Imperial Japanese Navy pilots were an elite corps.\xa0 They lead the world in developing naval aviation between the First and Second World Wars.\xa0 Although their equipment was modern and tactics were cutting edge, their values and collective identity were based in something much older.\xa0 They were the modern incarnation of Japan\u2019s ancient warrior caste, the Samurai, and adhered to the warrior code of bushido.\xa0 Saburo Sakai was one of them.\xa0 He fought throughout the war, became a leading ace, and was one of the very few who survived to write his story.