The Savage Wars Of Peace: Small Wars And The Rise Of American Power Review

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(More customer reviews)"The Savage Wars of Peace" is a book that is likely to surprise all but the most ardent military history buffs. Once and for all it does away with the myth that before World War Two, America was completely "isolationist" in its foreign policy. The book focuses on America's many "smaller" military actions, from the Tripolitan War circa 1801-1803 to the hundred years (1840-1941) that American troops were continuously stationed in China to the Phillippine "Insurrection" (1900-1902) to the many 20th Century American interventions in Latin America.
Surprises abound, the biggest being how Author Max Boot demonstrates that for the most part America's interventions happened for idealistic reasons, rather than the usual sterotype that has the U.S. always watching out for big business interests. Also surprising is Boot's account of how effective America was at fighting anti-guerilla wars, at least up until Vietnam, when our misguided tactics may have actually snatched victory from our grasp. Boot covers each intervention seperately, combining politics with actual battle narratives in an excellently readable manner. Colorful figures emerge, like "The Fight Quaker" Marine General Smedley Butler, who for over thirty years was America's foremost (and most successful) guerilla fighter, only to become a staunch pacifist upon retirement.
Though it is a historical narrative, it is obvious that the author is trying to send a message to today's military leaders, especially in the wake of such misguided post-Vietnam policies as the "Powell Doctorine." The message is that America has a duty to continue to fight small wars to make the world a safer place (especially after September 11th), but that it should also not encorage our enemies by cutting and running from such engagements after the first casualties.
Overall, Boot has wrtitten and extremely enjoyable military history book that carries with it a powerful message.

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Fighting for America: Black Soldiers--the Unsung Heroes of World War II Review

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Chris Moore's chronicle of black patriotism from Colonial times through World War II is nothing short of an excellent walk through history. As a history buff I found myself eager to turn each page. I would sit with highlighter in hand marking special passages as though I was still a college student studying for an exam. Moore has a special way of transporting the reader back in time, allowing one to almost hear the voices of those who wrote the letters featured in the book. I never realized just how much we as a people contributed to the early Colonial battles that set America as a country free.

Even though black Americans have fought and died in every war this country has faced, only the heroes of recent history get recognition. Yes, we grew up with a knowledge of Crispus Attucks, but what about heroes like Seaman Doris 'Dorrie' Miller and Pfc Robert H. Brooks. Miller was aboard the USS West Virginia, when she was attacked December 7, 1941 by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor. Miller, a naval messman, managed to save several lives when he shot down four enemy planes with a .50-caliber anti-aircraft gun he'd never been trained to use. Miller was later presented the Navy Cross for his efforts. I was never taught in school about Pfc Robert H. Brooks was the first soldier to die at Fort Stotenbugh in the Phillipines, when the Japanese attacked December 8, 1941.

There was also airmen Eugene Bullard, who was not allowed to fly combat missions for America. Bullard was however, welcomed by the French army and became an ace pilot during World War I. Bullard flew more than twenty missions against the Germans and was credited with shooting down at least five enemy aircraft. Moore introduces us to black female heroes like pilot Willa Beatrice Brown. In 1941 Lieutenant Brown became the first woman officer in the U.S. Civil Air Patrol. Throughout WWII Brown served as an instructor in the Civilian Pilot Training Program.

Moore's research on the Red Ball Express, the 320th Barrage Ballon Brigade, the 161st Chemical Smoke Generating Company and the countless Engineer Aviation Battalions such as the 810th and the 811th paved the way for Allied victory. Moore allows the reader to feel the shear determination of black enlisted men and women who fought a duel war. One war was against the Germans and Japanese and the other war was against the prejudice they faced daily from their fellow American service men and women. Although this book began as a tribute to Moore's parents S.Sgt. Bill Moore and Pfc Norma K. DeFreese Moore his four year journey turned out to be so much more. Though not written as a text book, this book should be incorportated into the half written history books our children are taught from. It is a book that my family will read again and again.

Reviewed by Felecia R. Ellis Memphis RAWSISTAZ

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The USS Flier: Death and Survival on a World War II Submarine Review

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(More customer reviews)Submariners assert their's was the most dangerous duty posting in World War II. Unlike the thousands of Airmen shot down over Europe who had a chance to bail out, if submariners were forced to abandon ship, there was little chance of survival. "The USS Flier: Death and Survival on a World War II Submarine" retells the story of eight survivors who not only survived the sinking of their ship, but made their way back to allied lines to fight again.
Sturma researched War Patrol Reports and the 1944 transcripts of the ship's skipper, Commander John Crowley, along with numerous other applicable publications available from US Navy Archives. After reading the book, you may jump to the conclusion either Commander John Crowley was a hard luck skipper, or the USS Flier was a hard-luck ship. In January 1944, on its first outing in the Pacific, Commander Crowley brought the sub into Midway harbor for refueling. Sturma provides a detailed look into the circumstances that led to the stranding of the submarine and subsequent sinking of its rescue vessel, the USS Macaw.
The book briefly describes the board of inquiry into the accident which held Crowley accountable, but permitted him to retain command. After major repairs in California, Commander Crowley led the USS Flier on its second patrol where it came to an abrupt end in the Balabac Strait on August 13, 1944.
Sturma begins with survivor accounts ("there was a big explosion") and analyzes the possible causes for the explosion. Although never proven conclusively, Sturma establishes a credible argument for a Japanese naval mine as the probable cause of the explosion. The story continues with the incredible fourteen-hour swim to a nearby island. Two days later the survivors make contact with coast watchers in the Phillipines, who radioed US Seventh Fleet to coordinate a rescue during the night of August 29, 1944.
The balance of the book describes the subsequent inquiry into the loss of the USS Flier, and the careers of Crowley, the other survivors, and Admiral Christie, the commander of the submarine fleet based out of Freemantle, Australia.
Whether it's a description of the evolution of Midway Harbor; mine warfare tactics; or the personal rivalries between the American commanders of Australia-based submarines, Sturma provides detailed segues into many facets of Naval and submarine warfare during World War II. The book has numerous charts that enhance the reader's ability to understand the operations areas.

This enjoyable and readable book honoring the USS Flier would be a welcome addition to any maritime library.

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The fate of the USS Flier is one of the most astonishing stories of the Second World War. On August 13, 1944, the submarine struck a mine and sank to the bottom of the Sulu Sea in less than one minute, leaving only fourteen of its crew of eighty-six hands alive. After enduring eighteen hours in the water, eight remaining survivors swam to a remote island controlled by the Japanese. Deep behind enemy lines and without food or drinking water, the crewmen realized that their struggle for survival had just begun. On its first war patrol, the unlucky Flier made it from Pearl Harbor to Midway where it ran aground on a reef. After extensive repairs and a formal military inquiry, the Flier set out once again, this time completing a distinguished patrol from Pearl Harbor to Fremantle, Western Australia. Though the Flier's next mission would be its final one, that mission is important for several reasons: the story of the Flier's sinking illuminates the nature of World War II underwater warfare and naval protocol and demonstrates the high degree of cooperation that existed among submariners, coast watchers, and guerrillas in the Philippines. The eight sailors who survived the disaster became the first Americans of the Pacific war to escape from a sunken submarine and return safely to the United States. Their story of persistence and survival has all the elements of a classic World War II tale: sudden disaster, physical deprivation, a ruthless enemy, and a dramatic escape from behind enemy lines. In The USS Flier: Death and Survival on a World War II Submarine, noted historian Michael Sturma vividly recounts a harrowing story of brave men who lived to return to the service of their country.

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Down to the Sea: An Epic Story of Naval Disaster and Heroism in World War II Review

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(More customer reviews)Down to the Sea: An Epic Story of Naval Disaster and Heroism in World War IIMy name is Pat Douhan and I am one of the few survivors from the USS Hull DD350. After reading this book I can truthfully say that Bruce Henderson did an outstanding job of compilling
the true facts leading up to, during and after our loss in Typhoon Cobra. Being the reunion coordinator for the USS Hull reunions I am very close to most of my surviving shipmates as well as others that transferred prior to our sinking and this author has put together the true facts he obtained through research, interview, Naval records and ships deck logs, something than none of the previous authors accomplished. When reading this book you can see that our problems really begin when we had a change of command in October during our yard overhaul in Seattle. We destroyer sailors are close nit group and not too much was known about the loss of the three "tin cans" in the typhoon and we did not say much, but over the past few years this Naval tragedy has come to light and is getting some attention and as you can see by this authors writings you are not going to win when you are fighting mother nature. I will say again, after having been there,that this book "Down to the Sea" truthfully tells it like it was.

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Roosevelt's Secret War: FDR and World War II Espionage Review

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Intelligence professionals will be very disappointed by this book, citizens interested in Presidential approaches to intelligence, somewhat less so. The author's brilliant biography of William Casey, OSS Veteran and Director of Central Intelligence under President Ronald Reagan, was a much more satisfying book. What we have here is by and large a mish-mash of the works of others, together with an original composition on FDR's involvement in intelligence that is uneven--partly because the subject did not put much in writing, and partly because the author chose to rely primarily on secondary published sources.
From the perspective of one interested in "Presidential intelligence," that is, how does a President manage various means of keeping informed, the book is a must read but also a shallow read. We learn that FDR was a master of deception and of running many parallel efforts, balancing them against one another. We learn that FDR was remarkably tolerant of amateurism and incompetence, while good at finding the gems these same loose but prolific intelligence endeavors could offer.
Perhaps most importantly, we gain some insights into how Presidents, even when properly informed by intelligence (e.g. of Pearl Harbor in advance, or of the lack of threat from domestic Americans of Japanese descent) must yet "go along" and provide either inaction pending the public's "getting it", or unnecessary action (the internments) to assuage public concern.
There are enough tid-bits to warrant a full reading of the book, but only for those who have not read widely in the literature of intelligence and/or presidential history. The British lied to the President and grossly exaggerated their intelligence capabilities, in one instance presenting a man "just back from behind the lines" when in fact he was simply on staff and lying for effect. We learn that the Department of State was twice offered, and twice declined, the lead on a global structure for collecting and processing intelligence. We learn that FDR himself concluded that Croatia and Serbia would never ever get along and should be separate countries.
On the NATO side, we learn that Eisenhower went with bad weather and the invasion succeeded in part because of a successful deception and in part because of Ike's courage in going forward in the face of bad weather--fast forward to how weather incapacitates our high-technology today. Most interestingly, we learn that FDR finally approved Eisenhower as leader of Overload, in lieu of his favorite, General Marshall, in part because he recognized that the allied joint environment required a general and a politician in one man.
This book is a hybrid, attempting to mesh presidential history with intelligence history, and perhaps this should gain the author some margin of tolerance. Unfortunately, in focusing on the relationships among the various intelligence principals and the president, he seriously passes over the enormous contributions of military as well as civilian and allied intelligence to the larger undertaking, and one is left with the narrow impression that American intelligence consisted largely of a number of self-serving clowns vying for Presidential favor.
The flaws inherent in a Federal Bureau of Investigation dominated by J. Edgar Hoover, and the lack of cooperation between the FBI and other major intelligence activities that continues today, are noted throughout the book.
Bottom line: worth buying and reading to gain insight into the challenges facing a President who can become isolated from reality by a corporate staff, but nowhere near the quality of Christopher Andrew's For the President's Eyes Only, or any of many good histories of espionage in World War II.



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The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944 (Liberation Trilogy) Review

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(More customer reviews)When it comes to writing military history, Rick Atkinson's narratives, in my view, are as good as it gets. I have an entire bookcase devoted to books about World War II and I would argue that very few, if any of them, meet the standard set now by Atkinson as far as depth of research, a flair for the truly visual and personal, and where an easy and readable prose-style is of concern. So I would not hesitate to nominate Atkinson as the best living author of books about World War II, if not of history in general. This current effort is the second volume of a proposed three-volume set of works about that devastating war. The first book in the series was "An Army at Dawn" -- a winner of the Pulitzer Prize -- which dealt with the North African campaign. Now, in "The Day of Battle," Atkinson takes on the campaign in Sicily and Italy in 1943 and 1944. And does he ever!

I have a large collection of videos dealing with WWII and, of course, one can get "up front and close" to the action when watching them. The images, combined with the narration and the accompanying music in the background, provide the viewer with a true "you are there" experience. I felt almost the same experience while reading this book. Atkinson's ability to linguistically describe a situation so that the reader feels he or she is right there within the phenomenal frame of a battle is awesome. And I don't use the word "awesome" very often. But in this case it is genuinely applicable. I could actually visualize all the action as it was occurring; such is an excellent writer's ability to translate words into mental pictures.

There is one other thing I found absolutely compelling about this book. Over the past few years, I have been studying (revisiting again for the umpteenth time, but more in-depth) the history of ancient Greece and Rome. Sicily and Italy, of course, played a significant role in the history of that era. One of the things that Atkinson does in "The Day of Battle" is correlate the geography of the exploits during the Sicilian and Italian military campaigns to activities that occurred and places that were important during the period when the Greeks and the Romans were active there.

For instance, in the first chapter in a section titled "Calypso's Island," he relates the following information: "Over the millennia, a great deal had happened on the tiny island [Malta] the Allies now code-named FINANCE. St. Paul had been shipwrecked on the north coast of Malta in A.D. 60 while..."; in the second chapter we read: "Few Sicilian towns claimed greater antiquity than Gela, where the center of the American assault was to fall. Founded on a limestone hillock by Greek colonists from Rhodes and Crete in 688 B.C. ..."; and in the tenth chapter we read: "Not far from here, in 217 B.C., Hannibal had found himself hemmed in by the mountains and Roman troops."

And the above are just three of the numerous references that Atkinson gives us as a classical background to what is going on during the 20th-century conflict. I love it, of course, because it makes the narrative so much more meaningful. One can say, "Well, men were there a couple of thousands years ago, basically doing the same thing and in the same places where the action was occurring in 1943-44." This goes a long way toward placing the whole narrative within a sweeping historical context.

And who can resist being impressed when, on page 573, Atkinson relates to us, when describing the entry into Rome of the American commander, General Mark Clark, that "In classical Rome, a triumphant general returning from his latest conquest made for the Capitoline, ... His face painted with vermilion, his head crowned with laurel ..." and so on; unfortunately this paragraph is too long to be quoted here, but it should be noted that Clark was not the first military commander to enter Rome triumphantly, although in this case with less pizzazz than did the ancient Roman generals.

I really think what separates Atkinson from other military historians I have read is the way in which he puts a "human face" on the whole subject. He provides us with the thoughts and feelings of the individual soldiers on both sides in the heat of the battles. He quotes from letters sent home to loved ones from both the men on the front line as well as from the officers in charge. He informs us intimately of the sufferings endured, the human toll incurred, the grand strategies and tactics planned, the successes achieved and, of course, of the fatuity displayed and the foibles exposed. No battle plan is ever perfectly executed and Atkinson does not shrink from critically evaluating those that took place in Sicily and Italy during World War II.

Now, I do not want to give the impression that "The Day of Battle" ignores the "big" events and personalities of the Italian theater during this conflict and is nothing more than a somewhat "soap-opera" presentation or a "made-for-TV tear-jerker." Atkinson writes serious military history. The Allied and Axis commanders, the presidents and prime ministers, the major military conflicts, the politics involved, and so forth -- all the things that one would expect to be covered in any scholarly work in military history -- are discussed and analyzed. What I am saying is that the author goes beyond the usual, to include the "bricks and mortar" of the wartime experience as well as the grand issues and characters involved. It is truly comprehensive in its scope. It is military history at its best.

Furthermore, the book is more than generous with its aids and references. There are twenty maps, including a two-page spread of the entire Mediterranean and European theaters on the endpapers, two 16-page sections of relevant photographs, 140 pages of reference notes, a selected bibliography that runs to thirty pages, and an extensive topical index to top it all off. What more could a World War II history buff ask for? Well, to be honest, one thing right now. And that is the third volume of Atkinson's "Liberation Trilogy" which will cover the final struggle for Western Europe, from the dawn of the Normandy invasion to the final victory in Berlin. I definitely look forward to reading it.

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Sealing Their Fate: The Twenty-two Days That Decided World War II Review

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(More customer reviews)David Downing's book reminded me a little of Martin Gilbert's Second World War history which followed a strict chronological approach for the entire six years. Downing concentrates on 22 days at the end of 1941 culminating in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor which he argues was the decisive moment of the war. That's when, in his opinion, the eventual victory of the Allies and defeat of the Axis became inevitable.
Most of the action Downing describes takes place on three fronts: the diplomatic maneuvering between the United States and Japan and Tokyo's simultaneous advanced planning for the attack; the Russian front around Moscow where the German advance eventually ran out of steam as winter set in; and in North Africa where Rommel's tactical victories over the British turned into strategic defeat because of the German inability to logistically support his breakthroughs.
But we also visit other places: Riga where the Germans were busy slaughtering thousands of Jewish civilians, Rostov on the Don where a German advance was followed by retreat; Croatia, Montenegro, Berlin, Leningrad -- the scope is truly worldwide.
I personally find it disconcerting when the narrative wanders all over the globe in a single chapter. The reader has to remember where matters stood in North Africa as the action swings to Russia. It may be another 30 pages before we're back in North Africa.
The other problem with this book is the thesis that these 22 days changed everything. There were many "decisive" moments in World War II. Other reviewers have pointed to the Battle of Britain and the failure of the Germans to establish air superiority over the British which would have paved the way for a land invasion; the Battle of Midway in which the U.S. Navy inflicted irreparable damage on the Japanese navy and seized the strategic initiative ... and there may be others. I tend to agree with those who say there was no one "decisive moment" but rather a series of important battles that could have changed the course of events.
Having said all that, this book is well written and delivers an exciting narrative. I endorse Downing's decision to emphasize human suffering and Nazi brutality against Russian civilians as well as Jews. He also rightly points out how Stalin and Hitler's capricious decisions, based on bombast, hubris, ignorance and wishful thinking paved the way for awful defeats and huge loss of life. Tojo is scarcely better. Downing suggests the Japanese knew all along they could never beat the Americans but decided to launch the attack anyway in the name of some amorphous idea of national honor.
I don't agree with his contention that Roosevelt's decision to push ahead with nuclear weapons research was a mistake. The Germans were busy trying to develop atomic bombs and ballistic missiles. Not to have pushed ahead with the Manhattan Project would have been gross irresponsibility.
The author's criticism of Churchill's decision to launch strategic bombing against Germany seems to me overly pious. There was a war going on and British civilians had been hammered. It was important for national morale to hit back.
Downing's book is a catalogue of human folly. He has few words of praise for any of the commanders on either side. Their mistakes are balanced by the valor of the ordinary troops, who together with millions of civilians were the ultimate victims.


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The Bravest Man: Richard O'Kane and the Amazing Submarine Adventures of the USS Tang Review

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(More customer reviews)The title of The Bravest Man refers to Richard O'Kane, the most successful American submarine commander in the Second World War. While this book focuses on O'Kane's wartime career on the submarines USS Wahoo and USS Tang, it also examines the careers and exploits of other successful American submarine commanders in the Pacific War. A reader might wonder why another book on O'Kane's career is necessary, given the availability of O'Kane's own book, Clear the Bridge in 1977, as well as Clay Blair's Silent Victory and Theodore Roscoe's US Submarine Operations in World War II. The justification for a new book on O'Kane is provided both by the style and the manner in which the author chooses to deliver this story. Unlike other accounts, which tend to be rather meticulous but dry, the author succeeds in painting a wartime sea saga on a vivid canvas, with the protagonist contending not only against the enemy, but the sea itself, an interfering shore-based naval bureaucracy and even defective torpedoes. In these pages, O'Kane and his peers appear as human beings, not just ciphers in a tonnage-sunk chart.
O'Kane started his rise to prominence in the submarine community while serving as executive officer under the legendary "Mush" Morton in the USS Wahoo in 1943. Morton was one of the first sub skippers to break with the over-cautious, unimaginative pre-war US submarine doctrine and embrace a more freewheeling and aggressive combat style. Tenacity was Morton's trademark, and O'Kane later adopted this mindset when he was given his own command on USS Tang. The author effectively demonstrates the deadly efficiency of the Morton - O'Kane combat team on Wahoo; the real weapon system was the well-trained and aggressive crew, not the submarine itself. After O'Kane left Wahoo for his own command on Tang, Morton's efficiency declined and he began to take more chances. In October 1943, Wahoo was lost off Japan and O'Kane's mentor was gone. However, in five patrols on USS Tang in 1944, O'Kane more than avenged the loss of Morton by sinking 27 Japanese vessels. The author details how O'Kane was innovative as well as brave, introducing efficient tactics for recovering downed US pilots at sea and daring shallow-water attack tactics. At the conclusion of his fifth patrol in October 1944, Tang was sunk off Formosa by one of its own torpedoes. O'Kane and eight of his crewmen were the only survivors and spent ten months in Japanese captivity. The final patrol of Tang is probably the best part of this book and the author details the sinking and incredible underwater escape of several crewmen in riveting detail. The brutal details of O'Kane's interrogation and captivity, which are usually not provided in other accounts, are revealed here. Interestingly, the Marine fighter pilot "Pappy" Boyington was in the same POW camp as O'Kane.
This account also addresses the torpedo malfunctions, command problems and doctrinal deficiencies that plagued the US submarine force in the first eighteen months of the Pacific War. It still seems incredible that the US Ordnance Bureau ignored repeated evidence of torpedo malfunctions for so long, and the bureaucratic obtuseness that blocked technical improvements now appears almost criminal. A divided command structure, based partly in Australia and partly in Hawaii, also degraded US combat performance. US pre-war submarine doctrine, which focused on reconnaissance for the fleet rather than independent anti-commerce warfare, was another impediment to a successful submarine campaign. However, all the technical and bureaucratic hurdles had been overcome by 1944, which is when the US submarine force achieved its greatest results.
While focusing on O'Kane, the author also examines the exploits of other top US submarine commanders in this period. These men, mostly US Naval Academy graduates, are followed at sea and ashore to give a complete picture of the special type of independent leaders that were required for this most demanding form of warfare. Unlike their surface counterparts, the US submarine skippers usually fought alone and deep inside the Japanese Empire. The author notes that fully 30% of submarine commanders were relieved in 1942 and 15% in 1943. Even good skippers suffered "burn-out" from continuous combat patrols. Furthermore, more than 20% of US submariners were lost in action, which was the highest loss rate for any combat arm. However the leaders and crews that emerged from this crucible of war, like O'Kane, Morton and Ned Beach, were top-notch. While this book offers little new in terms of operational details about submarine operations in the Pacific, it adds a vital human dimension that is often ignored in more standard accounts.

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"There's no margin for mistakes in submarines. You're either alive or dead."–Richard O'KaneHailed as the ace of aces, captain Richard O'Kane, winner of the Congressional Medal of Honor for his consummate skill and heroism as a submarine skipper, sank more enemy ships and saved more downed fliers than anyone else.Now Pulitzer Prize—winning author William Tuohy captures all the danger, the terror, and the pulse-pounding action of undersea combat as he chronicles O'Kane's wartime career–from his valiant service as executive officer under Wahoo skipper Dudley "Mush" Morton to his electrifying patrols as commander of the USS Tang and his incredible escape, with eight other survivors, after Tang was sunk by its own defective torpedo.Above all, The Bravest Man is the dramatic story of mavericks who broke the rules and set the pace to become a new breed of hunter/killer submariners who waged a unique brand of warfare. These undersea warriors would blaze their own path to victory–and transform the "Silent Service" into the deadliest fighting force in the Pacific.

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The Sino-Japanese War, 1937-41;: From Marco Polo Bridge to Pearl Harbor Review

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(More customer reviews)This is generally an excellent account of the japanese and Chinese Nationalist military operations in China from 1937 until Pearl Harbor. It far exceeds any other English language account of the Sino Japanses war for this period. The battle descriptions are usually detailed, suprisingly clear and far more interesting than those in the droll and convoluted Japanese monogrpaphs and Nationalist official histories that serve as the major sources. Dorn does well in reconciling conflicts and discrepancies between the sources.
Several decades old the book is rather dated. It is unfortunate Dorn did not write s sequel covering the war from 1942-1945, while updating this work with a new edition. The account becomes sketchy in those few areas, where I suspect Dorn lacked reliable primary source material, but for the most part his book is enlightening.

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West Point to Pearl Harbor Review

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(More customer reviews)From the moment I opened the first pages, I was immediately drawn into the story. The introduction, alone, brought me to tears. I come from a strong military family having fought in WWI, WWII, and my Father fought (and come home)in Vietnam. Of course there are other unspoken conflicts that many other family members were a part of (the Korean War, Bosnia, Kosovo, Operation Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom), but this book brought home the reality of what our service members actually experienced during the sneak attack by the Japanese. This includes, but not limited to Pearl Harbor, Wheeler Airforce Base, Hickam Airforce Base, Schofield Barracks Army Base, Ft. Kamehamaha, and other locations often unheard of. This book is riveting, factually accurate, and stunningly heartwarming. The author did an extensive amount of research to locate many of the Pearl Harbor survivors and family of the deceased. He gained access to inside stories never told before. Most military personnel hesitate to speak of the autrocities of war, however Dick Spangler became a trusted friend to these service members, now in their eighties and nineties. Pearl Harbor will always "live in infamy", never forgotten, but healed over time due to history being told to the masses. I agree with Dick Spangler about our young generation not being told the important parts of our history. More books should be included in the history curriculums at our schools nationwide, to include this one in particular, so these stories can be learned. Again, I would highly recommend this book to any history-buff, scholar, or entity wanting to teach the history of our military service members. They are the fighters/defenders of our freedoms, sometimes at the cost of their lives. But, they endure it voluntarily as we reep the rewards.
My copy is going on my coffee table for full viewing. It's that good.
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This is an extraordinary story of the Spangler family and the survivors of the Pearl Harbor attack, who experienced first-hand that fateful day of December 7, 1941. West Point to Pearl Harbor is inspired by two factors of great importance to the author: the fear that Pearl Harbor's hard-learned lessons of 1941 will vanish, and his Father's death in 1998. Dick Spangler reveals the private journals of his Father's life as a cadet at the U.S. Military Academy in the late 1920's and 30's. Dick Spangler shares the intimacy of love letters written between his parents, incredible eyewitness accounts of surviving soldiers and sailors, and his own childhood memory of this most unforgettable moment in history. The stories are so vividly told by survivors that the reader can experience the true feelings of these courageous heroes who were forced to participate in the horrifying event. There is no truer way to learn history. This book commemorates in an enduring manner those who were there at the start of World War II on American soil. Readers unfamiliar with the motto: REMEMBER PEARL HARBOR will no longer forget.

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Vengeance: Hatred and Honor Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a fantastic book! It's well written and the story is spellbinding. It's a book you don't want to put down after starting to read it. There are a few moments that give you chills as you read. I tip my hat to the author...it's his first book and he did it up perfectly!

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Pacific War: From Pearl Harbor to Hiroshima (Companion) Review

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(More customer reviews)This book provides a number of different strategic perspectives on the Pacific War in World War II. It is made up of a number of articles written by leading thinkers in the field of military history. Most are professors at universities. As mentioned in one review, one article has inaccurately identified that the US used Avengers for torpedo bombers at Midway when they used Devastators. However, the rest of the articles are accurate in the basics, and some of the strategic perspectives are interesting. Here are a couple for you. (1) Although the US used a Europe first strategy, the most powerful naval units fought in the Pacific, and the number of army divisions provided to MacArthur were still significant (when the divisions in Europe were below necessary), and the most advanced bomber (B-29) was provided to the Pacific War in mid 1944 when the bomber offensive in Europe would have needed them. Obviously, all along, the US had decided to fight a major two front war, and expected to win in Europe with Russian and British help of course. (2) The Japanese expected the US to back off because they expected the US not to be willing to fight a war with significant casualties. Consequently, Japan was not prepared for a long war and essentially fought the war with the same resources at the beginning as at the end: the same fighter planes, the same carriers, the same infantry weapons, etc., while the US technology increased. So, by the end of the war, Japan was outclassed. These are just some of the interesting perspectives of the book. I especially liked the chapter on Central Pacific campaign and the debate that went on between Nimitz and MacArthur to conduct that. However, I didn't give the book 4 stars because some of the articles are weak including the one on Midway that wrongly highlights the use of the Avenger. In spite of this, I do recommend this book especially for anyone interested in WWII.

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The Complete World War II Film Library in 6 DVDs - Great WWII Battle Scenes, Propoganda and Bond FIlms, WWII Homefront Issues, Wartime Manufacturing, Pearl Harbor and More Review

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(More customer reviews)The 6 DVDs of THE COMPLETE WWII FILM LIBRARY are stored in three cases (as shown). As with most Historical Archives products, quality here is quite good. Producers of these shorts are primarily U.S. government departments, with some from major and indie studios.
This collection offers many rarities available nowhere else, such as War Dept. footage of post-blast Hiroshima and Nagasaki, films designed for industrial plant managers, detention camp documentaries and histories of new war weapons.(Contents list includes sources, when available.)
PROGRAM for "Complete WWII Film Library":
DISC ONE - 1941 - 42--
[41:42] World at War (U.S. Office of War Information - 1942)
[10:39] Mission Accomplished: The Story of the Flying Fortress (U.S. Office of War Information - 1942)
[ 9:35] News Parade: Bombing of Pearl Harbor (Castle Films - 1942)
[ 8:36] Ring of Steel (Office For Emergency Planning)
[10:21] Safeguarding Military Information (AMPAS - 1941)
[10:09] Victory Is Our Business (Jam Handy - 1942)
[10:21] The Arm Behind the Army (U.S. Army Signal Corps - 1942)
[18:07] Campus on the March (RKO-Pathé)
[10:35] Close Harmony (Jam Handy - 1942)DISC TWO - 1943--
[54:18] Divide and Conquer ((U.S. War Dept.)
[ 9:26] Japanese Relocation (U.S. Office of War Information)
[19:51] Our Enemy: The Japanese (U.S. Office of War Information)
[20:16] All Out for Victory (?)
[10:08] Three Cities (U.S. Office of War Information)
[10:21] Wartime Nutrition (U.S. Office of War Information)DISC THREE - 1943 - 44--
[10:40] Conquer by the Clock (RKO-Pathé - 1943)
[ 8:55] When Work Is Done (U.S. Office of War Information - 1943)
[10:49] As the Twig Is Bent... (? - 1943)
[ 9:50] Food for Fighters (U.S. Office of War Information - 1943)
[ 8:32] Manpower (U.S. Office of War Information - 1943)
[13:15] Troop Train (U.S. Office of War Information - 1943)
[15:34] What Makes a Battle? (U.S. Office of War Information - 1944)
[17:13] A Challenge to Democracy ( U.S. War Relocation Authority - 1944)
[13:51] A Letter From Bataan ( Paramount - 1944)
{12:29] Freedom Comes High (U.S. Navy - 1944)DISC FOUR - 1944--
[18:29] It Can't Last (U.S. Navy)
[10:10] Supervising Women Workers (Kerkow)
[10:48] Highballing to Victory (U.S. War Dept.)
[ 8:58] Curtiss-Wright Shorts, 7 Subjects (Jam Handy)
[10:13] Every Minute Counts (Kerkow)
[15:08] These People (Jam Handy)
[17:27] That Boy Joe (Chicago Film Laboratory)
[ 8:35] Men and Jobs (Berndt-Maurer)
[15:24] These Are the People (Jam Handy)
[20:51] To the People of the United States (California Dept. of Public Health)DISC FIVE - 1945--
[16:45] D-Day Minus One (U.S. Army Air Forces)
[59:35] Combat America (U.S. Army Air Forces)
[15:07] It's Everybody's War (20th Century Fox)
[17:12] Remember These Faces (U.S. Treasury, War Finance Division)
[ 8:24] Target Invisible (U.S. Army Air Forces)
[20:06] Birth of the B-29 (U.S. Army Air Forces)DISC SIX - 1945 - 46--
[12:44] Mr. and Mrs. America (U.S. Treasury, War Finance Division - 1945)
[10:11] The Town (U.S. Office of War Information, Overseas Branch - 1945)
[ 8:53] Suggestion Box (U.S. Office of War Information - 1945)
[11:49] Special Delivery (U.S. Army Air Forces - 1946)
[26:36] Operation Crossroads (Jam Handy - 1946)
[12:02] A Tale of Two Cities (U.S. War Department - 1946)
[18:38] U.S. News Review, Issue No. 3 (U.S. Office of War Information)

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Pearl Harbor Payback/Appointment in Tokyo Review

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(More customer reviews)This GOODTIMES Pacific war documentary quadruple play has some technical flaws.
PEARL HARBOR PAYBACK (1945) is poorest of all: an overly dark picture and sound that includes external static and a constant 60 cycle hum (it's most noticeable over even the cheapest headphones). This is accompanied by two faint rollbars that move constantly from screen bottom to top. Original audio is mid-range only. According to IMDB, this documentary runs nearly an hour, yet here it's only 23 minutes.
The Ronald Reagan narrated two-reeler TARGET TOKYO (1945) has a nearly imperceptible hum and no visual distortion. A short labelled AIR WAR AGAINST JAPAN is visually clean but has bad audio, too heavily filtered (it's not listed at IMDB). APPOINTMENT IN TOKYO (1945) starts with clean full range audio and a decent picture. Sound deteriorates part way through and hiss increases, as if played through an audio tape head fouled with debris.
The most curious flaw is fairly brief. During an announcement of the Doolittle raid's success in "Pearl Harbor Attack," faint modern HiFi music can be heard about the movie. Its inclusion here seems accidental, perhaps a crossed circuit during mastering that caused bleed-in from another source.Content of main features--
PEARL HARBOR PAYBACK features dogfight footage of Gen. Chennault's Flying Tiger squadron. Flight crew trainees are seen, as is coverage of Jimmy Doolittle's mission to Tokyo that was launched from the deck of the USS Hornet. Because of an enemy air attack that sunk some support vessels, the Doolittle crews took off nearly twice as far from Japan as planned.
APPOINTMENT IN TOKYO tells in rapid fashion the entire Pacific air war story from homeland military production to the official Japanese surrender to Gen. MacArthur. Distributed by Warner Bros., combat footage from the Army Pictorial Service and Signal Corps is used. The Army Air Forces and the United States Navy also contributed to this project

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Pearl Harbor - The View From Japan (2001) Review

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(More customer reviews)This seems to me a worth-while DVD; I don't regret buying it. It is somewhat mis-titled, for it actually briefly covers the entire ill-fated Pacific campaign. It has a strong focus on Admiral Yamamoto himself--his foresight and vision as a military leader, and his reluctance to enter into a fight with the U.S. It is interesting to hear a few words from the Japanese perspective, yet it seems that is all you get--a few words. There is little groundwork laid which might explain more fully Japan's reasons for attacking us. The DVD ends abruptly, with no final words of summary or mention of lessons learned. I suppose one can't blame them; they are, after all, reciting a long painful list of defeats which began only six months after the Pearl Harbor "turkey shoot". Nonetheless, though this overview is brief, it succeeds brilliantly, and makes fine use of map diagrams. One comes away with increased clarity about the scope of events in the war in the Pacific. The narration is dubbed over in English, and is outstanding. The DVD is very attractively packaged, using a semi-clear plastic case. Again, a worth-while purchase.

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National Geographic - Pearl Harbor: Legacy of Attack (2001) Review

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(More customer reviews)This video does an excellent job of telling the story of the Pearl Harbor Attack by using actual footage as well as testimonials of survivors. Again, National Geographic has solicited the help of Dr. Robert Ballard in hopes of finding a sunken Japanese midget submarine which tried to enter the harbor during the attack. Dr. Ballard has been featrued in other National Geographic videos dealing with the search for the U.S.S. Yorktown, the German Battleship Bismarck, and the ships of Ironbottom Sound. I own all of these other videos and I particularly enjoy Ballard's approach to finding sunken ships, so I was anxious to see how he would do in his search for the Japanese submarine. Survivors of the U.S.S. Ward, an American destroyer on patrol on December 7, 1941, are interviewed in this video. Their ship was the actual one which fired on and sank the sub that Ballard is searching for. I have always enjoyed the way that National Geographic has blended together the actual war footage along with the stories of the survivors, and this video keeps up the tradition. Perhaps my favorite part of this video was seeing the first images taken from inside the U.S.S. Arizona. It was really someting special to see. I would highly recommend this video to anyone who enjoys underwater adventures as well as Pearl Harbor readers/viewers.

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A contemporary look at the surprise raid that propelled America's entry into WWII.Includes never-before-seen images from inside the sunken USS Arizona and an undersea expedition by famed Titanic discoverer Dr. Robert Ballard.Pearl Harbor survivors share their painful and poignant stories and renowned historian Stephen Ambrose adds powerful historical perspective.Narrated by Tom Brokaw.

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