American Aces Against the Kamikaze
by Edward M. Young
Osprey Publishing, 2012, 96 pages
An ace is a pilot who shoots down five or more enemy
aircraft during aerial combat. In battles against kamikaze aircraft and their
escorts in the Philippines and Okinawa in the latter part of the Pacific War,
American pilots flying superior fighters shot down a huge number of Japanese
planes. During the Okinawa Campaign, 93 American pilots became aces, and 20 of
these became aces in just one day. The American aces mainly flew F6F-5 Hellcats and
F4U-1D Corsairs, and several aces piloted FM-2 Wildcats and P-47N Thunderbolts.
Edward M. Young has written a number of other books and articles on military
aviation history. The book contains many historical photographs and color plates
of the American fighters used by the pilots against the Japanese, although the
author explains that the pilots who took off from aircraft carriers flew a number of
different specific aircraft although of the same type. After an explanation of
why the Japanese military decided on a strategy of suicide attacks, the history
of American fighter aircraft against the Japanese kamikaze and their escorts
proceeds chronologically from the Philippines starting in October 1944 to
Okinawa ending in June 1945. The final chapter covers the success of carrier nightfighters
against the Japanese. The sheer number of Japanese aircraft shot down makes it
difficult to follow the kills of every pilot who is presented
and feels at times like a slaughter with many enemy aircraft offering little
serious challenge. For example, the following paragraph describes American
success against a formation of 20 Val dive bombers on April 6, 1945 (p. 47):
Towards the end of the patrol VF-30 came across a formation of 20
aircraft (that were identified as 'Vals') coming in low over the water with
no fighter escort. Each aeroplane was carrying a large bomb and had no rear
gunner. The pilots again seemed to be inexperienced, never using evasive
action – probably a confirmation that they were indeed from one of the
Special Attack units, having received little training. As the Aircraft Action
report said, 'these aircraft were gleefully assaulted by the fighters, and
to their knowledge only one of them made it through to attack naval
vessels'.
The author explains in a couple of places the difficulties in linking an
individual ace's victories to a specific kamikaze attack and in determining with
certainty whether a pilot shot down aircraft on a kamikaze or conventional
mission.
There are several mistakes in English translations of Japanese special
attack units such as the following examples: Shirotora (White Tiger) should be
Byakko, Umehana (plum blossom) should be Baika, and Kingotai should be Kongōtai.
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