A pictorial guide to Akagi and Kaga, two early Japanese aircraft carriers that were sunk at the Battle of Midway. Akagi and Kaga were the second and third aircraft carriers to enter service with the Imperial Japanese Navy. Akagi was initially laid down as a battle cruiser, and Kaga as a battleship; both hulls were converted into aircraft carriers during the 1920s. The two ships played key roles in most of the early engagements of the Pacific War, and both were sunk at the Battle of Midway. This is the illustrated history of both ships, including a historical synopsis, full technical description, and more than 100 photographs and diagrams. Naval historians Lars Ahlberg and Hans Lengerer have established themselves as experts on and specialists in the warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy during WWII. Their work is differentiated by being primarily driven by the utilization of Japanese-language primary source material. AUTHORS: Hans Lengerer was in the government service (executive) until retirement. After contacts with the late Erich Gröner, he was encouraged by the late Jürgen Rohwer to publish on the IJN. He has written more than 50 articles and several books, including Die Flugzeugträger der Kaiserlichen Japanischen Marine und des Heeres, Band I. He lives in Germany. Lars Ahlberg is a retired army officer; he lives in Sweden. Together with Hans Lengerer, he privately publishes Contributions to the History of Imperial Japanese Warships.