corsair and Ki-84 in the closing stages of the war, revealing how Corsair pilots had to adapt their techniques and combat strategies to adapt to these newer types. It also reveals how the kill rate was largely driven by the reduced quality of fighter pilots after the high casualty rates inflicted on the Japanese air force during the air battles over the Solomon Islands.

Genres: Aviation, Military History

141 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 24, 2016

About the author

Edward M. Young is a retired financial executive with a BA degree in Political Science from Harvard University and an MA from the University of Washington. In 2015 he received an MA in the History of Warfare from King’s College, London and in 2020 completed a PhD in History at King’s College. During his career he had assignments in New York, London, Tokyo, and Hong Kong. He is the author of numerous books and articles on aviation history. He lives with his wife in Seattle, Washington.

Reviews

[Sean Chick · Rating 5 out of 5]

The actual "vs" part of this book is a bit weak, but the title does offer a good breakdown of the development and employment of both airplanes. The best feature is the concise and well written description of how training and tactics had changed by 1944-1945 in both airforces.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The bent wing bastard has got to be one of my favourite if not my favourite WW2 aircraft. Built around the engine - a superb gun, rocket or bomb platform or mix of all. Built as a carrier craft but only after the British had ironed out its little problems did the Americans take them back to fly from their carriers in fact towards the end of the conflict Britain could not get supplies for their own Corsairs. The Japanese “Frank” was also an amazing aircraft perhaps if they had had more experienced pilots at war end it might have been a closer run fight.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Usual solid 4 star rating, covers all the usual stuff with a few nuggets which is why I usually give 4 stars. A solid review.

[Martin Koenigsberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the main, the story of the Air War over the Pacific War is one of Japan being lucky in their timing for their first Generation all metal fighters in the A6M Zero and the land based Nakajima K-43-combining many top features of earlier western developments. They feasted on the Gladiators, Fokker G1s, Hurricanes, P-40s and Brewster Buffaloes they faced and were still a bit better than the Wildcats and Beaufighters until tactics improved. Then, with a few captured Japanese aircraft tested- the second generation of Allied Fighters Spitfires, P-47s, P38s, F6F Hellcats and P-51s were able to wrest the skies from the Japanese - with tools specifically designed to beat the Japanese "wonders'. The F4U Corsair was one of these "second generation" fighters- and it went up against a whole group of types I knew nothing about - Japan's second generation of fighters. Edward M Young, an author on WWII Aviation history tell the story of this clash in the classic Osprey Publishing "Duel" Series style with lots of photos, graphs, diagrams, and colour plates. Tales of technology development, training and aerial derring do will engage almost any reader.

The F4U is on solid ground technologically and logistically- with constant improvements made to a trusted engine and a constant supply of top level fuel. The team at Nakajima, on the other hand had a rockier path from Ki43 and Ki44 to Ki84 with its Ha 45 Homare Engine. Japanese stocks of the best alloys to make engine parts were stretched- and the quality of the fuel itself varied way too much. It is good to hear about a Japanese WWII fighter with heavy offensive weapons, but also self sealing fuel tanks and armour around the pilot- but this was a little too late to effect the passage of the war. As Young discusses, it was as much the constant neverending supply of Allied Naval and Marine pilots that beat the Japanese as it was the better aircraft. Japan's pilot education programs, starved of fuel for actual flying- were almost just graduating target drone pilots , so poorly did they prepare young Japanese fliers .

There are a few adult themes and no graphic violence or injury passages, so this a good read for the Junior Reader over about 9/10 years with an aviation interest. For the Gamer/Modeler/Military Enthusiast, this book is a solid contributory resource, but not a single source solution. The Gamer gets some key battle information that can inform scenarios and campaigns -and Japanese players may enjoy a competitive airframe to attack B-29s and later Allied types. The Modeler will like the photos and the colour guidance, but will probably want several other sources as well. The Military Enthusiast will appreciate a closer look at late WWII aerial combat and technology. General audience readers will find a quick look at the Pacific Air War over Japan.

[Captain Dunsel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting typos. Several times, 'water-menthol injection' is mentioned for the F4U's engine. I believe that should be 'water-methanol injection'. Menthol might make the engine smell nice ('Kool' for us ex-smokers ;-)), but I doubt it'd add much horsepower.

Having recently read the companion Duel 119, I noted it looks like both use the same illustration of F4U guns and ammo. In both texts, the verbiage claims an ammo load of 400 rounds per gun, for a total of 2,400 rounds. But, the diagram claims the outer pair of guns had only 375 RPG, making for a total of 2,350 rounds. Not a major difference, but knowing my outer guns would quit when I still had 25 RPG/100 rounds, total, would get my attention and make me think about breaking off and heading home whilst I still had a bit left for self-defense.

The author claims that F4Us and Ki-84s only met in combat about 20 times, with the true number of combats questionable (mainly due to the difficulty in telling apart the varied Japanese fighters in service at that time).

Net result, the main factors determining which aircraft would win duel were position and pilot skill, with the latter being the most important factor. Same as with almost any combat between even remotely equivalent combat aircraft, an aircraft's most important weapon is the mind
of the pilot flying it.

[Robert Hepple · Rating 4 out of 5]

First published in 2016, 'F4U Corsair vs Ki-44 ''Frank - Pacific Theater 1945' in number 73 in the popular 'Duel' series of mainly aviation titles from publishers Osprey, and looks at the relative merits of the two named fighter aircraft types petted against each other during the latter days of the WW2 War in the Pacific. Also taken into account is the declining industrial output of Japan, and the declining pilot training quality of Japan at around this time. This is set against the opposite process happening in the USA, with inevitable consequences for Japan. All in all, another excellent addition to the series.

[david w.hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

F4u

good book the comparison of the two fighters made it clear that training and experience make the difference between going home or not