L. Rizzotti wrote in part:
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Your POW figure is wrong.
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And your figures are the correct figures? I think there will always be disagreement on the total figures because, as you noted yourself, ground rules must be established regarding who to include and who to exclude. The figures will vary within a certain range no matter what books are consulted. The most acceptable figures, at least in my mind, will be those based on postwar special studies or tabulations prepared from official documents in the U.S. National Archives, such as the "Japanese Prisoners of War," May 19, 1945, that you cited.
The author of:
Frank, Richard B. Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle. New York: Penguin Books, 1992. ISBN: 0 14 01.6561 4. Pb. 800p. Illus. Maps. Extensive source notes. Index;
is widely considered to have written the definitive history of the Guadalcanal campaign. He spent nearly 20 years wading his way through the original archive documents and spent tens of thousands of dollars having Japanese language scholars translate the Japanese records for him. According to Frank on p.611, the Allies lost 264 aircraft and 420 aircrew during the Aug 42 - Feb 43 campaign, while the Japanese lost 446 aircraft and an estimated 1,260 aircrew. He does not give a figure for the number captured, but as you know from your own findings they were miniscule when compared to statistical equivalents from other air forces during World War II.
So, with that, I have achieved my objective, which was simply to get those interested to dig below the surface into the piles and piles of archival documents and the higher quality scholarly histories that exist. And you did that to a certain extent, so my work here is done because I now must get back to my own projects.
L.