Fighters of the Dying Sun

The first B-29 flew over Tokyo on 1 November 1944. It was a photographic reconnaissance aircraft ironically named 'Tokyo Rose'. The Ki.44 fighters of the 47th Sentai took off to intercept it but as it turned out the Superfortress flew at such an altitude and speed that they could not reach it. The Ki-44-II-Otsu had been specifically designed for this type of interception and could reach the astonishing rate of climb of 5,000 m in four minutes; however it was not good enough.

During the following ten months, a devastating bombing campaign of thousands of Superfortress destroyed 67 Japanese cities and half of Tokyo.
The cultural shock and the political consequences were huge, when it was realised that the Japanese industry was not able to produce the specially heat and stress-resistant metallic alloys that were required to manufacture the turbo superchargers needed by the fighters in charge of defending the Japanese mainland. They lacked the essential chromium and molybdenum metals to harden the steel.

This fact thwarted the manufacturing of numerous advanced projects of both conventional fighters and those derived from the transfer of German technology fitted with turbojets and rocket engines. They are thoroughly described in this book.

About the Author

Born with the B-52, tech drawer and Spanish Air Force Museum advisor Justo Miranda uses advanced drawings methods to rebuild historical aircraft, starting from original parts. A historian specialised in German Secret Weapons, he usually works in the twilight zone between rational engineering and Nazi esotericism, without letting himself being dragged by the dark side of the force. His research has helped to deconstruct several myths on the flying saucers and the Hitler Atomic bomb.

Justo has published six books and thirty monographs on aeronautical subjects. He lives in Madrid with his wife Paula, journalist at Reuters and co-author of these works.