AS THE PACIFIC WAR APPROACHED A CRESCENDO, THE CLASHES BETWEEN SWARMING US NAVY CARRIER AIRCRAFT, AND THE GIGANTIC IMPERIAL JAPANESE NAVY (IJN) YAMATO-CLASS BATTLESHIPS BECAME SYMBOLIC OF THE FORTUNES OF THE TWO NATIONS. They also served as a metaphor for the profound changes in naval technology and doctrine that the war had brought about. The two opposing forces were the most powerful of their kind - the Japanese Yamato and Musashi were the biggest most heavily armored and armed battleships ever built, while US carrier aviation had evolved into a well-oiled, war-winning machine. With detailed analysis of the technical features of the opposing war machines and a gripping account of the fighting itself, this vividly illustrated work presents views from the cockpits of US Navy Divebombers, and down the sights of IJN anti-aircraft guns, during two of the most dramatic naval engagements ever fought.