[ N° 119 - OSPREY COMBAT AIRCRAFT SERIES ] NAKAJIMA B5N 'KATE' AND B6N 'JILL' UNITS

Entering service during the Sino-Japanese War, the Nakajima B5N (code-named “Kate”) excelled and went on to achieve surprising and dramatic successes in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. It also contributed to the sinking of the U.S. aircraft carriers USS Lexington at the Battle of the Coral Sea, USS Yorktown at the Battle of Midway, and USS Hornet at the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. Its replacement, the Nakajima B6N “Jill,” while a marked improvement over its illustrious predecessor, was never able to achieve its full potential in combat due to advances in Allied aircraft, finding itself relegated to the dreaded Kamikaze strikes in the latter part of the war.

Using previously unpublished photographs as well as color illustrations, this book will cover the history of the “Kate” and “Jill” torpedo/attack bombers, including their design and development, as well as the combat highs and lows of the Imperial Japanese Navy's premier torpedo bombers.

About the Author

Mark Chambers is an avid World War 2 aviation enthusiast and aviation history author. He has studied World War 2 military aviation, with a keen interest in the air war in the Pacific, extensively. He is the author of Arcadia Publishing's Images of Aviation: Flight Research at NASA Langley Research Center (2007) and Images of Aviation: Naval Air Station Patuxent River (2014). 

In addition, he is the author of The Virginia Aeronautical Historical Society's Engineering Test Pilot: The Exceptional Career of John P. 'Jack' Reeder (2007) and NASA Langley's From Research to Relevance: Significant Achievements in Aeronautical Research at NASA Langley, 1917 – 2002 (2002). 

He also co-authored with his father, Joseph R Chambers, a detailed book covering the history of radical aircraft designs and wind tunnels tested at the NASA Langley Research Center entitled Radical Wings and Wind Tunnels (Specialty Press Publication) (2008). He works as a government contractor technical editor for the NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.

Having initially worked for Osprey as an author in the 1980s, Tony Holmes became the company's aviation editor in 1989 after he moved to England from Western Australia. Responsible for devising the Aircraft of the Aces, Combat Aircraft, Aviation Elite Units, Duel and X-Planes series, Tony has also written more than 30 books for Osprey over the past 35 years.

OSPREY COMBAT AIRCRAFT SERIES

• Comprehensive histories of fighting aircraft and their crews, highlighting their vital role in the development of warfare in the 20th and 21st centuries.
• A unique source of information, researched by recognised experts and brought to life by first-hand accounts from the combat veterans themselves.
• Concise, authoritative text is supported by at least 30 original colour artworks, specially commissioned scale drawings, and the best archival photography from around the world.

Source : The publisher's summary printed on the cover.