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Pearl Harbor
In December 1941, the Japanese launched a surprise attack on the US naval base in Hawaii. Three hundred and sixty planes of Admiral Nagumo’s fleet set out for Oahu island where they caught the US Pacific fleet moored in Pearl Harbor. Of the 8 battleships present, 3 were sunk, another capsized and the remainder seriously damaged. Three light cruisers, 3 destroyers and other vessels were also sunk or seriously damaged. Of the 500 US planes present only 220 were reparable. By all rights, US forces should have expected the attack – the breaking of the Japanese codes had provided them with ample intelligence saying the attack was imminent. Their failure to do so resulted in one of the greatest disasters in US military history, and a shocking introduction to the war. This book, by acclaimed historian HP Willmott, is a brand new look at this historic battle
80 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2001
About the author
H.P. Willmott
42 books17 followersHedley Paul "Ned" Willmott was a widely published military historian, author, former Senior Lecturer at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, and a fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He earned B.A. and M.A. degrees in modern history and politics from Liverpool University and a Ph.D. from the University of London in 1991.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 7, 2023
Another rescued book from ???? In keeping with my current WWII naval theme I started to check this on out at lunch today as I'm getting near the end of "Tin Cans ...." When I was in the Navy in Hawaii back in 68-69 I visited Pearl a number of times but was not stationed there. I went there mostly to shop the exchange - looking for new records - so cheap! My favorite Pearl Harbor feature was the open-air movie theater. Kind of like an ancient Greek amphitheater. I only went once that I remember, and saw "The Quiller Memorandum." I was lying on the beach behind my North Shore apartment one day when a plane went zipping over at low altitude. It had a big red meatball under the wing and I had a very weird feeling for a moment. Then I remembered that they were shooting some scenes for "Tora! Tora! Tora!" at the time ...
Finished last night in short order as the book is mostly pictures. Still, the text is informative and interesting but there are certainly other books out there that give a more detailed account. The final part of the text makes some interesting points as to why PH both was and wasn't the big deal it's cracked up to be - naval strategy-wise.
- The author neglects to account for the airfield at Mokuleia on the North Shore in his list of active(1941) Oahu military airfields.
Finished last night in short order as the book is mostly pictures. Still, the text is informative and interesting but there are certainly other books out there that give a more detailed account. The final part of the text makes some interesting points as to why PH both was and wasn't the big deal it's cracked up to be - naval strategy-wise.
- The author neglects to account for the airfield at Mokuleia on the North Shore in his list of active(1941) Oahu military airfields.
September 27, 2012
American readers might find this book a bit hard to take. Some might label it "revisionist".
Willmott treats not only WHAT happened at Pearl Harbour, but also delves deeply into WHY the attack occurred.
Whether or not Willmott's conclusions about the reasons for the attack resonate with you will probably affect your rating of this book. Personally, I was disturbed on discovering just how popular the attack was in Japan. I was also disturbed by the fact that any author would attempt to justify, even tacitly, what occurred on 7th December 1941.
I thought long and hard before giving this book 4 stars. However, honesty is the best policy, even if an author is saying some things I don't want to hear.
Willmott treats not only WHAT happened at Pearl Harbour, but also delves deeply into WHY the attack occurred.
Whether or not Willmott's conclusions about the reasons for the attack resonate with you will probably affect your rating of this book. Personally, I was disturbed on discovering just how popular the attack was in Japan. I was also disturbed by the fact that any author would attempt to justify, even tacitly, what occurred on 7th December 1941.
I thought long and hard before giving this book 4 stars. However, honesty is the best policy, even if an author is saying some things I don't want to hear.
December 19, 2017
Pearl Harbor by H.P. Willmott is one of the best books that i have read as it goes into deep detail about the horrendous attack, the events leading up to the attack, and a general overview of the war in the pacific. One of my favorite parts of the book was that it goes into detail about the events leading up to the attack. For example I found out that japan was expanding into china against the wishes of the united states. The united states responded by placing an oil embargo on japan. This was devastating to japan because oil and other resources were badly needed. I found out that the true motive for the attack was to get the oil stored in Pearl Harbor and to make sure that the United Stated could not fight back. Willmott`s organization was brilliant because he discussed the main topics in order. For example he talked about the circumstances leading up to the attack before he talked about the actual attack
Another thing that i really liked was the technology referenced in the book. For example Willmott talked about the airplanes used by japan to attack and the planes used by the united states to attack. However what i found most touching was the fact that Willmott really cared about the victims of the attack and the effect that the attack would have on society. For example Willmott stated."very occasionly there is an event when, to use the description that has come down to us through the centuries, the world turns". This shows that Willmott realizes the devastating effect that Peral Harbor would have on society. Willmott also said that "Pearl harbor, and the second world war in general retains a very special place in american thinking". This quote shows that Willmott cares deeply about the victims of the attack. These are the reasons why i think that Pearl Harbor by H.P. Willmott is a great book.
Another thing that i really liked was the technology referenced in the book. For example Willmott talked about the airplanes used by japan to attack and the planes used by the united states to attack. However what i found most touching was the fact that Willmott really cared about the victims of the attack and the effect that the attack would have on society. For example Willmott stated."very occasionly there is an event when, to use the description that has come down to us through the centuries, the world turns". This shows that Willmott realizes the devastating effect that Peral Harbor would have on society. Willmott also said that "Pearl harbor, and the second world war in general retains a very special place in american thinking". This quote shows that Willmott cares deeply about the victims of the attack. These are the reasons why i think that Pearl Harbor by H.P. Willmott is a great book.
February 23, 2018
Great book
May 6, 2015
Read this slim book on the flight over the Pacific to Hawaii. Vivid and well-written; fast but not too skimpy. It was perfect for getting quickly up to speed on the events of December 7, 1941, and made my day-long tour of Pearl Harbor a hundred times richer. If you're in a time crunch (like, an hour), then catch this book.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews