Tora! Tora! Tora!: Pearl Harbor 1941

Osprey Raid #26

by Mark E. Stille, Tim Brown (Illustrator)

The Japanese assault on Pearl Harbor is one of the most famous raids in history, if not the most famous. In the early hours of December 7, 1941, the carriers and aircraft of the Japanese First Air Fleet launched a sudden and unexpected attack on the US naval forces anchored in Pearl Harbor, hoping to cripple America's naval capabilities in one decisive blow.

This new study by Mark Stille will address the build-up to, execution of, and fallout from the Pearl Harbor operation. Putting the raid in context, the political and military background will be addressed - Japanese expansion in the Far East, and American responses to it, and the steady increase in tensions between the two powers. The Japanese decision to launch an assault on Pearl Harbor will be considered in detail, from the time constraints faced in planning the raid, alternative operational possibilities, and the bold, stubborn leadership of Admiral Isoruku Yamamoto, who was the driving force behind the concept and planning, to the final adoption of the operation, and its place in Japan's national strategy. It is an illuminating new look at one of the most infamous events in modern history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War II, Military History, Aviation

80 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[W]

Movie review

The movie with this title was based on Gordon W.Prange's book Tora ! Tora !Tora ! but I can't find it on goodreads.So,this one will have to make do.

Tora Tora Tora means complete surprise achieved.An unusual war film,which shows the bombing of Pearl Harbour from both sides.

It is a lengthy film,at times it drags.But it also has its share of interesting moments,especially when showing how unexpectedly the attack came for the Americans.

There is plenty of time given to the Japanese side.Wave after wave of Japanese Zeroes taking off from the aircraft carrier to launch the attack is a scene worth watching.

The declaration of war from Japan arrives after the attack,instead of before as intended.After the initial jubiliation,the mood in the Japanese camp becomes sombre.

3.5 stars

[Manolo González · Rating 5 out of 5]

For being a small book (80 pages more or less), it's pretty complete, a little bit of introduction, a full and detailed story of the attack, maps, numer of the planes, ships, damages, etc... It's a really good way to know a little more deeply about the attack.

[Mark Blane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A precision read on the planning, strategy and implementation of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. All of the information is organized in such a way that gives you a broad overview peppered with focused events within the attack itself. These Osprey Series Publications are simply brilliant.

This book would be a fantastic springboard into deeper reads on the Pearl Harbor attack and the war in the Pacific in general. I am such a fan of these series that I use them for other aspects of both World War I, and World War II. I have used them on the Roman wars, the Boer wars, the Falkland Island War, and the Vietnam War.

The reader will learn about the initial strategy, early planning, the plan itself of the attack, the raid which was divided into two separate air raids, the accounting of losses on both sides, and a great summation analysis tying up both the strategy failure but operational success of the Pearl Harbor attack.

You will leave the reading with a solid foundation of the attack and its impact in the rest of the War in the Pacific, with Japan's ultimate defeat.

[Phil Schuler · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book works if this is the first book one reads on the attack on Pearl Harbor. I, however, have been spoiled. I have already read Gordon Prange. One cannot compare the two. This is a taste and the Prange books are feasts. And this is not to take away from these authors. The history is solid. For me it was a bit dry. More of a recitation of facts than a narrative. Some historians have the narrative knack, some do not. That is not to take away from the scholarship. There was one other thing that bothered me. Throughout the book they had little tags that showed the timeline of the attack. For example, "0800 hrs first wave . . ." The problem was that it was out of synch with the writing. The same can be said for the photos - which I loved. The charts and graphs were great. As were the maps showing the flight paths, attack zones and position of ships and airfields. Overall I liked it but I have been spoiled by Prange. So again, my advice, read this first, whet your appetite and then tuck in for the Prange feast.

[Billy Leon · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I read this book the first time I did not give it a fair review. I thought that the book was clumsily put together and did not possess enough pertinent information about the Pearl Harbor attack of 1941. In reality, even with the brevity of this book, it is chock full of information that you might not find in another source. There are still several editing issues that can act as speed bumps when trying to digest the information presented. A further read of a more detailed source a reader might want to consult, but still, if you are looking to find out what happened? Who did it? and what was the result? This might be just what you are looking for.

[P.S. Winn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great look back at what happened and should never be allowed to happen again. I know there are a lot of stories of the Pearl Harbor attack, but this is one of my favorites.

[Leo Tak · Rating 4 out of 5]

good book. super fun

[Billy Leon · Rating 3 out of 5]

After a second read a decade later my opinion on this book changed a little. I guess initially reading a book on something as complex as the Pearl Harbor Raid, that only covered 77 written pages, seemed somewhat a weak effort. But what lies in between these pages packs a considerable punch. Still, it leaves the reader wondering just how much better it could have been, and how much more information it could contain with a larger manuscript. It wasn't a bad read it just didn't meet the expectations of what I expected. Then it would be impossible to relay all the political, military, and personal accounts within a 77-page format. The book basically comes across like a "Cliff Notes" version of the event itself. Equally disappointing were text and graphic flaws that should have been caught and corrected during the editing process. However, the book does contain some relevant historical and statistical information. If a reader is looking for a more in depth and detailed accounting, I still believe that Samuel Morison and Gordon Prange still deliver the better accounts. If time is short however, and you need to grasp what happened at Pearl Harbor, this book is a competent overview.

[Sean Chick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good entry, although not as good as other Stille works. There is very little about the American preparations. Indeed, Stille is arguably overly critical of Kimmel. This book also represents current scholarship, that is it is very critical of Yamamoto and the results of the raid. If it makes any new argument it is that Japanese planning and execution was poor, which is a bit of a whopper. Overall, this is Stille at his weakest and most myopic but still a good book.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another I read to learn more about the place I was visiting on vacation. I normally think of these Osprey book as a lot of good illustrations, more than the text, but this one was really great. Excellent text, data, and illustrations.