Customer Reviews

Mitsubishi Type 1 Rikko 'Betty' Units of World War 2 (Osprey Combat Aircraft 22)

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Osprey has again come through with the goods with this 22nd volume addition to its series. It is filled with the same highly detailed aircraft and unit data readers have come to expect, and receive, from Osprey publications. It has this and a great deal more. I found it insightful and hard to put down. If this volume has any shortcomings it would be that it is so readable that it will be quickly digested by the reader! Mr. Tagaya held my interest through every chapter. I eagerly await the next volume by this gentleman (D3A Val Units) as a result of my satisfaction with this fine piece of research. A great deal of insight from various and numerous Japanese sources is very much in evidence here. Readers are exposed to the G4M Betty and the hardships of the aircrews/units that flew it to be sure, but as an added benefit Mr. Tagaya's research sheds light on the chasm of differences between Japanese and American air campaign theory and management in WW 2. Anyone with a more than casual interest in the subject will quickly realize its value and want to keep this reference readily available. Worth every cent you'll pay, and more!

The Betty is a famous japanese ww2 bomber, but on his operative are until today few notices. The book is the n° 22 in the growing Osprey Combat Serie; as usual is very well done, with rare photos, many colour plates, some orders of battle for the various air group and enough details on operative use. The evolution of the Sentai strenght and the appaling losses suffered from the aircrw are also well detailed. The action against the Force Z on december 10, 1941 and the use versus US Navy ships in the Guadalcanal campaign, is enriched with day by day account of the mission. I found the book in some way better than others in the same serie, with a particular attention toward new informations on the "Betty".

Osamu Tagaya is one of the world's foremost researchers on Japanese naval air forces. His superb command of the subject material is evident on every page of this volume. The illustrations are excellent as well. A valued part of my personal library.

-jon parshall-
Imperial Japanese Navy Homepage
http://www.combinedfleet.com

As the other reviewers have said, this is a first-rate book. While it is short (112 pages, including 14 pages of colour plates) Osamu Tagaya provides a highly detailed account of the development of the 'Betty' and the units which were equipped with the aircraft. Topics such as the units' organisational structure and combat experiences are well described and provide an interesting perspective on the Japanese experience in the air war over the Pacific. The book is also amply illustrated with well-chosen photos and drawings, though a map showing the main bases of Betty units would have been useful.

That said, the book isn't perfect. The 'Betty' operational conversion units and logistical arrangements for combat units aren't covered in any detail, and this leaves the question of how the Imperial Japanese Navy attempted to train enough aircrew and bring sufficient replacement aircraft forward to make good the heavy losses 'Betty' units suffered unanswered. While a frequent weakness of Osprey books is their over-reliance on personal anecdotes, this book suffers from the opposite problem, and some accounts from aircrew assigned to 'Betty' units could have been used to explain how the aircraft were perceived by their crews. Nevertheless, these are relatively minor shortcomings compared to the book's strengths and I'd strongly recommend it.

Rikko was a very imporatant part of the Japanese Imperial navy's offensive tactic and type 1 bomber along with type 96 (presicely speaking , "Land based Attack plane") was one of the most produced Japanese airplanes during the world war II. HOwever, it has been largely neglected and even condescendingly remarked with such an humiliated ephithet "flying Cigar". There are several volumes that covers this interesing speciman and cheery blossom like career of Type 1 Rikkoin Japan ,however Mr. Tagaya's volume is perhaps for the first time in English. Although the volume is a typical Osprey format , which mean less than a 100 page and lots of photos, text of Mr. Tagaya's insightful and often exciting, which show he has incisive knowlege on Japanese aviation in the pacific war. This is one of the best Osprey aviation volumes and I am eagerly waiting for his next volume in this series.

If you're buying this to made a 3D model for a flight sim and you want information on the interior, bombsight, or internal structure then you will be dissapointed. With the exception of the colour plates, which are all side views, the rest of the images are black and white. The 3-views in the back are faint and do not have wing fillets nor does the fueselage. It is still worth having for the information but will not address all of your Betty questions.

The Betty is a famous japanese ww2 bomber, but on his operative are until today few notices. The book is the n° 22 in the growing Osprey Combat Serie; as usual is very well done, with rare photos, many colour plates, some orders of battle for the various air group and enough details on operative use. The evolution of the Sentai strenght and the appaling losses suffered from the aircrews are also well detailed. The action against the Force Z on december 10, 1941 and the use versus US Navy ships in the Guadalcanal campaign, is enriched with day by day account of the mission. I found the book in some way better than others in the same serie, with a particular attention toward new informations on the "Betty".