Below are my most noteworthy correspondences in regards to my aces list.

This one was sent by author and researcher Henry Sakaida on December 7, 1997. Though my current web site was only in existence since July 1998, my original Japanese aces list was available on the Japanese aircraft web page created by Dave Pluth.

Dear Al,
     You have done a commendable job of putting together your list of aces!
I like the fact that you gave sources.
     I'm working on the Osprey JNAF Aces book. I don't know when it will be
published, but I think sometime in 1998. I'm sending Osprey everything
tomorrow. It will once again have an aces listing in the back, culled from
all sources, with the victory credits explanation (disclaimer).
    The victory claims were very inflated, but it wasn't intentional. It was
simply due to confusion and a very liberal method of scorekeeping. To boast
of shooting down X number of aircraft was considered bad manners...it was OK
in American culture, but not in Japan. Boasting was looked down upon.
     Perhaps you should put an explanation about Japanese kill claims;
otherwise, some people might actually believe those scores!
     No Japanese ever scored over 100 victories. That is fiction. At one
time, Hiroyoshi Nishizawa was "credited" with 103, 104 victories (due to the
book Samurai by Martin Caidin). He took  some poetic license. Nishizawa's
total time in combat was about 18 months. The top Navy ace was Tetsuzo
Iwamoto. He was in combat from the beginning to the end. His widow says
their family was cursed because of the spirits of all the men her husband
killed during the war. She had a very rough life after the war and I last
corresponded with her in 1975,
     Thanks for going through all the trouble of erecting this page for
those interested! It is historically worthwhile.
     Best wishes!

HENRY SAKAIDA

This one I received on October 20, 1998 from author and researcher Dénes Bernád.

Hi Al,

I "discovered" your (excellent) site a few minutes ago, thanks to Ruy's 
Luftwaffe Home Page, "12 o'clock high!".

I was impressed by the details of your listing; however, there are a few 
entries you might want to correct.

<----  Ommited text on errors and corrections ---------->

I hope these few corrections will make your listing even more accurate.
Congratulations, again, for your outstanding work.

Best wishes:


Dénes Bernád
Toronto, Canada