Saburo, Sakai Samurai

Saburo Sakai was a fighter pilot in the Imperial Japanese Naval Air Force, and achieved a total of 64 aerial victories during World War 2. He flew the legendary Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" fighter. With his 64 kills, Saburo Sakai ranks fourth among flying aces in the Imperial Japanese Navy. He was the only one of this top four to survive the war.

This is a unique book among the memoirs of World War 2 aviators. While the numerous accounts by veterans of the European theatre of war present a relatively balanced picture of events, the Pacific War was, in the public mind, a heroic struggle by Allied forces against a ruthless, barbaric and nameless enemy. This image, which has been preserved over the years in literature and war films of Western countries, can still be ascertained today. There is no doubt that there was a cultural divide between the Allies and Japan, which fought fiercely from December 1941 to August 1945 to control the vast area of the Pacific, leading each side to be convinced of the superiority and natural hostility of its race. It is true that the war in this part of the world was fought in an extremely brutal manner. However, after the war, the victors had the privilege of shaping the consciousness of subsequent generations, and the vanquished had limited ability to disagree. "Samurai" is the voice of the other side - an unusual, poignantly honest, surprisingly emotional, exposing stereotype that shows a man who puts a warrior's honour and devotion to his homeland above all else.