Genda’s Blade e Japan’s Squadron of Aces = 343 Kokutai ifGenda’s Blade Japan’s Squadron of Aces 343 Kokutai Henry Sakaida & Koji Takaki > CLASSIC 3B Hy SF et Be | |Henry Sakaida, « third generation Japanese-American, was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1951 and has researched the exploits of Japanese fighter plots since he was 13 years old. He graduated with a degree in advertising from San Jose State University and wrote his first book, Winged Samurai a photo- biography of the famous Zero ace, Saburo Sekai, in 1985, His five subsequent books - Pacific Air Combats WWI - Voices From The Past (1993), Siage of Rabau! (1996), Japanese Army Air Force Aces 1937-45 1987), Imperial Japanese Navy Aces 1997- 45 (1998), and 8-29 Hunters ofthe JAAF co-authored with Koj Takaki) (2001), all deal with Japanese combat aviation. He specializes in uncovering rare first-hand accounts from the men who flaw on both sides of the Pacific air war Ho is a wholesale nursery plant grower by profession and he writes and researches in his spare time. First published 2003, ISBN 1 903223 25 3 Koji Takaki was born in Saeki City, Oita Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan in 1933, His hometown was located at the mouth of the Bungo Straits, ‘and he remembers one occasion in ‘March 1945 when, as a boy, he watched American carrier-borne Corsairs attack Saeki Airfield before he jumped into the safety of his familys ‘foxhole’! ‘A graduate from Kyoto University ‘School of Economics, he worked in the textile business for forty years before retiring as President and Chairman of a leading textile trading firm in 1997 In 1992, he wrote his first book Ashizuri no Umi to Sora |The ‘Sky and Sea of Ashizuri), dealing with the combat history of the Imperial Army's 56th Sentai, a Tony fighter group, based at Itami near Osaka and Kobe, which intercepted B-29s over North Kyushu, Nagoya, Osaka, Kobe, and the Bungo Straits. He has subsequently collaborated with Henry Sakaida in writing articles for The Hook magazine as well as acting as co-author and translator on various other projects connected with the air war over Japan. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the Publisher in writing (© Text: Henry Sakaida and Koji Takaki 2003 © Drawings and Colour Illustrations: Shigeru Nohara and Thomas Tullis 2003, © Model Aircraft Depictions: Shori Tanaka 2003, Produced by Chevron Publishing Ld Project Editor: Robert Forsyth Jacket and book design by Colin Woodman Design Published by Classic Publications ‘an imprint of lan Allan Publishing Ltd, Hersham, Surrey KT12 4RG. Printed by lan Allan Printing Ltd, Hersham, Surrey KT12 4RG. Visit the Classic Publications website at www.classie-books.co.uk