Kaga 1920-1942: The Japanese Aircraft Carrier (Hard Cover Series) Hardcover – January 19, 2015

This book is the first (it is numbered 95001) in an as yet unnamed series devoted to warships. The book is an 8-1/4" x 11-3/4", 144 page hardcover with full dustjacket. The book has a somewhat convoluted history. It was originally intended for AJ Press' "Encyclopedia of Warships" softcover series. When AJ Press folded the book found a home at Kagero. One of the co-authors, Jarski, was the founder of AJ Press and it seems strange to see his byline on a Kagero book.The book is divided into several sections. The first section of 24 pages describes the ship's origin as a battleship. Next, there is 12 pages describing the subsequent conversion to an aircraft carrier. The meat of the book as far as I'm concerned is the 44 pages devoted to a technical description. Others might give that honor to the 50 page operational history.The text is well supported by a myriad of photographs, tables, and drawings. I think this is the most comprehensive coverage anywhere of what Kaga would have looked like as a battleship. Indeed, there is probably better coverage of the battleship incarnation than the first incarnation as a carrier with three flying off decks. The technical description also has some new (to me at least) material on the torpedoes and bombs carried by the aircraft embarked but curiously little about the aircraft themselves. The operations feature the Pearl Harbor and Midway operations in appropriate depth but operations in China before Pearl Harbor and operations between Pearl Harbor and Midway are by no means neglected.Unfortunately too many times translation issues mar the product leading me to deduct a star. A few examples will give the flavor. The translation of the text is adequate but there are a few instances of sentences or paragraphs being repeated almost word for word. The flight deck arrangement drawing on page 49 have most of the numbered callouts jumbled. Table No. 17 gives the false impression that Kaga lost a hanger during reconstruction. Too many times was the text or caption confusing enough that I had to consult another reference for clarification. One of those references was Kagero's "Super Drawings in 3D" volume devoted to the Kaga.This book has become very hard to come by. Foreign retailers seem to be the best option although that can be expensive. For whatever reason US retailers don't have it.I highly recommend this book despite the translation quirks. An enormous amount of information is contained between the covers. That said, I wish there was a carrier equivalent of LaCroix and Wells' book on Japanese cruisers.

Excellent! The book covers the original battleship-to-aircraft carrier conversion in 1925 and the subsequent modifications and reconstructions in 1935. There is the usual data on displacements, dimensions, armaments, and so forth. There is much text on the original battleship design of 1916-1917. There is also much text on subjects such as the design and layouts of the hangars, elevators, superstructure, fire protection system, and aircraft fueling system. The text is accompanied by many black-and-white photos.There is also a surprisingly detailed discussion of Japanese Navy aerial torpedoes and bombs. For example, the standard Navy armor-piercing 800 kg bomb was a re-manufactured 16-inch armor piercing shell developed for the Nagato class battleships. The text describes in detail how the shells were converted into aerial bombs.Finally, there is a section on the operational deployment of the ship from its use in Chinese waters in 1932 through the Midway attack in 1942.The English version of the book is an obvious translation from the original Polish. I'm not sure if the translation was done by a computer or by an editing staff.In either case, in places it's a bit rough although easily understandable. On the the other hand, it's unfortunate that the translated text was not critically reviewed by a person with a US State Department Grade 4 or 5 English equivalency.

English language books on the Imperial Japanese Navy are few and far between, and this book fills a huge gap. It does include a few subjects that are tangential to the ship itself, but they are valuable in the context of the IJN during World War II.It is a must-by for anyone interested in the subject, along with the companion 3D book on the Kaga.

Excellent technical book on a famous IJN ship. Loved it! When do you publish a book like that onto Akagi?

Pearl Harbor is one of this things in our history that burns in our souls with the Chesapeake Leopard Incident of 1807, Firing on Fort Sumter in 1861, right next to 9/11, for me Pearl Harbor is most fascinating that I have over years collected every book worth having on the subject. This book I went to great lengths to acquire and it is worth every penny spent. This book contains every bit of information about this ship, her technical specifications, her history in great detail. For history buffs well worth getting.At the same time I hope the publisher produces more books like this about the Akagi, the Hiryu, the Soryu, Shokaku and Zuikaku.

Most interesting, with many new photos and a nice text. Not so many drawings and prints, but there is the other 3D series.

Obwohl ich schon sehr viel Literatur über die Japanische Marine besitze, ist dieses Buch etwas ganz besonderes. Die Fülle von Informationen ist einfach Klasse. Für einen "ship lover" ein muss. Dieses Buch hat in meiner Bibliothek einen besonderen Platz bekommen!

An excellent book both for the historian and model-maker. Gives a short life story of this famous carrier which saw much action in the first 18 months of the Pacific war.