Japanese Aircraft Carriers Soryu and Hiryu: Photo Album By Miroslaw Skwiot 2015 Kagero Pub [Out of Print] ◆◆Details◆◆ The Imperial Japanese Navy aircraft carrier "Soryu" was built for the IJN in the mid-1930s. Her sister ship, "Hiryu," was planned to follow "Soryu," but the design of "Hiryu" was significantly altered, and she is often considered a separate class. In the first months of the Pacific War, she participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor and the Battle of Wake Island, and in January 1942, she supported the conquest of the Dutch East Indies. The following month, she bombed Darwin, Australia, and continued to support the Dutch East Indies conquest operation. In the April Indian Ocean raid, aircraft from "Hiryu" contributed to the sinking of two British heavy cruisers and several merchant ships. "Hiryu" was the second aircraft carrier included in the "1934 Second Naval Armaments Supplement Program." Initially, both carriers were supposed to be sister ships, but many differences arose between them due to numerous design changes introduced during the construction of "Soryu." Originally, "Hiryu" was scheduled to be completed one year after "Soryu," but she was plagued by construction delays due to two significant factors (as with her predecessor). One was to utilize the lessons learned from the reconstruction of "Kaga," which was underway simultaneously with the construction of "Hiryu." Then, new data from the early service of "Soryu" became available, revealing design flaws and weaknesses. Furthermore, the Fourth Fleet Incident and Japan's withdrawal from the naval treaties it had signed added to the number of "mid-stream" issues. Considering all these issues, it is not difficult to imagine that they inevitably affected the initial design and construction schedule of "Hiryu." The biggest cause of the delay was undoubtedly the aftermath of the Fourth Fleet Incident, which forced the Naval Aviation Bureau to redesign the second aircraft carrier. After the new requirements were implemented, the final design of "Hiryu" (known as "Basic Plan G-10") finally emerged. ◆◆Specifications◆◆ Foreign Book, English Battleship, Naval Vessel, Modeling Materials, Imperial Japanese Navy Photo Album, Data Collection Hardcover 30 x 21 cm 143 pages ◆◆Condition◆◆ Slightly scuffed on the cover due to aging. Slightly tanned edges of pages. #Books #Models #Battleships #AircraftCarriers #JapaneseMilitary