Sunburst: The Rise of Japanese Naval Air Power, 1909-1941

Good "Academic" version of the rise of Japanese Naval Air power up the Pacific War. The detail is good. It should be noted that this is an academic book and covers some ground in English that has not been available in translation before. It is not a traditional narrative history and therefore is a little dry in places.Several points worthy of note are:- initial influence of the British of Naval Airpower- Japanese aircraft carrier design, poor, cramped, elevators could not assemble and retreive aircraft, and a lot of half measures such as the hybrid carriers (e.g. Hyuga) that fullfilled no effective role.- no development of recce planes and low numbers.- emphasis upon bomber fleets un-related to sea warfare.- believed that island archipelagos would supplant the need for an in-depth carrier strike force- dispersal of carrier forces to render them weak and inferior in some battles.- individual fighting tactics of the Japanese pilot could not compete with the engine power and fire-power of the Americans and British.---Exceptional training and development of the isshin-denshin model of attack, but this had limitations in a world where radio was of increasing importance.Most of the results accord with what I have read in Japanese. Some of this information appears in English for the first time.For those who wanting to learn about Japanese Naval aviation in the interwar period it is indeed fascinating and I have used it on two occassions to find older airfields and remnants of others in Kasumigaura and Tateyama. A good worthy book, but a little dry to read. Read it only if you want to obtain new insights into the Pacific War. If you want a more snappy read, pick another title. I give it four stars for its original content and presentation of new ideas.

This book is about the history of Japanese naval aviation from its creation in the early twentieth century, to its effective destruction in 1944. Although the subtitle does say, "1909-1941," there is a chapter at the end entitled, "Descending in Flame," that covers the destruction of IJN air power in WW2. The author, Mark Peattie, is also coauthor of Kaigun, the remarkable one-volume study of the history of the IJN. The information in Sunburst was initially to be included in Kaigun, but due to size limitations, was published separately at a later date.Sunburst can be enjoyed either by the casual Pacific War reader who is interested in the general developments that led up to December, 1941 for IJN airpower, or serve as a reference for the technical aficionado who is more interested in aircraft designs and tactics. For example the "hineri-komi" aerobatic tactic, so skillfully employed by Zero pilots early in the war, is covered in Appendix 9. The appendices fill out the last 150 or so pages of Sunburst and cover biographical sketches, aircraft and aircraft carrier drawings and specifications.Peattie makes extensive use of various Japanese language sources, enabling him to assemble into a single volume much information on this topic that has never appeared all together in English. The result is a fascinating tale of how the Japanese not only arrived on the eve of WW2 with the best naval aircrews in the world, but also what inherent shortcomings existed to set them on the path to eventual destruction at the hands of the U.S. navy.

Peattie is highly critical of the tactics of the Imperial Japanese Navy's air force and its equipment. According to Peattie the Japanese dipsersed their carrier groups and that gave them lack of a concentrated punch against the American carriers. The Japanese fighter pilots also had a tendacy to fight independentally but not in groups and this left bombers undefended. The Japanese also did not invest enough money in either reconnaissance aircraft or training their crews which left the Japanese carriers without eyes. Peattie states that the Japanese made errors in the design of their carries since most of the planes were parked in the hangers and not on the take off and landing strip of the carriers like their American counterparts and this made it difficult for Japanese crews to rearm and refuel aircraft. Moreover Japnese carriers had insecure fuel lines that made them flamable when attacked. The planes that the Japanese Navy operated very highly vulnerable to enemey fighters since armor was sacrifice for speed. Finally the Japanese did not train enough pilots to replace their losses during the Pacific War. I reccomend this book to anyone whose interested in why the Japanese lost the Pacific War.

I have been interested in WW2 history since the 1970s when I was in grade school, and Sunburst is the most comprehensive source I have seen on Japanese naval airpower in the war. Peattie's narrative is engaging. The maps and graphics are all on point. The appendices are a gold mine of information.I highly recommend Sunburst.

Lots of surprising, important detail about the rise of aviation in Japan. The speed with which Japan caught up with the West until building the legendary Zero is well documented, and I like the fact that the author focuses on the individuals whose interest in this technology was really responsible. It's also interesting to see this close look at how the nature of air power was still being debated, such as the proper role of the aircraft carrier.There are a couple of spots where some detail gets overwhelmingly technical or numeric for me, but these facts are likely to appeal to a more expert reader. If you are a layperson, like myself, you will still get a lot out of this book.

what i liked about the book was the fact an insular nation was able to catch up in technology, and design such formidable weapons like the zero in less than a century. I am a history buff of the pacific war,specially the Philippines.

Very well written, detailed beyond belief, and provides great insight into the key Japanese naval air arm during the build up to WW2. Read this and be impressed, not just at the author's tremendous research, but at the operational effectiveness of the IJN in the early stages of the War.

Excellent book about the development of Japanese Navy Air Arm from 1909 till WW2. Actions and strategies of WW2 are not included. The book is well researched and contains strategies and tactics employed by the Japanese Navy Air Force. The book describes the training, doctrine, technology and the industrial base. The book contains line drawings of the Navy planes and their carriers. The book has a good bibliography if you want to know more about this fascinating subject. Recommended

I immediately began reading this book after the previous book, Kaigun. Sunburst was intended by its author to be a part of Kaigun, but I think the level of detail necessitated a separate, shorter book.Similar to Kaigun, Sunburst begins at the birth of Japanese naval aviation and progresses in detail. The "meat" of the book is 200 pages, chronologically organized. The author pauses in sections to focus on a topic, such as airplane design, manufacturing, organization, training, doctrine, etc. The book progresses right up to the start of the Pacific War. The last chapter details the attrition and effective end of the IJN air arm. Unfortunately, there is little mention of Pearl Harbor, nor is there a "Reflections" chapter as found in Kaigun.The appendices compose the rest of the book. A biographical sketch, details on aircraft and carriers, plane numbering system, combat tactics, and more are found here. Since the book covers up to 1941, later-war planes and carriers are not present.I think the writing style of the book has slightly changed from Kaigun. I don't think the quality of the material has dropped. The source research and clear, concise writing is still there. It just seemed less authoritative on its material. Maybe it's just me, I'm not sure.If you have Kaigun, get this book to complete your collection. If you don't have Kaigun, I strongly suggest getting that book first. Certain sections of Sunburst will have more depth and meaning if you read Kaigun, in particular the inter-service politics between the IJA and IJN.

An excellent over view of the development of the Japanese Naval air arm up until 1941. I would have appreciated if the book also covered developments during the Pacific war, but that was somewhat outside the scope of the book.

本書は、日本海軍航空の歴史、運用理論に関する概説書である。戦前の海軍航空は、大規模な空母機動部隊を編成、運用し、空母機動部隊同士の初めての海戦を行ったり、航行中の戦艦を航空戦力だけで撃沈する等、世界の航空戦史上でも一定の評価を得ている。この海軍航空の歴史を、その歴史、海軍戦術と航空戦術の関係、航空母艦とその使用法、航空機産業との関連及び実戦における活躍という切り口から説明している。日本でも海軍航空に関する研究書、解説書は多々あるが、本書は、それらの最新の研究をまとめ、日本海軍航空に関心がある初心者から上級者まで対応できるようにしている。日本の研究書等では、図解等が少なく、図解等が多いのは、マニア向けの本に多いという傾向がある。しかし、本書では、図解等ビジュアルに関する面も充実している。特に、航空母艦と、航空機のイラストは、主要なものを網羅しており、その解説も判りやすくまとめている。また、参考文献欄も外国で出版されたものの外、日本国内で出版されたものが数多く掲載される等、充実しており、上級者は、そこからさらに理解を深めることもできる。また、英文も難解なものではなく、その意味でも一読をお勧めする。