Henry Sakaida – författare

'B-29!' No other term struck such terror in the hearts of the Japanese public during World War 2 than this single, most-hated name.It was then only natural that the pilots who attempted to shoot these high-flying Boeing bombers out of the skies over Tokyo, Nagasaki, Hiroshima and Kobe should become known as the elite of the Japanese Army Air Force.This book details the exploits of the ‘Dragon Slayers’ who, flying the very latest single- and twin-engined fighters, exacted a heavy toll on the AAF Boeing bombers using a range of tactics including ramming.

When the Great Patriotic War began many women volunteered for the armed forces, but most of them were rejected.They were steered towards nursing or other supportive roles. Many determined women managed to enter combat by first volunteering as field medics and nurses, then simply picking up a gun during the battle, and charging boldly into the line of fire. In the area of aviation, women also contributed greatly to the war effort. In rickety biplanes, they flew bombing missions at night, without parachutes; their only protection was the darkness.This book tells the stories of the brave women that were awarded the Soviet Union's most prestigious title - Hero of the Soviet Union - for their bravery in protecting their homeland.

The Great Patriotic War began on 22 June 1941, when the Germans invaded the Soviet Union.Over 10 million Soviet soldiers took part in the war and of those about 12,600 earned the Soviet Union’s highest military award - the Hero of the Soviet Union - for deeds of great daring and self sacrifice.This book covers the male recipients of the Hero of the Soviet Union award during the Great Patriotic War. Snipers, fighter pilots, partisans and spies are all included, together with the famous aces Pokryshkin and Kozhedub, who both gained the award an amazing three times.

Little has been published in English on the Japanese Army Air Force (JAAF), let alone its most successful fighter pilots no less than 150 of them achieved ace status during eight years of near-constant war. They are all listed in this volume.From the arid plains of the Mongolian border region to the lush jungles of New Guinea, the JAAF was more than a match for the many opponents it fought against for control of the skies. Indeed, even when the mighty Allied war machine proved almost overwhelming from early 1944 onwards, the elite fighter pilots of the various sentais within the JAAF fought on with near-fanatical loyalty in defence of the Home Islands.