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. Born in Japan and educated in the US, Osamu has also lived in the UK and brings unique bilingual and broad cultural perspectives to his lifelong aviation research. This is his third book for Osprey. He lives in California, USA.

Jim Laurier grew up in New Hampshire and Massachusetts and still lives in New England. He has been drawing since he could hold a pencil and has worked in many mediums and on a variety of subjects throughout his life. He attended Paier School of Art in Hamden, Connecticut from 1974-1978 and has been working professionally in the field of Fine Art and Illustration since he graduated with honours.

The Aichi Type 99 Carrier Bomber (D3A) - code named 'Val' by Allied intelligence - was the mainstay of the Imperial Japanese Navy's carrier dive-bomber force from 1941 to 1943. It sank more Allied warship tonnage than any other Axis aircraft during World War 2. While the Val's participation in the major carrier battles has been widely covered in other English language sources, details of its operations have received scant attention in English. This book explores the Val's combat operations. Colour illustrations and photographs complement the development of dive-bombing methods in the IJN.