Nakajima B5N 'Kate 'and B6N 'Jill' Units

Entering service during the Sino-Japanese War, the Nakajima B5N (code-named “Kate”) excelled and went on to achieve surprising and dramatic successes in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. It also contributed to the sinking of the U.S. aircraft carriers USS Lexington at the Battle of the Coral Sea, USS Yorktown at the Battle of Midway, and USS Hornet at the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. Its replacement, the Nakajima B6N “Jill,” while a marked improvement over its illustrious predecessor, was never able to achieve its full potential in combat due to advances in Allied aircraft, finding itself relegated to the dreaded Kamikaze strikes in the latter part of the war.

Using previously unpublished photographs as well as color illustrations, this book will cover the history of the “Kate” and “Jill” torpedo/attack bombers, including their design and development, as well as the combat highs and lows of the Imperial Japanese Navy’s premier torpedo bombers.

Mark Chambers is the author of Images of Aviation: Flight Research at NASA Langley Research Center; Images of Aviation: Naval Air Station Patuxent River; Engineering Test Pilot: The Exceptional Career of John P. “Jack” Reeder; and From Research to Relevance: Significant Achievements in Aeronautical Research at NASA Langley, 1917–2002. He also coauthored with his father a book entitled Radical Wings and Wind Tunnels. He works for the NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.

Jim Laurier lives in New Hampshire. He has worked on the Osprey Aviation list since 2000.