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FIST FROM THE SKY!- The Biography of Captain Takashige Egusa, IJN 1910-1944
H/B - UK Edition Crecy Publishing, Manchester, 2006 ; USA Edition, Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, PA. 2006; Czech Edition, Nase Vojsko, Prague, 2007; Spanish edition due 2008.
The full and amazing story of the Imperial Japanese Navy's most illustrious dive-bomber pilot is told here for the first time in its entirety. Using family records and photos, and telling memories of contemporaries who knew him well, the story of how a simple farm boy became the world's leading exponent of the dive-bombing technique, and spearheaded the Japanese Navy's greatest victories of the Pacific War is revealed here. Egusa's dedication and drive, which took the IJN dive-bomber carrier forces to the peak of their skill, is given pride of place, as is his gallant death in forlorn action after the tide of war had turned against Japan.
But there is more to the Egusa story than this. We see how the young student earned his place at the Etajima Naval Academy, and how he was taught. His early naval career is examined and his caring and deeply intelligent application of his knowledge is itemised. Even as a student Egusa showed the talent to think problems through, apply solutions, and equally as important, he had to the talent and patience to impart his knowledge to others. We see how he became a naval flyer early on, specialising in the dangerous task of precision dive-bombing and the major part he played in the development of this arm of the Navy. His combat experiences in China in the 1930's are followed, and the careful and intense planning he brought to the assigned task of the dive bomber force, the destruction of the United States Navy's aircraft carriers. Frustrated by the absence of his targets at Pearl Harbor, Egusa's elite nonetheless made their mark, not only at that battle but in many more in the months that followed. As the spearhead of the "Kido Butai", Egusa took fire and destruction to the Allied cause, from Port Darwin to the Indian Ocean. One American historian wrote, "Wherever there was Japanese victory, there was Egusa." But we also see other things in this book. The historical events that shaped his thinking; the behind the scenes hotbed of plotting and intrigue, of which he had no part, that were a feature of Japanese political events in the 1930's; and we see the the humane side of the warrior; his family, his courtship and marriage, his children and everyday events. Following research in Japan that led to the first fully comprehensive history of the Aichi D3A1/2 "Val" dive-bomber, the premier exponent of that aircraft in battle is given the same detailed treatment. Truly a revealing look at "the other side of the hill" for western readers.
Paul Wilson in Classic Wings magazine gave the book a full 5-star rating, and called it, "fascinating reading." Professor Akira Shimizu said: "I was impressed by your assessment in depth of Etajima... I remember that my life at Etajima was almost the same as your observations. I was very lucky to be in the Japanese Naval Academy in wartime and The First High School and University of Tokyo after the war."
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