Looking back at the history of World War II, the name of the Zero fighter is always unforgettable. As the leader of the Japanese Air Force, the Zero showed outstanding performance in the early days of the Pacific War, not only in the Asian theater, but also in the Pacific Ocean to cause headaches for the United States and British allied forces. How exactly did this seemingly inconspicuous fighter outmaneuver its opponents technically and tactically and become a hegemon for a while?
First of all, although Japan's overall industrial strength is far inferior to that of the United States and Britain, Japan has a strength that cannot be underestimated in the field of aviation technology, especially in the research and development of small fighters. Due to resource and technological constraints, Japan was unable to compete with the United States and Britain in medium and large aircraft, so it focused on the development of small fighters, and the Zero fighter was born. In order to compensate for the lack of industry, Japan has adopted a strategy of lightweight and simplified configuration, although sacrificing some protection and stability, in exchange for higher mobility. This design makes the Zero fighter have an absolute advantage in air combat with American F2A Buffalo, F4F Wildcat, Hawker 75A and other fighters, and its agile maneuverability and small radius turns make American pilots unguardable.
In addition to technological superiority, the Japanese Air Force relied on highly qualified pilots. In the early days of the war, Japan already had a number of experienced and skilled pilots, whose actual combat experience and flying skills far surpassed those of the newborn calves of the US military. This dual superiority in personnel and technology allowed the Japanese Air Force to easily defeat the United States and Britain in the early stages of the war, and the Zero fighter aircraft thus shined in the skies over the Pacific Ocean.
However, as the war progressed, the superiority of the Japanese Air Force was gradually lost. The rapid improvement of the performance of American aircraft, as well as tactical adjustments to the Zero, such as the "Satnett Shear" tactic, gradually weakened the advantage of the Zero. Especially in the Battle of the Marianas, American pilots even regarded the shooting down of the Zero as a kind of competition, and in this battle, the Japanese lost a large number of Zero fighters. As the war deepened, the quality of Japanese pilots declined sharply, and the newly replenished pilots were inexperienced, which led to a significant decline in the strength of the Japanese Air Force.
By the end of the war, the Zero could no longer compete with the new fighters of the US military, and its mythical status gradually collapsed.