Pearl Harbor: Japan's Attack and America's Entry into World War II

by Takuma Melber, Nick Somers (Translator)

Hawaii, 7th December 1941, shortly before 8 in the Japanese torpedo bombers launch a surprise attack on the US Pacific fleet anchored in Pearl Harbor. The devastating attack claims the lives of over 2,400 American soldiers, sinks or damages 18 ships and destroys nearly 350 aircraft. The US Congress declares war on Japan the following day. 

In this vivid and lively book, Takuma Melber breathes new life into the dramatic events that unfolded before, during and after Pearl Harbor by putting the perspective of the Japanese attackers at the centre of his account. This is the dimension commonly missing in most other histories of Pearl Harbor, and it gives Melber the opportunity to provide a fuller, more definitive and authoritative account of the battle, its background and its consequences. Melber sheds new light on the long negotiations that went on between the Japanese and Americans in 1941, and the confusion and argument among the Japanese political and military elite. He shows how US intelligence and military leaders in Washington failed to interpret correctly the information they had and to draw the necessary conclusions about the Japanese war intentions in advance of the attack. His account of the battle itself is informed by the latest research and benefits from including the planning and post-raid assessment by the Japanese commanders. His account also covers the second raid in March 1942 by two long-range seaplanes which was intended to destroy the shipyards so that ships damaged in the initial attack could not be repaired. 

This balanced and thoroughly researched book deepens our understanding of the battle that precipitated America’s entry into the war and it will appeal to anyone interested in World War II and military history.

Genres: History

200 pages, Hardcover

Published December 3, 2020

Reviews

[Catherine Boldurat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This rating comes from not having read a whole load of books on the subject matter. I found this book engaging and easy to follow. I would have probably liked a few more diagrams just to make it more accessible, but this was a minor point.

This book definitely gave me a better understanding of the events that took place at Pearl Harbor, and I would be interested to read more about the pacifc front during WW2.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about Pearl Harbor, especially as this book gives the Japanese perspective.

[Urey Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

The selling point for me regarding this book was the promise of the Japanese perspective of the Pearl Harbor attack, its planning, execution and aftermath. What it turned out to be is a relatively anodyne narration of the event with some awkward syntax a (probably a function of being translated from the original German) and some errors - for one example, the final devastating explosion of the USS Arizona was the result of a bomb strike, not a torpedo. The US Navy has no such rank or assignment as "First Officer" (I do think the German navy does). That said, the narrative of the pre-attack diplomatic maneuverings and differing national concerns (US and Japanese) is interesting, and approached largely from the Japanese side. Also, the Japanese decision making in the aftermath of the attack that led to Nagumo withdrawing rather than ordering follow-on attacks is excellent, and clears up a lot of misconceptions. Ultimately, this is a good addition to Pearl Harbor literature - not a great one.

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was OK. It definitely gave a Japanese point of view, but it didn't really offer any new information on the attack itself, and even the section on the planning of the attack kind of felt like more of the same. The best part of the book was the first section, the lead-up, and getting to read about that from a Japanese POV. It really made me wonder what might have happened had Yamamoto survived the war, and generally gave me a perception of poor Japanese inter-department communication at times. And the book reinforced just how poorly prepared America was. I was also really worried the book would deny a lot of Japan's atrocities, but it did not; it took a very "Japan was wrong/messed up" approach.

[Dan Hyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a quick read at 183 pages plus footnotes.

It's interesting reading the road to Pearl Harbor written by a Japanese historian. It covers the attack and the 6 months prior to the attack. It discusses roles and actions taken by the hawkish politicians, the less hawkish politicians, the emperor, the army and the navy.

I don't think that there are any revelations here, but it's interesting to see the interactions in more detail than you normally hear about from the American perspective.

The last 1/3 of the book also covers the actual attack.

[Arthur Rohloff · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first two chapters, dealing with the geopolitical background to the war and the planning of the attack, are very good. The third chapter on the actual attack has some strong points, but also suffers from some glaring errors and confusion at times. The fourth chapter on the aftermath reads like a quick afterthought.

[Aaron Champagne · Rating 4 out of 5]

2/3 of this work details the honest efforts of a handful of Japanese diplomats to avert conflict only to discover how far out-of-the-loop they really were. The final 1/3 was a solid accounting of the attack itself and its consequences. Wanted to give this 3.5 stars (diplomatic account began to drag)

[Aidan Wood · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5