So far, I have purchased all of the 86 titles currently in this series of outsanding books, but I think I would rate this one as perhaps the weakest of all. Mr. Ishimura did an outstanding job of documenting the units that flew the aircraft, but failed to include anything but the most basic history of the aircraft itself, i.e development, production, etc. In fact, he barely even recognizes Nakajima as the builder of the aircraft. He also ended the book rather quickly, almost as if he suddenly ran out of space. Perhaps a second volume would have been appropriate? He seemed to end the book suddenly, without even going into the detail of the units using the aircraft on Formosa or Taiwan (who he mentions in passing several times), not too mention Home Defense units in 1945, or much about Kamikaze/Special Attack squadrons. Perhaps the major failure in the book is an almost day-by-day drudgery of the units flying the aircraft instead of sticking strictly to it's usage by what this series presents - the aces themselves. The color profiles are outstanding as always, as well as three-view plan drawings. All-in-all however I found it to be a disappointing addition to my collection.

Osprey's 'Aircraft of the Aces' series has produced many fine titles, a few clunkers and a few truly outstanding titles. I would place Hiroshi Ichimura's KI-43 OSCAR ACES OF WORLD WAR 2 volume in the last category. A wonderfully informative look at the combat exploits of the pilots who flew the Nakajima Hayabusha, it provides readers with comprehensive, authoritative information previously unavailable in the West.

Produced in greater numbers than any other JAAF fighter, the Ki-43 was the Army Air Force's most important fighter of the war, seeing combat in the CBI and PTO. A highly-maneuverable, tightly-turning aircraft, the 'Oscar' could be a deadly opponent in a dogfight. (Tom McGuire died dueling with a Ki-43). Yet firepower, pilot protection and structural strength had been sacrified to obtain that maneuverability. Once Allied pilots learned how to fight the Ki-43, it was doomed, Oscars flaming up or breaking apart after being hit by short bursts of .50 caliber or 20mm rounds.

By war's end, over 50 Ki-43 pilots claimed to be aces while flying with units such as the 11th, 64th, 50th and 24th Sentais. The top three Ki-43 aces - Anabuki, Kuroe and Sasaki - claimed 107 kills alone. Yet, as documented in Ichimura's book, Japanese overclaiming was widespread. Between 14 March and 11 April 1943, for example, Allied CBI units lost 21 aircraft in fights with Ki-43s. The Japanese claimed 416!

Ichimura's book is a revelation with its well-done descriptions of Ki-43 combats along with background information that gives the reader rare insight into the JAAF pilots' experience in both theaters. Jim Laurier's evocative color profiles capture the Oscar in all its colorful glory. (Japanese tail markings were wonderfully imaginative). Over 90 photographs, many rare, help flesh out the Ki-43 story.

All in all, KI-43 OSCAR ACES OF WORLD WAR 2 is an impressive addition to the Osprey Aces series. I'd give it six stars if possible. Highly recommended.

I just finished reading the book. I thought it was very good and very informative. I was impressed with Mr. Ichimura's frankness and was interested to see how he cross-referenced Japanese claims with Allied records and vice versa. His discussion of both the successes and failures of the units involved is a model of impartiality which I think many historians find hard to achieve. Though he clearly emphasized the aces, I thought he did a good job providing a history of the Oscar's operational service during the war. The section on Oscar units in Burma seemed the most thorough - with more detail and more first-hand information from Oscar pilots and crews. One criticism: he uses the Pinyin and Wade-Giles Chinese place names interchangeably, which can be a little confusing. For example, he refers to Guilin by the Wade-Giles romanization (Kweilin) but Chongqing by the Pinyin romanization. Overall, however, it was one of the best Osprey books I've read (it reads very professionally, while others feel half-fast) and I'm glad Hiroshi Ichimura is adding to the literature on an under-exposed subject.