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Rating: 
Summary: Gift Horse
Review: This book has some outstanding strong points. There's a fair overview of the B-29 bombing campaign as opposed by JAAF home defense interceptors. Problems faced by both sides in mounting effective air operations are made clear. And it must be appreciated that any solid historical information from the Japanese side (in English) is an accomplishment. This factor comes out in the stories of selected missions. In these, the heart of the text, the authors have pulled together a wondrous array of sources from both sides, to include commentary by combat participants. This excitement for an armchair historian is amplified by photo illustrations specific to the event discussed in the text. So on the same page opening, good reading becomes memorable by pertinent illustration, some of which are astounding. Hats off to the authors' research skills.Now, why don't I rate the book 5 stars. It IS an unexpected gift of fine information. But I've got second thoughts. The title is "B-29 Hunters ..." and I'd expected more on total JAAF ops. However, info from the Japanese side heavily focusses on aerial rammings. (Where it can be learned that rammings could be suicidal, or skilled pilots could not only survive but sometimes return with their fighter plane!) As a result of this focus, for example, the relative importance of ramming tactics are not compared to conventional gunfire in terms of B-29s brought down. Readers do not get what might be expected from the title, broader coverage of the JAAF in home defense. Then, as is typical with Osprey's Elite series, a goodly number of color art profiles are re-cycled from prior publications in the Ace series, in this case, virtually all relevant profiles from the JAAF Aces book. Of course, it was refreshing to see those specially created for this volume. Also, while an attempt is made to convey good information in the art captions, I found some confusion. Specifically, one caption states the Ki 44 was "quite suited for attacking B-29s," another refers to reduced performance problems when combat loaded. Still in another, Ki 44s became "near useless." Meanwhile, two art profiles show Ki 44 ace planes with multiple B-29 kill markings. That's why 4 stars. All in all, however, with so much good work by the authors, this one's a real keeper.
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