P-40 Warhawk vs Ki-43 Oscar (Duel) | 
| Author: Carl Molesworth
Creators: Jim Laurier, Mark Postlethwaite
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
Category: Book
List Price: $17.95
Buy New: $10.03
You Save: $7.92 (44%)
New (26) Used (8) from $9.24
Avg. Customer Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 156602
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 80
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 9.6 x 7 x 0.2
MPN: OSPDUE008
ISBN: 1846032954
Dewey Decimal Number: 940.544
EAN: 9781846032950
ASIN: 1846032954
Publication Date: March 18, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New! Save 30 - 50% off of retail prices on our wide selection of comic book graphic novels, manga and anime, role playing games, DVDS, Osprey military history books, and more!
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
P-40 Warhawk vs Ki-43 Oscar
|
| Customer Reviews:
 P-40 vs Oscar: Another Osprey 'Duel' Bull's Eye! July 27, 2008
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 the creation, development, strengths and weaknesses of both aircraft, the training received by the pilots, tactics devised and the organization of the opposing air forces. After setting the (combat) stage, he relates the various aerial clashes fought in conjunction with the 1944 Ichi-Go operation along with analysis of the results. P-40 WARHAWK VS Ki-43 OSCAR is a good read, the 'pieces of the puzzle' falling together in an entertaining, educational fashion.
I realize the book's focus is on air clashes but nevertheless I would have enjoyed more material on the fighter-bomber missions flown by both sides during Ichi-Go. Likewise, it's unfortunate Japanese records do not exist which Molesworth could have been utilized to present a fuller account of these air ops.
As with other 'Duel' titles, the illustrative material really adds to the text. Several Jim Laurier color profiles of each aircraft are included along with view-from-the-cockpit artwork, armament details, maps, several well-done combat scenes and over 40 black & white photos.
In summary, Molesworth's book gets a five-star thumb's up. Its portrayal of little-known CBI air battles is interesting, educational and well-presented visually. It's a shame we can't hear 'the rest of the story' but...
In any case, highly recommended.
 Good Info July 17, 2008
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 April 27, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
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, focusing on the battles between American P-40s and Japanese Ki-43 Oscars during the Japanese Ichi-Go offensive in the summer of 1944. This is a narrow, focused effort that does a superb job analyzing two opposing weapon systems in a discrete area and time. Thanks to Molesworth, the American reading public now has a much better idea of what those Flying Tigers were up against. A very good piece of aviation history.
P-40 Warhawk vs. Ki-43 Oscar begins with a 10-page section that details the design and development of both aircraft. Essentially, the Americans opted for pressing a Curtiss fighter into production as quickly as possible to deliver a multi-purpose aircraft. Unlike the Oscar, which the Japanese optimized for air-to-air combat, the P-40 was more of a workhorse that was designed for air-ground as well as air-to-air combat. This section also includes color plates of both aircraft. The next section on technical specifications spells out the details on the various models of each aircraft, although the only real direct comparisons are the author's mention of the Oscar's superior maneuverability and the P-40's superior firepower. The 6-page section on the strategic situation was not quite up to snuff, since it didn't effectively emphasize what each side was trying to do with its airpower in China in 1944. Essentially, the author ignores American General Chennault's gamble that he could use primarily airpower to blunt the Japanese ground offensive, which called for both tactical interdiction strikes against ground units and Japanese lines of communications. Japanese air power was really more defensive in this area, merely trying to maintain a degree of local air superiority and assisting in the reduction of Chinese fortified cities. Without this background knowledge, readers may believe that these fighter-vs-fighter encounters defined the outcome of the campaign. In short, the American P-40s had a far better kill-ratio against the Oscars but it was essentially futile, since the Japanese achieved their objectives of establishing a ground link-up with Indochina and succeeded in overrunning most of Chennault's fighter bases. Airpower, in itself, failed to blunt the Japanese ground offensive - a fact that is glossed over in this account.
Nevertheless, the author does a very good job once he gets into a discussion of the combatants and the actual fighter-vs-fighter battles. He notes that the P-40 units took far more losses from flak than from Japanese fighters and that the P-40 could absorb quite a bit of damage. These sections of the volume are excellent, supplemented by good use of first-person accounts, B/W photos, sidebars on individual pilots and a color battle scene. Overall, a very good addition to the Duel series.
Actual cover is different... April 22, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I received this book today and was relieved to find the cover artwork ACCURATELY depicting a Ki-43 Oscar, in mottled green & aluminum camouflage. It's shown in flight, heading towards the viewer's right. Above that, flying to the rear left, is the Warhawk. The artwork, by Jim Laurier, is superb! He also did the color artwork inside: 3-views, cockpits, armament scrap views, and a spectacular 2-page battle scene.
There are also many fine, clear, period photos of the combatants and their machines. I don't remember seeing these in my other books on the Oscar and Warhawk. The text by Carl Molesworth is well worth absorbing. Lastly, there are maps, a bibliograpy, and an index.
I have to give Osprey credit for their "Duel" Series. So far, I've collected three of these titles, and I think they represent some of the very best that Osprey offers, of all their various publications.
Highly recommended!
 Nice cover! March 26, 2008
1 out of 7 found this review helpful
If this is truly about P-40's versus Ki-43's, why does the cover illustration show a A6M "Zeke"? Ooops! I'm looking forward to reading the explanation.
|
|
|
