Imperial Japanese Navy Destroyers 1919-45 (1): Minekaze to Shiratsuyu Classes

DuringthePacificWar,arguablythemostsuccessfulcomponentoftheImperialJapaneseFleetwasitsdestroyerforce.TheseshipsweregenerallylargerthantheirAlliedcounterpartsandwerebetterarmedinmostcases.Armedwithalarge,long-rangetorpedo(eventuallycalledLongLancebytheAllies),theseshipsprovedthemselvesasformidableopponents.Inthefirstpartofthewar,JapanesedestroyerswereinstrumentalinanunbrokenstringofJapanesevictories.However,itwasnotuntiltheGuadalcanalcampaignthattheseshipsfullydemonstratedtheirpower.Inaseriesofnightactions,theseshipsdevastatedAlliedtaskforceswithanumberofdaringnightattacksusingtheirdeadlytorpedoes.Thisvolumewilldetailthehistory,weaponsandtacticsoftheJapanesedestroyersbuiltbeforethewar.ThisincludesthefamousFubukiclass(called"SpecialType"bytheJapanese,whichwere,whencompletedinthelate1920's,themostpowerfulclassofdestroyersintheworld.ThisdesignforcedallothermajornaviestofollowsuiteandprovidedthebasicdesignforthenextmanyclassesofImperialNavydestroyers.ThisbookwillalsocoverthethreeclassesbuiltbeforetheSpecialTypewhichwerebasedonaGermanWorldWarIdesignaswellastwoclassesbuiltaftertheadventoftheSpecialType.AlloftheseshipshadarichhistoryastheyfoughtfromthefirstbattlesofthePacificWarupuntiltheveryendwhenseveralaccompaniedthesuperbattleshipYamatoonherdeathsortie.Thefinalpartofthebookwillbeananalysisofthedestroyerdesignscoveredinthebookwhichwillincludeanexaminationoftheirstrengthsandweaknesses.Thesuccess(orlackofsuccess)ofthesedesignswillbediscussedandtheywillbecomparedtocomparableAllieddestroyerdesigns.