Out of the sun it came, a jet‑black Zero with a large golden dragon on its side. And at the controls sat Captain Jirai Saito, a top ace who’d become king of the Pacific skies. He and his squadron had made their name by shooting down clumsy P-40 fighters, but the time for a showdown was at hand. On their way from Europe was a squadron of sleek Spitfires that had left the Luftwaffe in tatters. The stage was set for the greatest air battles the Eastern skies had ever known.

Story: Newark

Art: Jose Maria Jorge

Cover: Ian Kennedy