ISBN 1-903223-25-3
208 pages

Authors' Introduction and Acknowledgments; Foreword; photos; maps; diagrams; tables; biographical sketches; OBs; losses and casualties; Bibliography; Index

Appendices: Aircraft colors and markings; Order of Battle and Flight Organization; Japanese Naval Air Force ranks and glossary; Formation compositions; Flight Personnel losses; USSBS interrogation of Genda

   In 1945 a legendary German Luftwaffe leader, Adolf Galland, formed JV44—the Galland Circus—comprising the most experienced aces flying the revolutionary Me 262 jet fighter in a desperate bid to stem the increasing crescendo of Allied air assaults against Germany. This unit and its operations became the subject of Robert Forsyth's very successful JV44: The Galland Circus from Classic Publications in 1996.
   In much the same fashion, in December 1944 a legendary Japanese Navy Air Force leader, Minoru Genda, formed 343 Kokutai with the most experienced aces flying the most advanced fighter, the Shiden-Kai (George), in a desperate bid to stem the increasing crescendo of Allied air assaults against Japan. Now 343 Kokutai and its operations have become the subject of a book by Henry Sakaida and Koji Takaki, also published by Classic Publications.
   Even more so than JV44, the records of 343 Kokutai failed to survive the war (Genda ordered them burned in August 1945), and—as with the Luftwaffe pilots—the number of surviving Japanese veterans of the unit has dwindled, making it very difficult to assemble a comprehensive unit history. Nevertheless, Sakaida and Takaki have pooled their expertise and research (going back over twenty years) to produce a remarkably well-rounded record of the 343rd. While every effort was made to utilize Japanese sources (including the veterans themselves), a significant portion of the story comes from the records of American air units and pilots who fought against 343 Kokutai. That turns out to be a bonus, because it means the reader learns about the kokutai and its operations not only from the Japanese perspective, but also from the American point of view. Additionally, at least partly because of the scarcity of records and veterans, Genda's Blade focuses heavily on combat operations while including relatively little of the kind of "family album" content that fills many air unit histories.
   The book divides into six sections: one for the formation and earliest operations of the unit, and then one section per month for April through August 1945. Each section is sub-divided into anywhere from three to seven chapters. Other than those in the first section, which serve to introduce the unit and its pilots and run considerably longer, the chapters tend to be fairly short—seldom more than five pages—and generally each chapter covers a specific air engagement. Some examples:

• Okinawa—Baptism of Fire: 12 April 1945
• Second blooding over the Anami and Kikai Islands: 16 April 1945
• Squadron 301 vs. PBMs: 11 May 1945
• Clash over Kanoya: 3 June 1945
• Shiden-Kai vs. P-51 Mustang: 5 July 1945
• Duel over the Bungo Straits: 24 July 1945

   Within each chapter, the authors pack quite a bit of information. Chapters commonly contain photos of Japanese and American pilots involved in the engagements (occasionally with post-war photos of the graying flyers and their wives meeting each other), sometimes a map pinpointing the area over which the battle raged, snapshots of individual aircraft which took part, diagrams of the formation (with names of pilots) used by the Japanese interceptors, and other related material. Although the broader, ongoing history of 343 Kokutai is charted throughout the book, the bulk of the material in most chapters covers air-to-air action. Here's an excerpt from "Squadron 407 vs. Privateers: 16 May 1945":

   Lt Goro lchimura's 407th division appears to have operated as the cover flight for the eight fighters of S301 and was composed of CPO Tsuneo Ozeki (No.2), LA Shokichi Kurumoto (No.3), and LA Yoshio Takagi (No.4). Flying at 2,000 m behind the Kanno group, lchimura saw the Privateers flying north at very low altitude and radioed Kanno. lchimura then ordered his division to give chase and dived. The four Shiden-Kais advanced in formation 1,500 m ahead of the Privateers and prepared for a head-on attack.
   At 08.55hrs, the Privateer crews noticed the enemy fighters flying high and approaching from the east. The gunners were ready for their unit's first action against Japanese fighters, which were identified as Jacks. They closed formation, increased their speed to 180 knots, and lowered their altitude to 300 ft. Meanwhile, Ozeki and Kurumoto flew parallel to the PB4Y-2s, dropped their belly tanks, pulled ahead, and climbed.
   Lt lchimura centered one PB4Y-2 perfectly in his gunsight. Praying that enemy bullets would not hit him, he pulled the firing lever of his 20 mm cannon, but they failed to operate. The division leader flashed past his intended victim and left it to his comrades. When flying the Zero, it was customary to test-fire the 7.7 mm guns, but on this occasion lchimura did not test the Shiden-Kais cannon because it carried less ammunition than the Zero. He flew back toward Omura alone and was amazed to realize that his compass was also inoperative. Due to heavy fog, he could not be sure where he was. He climbed over the clouds and at last saw Kyushu. Following an inspection at base, it was found that his electrical system was malfunctional.
   "The enemy aircraft struggled to escape," recounted Shokichi Suzuki (formerly Kurumoto). "We saw Iki Island far ahead. We saw enemy aircraft on the left side and still proceeded to make a frontal attack. There was no other way to attack them. When I commenced my attack pass, I saw CPO Ozeki going in. I waited for a little while. I switched on my gunsight and slipped off the safety catch to the guns. I made an approach so that only one aircraft filled the gunsight. Everything before my eyes was red because of enemy gunfire. I approached, sliding sideways. At 200 meters, I stopped sliding and pulled the firing lever. My four 20 mm guns fired in unison and I kept the lever down. Tracers flew trailing red trails toward the target aircraft as if they were absorbed into it. One pass on one aircraft, and another pass on another aircraft, then it was finished."
   "All fighter runs were identical," stated the VPB-118 mission report. "Started at 12 o'clock, about 1,200 feet higher and two miles distance, the fighters would attack in a long, high-speed shallow dive to a position one hundred feet over the search planes, and then break away in a steep left chandelle."
   The Japanese pilots came in so close, crewmen could clearly see the two 20 mm cannon firing from each wing. The Georges reportedly made a total of eight passes. In every pass, the gunners reported placing hits. LCdr Farwell's aircraft was damaged between the after-top and starboard waist turret. Lt Finley's aircraft was hit in the port wingtip.
   During the last firing pass, LA Kurumoto's aircraft was hit as he looked back to confirm the results of his attack. He received two bullet holes in his rudder and one in the fuselage. A shell had severed a rudder control cable and the wires for his radio equipment. "I felt the nose of my aircraft rise," he reported. "The cockpit became white. I gave up confirming and decided to return to base."
   CPO Tsuneo Ozeki was not so fortunate. The American gunners stitched his fighter from nose to tail. He flew straight for about half a kilometer, then stalled, and the fighter slammed into the water. The pilot parachuted, but he did not survive and his body was washed ashore on Iki Island. He was identified from the name on his life jacket.

   Much like Galland's aces, Genda's pilots were aggressive veterans, and they tangled with American Hellcats, Corsairs, Thunderbolts, and Mustangs. They also went after B-29 Superfortresses. After facing younger, poorly trained Japanese flyers in older models of aircraft, American airmen were surprised to encounter stiff opposition from determined, experienced pilots in the cockpits of Georges. Although in the greater scheme of things even the best Japanese pilots could not hope to turn back the overwhelming tide of American airpower, 343 Kokutai, despite its own heavy losses, made itself felt when it flew against both land-based and carrier-based attackers. Sakaida and Takaki quote the diary of one American flyer with an entry made after an engagement with Genda's men: "We learned some lessons today, but the tuition was too high."
   The authors also describe some of the final events of the war:

   On the following day, 9 August 1945, LCdr Yoshio Shiga and a few of his squadron and division leaders decided to engage in mountain hiking behind Omura. The unit was short on aircraft and fuel, and the outdoor excursion would help alleviate the stress his men felt. A single B-29 lumbered high in the distance.
   Lt Ryoichi Yamada knew about the atomic bombing of Hiroshima three days earlier and felt uneasy about this lone intruder. He suspected that it was carrying another atomic bomb and he told his men to take cover if it dropped anything. Suddenly, one man shouted: "Look, there's a parachute!" A moment later there was a great flash and LCdr Shiga felt warmth on his cheek. In succession, a giant mushroom cloud rose beyond the mountains across Omura Bay in the direction of Nagasaki.
   Nagasaki was leveled. More than 35,000 citizens were killed and over 60,000 injured. Wireless news reports sent shock waves across Japan. And still the war raged on.

   The chapters are complemented by technical drawings, ten gorgeous color profiles of 343 Kokutai aircraft (by Shigeru Nohara and Tom Tullis), two pages of "re-enactment" photos of airplane models, and a page with photos of tropical service dress and flight gear. Appendices deal with aircraft colors and markings, the 343rd's flight organization, JNAF ranks, a glossary, casualty lists, and so on.
   Given the dearth of Japanese archival data about 343 Kokutai, Genda's Blade proves to be a remarkable achievement. In a few cases it has been necessary to rely on careful speculation, but the authors have unearthed an amazing amount of detail about air-to-air combat involving the 343rd and, by painstakingly assembling clues from a variety of unexpected sources, they have produced a surprisingly full account of the unit's existence. In addition, they've added many interesting flourishes and touching sidebars, such as post-war meetings between the old combatants and recently discovered aircraft and aircraft parts that contribute to the overall story. In short, this would be a stirring and evocative history for any air unit, but one that seems all the more impressive recounting as it does a little documented unit of aces from a defeated air force. Recommended.
   Available from online booksellers, local bookshops, or directly from the publisher and its distributors, including Specialty Press in the US.
   Thanks to Specialty for providing this review copy.