I regret that I know next to nothing about WW II Italian military aviation. My information on the Japanese DB601 copies came from Eric Bergerud's "Fire in The Sky", the story of the air conflict between the Allies and Japan in the South Pacific. Bergerud also confirms many of the other points made by the author of "Japan is Not an Airpower".





Perhaps I lack sensitivity, but I detected no racial slurs in the article. The closest the author came, in my opinion, was the anecdotal story of the German pilot who beat the best Japanese pilots in simulated air combat. Some might take this as an implied reference to European's supposed racial superiority, however, the author seems to attribute this not to any racial traits, but to a lack of appreciation of the role of tactics in aerial combat. Again, Eric Bergerud makes the same point in his book; that Allied pilots, despite inferior aircraft, were often able to defeat the Japanese because of superior tactics and teamwork. In fact, I think the author of "Japan is Not an Airpower" went out of his way to show respect for Japanese pilots. He mentioned that their experience in China had led to much improved flying ability, and said, "In loyalty, courage and readiness to follow orders, the Japanese pilot is second to no one"