Day of Infamy

Rating:
Summary: A Classic Account of December 7th
Review: Popular author and historian Walter Lord has written an excellent book dealing with the attack on Pearl Harbor. This book is different from others on the subject because it deals strictly with the attack itself instead of covering the events leading up to the attack. It wasn't written to be an all-encompassing book about diplomatic manuvering and behind-the-scenes negotiations. Lord's purpose was to describe the attack itself, and he accomplishes his thesis very well. Lord starts his story in the early morning hours of December 7 describing the last night of peace in Hawaii. Many of the servicemen had been attending parties and dances like any other Saturday night. There was no inkling of the impending attack.

Lord does an excellent job of describing the events from both an American and Japanese perspective. Extreme attention is paid to the preparation of the Japanese pilots and crews. He also describes the conditions in Honolulu and aboard the ships anchored in Pearl Harbor. Many of the sailors were returning to their ships from a night out,while others were planning to spend a lazy Sunday ashore. Civillian accounts of the attack are also included in the narrative.

In the span of approximately two hours, the Japanese severely crippled the U.S Pacific Fleet. Over 2000 service personnel were killed and many hundreds more injured. Scores of airplanes were destroyed, and many ships sunk or damaged. (However, the only ships that were complete losses were the Arizona, Oklahoma, and Utah. All others were repaired and returned to service later in the war). Japanese losses were light; twenty nine aircraft shot down and five midget submarines sunk.

This book does an excellent job of describing the attack itself. I've read dozens of books about Pearl Harbor, and I would rate this as one of the best. However, I caution the reader that this book deals strictly with the attack itself. For information about the diplomatic aspect of the attack, I would recommend Gordon Prange's "At Dawn We Slept".

Rating:
Summary: A Classic Account of December 7th
Review: Popular author and historian Walter Lord has written an excellent book dealing with the attack on Pearl Harbor. This book is different from others on the subject because it deals strictly with the attack itself instead of covering the events leading up to the attack. It wasn't written to be an all-encompassing book about diplomatic manuvering and behind-the-scenes negotiations. Lord's purpose was to describe the attack itself, and he accomplishes his thesis very well. Lord starts his story in the early morning hours of December 7 describing the last night of peace in Hawaii. Many of the servicemen had been attending parties and dances like any other Saturday night. There was no inkling of the impending attack.

Lord does an excellent job of describing the events from both an American and Japanese perspective. Extreme attention is paid to the preparation of the Japanese pilots and crews. He also describes the conditions in Honolulu and aboard the ships anchored in Pearl Harbor. Many of the sailors were returning to their ships from a night out,while others were planning to spend a lazy Sunday ashore. Civillian accounts of the attack are also included in the narrative.

In the span of approximately two hours, the Japanese severely crippled the U.S Pacific Fleet. Over 2000 service personnel were killed and many hundreds more injured. Scores of airplanes were destroyed, and many ships sunk or damaged. (However, the only ships that were complete losses were the Arizona, Oklahoma, and Utah. All others were repaired and returned to service later in the war). Japanese losses were light; twenty nine aircraft shot down and five midget submarines sunk.

This book does an excellent job of describing the attack itself. I've read dozens of books about Pearl Harbor, and I would rate this as one of the best. However, I caution the reader that this book deals strictly with the attack itself. For information about the diplomatic aspect of the attack, I would recommend Gordon Prange's "At Dawn We Slept".

Rating:
Summary: You will not find a better account
Review: Walter Lord is a master in what he does.He tells it like it was and tries not to get to technical.Its a simple and easy read that pretty much tells you what you want to know from the men that were on that DAY in history.Just like A Night To Remember another classic.

Rating:
Summary: Most exciting account of the attack on Pearl Harbor
Review: Walter Lord's vivid, compelling description of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor stands alone among World War Two non-fiction. The student of Pearl Harbor will gain a sense of what being there during the attack was like; the casual reader will be gripped by the true-to-life drama that Lord describes. The third chapter, "I can't keep throwing things at them", is possibly the most exciting combat narrative ever written. Although Prange presents the scholarly approach to the study of Pearl Harbor, "Day of Infamy" is possibly the best way to understand the fog of battle that surrounded that first day of America at War. This book, which reads easily and quickly, is a page-turner, plain and simple. One can never forget "Day of Infamy", and one never should.