In the months before the attack on Pearl Harbor, a report from Nationalist China described a mysterious "super fighter plane" used by Japanese forces, said to be faster and more maneuverable than anything in America’s arsenal. U.S. intelligence dismissed it as exaggeration, underestimating Japan’s capabilities. The plane was later identified as the Mitsubishi A6M "Zero," which dominated the Pacific skies after Pearl Harbor. Lieutenant Commander John S. "Jimmie" Thach of the U.S. Navy recognized the threat posed by the Zero and devised a tactic to counter it. With the Japanese preparing...
In the months before the attack on Pearl Harbor, a report from Nationalist China described a mysterious "super fighter plane" used by Japanese forces,...
