Known for the distinctive "sharkmouths" decoration on their noses, P-40 fighters first saw combat in China during World War II.Their most common adversary was the Japanese Nakajima Ki-43, nicknamed "Oscar." Carl Molesworth describes and explains the design and development of these two foes, the products of two vastly different philosophies of fighter design. The P-40 was heavily armed and sturdy with armor protection and self-sealing fuel tanks, but paid for this with the loss of speed and a sluggish performance at altitude. The Ki-43 was a rapier to the battleaxe P-40 and the Ki-43 was immensely nimble, though with less firepower and durability. This book examines these two different fighters, and the pilots who flew them over China, with an action-packed text, rare photographs and digital artwork.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Good Introduction to a Forgotten Campaign:
Worthy addition to any WWII aviation buff's library, especially if you're interested in the Pacific. More needs to be written about the China-Burma-India Theater, particularly aviation post-American Volunteer Group. The illustrations are excellent, though I would have liked a section of profiles similar to Osprey's *Aircraft of the Aces* series. Oddly, Molesworth doesn't cite Dan Ford's now-standard history of the Flying Tigers in his bibliography, nor does he cite Ford's well-known and authoritative... more info
P-40 vs Oscar: Another Osprey 'Duel' Bull's Eye!:
Carl Molesworth applies the Osprey 'Duel' concept to two WWII aerial stalwarts, the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk and Nakajima Ki-43 Oscar, in this informative, well-written 2008 Osprey publication. Though Molesworth's focus is China air battles circa 1944-45, his conclusions relative to those two aircraft have wider relevance since the P-40 and Oscar clashed throughout the Pacific. Indeed it may be true that the Japanese fighter most encountered by the P-40 was the Oscar. Molesworth, a gifted writer, examines... more info
Good Info:
Would have been happier if the book were twice as long and showed more detail with regards to the men who flew these warbirds.
A Good Addition to the Duel Series:
When I was growing up in the 1960s, the Flying Tigers were one of the popular images of the American role in the Second World War (nowadays, American interest in the war is almost solely focused on D-Day and Iwo Jima), but we didn't have too many books on the subject that went beyond superficial anecdotal accounts. In particular, we knew fairly little about the Japanese role in air combat over China. Now, aviation historian Carl Molesworth provides an excellent look at the dynamics of air combat over China,... more info
