Osprey

P-38 Lightning vs Ki-61 Tony

by  Donald Nijboer

Reviewed By  Bill Kluge, IPMS # 45849

MSRP: $17.95 ISBN: 9781846039430 Website: www.ospreypublishing.com This edition of the popular Osprey "Duel" Series highlights two of the more interesting aircraft that participated in the Pacific war, and describes a battleground that proved to be an enemy to both the Japanese and American combatants. The P-38 Lightning became the fighter of choice and the spearhead weapon for the U.S Army Air Force in the south and southwest Pacific. The Ki-61 Hien was the aircraft that the Japanese Army Air Force hoped would enable them to stem the tide of Allied advances in New Guinea. Author Donald Nijboer starts off with developmental histories of these antagonists. The P-38 was Lockheed's answer to an extremely stringent 1937 USAAC design proposal for a high altitude interceptor. To answer what many considered "unrealistic" performance specifications, legendary designer Kelly Johnson's design team came up with the now famous twin engined, twin boomed layout. The result was an aircraft that surpassed the performance capabilities of most fighters of its day. For the Japanese Army Air Force, the Ki-61 Hein (Swallow), later code named "Tony" by the Allies, was a radical departure from earlier aircraft designs, and marked the only major instance of technical aeronautical cooperation between the Japanese and the Germans. The IJAAF hoped that this faster, sturdier, more heavily armed (though less maneuverable) fighter would be able to tough it out against the big American fighters and heavy bombers. The reader is provided a concise history and a detailed description of all the variants of each of these fighters. However, machines alone do not win wars. Nijboer describes the qualities and qualifications of the airmen who faced off against one another, from the training and combat experience to the tactics used to try to make the most of the machines that they flew. By 1943 – 44, the Americans had progressed from their early P-39s and P-40s, and the slowly increasing supply of P-38Gs, Hs and later Js and Ls enabled them to gain the upper hand over Japanese aviators who were primarily flying the same A6M2/3 Zeros and Ki-43 "Oscars" that they had been flying since the early days of the war. Unfortunately for the Japanese, the new "Tonys" were able to make little difference due to their relatively low numbers, appalling serviceability, and most importantly, the sharp decline in the combat airmanship of the pilots themselves. The book describes air combat over the New Guinea battlefield from both the strategic vantage point and with in-the-cockpit personal detail. Two of the successful pilots who flew the P-38 and the Ki-61 are highlighted. Cyril Homer destroyed 15 enemy aircraft flying the Lightning with the 80th Fighter Squadron. Shogo Takeuchi's score is harder to pinpoint (at least 16 victories), but he made the majority of his clams while flying the Hein with the 68th Sentai. No less important in the P-38 vs Ki-61 story is the battleground where they fought. New Guinea is one of the most inhospitable corners of the planet, and its effect on men and machines is recounted throughout this narrative. Chapters include: - Chronology - Design and Development - Technical Specifications - The Strategic Situation - The Combatants - Statistics and Analysis - Aftermath - Further reading The book is well illustrated with color three-views of Homer's and Takeuchi's aircraft, cockpit diagrams, formation schematics and maps of the campaign area, as well as numerous photographs of the various marks of each aircraft, and a number of the successful pilots of the Lightning and Tony. This is a terrific primer of the air war in the southwest Pacific during 1943 – 44. While short and concise, it provides more than enough information to pique the interest of those enthusiasts interested in the Pacific air war in general, or in the P-38 or Ki-61 in particular. Thanks to Osprey Publishing for providing this review sample.