Aichi 99 Kanbaku 'Val' Units: 1937-42

by Osamu Tagaya, Jim Laurier (Illustrator)

Overview

The Aichi Type 99 Carrier Bomber (D3A) – code named 'Val' by Allied intelligence – was the mainstay of the Imperial Japanese Navy's carrier dive-bomber force from 1941 to 1943. It sank more Allied warship tonnage than any other Axis aircraft during World War 2. While the Val's participation in the major carrier battles has been widely covered in other English language sources, details of its operations have received scant attention in English. This book explores the Val's combat operations. Colour illustrations and photographs complement the development of dive-bombing methods in the IJN.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781780960746
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	02/20/2013
Series:	Combat Aircraft , #63
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	96
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

The son of a former officer in the Japanese Naval Air Technical Arsenal, Osamu Tagaya has written a number of books on Japanese aircraft, principally for the Smithsonian Institute. Born in Japan and educated in the US, Osamu has also lived in the UK and brings unique bilingual and broad cultural perspectives to his lifelong aviation research. This is his third book for Osprey. He lives in California, USA.

Jim Laurier grew up in New Hampshire and Massachusetts and still lives in New England. He has been drawing since he could hold a pencil and has worked in many mediums and on a variety of subjects throughout his life. He attended Paier School of Art in Hamden, Connecticut from 1974–1978 and has been working professionally in the field of Fine Art and Illustration since he graduated with honours.
Jim Laurier is a native of New England and lives in New Hampshire. He attended Paier School of Art in Hamden, Connecticut, from 1974–78, and since graduating with Honours, he has been working professionally in the field of Fine Art and Illustration. He has been commissioned to paint for the US Air Force and has aviation paintings on permanent display at the Pentagon.

Table of Contents

Chapter One – Dive Bombing in the Imperial Japanese Navy/Chapter Two – China – First Blood/Chapter Three – Prelude to Pearl Harbor/Chapter Four – Tora, Tora, Tora/Chapter Five – Southern Advance/Chapter Six – Zenith in the Indian Ocean/Chapter Seven – Coral Sea – The Carriers Clash/Chapter Eight – Midway and the Aleutians/Appendices

Editorial Reviews

This long-awaited title is #63 in the Osprey Combat Aircraft series and is certainly one to add to your collection... I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Japanese Aviation, WWII, or aircraft in general. It is well done, and you can't beat it for the price.” —Tim Hortman, IPMS

“There are a plethora of period photos of men and machines, many of which are new to this reviewer. This also includes several pages of full color profiles, but it is the combat operations that are by far the most interesting part of the book. It makes for a book about an aircraft that many in the West have heard of, but few knew anything about. It is most highly recommended.” —Scott Van Aken, Modeling Madness

From the Publisher