The Japanese had some brilliant pilots in WW2, it's sad they are not recognised outside of Japan the way the great German and allied aces are remembered. Pilots like Hiroyoshi Nishizawa, Saburo Sakai, Hiromichi Shinohara, Yasuhiko Kuroe and Toshio Sakagawa were amongst the all time great fighter pilots. The IJ army and navy air forces performed superbly in the first couple of years of the Pacific war and fought bravely to the end, the fact we may not like their cause shouldn't obscure their skill and achievement. The Pearl Harbour attack has gone down in history as a dastardly act, but despite it's sneakiness it remains a brilliantly planned and executed attack, to bring 6 fleet carriers within 200 miles of the home of the Pacific fleet, launch and recover their air groups and escape with virtually no loss was a real feat.
Justin
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