Pearl Harbor 1941: The day of infamy

Osprey Campaign #62

by Carl Smith, Jim Laurier (Illustrations)

December 7, 1941 was one of the single most decisive days of World War II (1939-1945) - the day that brought the USA into the fight. Six Japanese aircraft carriers disgorged their full complements in two waves on the superior US Pacific Fleet as it lay slumbering in Pearl Harbor. Depending on opposing viewpoints, the attack was either a brilliant maneuver of audacious strategy, or a piece of unparalleled villainy and deception by a supposedly friendly power. This revised edition, containing the latest research on the events of December 7, 1941, reveals several previously unknown aspects of the attack and dispels key myths that have been built up around the fateful day - a day, as Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared, that would "live in infamy".

Genres: History, Military History, World War II, American History, Nonfiction, Military Fiction

96 pages, Paperback

First published April 25, 2000

Reviews

[Joe Krakovsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

PEARL HARBOR 1941 was, much like the events of September 11, 2001, an event which galvanized the nation into going to war which some claimed was inevitable. A surprise attack shocked the nation which demanded answers, scapegoats, and retaliation. And it was coming.

Writing a review of such a historical event is impractical without giving spoilers. That said, a brief explanation is given for those who were daydreaming when this was covered in history class.

In 1941, and for decades before, the Western world feared Japanese expansion in China and the Pacific. Coming out of their feudal past, the Japanese had humiliated the Russian giant both on land and at sea in their war in 1904. Joining the Allies in World War I, Japan was rewarded with German colonies in the Pacific. In their ongoing wars with China they took more territory by conquest. In order to try and stop this aggression, the US, and others, put an embargo on the sale of scrap metal, and especially oil, to Japan. Instead of stopping the aggression the embargo merely drove the militarist government in Japan to attempt to take what they needed by conquest. Deciding on war, the famed Japanese Admiral Yamamoto drew up plans for an attack on the US Pacific fleet concentrated at Pearl Harbor. He was quoted with two sayings. The first was that he, meaning the Japanese armed forces, would run wild through the Pacific for six months. The other was that after the successful attack on Pearl Harbor he feared that all they did was awaken a sleeping giant. Both quotes proved quite prophetic.

Without a declaration of war, the combined Japanese carrier air fleets attacked Pearl Harbor early on a Sunday morning, catching the defenses off guard. A newly installed radar station at Pearl had picked up the approaching Japanese aircraft which were mistaken for a flight of US B-17s flying in from the mainland. A small Japanese mini-sub was fired upon and sunk outside the harbor before the attack. Code breakers in the US were deciphering parts of Japanese secret messages. Through a bad comedy of errors, the US command at Pearl failed to receive the warnings until after the attack. The US Admiral Kimmel and Army General Short got the blame for the disaster.

This book gives a lot of information usually found in a book of maybe 300 to 400 pages or more. Of course there are plenty of illustrations and maps. There is a chronology. US and Japanese orders of battle are given, which gives a detailed account of ships and planes available, as well as losses. Organizational tables are included. Advice is given for those who wish to visit the USS Arizona memorial, which receives over one and a half million visitors each year.

I highly recommend this book.

[Martin Koenigsberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great compact guide to the Japanese Attack on Hawaii that started America's WWII. This book is a little bit longer than the usual Osprey Guide, as I think they wanted the reader to be able to use it as a history, wargaming guide -and personal guide to the location if you want to visit. I think they cover their bases well and really felt the history come alive on the page. They give the proper respect to the ingenuity of the Japanese attackers, the American Military defenders' resolution and heroism - and the poor Civilian Hawaiian population caught in the violence.

There's a little bit of why- but this book is really about the How. We get a quick understanding of the peacetime habits on the bases (the book covers all the attacks - not just that on the harbor) and then we follow the two Waves of Japanese aircraft as they do a really good job of destroying America's Pacific Fleet in its slips. As we already know- they get a high percentage of the surface navy, but miss the all important Carrier- and fail to destroy the Fuel Oil reserves Task force 58 would use to fight back. The gallant effort of the Americans to save their ships and keep the harbor unclogged are all chronicled, albeit efficiently. It's a pretty complete job.

With little gore and few adult concepts discussed, this is a fine book for a Junior reader over about Nine. For the Gamer/Modeller/Military Enthusiast this book is a great resource. The section on Wargaming the Battle is great with a lot of great ideas that would probably play out. The guide for visits looks good enough that I am keeping it for my own visit upcoming. And the many B/w Pictures/Maps/Diagrams/Graphs fill in in the story really well- with a few really compelling Colour paintings to bring it to life. I really feel the authors hit the mark with this one- you will not go wrong. I think it may entice me to read a little more on this topic- there's a good bibliography for that too.

[Станислав · Rating 3 out of 5]

Сидящая утка
Не раз слышал, что Перл-Харбор был организован по замыслам американского правительства, которым нужно было получить рану, достаточную для того, чтобы сдвинуть американское общество в сторону войны. Но не настолько сильную, чтобы это ослабило флот. Действительно, американские авианосцы не пострадали. В любом случае, американская администрация политически сделал многое для конфликта с японцами. Японцев, с их идиотической идеей "пан-Азиатской сферой взаимного процветания" это, конечно не оправдывает. Японцы до сих пор находились под гипнозом своей потрясающей победы в Русско-Японской войне. Сначала устроить американцам Порт-Артур, потом переждать и захватить земли и моря, потом воспользоваться неосмотрительностью врага и поймать его на контратаке - устроить Цусиму. Умные головы в Японии понимали, что США 40-х не чета Российской Империи начала века и производственные мощности США просто сомнут Японский флот. В самой атаке дурную шутку сыграла и самурайская гордость японцев: пилоты пытались поразить линкоры, хотя могли нанести больший ущерб поражая меньшие корабли. Американские авианосцы не пострадали. Многие героически отбивались, несмотря на внезапность атаки. Японцы выиграли время. Но Цусимы не вышло - это их поймали в Мидуэй.
Это неплохая книга, хороша для деталей, но больше пользы мне было посмотреть видео на Ютуб с разбором сражения.
https://youtu.be/f6cz9gtMTeI?si=Aykhn...

[Robert Hepple · Rating 3 out of 5]

Published in 2009, 'Pearl Harbor 1941 - The day of infamy' is a short guide to the events of the Japanese attack of December 7, 1941. There are some fine supporting photos, as well as excellent maps and diagrams covering the fine details of timescales and areas targeted by the attack, but the supporting text tries way to hard to avoid any vaguely contentious. Informative.

[Blogul · Rating 1 out of 5]

superficială, haotică, pompos-patriotardă, americano-centrică. Iar la ed. Litera, și prost tradusă de celebrul traducător Graal Soft...

[Marcus Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good illustrations, key details of the situation of both sides, and the way the book is written all left me satisfied

[Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you like poring over dictionary entries, annual reports, or cereal boxes you'll love Smith's short, well illustrated, and remarkably detailed account of the Japanese attack on Oahu. I learned that bombs fell all over the island on December 7, 1941 from Haleiwa to Honolulu, from Kaneohe to Barbers Point. I also learned that after the attack many American commanders requested courts martial in the hopes of exonerating themselves from the blame of having been so thoroughly surprised by the Japanese. And I learned that the trigger finger of the gloves worn by Japanese bomber pilots was made of deer skin.

Smith's style is listy, at times pompous, and generally hard to settle in to. But the information his book presents may make your next visit to Pearl Harbor, or Kaneohe, or Wahiawa, or Schofield Barracks a lot more interesting.

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another in the excellent series of historical books from Osprey, this one dealing with the attack on Pearl Harbor. As to be expected from an Osprey book, there are loads of photos, excellent information, and precise maps drawn showing the various stages of the attack. There's also a timeline and an analysis of the various military commanders on both sides of the battle.

[Indah Threez Lestari · Rating 4 out of 5]

218th - 2011

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent book with a decent telling of the events of the day. Marred by some typos and misinformaiton.

[Rob Markley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did a good enough job of telling the story. Wanted to know more after visiting Hawaii and this was my choice

[Sean Chick · Rating 3 out of 5]

The narrative is clumsy and Smith gets some facts wrong. Three stars is for the paintings and in particular the excellent maps.