P-40 Warhawk vs Ki-43 Oscar

Osprey Duel Series (2008)
80 Pages / 50 photos / 12 illustrations / 2 maps
$18.95
ISBN 978-1-84603-295-0
Purchase: Osprey Publishing

Known for the distinctive “shark mouth” decoration on their noses, P-40 fighters went into combat in China during opening weeks of World War II. Their most common adversary was the Japanese Nakajima Ki-43, nicknamed 'Oscar.' Carl Molesworth describes and explains the design and development of these two foes, the products of two vastly different philosophies of fighter design. The P-40 was heavily armed and sturdy with armor protection and self-sealing fuel tanks, but paid for this with a slow rate of climb and a sluggish performance at altitude. The Ki-43 was a rapier to the battle axe P-40, and the Ki-43 was immensely nimble, though with less firepower and durability. This book examines these two different fighters, and the pilots who flew them over China, with an action-packed text, rare photographs and digital artwork.

“I was keen to get a hold of this book as I have always had an interest in these two aircraft, and I spend many, many hours in the jungles of Papua New Guinea trekking to and from and examining wrecks and remains of both types. I’m happy to advise that the book satisfied my curiosity and confirmed some of my long held beliefs with regard to the many details of armament and construction techniques employed to produce both aircraft.” - Rodger Kelly, Hyperscale.com