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Zero Fighter
This technohistory, a genre invented by the author, is the history of the production and use of the famous Zero fighter aircraft, the finest dogfighter in the air for most of World War II. Superbly written with an eye to detail and to the poignant and resonant moment, this poetic, highly charged narrative presents World War II from the Japanese point of view. Ultimately more than the history of an airplane―though the Zero is presented with the grandeur due it―this book is an extremely astute presentation of the Japanese character and world view.
From a North American standpoint, Zero Fighter makes a number of highly interesting points, having been written for the Japanese market. For example, North Americans are generally not aware of the success of the Zero fighter or of its significance in Japanese minds. Both the superiority of the aircraft in the early stages of the Pacific War and the great stature of Jiro Horikoshi as an aircraft designer (he is to Japan what the designer of the Spitfire is to the U.K.) will come as a revelation to most readers here.
Also completely unknown to most North American readers is the story of the transport section at the Nagoya Aircraft Works. This information is woven nicely into the book, and has a great deal to say about the startling quality of Japanese wartime rigid in many ways, while producing a plane of brilliant originality. The book is a moving picture of the patience of the Japanese in the face of adversity, but perhaps most important, Zero Fighter>/i> is Japanese. It is not often that a Japanese book is encountered here that divulges intimate knowledge about such a fascinating subject. There is significant value in this as we enter an era in which the Japanese and American people must share and respect the other's cultural point of view.
From a North American standpoint, Zero Fighter makes a number of highly interesting points, having been written for the Japanese market. For example, North Americans are generally not aware of the success of the Zero fighter or of its significance in Japanese minds. Both the superiority of the aircraft in the early stages of the Pacific War and the great stature of Jiro Horikoshi as an aircraft designer (he is to Japan what the designer of the Spitfire is to the U.K.) will come as a revelation to most readers here.
Also completely unknown to most North American readers is the story of the transport section at the Nagoya Aircraft Works. This information is woven nicely into the book, and has a great deal to say about the startling quality of Japanese wartime rigid in many ways, while producing a plane of brilliant originality. The book is a moving picture of the patience of the Japanese in the face of adversity, but perhaps most important, Zero Fighter>/i> is Japanese. It is not often that a Japanese book is encountered here that divulges intimate knowledge about such a fascinating subject. There is significant value in this as we enter an era in which the Japanese and American people must share and respect the other's cultural point of view.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 31, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 2, 2011
Even though others might say that this book is inaccurate. it is not. Because americans won the war they had he chance to write what they want in history. one word describes why the reviews on amazon is so bad Cultural difference.
April 21, 2016
the first half of this book covers the development of the zero. technical goals all achieved by japanese engineers, advancing in many ways over the models of germans, british, americans, russians- have to take this on faith but the numbers are impressive. it is a very japanese book, praising mechanics, builders, even pilots, as particularly japanese values…
second half of the book covers ww2 in the pacific, starting with the war in china before the attack on pearl harbour. this is a japanese book and suggests the attack was necessary, that the us, the british, even the dutch, were threatening, were supplying the chinese, were intractable in demands. this may be the japanese history line, do not know, but there is a consistency in ideology and occasional expressions- the attack was glorious, the japanese resisted valiantly, the eventual development of kamikaze human bombs etc…
review continues: http://www.michaelkamakana.com/favour...
second half of the book covers ww2 in the pacific, starting with the war in china before the attack on pearl harbour. this is a japanese book and suggests the attack was necessary, that the us, the british, even the dutch, were threatening, were supplying the chinese, were intractable in demands. this may be the japanese history line, do not know, but there is a consistency in ideology and occasional expressions- the attack was glorious, the japanese resisted valiantly, the eventual development of kamikaze human bombs etc…
review continues: http://www.michaelkamakana.com/favour...
April 28, 2013
A very interesting read on one of the best Japanese fighter planes of WW2. Very well written!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews