The most produced Japanese bomber of the war the G4M saw action on every front from the first day of the Pacific conflict through to VJ-Day. The 'Betty's' very long range made it a key weapon during the opening year of the war. However, to achieve this, the aircraft was built with very little protective armour for its crew or fuel tanks, and Allied pilots soon exposed its extreme vulnerability. In the first in a series of volumes examining the key Japanese aircraft of WW2, Dr Osamu Tagaya details the G4M's extensive combat history, and lists all the units which operated the bomber.

The son of a former officer in the Japanese Naval Air Technical Arsenal, Osamu Tagaya has written a number of books on Japanese aircraft, principally for the Smithsonian Institute.
Mark has illustrated several books in both the Aces and Combat Aircraft series. He has recently switched mediums from airbrush to Mac art, and has produced some of the best profiles Osprey has ever used. Iain Wyllie is one of Britain's foremost aviation artists. He has worked for Osprey for a number of years and during that time he has illustrated over 40 Aircraft of the Aces and Combat Aircraft titles.