First published in 1956 in the US by Dutton and in 1957 by Cassell & Company Ltd, London, now public domain. The Zero was the premier fighter at the beginning of the Pacific war. It outclassed the performance of its foes by a considerable margin but in all war, technological advances must be continual. Unfortunately for Japan , a long series of blunders by politicians and military high command prevented a timely replacement for a brilliant but aging fighter design. Allied plane designs however, were replaced and refined at an astonishing pace. At the same time, the loss of most of Japan's experienced pilots and fledgling replacements compared to the thousands of pilots trained by the allied forces, spelled doom for the rising sun. This is the story of the scales of fate tilting full swing in the span of a few short years from victor to vanquished. The story which hinged for a large part, on the Zero.