The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941. The attack led to the United States' entry into World War II. The attack was intended as a preventive action in order to keep the U.S. Pacific Fleet from interfering with military actions the Empire of Japan was planning in Southeast Asia against overseas territories of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and the United States. There were simultaneous Japanese attacks on the U.S.-held Philippines and on the British Empire in Malaya, Singapore, and Hong Kong. The base was attacked by 353 Japanese fighters, bombers and torpedo planes in two waves, launched from six aircraft carriers. All eight U.S. Navy battleships were damaged, with four being sunk. The Japanese also sank or damaged three cruisers, three destroyers, an anti-aircraft training ship, and one minelayer. 188 U.S. aircraft were destroyed; 2,402 Americans were killed and 1,282 wounded. The attack came as a profound shock to the American people and led directly to the American entry into World War II in both the Pacific and European theaters. The following day, the United States declared war on Japan. There were numerous historical precedents for unannounced military action by Japan. However, the lack of any formal warning, particularly while negotiations were still apparently ongoing, led President Franklin D. Roosevelt to proclaim December 7, 1941, "a date which will live in infamy." The authors chronicle the events at Pearl Harbor.

This book is part of the Marines in World War II Commemorative Series. Official records of the Marine Corps and appropriate historical works were utilized in compiling this chronicle. The authors chronicle the events at Pearl Harbor.

A Pitiful, Unholy Mess is a detailed combat narrative of the 7 December 1941 Japanese attacks on O'ahu's Wheeler, Bellows, and Haleiwa Fields. Since these bases comprised O'ahu's fighter defenses, the Japanese needed to neutralize these bases (particularly Wheeler Field) to prevent U.S. aircraft from interfering with attacks on the Pacific Fleet. Although the loss of life at the three fields was less than that sustained by the Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, the attacks caused destruction and mayhem that proved disastrous and wrenching. The work focuses on descriptions of actions in the air and on the ground at the deepest practical tactical level, from both the U.S. and Japanese perspectives. Such synthesis is possible only by doggedly pursuing every conceivable source of American documents, reminiscences, interviews, and photographs. Similarly, the authors sought out Japanese accounts and photography from the attacks, many appearing in print for the first time. Much information from the reports of the Japanese air groups and the aircraft carrier Shokaku has never been used. On the American side, the authors also have researched the U.S. Army Air Force Individual Flight Records at NARA, St. Louis, that provide operational details of the pilots' flights, as well of their military careers. The authors were among the first to research these microfilmed records within months after NARA, St. Louis accessioned them. The authors have delved into the background and personalities of key Japanese participants and have translated and incorporated Japanese aircrew rosters from the attacks. This accumulation of data and information makes possible an intricate and highly integrated story that is compelling and unparalleled. The interwoven nature of the narratives of both sides provides a deep understanding of the events at Wheeler, Bellows and Haleiwa Fields that has been impossible to present heretofore.

From the "Library Journal"Hitler and his general staff were convinced that if the Allies on the Continent were struck a shattering blow, their unity would collapse. In mid-December 1944, they planned and executed a sudden but unsuccessful counterattack westward through the Forest of Ardennes that on combat maps produced a change in the battle line forever known as the Bulge. Following the format and scope of their earlier works "The Way It Was" (LJ 8/91) and "D-Day Normandy"(LJ 4/1/94), the authors have reconstructed the sense of those uncertain days in the frozen Belgian woods. Hundreds of photos taken from American and German sources capture the world of combat from the perspective of foot soldiers and tank crewmen in all its powerful, gritty, and often gruesome reality. A valuable addition to any collection on this subject.

No One Avoided Danger is a detailed combat narrative of the 7 December 1941 Japanese attacks on NAS Kaneohe Bay, one of two naval air stations on the island of O'ahu. Partly because of Kaneohe's location - 15 air miles over a mountain range from the main site of that day's infamous attack on Pearl Harbor - military historians have largely ignored the station's story. Moreover, there is an understandable tendency to focus on the massive destruction sustained by the U.S. Pacific Fleet. The attacks on NAS Kaneohe Bay, however, were equally destructive and no less disastrous, notwithstanding the station's considerable distance from the harbor. The work focuses on descriptions of actions in the air and on the ground at the deepest practical, personal, and tactical level, from both the American and Japanese perspectives. Such a synthesis is possible only by pursuing every conceivable source of American documents, reminiscences, interviews, and photographs. Similarly, the authors sought out Japanese accounts and photography from the attacks, many appearing in print for the first time. Information from the Japanese air group and aircraft carrier action reports has never before been used. On the American side, the authors also have researched the Official Military Personnel Files at the National Personnel Records Center and National Archives in St. Louis, Missouri, extracting service photographs and details of the military careers of American officers and men. The authors are among the first historians to be allowed access to previously unused service records. The authors likewise delved into the background and personalities of key Japanese participants, and have translated and incorporated the Japanese aircrew rosters from the attack. This accumulation of data and information makes possible an intricate and highly integrated story that is unparalleled. The interwoven narratives of both sides provide a deeper understanding of the events near Kane'ohe Bay than any previous history.