Vol.II is a hard cover book of 246 pages (the first volume has 192 pages) with printed board covers and no separate dust jacket. The paper is of a quality which benefits the photographs, clear and to a useful size. The contents are as follows:-
- Introduction and Acknowledgements
- Notes (this covers aircraft nomenclature, aircrew terminology and addenda for Vol.1)
- Chapter 1: Brothers in arms (detailed coverage of IJN procurement, development and deployment, including earlier types)
- Chapter 2: Western intelligence reports
- Chapter 3: Soviet intelligence reports
- Chapter 4: Technical description:
- Mitsubishi Ki-15-I,
- Kamikaze
- Karigane-I
- Ki-15-II
- Karigane-II
- C5M1
- C5M2
- Ki-15-III
- Chapter 5: Pilot's operating manual
- Chapter 6: Dimensions and Performance figures
- Chapter 7: Production figures and construction numbers
- Chapter 8: Models, memorabilia and memorials
This second volume explores the aircraft in unparalleled detail for the first time, with more than 140 photographs, 77 original full-colour artworks in 1/72, 1/48, and 1/32 scales, including 38 full-page illustrations, five cutaways and 55 original blueprints, spread across the eight chapters. These cover the history of the C5M within 19 operational units and higher organisations of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), an especially interesting exposition given its deployment by the IJN as an air-to-air bomber; the inaccurate and confusing coverage by Allied intelligence and the Western press; the unique and overlooked Soviet field report with photographs of a captured Ki-15-I airframe; highly detailed technical description of each variant's complete structure, powerplants, systems and cockpit layouts; a complete pilot’s operating manual and cockpit layout; reappraisal of actual dimensions and performance figures, correcting and expanding upon the basic performance capabilities of this ground breaking aircraft; a detailed overview of production figures and construction numbers, which reveals new production totals; a short overview of post-war Babs models, kits, memorabilia and memorials. All the very attractively presented artwork is new, based on the original engineering drawings, dimensions and cross-referenced against every known photograph. These two volumes should become the only source needed for historians or modellers, whether they are investigating a specific unit, researching performance details for war gaming or air combat flight simulations, or building models.
The author spent almost a decade researching, reviewing and correcting every detail of this aircraft, and in doing so challenging every aspect, from the general layout to the smallest items. He has essentially reverse engineered the whole aircraft based on all surviving engineering drawings, manuals, documents and photos. From the modelling point of view, panel line layouts on many post-war drawings were found to be incorrect, especially on the wing, and even the wingspan was found to be previously quoted incorrectly as demonstrated in Chapter 6. This means that all of the existing kits fall short in accuracy to one extent or another, including the recent and much heralded 1/48 scale kits by Fine Molds - in wingtip panel details of all Babs variants, the sliding canopy details and support structure, roll-over pylon on the C5M2, etc., plus many other items. All of the engineering details in the book which correct those errors are supported by new drawings of exceptional fidelity, photographs and original engineering drawings. The performance details are also expanded upon for the first time, with actual data on range, etc. Babs production is also clarified, including a revised production total, all of which is supported by carefully documented evidence in Chapter 7.
Image credit: All © 2023 Giuseppe 'Joe' Picarella MRAeS and Stratus s.j., as MMP Books
