Well, we are drifting away from our main theme, Japanese air aces in the Pacific War. In this, as in other theatres, both sides killed randomly. I read in Wikipedia that, soon after a Rabaul-based Japanese fighter strafed the crew of a downed B-17 bomber, US pilots fired at every Japanese survivor following a naval battle.

Arguing about atrocities isn't going to get anyone anywhere. The thing is to forgive but not forget, so that they won't be repeated. None of the above detracts from the bravery and achievements of Japanese pilots such as Nishizawa. It must have taken a lot of guts to go up there, day after day, in a fighter that was clearly becoming obsolete, and face superior opposition in superior numbers. Also, their tenacity and will to survive was incredible. Consider the epic flight of Saburo Sakai in his crippled Zero, blind in one eye and bleeding badly, over the Pacific back to his base.
Finally, the Zero is a tribute to the creativity of a nation with resources and technology vastly inferior to the US at that time.

These men fought for an Evil empire and deserved everything they got.

In any case, being sent to battle isn't a matter of choice for most people. Countries go to war and their citizens are required to fight. The Pacific air war, with its furious dogfights over picturesque atolls, has always captured my imagination. The Mitsubishi Zero was a lovely fighter and had great pilots like Nishizawa to fly it. I wish somebody would film this story.

He was usuaklly the only plane left to return on many missions from late 1942 and on. Figuring his life was over, he just never counted.

Gian Piero, come si chiama il libro che stai scrivendo? Anch'io ho gente della Guerra in famiglia, mio nonno si e' fatto l'Africa in carro armato.

Anyway, no amount of overclaiming can take away the merit and courage necessary to face live-or-die battles above the unforgiving Pacific.

Leave the stories true but you would probably have to put together these pilots who might have not flown together for the sake of letting the amazing stories be shown that wouldln't if they stayed strict to history.

Air Marshall Johnny Johnson, saw no reason at all to question the claims of pilots who had flown and fought continuously, without ANY furlough, for 6-7 years!

I might add, that to a man, the Japanese Aces loved their supposedly outclassed Ki43s and Zeros right to the end and did not feel at all compromised by their performance (speed).

You see folks…air combat is not at all like Pylon Racing. In general terms, all the combatants entered the melee at around 350 mph from all directions! Corsairs, Hellcats, Hayabusas, Zeros all having a lovely time!

Speed was generally called on to break combat and 'get the hell outa there!'