In
the Pacific War's early years, Japanese air power was dominant. The only way for
the Allies to defeat their enemy was to know it. This made the task of
maintaining productive intelligence gathering efforts on Japan imperative.
Establishing Technical Air Intelligence Units in the Pacific Theater and the
Technical Air Intelligence Center in Washington D.C., the Allies were able to
begin to reveal the secrets of Japanese air power through extensive flight
testing and evaluation of captured enemy aircraft and equipment. This provided
an illuminating perspective on Japanese aircraft and aerial weapon design
philosophy and manufacturing practice.
Using
previously unpublished contemporary sources and photographs, Mark Chambers
explores Allied efforts to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of Japanese air
power during the war years, and how this intelligence helped them achieve
victory in the Pacific.