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Pearl: December 7, 1941
"The account that Butler lays out is very clear and easy to follow. It provides a series of dramatic moments and hits all the key elements of the story of Pearl Harbor that have appeared in the existing literature."―The Northern Mariner
What happened at Pearl Harbor?
What really happened?
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor is one of those rare moments where, in the space of a few hours, the "hinge of Fate" turned and the course of history was utterly changed. Nearly eight decades later, it has become one of those events which almost everyone knows of, but hardly anyone seems to know about. How—and why—did the Empire of Japan and the United States of America collide on blood and flames that Sunday morning when the sun rose and the bombs fell?
December 7, 1941 is the story of how America and Japan, two nations with seemingly little over which to quarrel, let peace slip away, so that on that "day which will live in infamy," more than 350 dive bombers, high-level bombers, torpedo planes, and fighters of the Imperial Japanese Navy did their best to cripple the United States Navy's Pacific Fleet, killing 2,403 American servicemen and civilians, and wounding another 1,178.
It's a story of emperors and presidents, diplomats and politicians, admirals and generals—and it's also the tale of ordinary sailors, soldiers, and airmen, all of whom were overtaken by a rush of events that ultimately overwhelmed them. Pearl shows the real reasons why the America's political and military leaders underestimated Japan's threat against America's security, and why their Japanese counterparts ultimately felt compelled to launch the Pearl Harbor attack.
Pearl offers more than superficial answers, showing how both sides blundered their way through arrogance, overconfidence, racism, bigotry, and old-fashioned human error to arrive at the moment when the Japanese were convinced that there was no alternative to war. Once the battle is joined, Pearl then takes the reader into the heart of the attack, where the fighting men of both nations showed that neither side had a monopoly on heroism, courage, cowardice, or luck, as they fought to protect their nations.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Prologue Dawn at Pearl
Chapter 1 The Rising Sun
Chapter 2 The Sleeping Giant
Chapter 3 Men, Ships, Plans, and Planes
Chapter 4 MAGIC and the Color Purple
Chapter 5 “Climb Mount Niitaka”
Chapter 6 “To-ra! To-ra! To-ra!”
Chapter 7 “THIS IS NOT DRILL!”
Chapter 8 “A Devastating Sight...”
Chapter 9 Inferno
Chapter 10 Shock and Awe
Chapter 11 Retribution...
Chapter 12 ... and Reckoning
Epilogue The Ship that Weeps for her Dead
Appendix I Imperial Japanese Navy “Hawaii Operation" Order of Battle, December 7, 1941
Appendix II United States Armed Forces Order of Battle Pearl Harbor and Oahu, December 7, 1941
Notes
Bibliography and Sources
What happened at Pearl Harbor?
What really happened?
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor is one of those rare moments where, in the space of a few hours, the "hinge of Fate" turned and the course of history was utterly changed. Nearly eight decades later, it has become one of those events which almost everyone knows of, but hardly anyone seems to know about. How—and why—did the Empire of Japan and the United States of America collide on blood and flames that Sunday morning when the sun rose and the bombs fell?
December 7, 1941 is the story of how America and Japan, two nations with seemingly little over which to quarrel, let peace slip away, so that on that "day which will live in infamy," more than 350 dive bombers, high-level bombers, torpedo planes, and fighters of the Imperial Japanese Navy did their best to cripple the United States Navy's Pacific Fleet, killing 2,403 American servicemen and civilians, and wounding another 1,178.
It's a story of emperors and presidents, diplomats and politicians, admirals and generals—and it's also the tale of ordinary sailors, soldiers, and airmen, all of whom were overtaken by a rush of events that ultimately overwhelmed them. Pearl shows the real reasons why the America's political and military leaders underestimated Japan's threat against America's security, and why their Japanese counterparts ultimately felt compelled to launch the Pearl Harbor attack.
Pearl offers more than superficial answers, showing how both sides blundered their way through arrogance, overconfidence, racism, bigotry, and old-fashioned human error to arrive at the moment when the Japanese were convinced that there was no alternative to war. Once the battle is joined, Pearl then takes the reader into the heart of the attack, where the fighting men of both nations showed that neither side had a monopoly on heroism, courage, cowardice, or luck, as they fought to protect their nations.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Prologue Dawn at Pearl
Chapter 1 The Rising Sun
Chapter 2 The Sleeping Giant
Chapter 3 Men, Ships, Plans, and Planes
Chapter 4 MAGIC and the Color Purple
Chapter 5 “Climb Mount Niitaka”
Chapter 6 “To-ra! To-ra! To-ra!”
Chapter 7 “THIS IS NOT DRILL!”
Chapter 8 “A Devastating Sight...”
Chapter 9 Inferno
Chapter 10 Shock and Awe
Chapter 11 Retribution...
Chapter 12 ... and Reckoning
Epilogue The Ship that Weeps for her Dead
Appendix I Imperial Japanese Navy “Hawaii Operation" Order of Battle, December 7, 1941
Appendix II United States Armed Forces Order of Battle Pearl Harbor and Oahu, December 7, 1941
Notes
Bibliography and Sources
360 pages, Hardcover
First published June 28, 2017
19 people are currently reading
75 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Allen Butler
21 books27 followersDaniel Allen Butler is a maritime and military historian, the author (through September 2011) of nine books. Some of his previous works include Unsinkable: the Full Story of RMS Titanic (1998); Distant Victory: The Battle of Jutland and the Allied Triumph in the First World War (2006); The Age of Cunard (2003); The Other Side of the Night: The Carpathia, theCalifornian, and the Night the Titanic was Lost (2009); The Burden of Guilt: How Germany Shattered the Last Days of Peace, Summer 1914 (2010); and Shadow of the Sultan’s Realm: the Destruction of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East (2011).
Educated at Hope College, Grand Valley State University, and the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Butler served in the United States Army before becoming a full-time author. He is an internationally recognized authority on maritime subjects and a popular guest speaker, having given presentations at the National Archives in Washington, DC, the Mariners’ Museum, and in the United Kingdom. He has also been frequently included in the on-board enrichment series of Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth 2 andQueen Mary 2, as well as the ships of the Royal Caribbean and Norwegian cruise lines.
Butler is currently at work on three new projects: The Field Marshal, a biography of Erwin Rommel; The Last Field of Glory: Waterloo, 1815, a history of the Hundred Days; and But for Freedom Alone, the story of the Declaration of Arbroath.
A self-proclaimed “semi-professional beach bum,” Butler divides what little time he spends away from his writing between wandering long stretches of warm, sandy beaches, his love of woodworking, his passion for British sports cars, and his fascination with building model ships. After living and working in Los Angeles, California, for several years, Butler has recently relocated—permanently, he hopes!—to Atlantic Beach, Florida, where the beaches are better.
Educated at Hope College, Grand Valley State University, and the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Butler served in the United States Army before becoming a full-time author. He is an internationally recognized authority on maritime subjects and a popular guest speaker, having given presentations at the National Archives in Washington, DC, the Mariners’ Museum, and in the United Kingdom. He has also been frequently included in the on-board enrichment series of Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth 2 andQueen Mary 2, as well as the ships of the Royal Caribbean and Norwegian cruise lines.
Butler is currently at work on three new projects: The Field Marshal, a biography of Erwin Rommel; The Last Field of Glory: Waterloo, 1815, a history of the Hundred Days; and But for Freedom Alone, the story of the Declaration of Arbroath.
A self-proclaimed “semi-professional beach bum,” Butler divides what little time he spends away from his writing between wandering long stretches of warm, sandy beaches, his love of woodworking, his passion for British sports cars, and his fascination with building model ships. After living and working in Los Angeles, California, for several years, Butler has recently relocated—permanently, he hopes!—to Atlantic Beach, Florida, where the beaches are better.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 4, 2026
Genuinely learned so much from reading this book, even despite my prior knowledge. After visiting Pearl Harbor, it’s crazy to think about what transpired there and to be able to see it all in person.
October 23, 2024
4 stars for content and minus 1 star for poor editing and some factual errors.
I'll let other reviews stand for the positives of the book and I'll mention some quibbles. I'm a careful reader but far from a WWII expert and I managed to catch these errors:
The book dates the German invasion of France as May 10, 1941 and France's capitulation as occurring in late July.
The book says that members of the Arizona band were smarting from being knocked out of the "Battle of the Bands" the previous night by Pennsylvania. This competition was actually called the "Battle of Music", and while the Arizona band attended the competition that night, they were not competing. They had already secured a spot in the finals in a previous competition.
The map of ship locations in the harbor on the day of the attack shows the USS Honolulu in the wrong spot, despite the text specifically discussing its location relative to the St. Louis.
I always like first person accounts, but sometimes they get a bit shallow in this book. One account was a single sentence that amounted to ‘this serviceman woke up when bombs began exploding and planes began strafing.” I thought this maybe an odd introduction to a point of view that would be taken up again at a later time, as many books do, but the serviceman was never mentioned again.
Beyond that, the book has many missing words, double words, and typos, some of which are rather unfortunate. Hull's dramatic quote to Nomura in response to Japan's final diplomatic message has a typo, and at least one serviceman's name is misspelled. The curious thing about the typos in this book is that the majority of them would be caught by any modern word processor as either spelling or grammatical errors.
I'll let other reviews stand for the positives of the book and I'll mention some quibbles. I'm a careful reader but far from a WWII expert and I managed to catch these errors:
The book dates the German invasion of France as May 10, 1941 and France's capitulation as occurring in late July.
The book says that members of the Arizona band were smarting from being knocked out of the "Battle of the Bands" the previous night by Pennsylvania. This competition was actually called the "Battle of Music", and while the Arizona band attended the competition that night, they were not competing. They had already secured a spot in the finals in a previous competition.
The map of ship locations in the harbor on the day of the attack shows the USS Honolulu in the wrong spot, despite the text specifically discussing its location relative to the St. Louis.
I always like first person accounts, but sometimes they get a bit shallow in this book. One account was a single sentence that amounted to ‘this serviceman woke up when bombs began exploding and planes began strafing.” I thought this maybe an odd introduction to a point of view that would be taken up again at a later time, as many books do, but the serviceman was never mentioned again.
Beyond that, the book has many missing words, double words, and typos, some of which are rather unfortunate. Hull's dramatic quote to Nomura in response to Japan's final diplomatic message has a typo, and at least one serviceman's name is misspelled. The curious thing about the typos in this book is that the majority of them would be caught by any modern word processor as either spelling or grammatical errors.
January 26, 2022
Apparently, readers like me cannot get enough of Pearl Harbor and military historians like Daniel Allen Butler continue to provide us with more about the darkest day in US military history. The focus of Butler’s book is to provide a look at the attack through the eyes and of the people that were in Hawaii on December 7, 1941. In this the book succeeds admirably and manages to do that in only 320 pages.
There are very few things about Pearl Harbor that haven’t been widely disseminated in the many other books on the subject. A brief glance to my bookshelf shows Prange, Leyton, Toll, Nelson and others, but Butler manages to cut to the chase quickly and explain why 6 Japanese aircraft carriers were doing north of Hawaii on that morning. The principles, such as Kimmel, Short, Yamamoto and others are given their due, but the many ordinary sailors and airmen are the real heroes of the book. The actual actions of many who are thrown in battle with no notice really make this a fascinating read for me.
Butler mostly stays away from passing judgement on people, but he does assign most of the blame of the attack to General Short as well as his superiors in Washington. Kimmel does not get a free pass, but his errors are judged to be less severe especially in light of the fact that information was withheld from him.
The actions and motives of the Japanese are also laid open, but Nagumo’s reluctance to launch a third attack is explained in detail. The actual attack is my favorite part of the book and Butler does an excellent job in describing the actions of the many sailors and marines on the ships where so many fought and died. The chapter on Midway seemed too short to do justice for such a complex battle and was the weakest part of the book. The writing style was also quite dry in a few places, but overall this book is certainly a worthy addition to anybody that is interested in Pearl Harbor.
There are very few things about Pearl Harbor that haven’t been widely disseminated in the many other books on the subject. A brief glance to my bookshelf shows Prange, Leyton, Toll, Nelson and others, but Butler manages to cut to the chase quickly and explain why 6 Japanese aircraft carriers were doing north of Hawaii on that morning. The principles, such as Kimmel, Short, Yamamoto and others are given their due, but the many ordinary sailors and airmen are the real heroes of the book. The actual actions of many who are thrown in battle with no notice really make this a fascinating read for me.
Butler mostly stays away from passing judgement on people, but he does assign most of the blame of the attack to General Short as well as his superiors in Washington. Kimmel does not get a free pass, but his errors are judged to be less severe especially in light of the fact that information was withheld from him.
The actions and motives of the Japanese are also laid open, but Nagumo’s reluctance to launch a third attack is explained in detail. The actual attack is my favorite part of the book and Butler does an excellent job in describing the actions of the many sailors and marines on the ships where so many fought and died. The chapter on Midway seemed too short to do justice for such a complex battle and was the weakest part of the book. The writing style was also quite dry in a few places, but overall this book is certainly a worthy addition to anybody that is interested in Pearl Harbor.
March 21, 2022
Quality Overview Of A Bad Day
I’ve read a lot about the Day of Infamy - including “At Dawn We Slept” by Gordon Prange and Mitsuo Fuchida’s account, so I thought it had all been written.
This book provides a narrative overview for those who never read about the attack, but also provides some material I’d never encountered.
Americans should never forget the lessons of Dec. 7, 1941, or those who put their lives on the line.
This book adds to the legacy.
I’ve read a lot about the Day of Infamy - including “At Dawn We Slept” by Gordon Prange and Mitsuo Fuchida’s account, so I thought it had all been written.
This book provides a narrative overview for those who never read about the attack, but also provides some material I’d never encountered.
Americans should never forget the lessons of Dec. 7, 1941, or those who put their lives on the line.
This book adds to the legacy.
March 28, 2022
Excellent read and use of source materials
I didn't expect this book to be as riveting as it is. I was pleasantly surprised to find this well researched book to be equally well written.
If you're a student of World War II history, this is a book worthy of your time. It explains the events leading up do the attack and beyond. You'll receive more than your money's worth from this book.
I didn't expect this book to be as riveting as it is. I was pleasantly surprised to find this well researched book to be equally well written.
If you're a student of World War II history, this is a book worthy of your time. It explains the events leading up do the attack and beyond. You'll receive more than your money's worth from this book.
June 16, 2024
A highly detailed retelling of the events leading to the attack on Pearl harbor, the economics of it, and the Japanese militarism that made the conflict almost inevitable. At times the sheer volume of names and dates can be hard to follow.. One of the best explanations I've read of the precursors of the attack and the plans of it I've ever seen. The book also includes information about the battle of Midway, and it's effect on the war.
Well written and detailed, it is a very good history and should be read by anyone with an interest in the history of WWII in the Pacific.
Well written and detailed, it is a very good history and should be read by anyone with an interest in the history of WWII in the Pacific.
December 14, 2021
Very detailed retelling of the lead up to, the day and a short history of the aftermath of Dec 7 1941. If you like details this book is for you. If not it may not be worth your time.
March 22, 2022
Very Good Book
I've read many books on Pearl Harbor, this added more insight and still learn something new, and enjoy the personal stories of that day and after. Very good read.
I've read many books on Pearl Harbor, this added more insight and still learn something new, and enjoy the personal stories of that day and after. Very good read.
December 20, 2022
Excellent
Mr. Butler, you are to be commended on a job well done.
I particularly enjoyed reading the stories of the people involved.
Mr. Butler, you are to be commended on a job well done.
I particularly enjoyed reading the stories of the people involved.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews