Genda's Blade: Japan's Squadron of Aces: 343 Kokutai [Hardcover]

Henry, and Takaki, Koji Sakaida (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 17, 2003

Captain Minoru Genda was the mastermind behind the raid on Pearl Harbor. He was commander of the 343 Kokutai-an elite unit of handpicked pilots chosen to fly Japan's newest and most advanced fighter, the Shiden-Kai (George), in the bitter defensive air battles over the Japanese homeland during the first half of 1945. The authors have spent years tracing and interviewing former pilots of both the 343 Kokutai and the American carrier and bomber groups that they encountered, to piece together this dramatic story and tell it largely from the personal perspective. The narrative is spiced with 300 remarkable photographs, most of which are published for the first time in an English language book. Accompanied by color artwork and written by acknowledged experts on Japanese military aviation, this book will be an essential requirement for any student of the Pacific air war.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Classic Publications; First edition (May 17, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1903223253
• ISBN-13: 978-1903223253
• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 9.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #393,974 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Impressive research overcomes stilted English, August 13, 2003

By 

John P. Lannom (Sun Valley, NV USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Genda's Blade: Japan's Squadron of Aces: 343 Kokutai (Hardcover)

Henry Sakaida just can't write a bad book.

Unfortunately, he can't write one long paragraph in English that "flows," and this is the only minor problem with "Genda's Blade."

Sakaida and his co-author, Koji Takaki, have put together an impressive amount of research. The book is well ordered, has some good photos, contains plenty of recent interviews with surviving pilots and aircrewmen, and has very complete appendices. And Sakaida's obvious enthusiasm for his subject is infectious: once you open the book, you'll find it hard to put it down, "bad" English and all.

And what about the 343 Kokutai and their Shiden and Shiden-kai aircraft? All things considered--poor level of aircraft serviceability, poor radios, poor ground-direction, and the challenge of fighting consistently skilled and aggressive opponents--they did pretty well. They did some pretty wild overclaiming on occasion (which tends to make one a little suspicious as to the validity of published "kill" totals for the Japanese aces), but surviving U.S. records speak highly of the unit's skill and air discipline in almost every encounter. The Shiden gets high marks from most of its opponents, but it's apparent that it was inferior to most U.S. aircraft in the usual areas: ruggedness, firepower, and reliability.

And given the level of book prices today, [it] is not too much for this book. I've paid more for less. It will be a welcome addition to anyone's Pacific War library.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read on a Fascinating Subject!, October 17, 2005

By 

Michael OConnor "Wordsmith" (Wausau, WI USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Genda's Blade: Japan's Squadron of Aces: 343 Kokutai (Hardcover)

Classic Publications and author Henry Sakaida have teamed up to produce a long-overdue look at one of the Pacific air war's legendary units, Minoru Genda's 343rd Kokutai. This elite Imperial Japanese Navy, manned by some of Japan's top aces, flew the Kawanishi Shinden against USN and USAF strikes on the Home Islands in 1944 and 1945. Somewhat of a Japanese counterpart to Adolf Galland's JV 44, the 343rd rang up an enviable record against its opponents, impressing American fliers with their aggressiveness and skill.

The extensive research done by Sakaida and his co-author, Koji Takaki, in both Japanese and American sources is evident throughout the book. Combats are fully described utilizing comments from both sides. The text is enhanced by 300+ photos, many of them previously unpublished, and wonderful artwork done by Tom Tullis.

All in all, a fine effort well worth the price.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice to see a book cover good Fighter pilots from Japan, April 14, 2008

By 

Frank Riley "Frank Riley" (California) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Genda's Blade: Japan's Squadron of Aces: 343 Kokutai (Hardcover)

The book covers a subject that I never have read before and so it is worth a good read, I think it is one book that shows there were actually good men from Japan and there were a few. I think you should also read FlyBoys by James Bradley to see how horrible men from Japan actually were (It also will show you that American Men were very horrible in our past as well). Genda's Blade is not the best written book but to be honest it is a good book with a wonderful subject, as soon as you read the first few pages you can not put it down and you will not really notice the writing style anyway. The aircraft stories are wonderful as well. Buy one its worth it.