Offered by Over The Blue Horizon and recently obtained in Tokyo is the sixth issue from the venerable but still very well-regarded Japanese MARU SPECIAL series: “IMPERIAL JAPANESE NAVY AIRCRAFT CARRIERS SHOKAKU AND ZUIKAKU”, Volume 6, May 1976.

 

As most of you already know, the MARU SPECIAL series was published from 1975 to 1987 and each of the 135 volumes focused on a naval vessel, family of vessels, or campaign, most dealing with the Imperial Japanese Navy.  The MARU SPECIALs offered a very popular combination of period photographs (some with rare detail), line drawings, and affordability.  Although printed with Japanese text, this volume features English captions, but regardless of the difficulty of translation, the MARU SPECIALs remain very popular with historians and advanced modelers, and these out-of-print gems are still frequently referenced. 

 

This particular MARU SPECIAL features the SHOKAKU and ZUIKAKU, the IJN’s next two large aircraft carriers built after the AKAGI, KAGA, and the SORYU class.  Laid down in 1937 and 1938, these 25,675 ton vessels were fast at 34 knots and could carry up to 84 aircraft although their normal complement was 73. The SHOKAKU participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Indian Ocean raids, and the Battle of Coral Sea during which she was seriously damaged.  She continued to operate through the latter-half of 1942 until 1944 when she was sunk by the submarine USS Cavalla in the Battle of the Philippine Sea.  The ZUIKAKU took part in the attack on Pearl Harbor as well as early 1942 attacks on Rabaul, the East Indies, the Indian Ocean, and the Battle of Coral Sea.  She then saw action off Guadalcanal, the Solomons, and Santa Cruz, and she was damaged at the Battle of the Philippines Sea in June, 1944.  She was sunk by American carrier-based aircraft in October 1944 after the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

 

This 66 page, 7.25 x 10.25 inch vintage classic has some great photographs, well-done line drawings, and color drawings, and the photographs have English captions.   Condition is GOOD+ bordering on VERY GOOD -- the covers shows light shelf wear but otherwise, it is TIGHT, BRIGHT, and very CLEAN. Note that Over the Blue Horizon ships from the USA with FREE United States Postal Service (USPS) FIRST CLASS shipping to USA buyers! eBay charges sales tax for certain states; Over the Blue Horizon charges Hawaii residents state general excise tax. Your purchase will be carefully wrapped to ensure that it arrives in the same condition as described in the eBay listing.  If you are not happy with your purchase for whatever reason, we will work something out -- your satisfaction is GUARANTEED.  Regardless of where you are in the world, buy with confidence from a well-established eBay merchant with a sterling reputation and an exceptionally high customer satisfaction rate.