Overview

A new, readable account of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour. 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? Pearl: The 7th Day of December 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 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, over-confidence, 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 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. AUTHOR: Daniel Allen Butler, a maritime and military historian, is the bestselling author of ""Unsinkable"" The Full Story of RMS Titanic, Distant Victory: The Battle of Jutland and the Allied Triumph in the First World War, and The First Jihad: The Battle for Khartoum and the Dawn of Militant Islam. He is an internationally recognized authority on maritime subjects. Butler lives and works in Los Angeles, California. Daniel Allen Butler was educated at Hope College, Grand Valley State University, and the University of Erlangen. 40 photographs

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9781636244525

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Reviews

""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"" ""Daniel Allen Butler, is a well-credentialed author and maritime historian who quite obviously compiled a vast amount of research material in his preparation for this book. He then made every effort to share as much of it as he could in these pages.""-- ""World War II Database"" ""...offers a vivid depiction of how both Americans on the ground and Japanese pilots experienced the first wave on 7 December.""-- ""Journal of Military History"" "" The author in this well-sourced book covers not only the attack but also the military and diplomatic background and maneuvering that preceded it, delving into the reasons American leaders were caught by surprise and why Japanese leaders felt compelled to try to deliver a knockout punch to the U.S. Pacific Fleet.""-- ""Seapower"" ""...it is refreshing to learn what really happens directly from a knowledgeable and reliable source.""-- ""Baird Maritime"" ""...[Butler] has done his homework and skillfully and carefully constructed summaries of older and recent findings making this volume a valuable source for any reader.""-- ""Naval Historical Foundation"" ""This book will be of great interest to military historians...""-- ""AMPS Indianapolis"" ""...an engrossing read on a well-tread but important subject. Pearl will interest readers new to this history and satiate military historians.""-- ""Air & Space Power Journal"" Much like his previous works, Dan Butler's account of the Pearl Harbor attack is simultaneously sweeping and intimate. Written for the layman but with enough detail to satisfy even the most fastidious historian, Pearl is an eminently readable and engrossing account of the actions that pulled America into the Second World War. A valuable addition to any bookshelf, with many last words documented from veterans of the attack who are sadly no longer able to share their own stories.--Parks Stephenson

"""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"" ""Daniel Allen Butler, is a well-credentialed author and maritime historian who quite obviously compiled a vast amount of research material in his preparation for this book. He then made every effort to share as much of it as he could in these pages.""-- ""World War II Database"" ""...offers a vivid depiction of how both Americans on the ground and Japanese pilots experienced the first wave on 7 December.""-- ""Journal of Military History"" "" The author in this well-sourced book covers not only the attack but also the military and diplomatic background and maneuvering that preceded it, delving into the reasons American leaders were caught by surprise and why Japanese leaders felt compelled to try to deliver a knockout punch to the U.S. Pacific Fleet.""-- ""Seapower"" ""...it is refreshing to learn what really happens directly from a knowledgeable and reliable source.""-- ""Baird Maritime"" ""...[Butler] has done his homework and skillfully and carefully constructed summaries of older and recent findings making this volume a valuable source for any reader.""-- ""Naval Historical Foundation"" ""This book will be of great interest to military historians...""-- ""AMPS Indianapolis"" ""...an engrossing read on a well-tread but important subject. Pearl will interest readers new to this history and satiate military historians.""-- ""Air & Space Power Journal"" Much like his previous works, Dan Butler's account of the Pearl Harbor attack is simultaneously sweeping and intimate. Written for the layman but with enough detail to satisfy even the most fastidious historian, Pearl is an eminently readable and engrossing account of the actions that pulled America into the Second World War. A valuable addition to any bookshelf, with many last words documented from veterans of the attack who are sadly no longer able to share their own stories.--Parks Stephenson"

Author Information

Daniel Allen Butler, a maritime and military historian, is the bestselling author of ""Unsinkable"" The Full Story of RMS Titanic, Distant Victory: The Battle of Jutland and the Allied Triumph in the First World War, and The First Jihad: The Battle for Khartoum and the Dawn of Militant Islam. He is an internationally recognized authority on maritime subjects. Butler lives and works in Los Angeles, California. Daniel Allen Butler was educated at Hope College, Grand Valley State University, and the University of Erlangen.

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