This is the autobiography of Jūzõ Mori, a torpedo bomber pilot in the Imperial Japanese Navy during WWII. Never before translated into English, this book gives a vivid depiction of what it was like to fly and fight for the IJN.

Kiseki no Raigekitai (The Miraculous Torpedo Squadron)
By Mori Jūzõ, translated by Nick Voge

Mori Jūzõ was a torpedo bomber pilot of the Imperial Japanese Navy and one of the elite aviators from the carrier Soryu who participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor as well as the attack on the Midway Atoll some six months later. In 1973, Mori wrote his autobiography, entitled Kiseki no Raigekitai (The Miraculous Torpedo Squadron). This book has, until now, never been translated into English. Nick Voge, an American pilot with Oahu’s Makani Kai Air, is also a long-time translator and has been working on an English translation of Mori’s work. Contents include the author's youth in pre-war Japan, joining the navy and training to become a pilot, and his combat experiences during the war. Mori flew first in China, then took part in the attack on Pearl Harbor (where he put a torpedo into the USS California), the invasion of Wake Island, the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asian operations, the battles of Midway and Guadalcanal. This is a rare opportunity to view the war through the eyes of one of the U.S. Navy’s opponents in his own words.

Here is an excerpt describing Mori’s return from the Midway assault, only to find his own fleet under attack:

“We dropped down to 600’ and got inside our fleet’s protective ring …when I looked up I saw five B-17’s flying over our ships. At that instant at least ten huge geysers of water shot up from the right side of Hiryū. This happened right in front of us and the columns of water completely obscured the carrier from sight. “Damn! They got her,” I yelled to the guys behind me. But when the water subsided, there was, steaming along at full speed as majestically as ever. Thank goodness, I thought with relief. But where were the Zeros that were supposed to be providing cover? They could at least have knocked a couple down by ramming them. What the hell were they doing? I had no sooner finished this thought then one of the destroyers at the edge of the fleet starting pumping out black smoke. Looking off to the east I saw what looked like a bunch of baby spiders crawling along the surface of the sea. It was a formation of enemy torpedo planes spread out and flying low over the water. They were headed straight for the fleet. Our fighters were chasing after them and gaining fast...”

What follows is a dramatic account of the rest of the battle including Soryu's sinking and Mori's escape from her. There is also an eyewitness account of the death of Soryu's Captain Yanagimoto, including the last hours of the carriers -Mori 's account differs in some respects from the official U.S. histories.

Filled with hitherto unrevealed details about the most significant battles of the war, this book is a must read for those interested in the history of the Pacific War. The full digital book is available for $2.99 (US) from Amazon.com here.