---
product_id: 3350288
title: "Sunburst: The Rise of Japanese Naval Air Power, 1909-1941"
brand: "mark peattie"
price: "€ 83.36"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 11
url: https://www.desertcart.sk/products/3350288-sunburst-the-rise-of-japanese-naval-air-power-1909-1941
store_origin: SK
region: Slovakia
---

# Sunburst: The Rise of Japanese Naval Air Power, 1909-1941

**Brand:** mark peattie
**Price:** € 83.36
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Sunburst: The Rise of Japanese Naval Air Power, 1909-1941 by mark peattie
- **How much does it cost?** € 83.36 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.sk](https://www.desertcart.sk/products/3350288-sunburst-the-rise-of-japanese-naval-air-power-1909-1941)

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## Description

Sunburst: The Rise of Japanese Naval Air Power, 1909-1941

## Images

![Sunburst: The Rise of Japanese Naval Air Power, 1909-1941 - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41iI3qZGvwL.jpg)
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## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Academic Overview: Not a Standard Narrative
  

*by R***Z on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 2, 2009*

Good "Academic" version of the rise of Japanese Naval Air power up the Pacific War. The detail is good. It should be noted that this is an academic book and covers some ground in English that has not been available in translation before. It is not a traditional narrative history and therefore is a little dry in places.Several points worthy of note are:- initial influence of the British of Naval Airpower- Japanese aircraft carrier design, poor, cramped, elevators could not assemble and retreive aircraft, and a lot of half measures such as the hybrid carriers (e.g. Hyuga) that fullfilled no effective role.- no development of recce planes and low numbers.- emphasis upon bomber fleets un-related to sea warfare.- believed that island archipelagos would supplant the need for an in-depth carrier strike force- dispersal of carrier forces to render them weak and inferior in some battles.- individual fighting tactics of the Japanese pilot could not compete with the engine power and fire-power of the Americans and British.---Exceptional training and development of the isshin-denshin model of attack, but this had limitations in a world where radio was of increasing importance.Most of the results accord with what I have read in Japanese. Some of this information appears in English for the first time.For those who wanting to learn about Japanese Naval aviation in the interwar period it is indeed fascinating and I have used it on two occassions to find older airfields and remnants of others in Kasumigaura and Tateyama. A good worthy book, but a little dry to read. Read it only if you want to obtain new insights into the Pacific War. If you want a more snappy read, pick another title. I give it four stars for its original content and presentation of new ideas.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    The rise and fall of IJN airpower
  

*by W***S on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 8, 2010*

This book is about the history of Japanese naval aviation from its creation in the early twentieth century, to its effective destruction in 1944.  Although the subtitle does say, "1909-1941," there is a chapter at the end entitled, "Descending in Flame," that covers the destruction of IJN air power in WW2.  The author, Mark Peattie, is also coauthor of Kaigun, the remarkable one-volume study of the history of the IJN.  The information in Sunburst was initially to be included in Kaigun, but due to size limitations, was published separately at a later date.Sunburst can be enjoyed either by the casual Pacific War reader who is interested in the general developments that led up to December, 1941 for IJN airpower, or serve as a reference for the technical aficionado who is more interested in aircraft designs and tactics.  For example the "hineri-komi" aerobatic tactic, so skillfully employed by Zero pilots early in the war, is covered in Appendix 9.  The appendices fill out the last 150 or so pages of Sunburst and cover biographical sketches, aircraft and aircraft carrier drawings and specifications.Peattie makes extensive use of various Japanese language sources, enabling him to assemble into a single volume much information on this topic that has never appeared all together in English.  The result is a fascinating tale of how the Japanese not only arrived on the eve of WW2 with the best naval aircrews in the world, but also what inherent shortcomings existed to set them on the path to eventual destruction at the hands of the U.S. navy.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    harshly critical of the Imperial Japanese Navy
  

*by 1***. on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 3, 2003*

Peattie is highly critical of the tactics of  the Imperial Japanese Navy's air force and its equipment. According to Peattie the Japanese dipsersed their carrier groups and that gave them lack of a concentrated punch against the American carriers. The Japanese fighter pilots also had a tendacy to fight independentally but not in groups and this left bombers undefended. The Japanese also did not invest enough money in either reconnaissance aircraft or training their crews which left the Japanese carriers without eyes. Peattie states that the Japanese made errors in the design of their carries since most of the planes were parked in the hangers and not on the take off and landing strip of the carriers like their American counterparts and this made it difficult for Japanese crews to rearm and refuel aircraft. Moreover Japnese carriers had insecure fuel lines that made them flamable when attacked. The planes that the Japanese Navy operated very highly vulnerable to enemey fighters since armor was sacrifice for speed. Finally the Japanese did not train enough pilots to replace their losses during the Pacific War. I reccomend this book to anyone whose interested in why the Japanese lost the Pacific War.

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*Product available on Desertcart Slovakia*
*Store origin: SK*
*Last updated: 2026-02-18*