The Sunday Times of London top-ten bestseller from Will Iredale
In May 1945, with victory in Europe established, the war was all but over. But on the other side of the world, the Allies were still engaged in a bitter struggle to control the Pacific. And it was then that the Japanese unleashed a terrible new form of warfare: the suicide pilots, or kamikaze.
Drawing on meticulous research and unique personal access to the remaining survivors, Will Iredale follows a group of young men from the moment they joined up, on through their initial training, and to the final, terrifying reality of fighting against pilots who, in the cruel last summer of the war, chose death rather than risk their country’s dishonorable defeat and deliberately flew their planes into Allied aircraft carriers. A story of courage, valor, and dogged determination, The Kamikaze Hunters is a gripping account of how a few brave young men helped to ensure lasting peace.
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“Will Iredale writes with verve and expertise to illuminate the story of the young men who lived and died at the fag end of the war in the battle against Japan in the summer of 1945. His story is laced with vivid anecdotes which wonderfully illustrate the character and caliber of the individuals who took up this great challenge.”
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Jonathan Dimbleby, political commentator