iBooks Samurai!

Great novel

Lo compré para regalo y fue lo que esperaban.

An excellent book and certainly inspiring me to look for more by the lesser published IJAAF and IJN aces of world war 2. A few typos in the book but I wont hold that against it, I bought if for the content not an education in written English.

... und das sind nicht wenige. Was die Autoren hier über Sakais Luftkämpfe und Leben schreiben, ist schlicht und ergreifend meisterhaft. Der Mann, der eines der japanischen Asse im Zweiten Weltkrieg war, war nicht nur ein Meister in der Luft, sondern auch eine herausragende Persönlichkeit, obwohl er am Anfang nur im Rang eines einfachen Fliegers war. Seine Schlichtheit in allen Dingen ist so überragend, dass es wohltuend ist, seinen Werdegang mit zu erleben. Schließlich fand er auch privat sein Glück mit einer Frau, die er über alles liebte. Wenn es möglich wäre, würde ich diesem Buch zehn Sterne geben, und das wäre noch zu wenig. I rove you, Saburo!

This is a review of the Kindle edition, which states that the book was originally published in 1957. I give this book a solid five stars. First, it is hard to put down. It's just a darn good read. It contains blow by blow descriptions of Sakai's many aerial duels in such a manner that you feel as if you were there. I found Sakai's accounts of his aerial encounters to be straightforward and without embellishment. He gives credit where credit is due, even to the enemy. I had always heard of the Zero's unparalleled aerial performance versus American planes early in the war, but I never understood the 'why' of it very well until I read Sakai's book. If you want to know why the Zero was so deadly, Sakai's book explains it better than any dry historical research. Sakai's description of the performance abilities of American aircraft, and his discussion of their tactics, is also interesting. Sakai expresses his admiration for the constant aggressive tactics shown by outclassed American aircraft, including bombers, against the Zeros. Most of these stories were never told by the American pilots involved because they did not survive the encounters. Sakai further expresses his admiration for the American "teamwork" tactics used against the Zero. The Japanese pilots, trained in the Samurai tradition, saw themselves as solo aerial warriors (with wingman) to whom a greater teamwork was unknown. The Japanese eventually learned teamwork at the squadron level, but they learned it the hard way, from watching the Americans use it against them. There is also a human and personal side to Sakai's story that gives the book much more than the simple "I was there" story. Finally, in the "Foreword" section of the book, Sakai tells of being invited, many years after the war ended, as a guest of honor aboard several American warships, and states "This to me is truly the most impressive fact of all; these same people who, for all I know, came under my guns so long ago, sincerely offered friendship." This book is eminently readable on its own. I recommend it to anyone, not just WW 2 or aviation fans.