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Day of Infamy, 60th Anniversary: The Classic Account of the Bombing of Pearl Harbor

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The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor is one of the rare historic events whose significance and continuing ramifications it is probably impossible to overstate. What If? games are inherently silly, however fascinating, and they can't produce any certain answers, but consider the course that history might have taken had the attack (or another like it) never occurred. To an extent that Americans no longer seem willing to concede--witness the hysterical reaction to Pat Buchanan's musings on the subject--Pearl Harbor was the proximate cause of the United States' entry into World War II. But for the attack, it is entirely possible that America would have safely sat out the War. This in turn would have meant either a bloody stalemate between Nazi Germany and the USSR or victory by one, followed by a debilitating attempt to control the European land mass. Meanwhile, Japan would have had a free hand to completely overextend itself in the South Pacific. Ultimately, the victorious Axis powers, and/or the Soviets, would have collapsed of their own weight. The Cold War would have been avoided and along with it the fifty year long economic displacement that the U. S. suffered through. Or suppose that Japan had simply declared war before attacking : would the lack of the "sneak" in the attack have made enough of an emotional difference for Americans not to have imprisoned our own Japanese-American population or not to drop the atomic bombs on Japan ? Well, you get the picture; we're talkin' big, big deal here.

What makes this event all the more remarkable is how utterly futile it was. Even if the bombings had been completely successful and all the U. S. Naval ships in port that day had been destroyed (in fact, only two battleships, one target ship, and two destroyers were permanently lost), what good would that have done Japanese war aims ? At best it might have bought them a very little extra time in which to try to expand, and thus further overextend, their Empire. There was never any chance that the Japanese could actually attack the American mainland, which meant that the U. S. would have the opportunity to rebuild those ships at her leisure. And, once entered into the War, it was inevitable that the U. S. would defeat Japan and Germany. Pearl Harbor was essentially a national suicide mission by the Japanese.

One natural outgrowth of the importance of this episode is that for sixty years now there have been all kinds of recriminations and conspiracy theories surrounding the events of December 7, 1941. Volumes have been written about what Roosevelt knew and when he knew it. Ditto for Churchill. U. S. Intelligence services have taken a beating. The various military commanders have been blamed. And so on, and so forth, with the unfortunate result that most versions of the day's events have some axe or another to grind.

One exception to this rule is Walter Lord's thrilling moment-by-moment account of the attack in his great book, Day of Infamy. Ignoring all of the controversies and avoiding any finger pointing, Lord simply reconstructs, as best anyone can, what happened on that fateful day. His thoroughness is staggering. He interviewed some 577 participants, both Japanese and American, and their recollections give the story an extraordinary level of intimacy and immediacy (for a similar effect see a more recent book on the sinking of the USS Indianapolis, In Harm's Way by Doug Stanton). Though Lord masterfully imposes order on the material, these first hand accounts convey a sense of just how chaotic things were during and after the bombings. And he captures a sense of the violation that Americans felt in the wake of the attack. Standards of conduct in warfare have fallen so far since then that it's easy to forget how outraged all of America was by this perfidious action. Literally overnight, a healthy and so far triumphant Isolationist movement dissipated, as even the most vocal advocates of staying out of the War, voiced their commitment to avenging this wrong.

I've been a huge fan of Walter Lord's books since I was a kid. [In fact, I was shocked to hear that he's still alive.] In addition to this one, he's written excellent books about the sinking of the Titanic, A Night to Remember, and about the War of 1812, The Dawn's Early Light. Not that these are specifically kids' books, but they have a couple of things that recommend them. Lord writes clearly and concisely. Wherever possible he relies on the accounts of people who were there. And, because he doesn't seek to place blame or provoke argument, the stories are populated by heroes, rather than goats. Best of all they are truly exciting. This sixtieth-anniversary edition of Day of Infamy has a cover blurb saying that one million copies of the book have been sold; here's hoping they sell a million more.

GRADE : A

This is one of the best books written about the attack on Pearl Harbor. This book is based on historical documents and the personal accounts of soldiers, sailors, and civilians; both American and Japanese. The planning behind the attack by the Japanese high command and the launch and the almost perfect execution of the attack are described in riveting detail. The observations by the crewmen on the Japanese war ships and the crews of the attacking aircraft are educational. Admiral Nagumo, commander of the attacking forces could have launched a second attack and caused even more destruction, but fortunately for us, he was over cautious. There is no attempt to hide the many mistakes made by the American commanders or the missed opportunities to foil the attack or at least blunt the devastating effects. Submarines were spotted and attacked and the incoming aircraft were spotted by radar, but nobody took notice. When the actual attack was under way, many thought if was some sort of drill. A lot of good men lost their lives and there were incredible acts of heroism. This book contains many tales of bravery, terror, and determination. 2403 Americans lost their lives on December 7th, 1941. The Japanese lost 5 midget submarines, one large submarine, and 29 aircraft with 55 crewmen. It was a small price to pay for such an overwhelming victory, but the cost to Japan in the long run we all know.

This was the first non-kids book I ever read. That was back in the 3rd Grade. And years later I still look at this book as one of my favorites.

Walter Lord does not break any new ground in this classic but older story of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. But what he does do is give you a perfect description of what happened and how it happened.

Walter Lord is one of those historians that puts you there. And thats what he does in this book. You are there as the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.

I highly recommend this book.

After recently watching the much hyped movie Pearl Harbor, I realize my knowledge of the history of Pearl Harbor was woefully lacking. My search for information led me to this wondeful book by Walter Lord. Rather than a historical narrative of dry facts, it is a collection of individual stories, relating the experiences of the common ordinary soldier, sailor, marine, or civilian in the hours before the attack through the end of the day on 12/7/41.

Some of the tales are heroic, some comical, and many tragic, but they are all fascinating. One of the things that struck me was number of people who couldn't comprehend the fact they were under attack by an enemy force, even as bombs and bullets rained down on them. And the wild tales and rumors that spread throughout Hawaii in the aftermath of the attack are just incredible and laughable looking back on it now.

For those wanting more of a general overview of the battle, and a listing of historical facts, they may be disappointed by this book. But I highly recommend it for anyone wanting to learn more about the people involved on that fateful day.

"Day of Infamy" is one of those books that every World War II buff must read to get the "complete" picture of the war. I have read my fair share of books on WWII maily by great writers like Stephen Ambrose. Lord's book gives clear, minute by minute details that led up to the war and its subsequent aftermath. I really enjoyed how he delved into the Japanese side and explained their reasons for going to war with the U.S.

This book is definitely not "one-sided" because we hear both sides of the story. The book was not meant to create a rosy, heroic picture of the war, but to portray it for what it was...a battle that was fought by men who for their own reasons, felt it was the right thing to do.

If you like a book that is full of detail and keeps you at the edge of your seat, than this is a book worth reading. In "Pearl Harbor" the movie's defense, they tried to make the movie as accurate as possible and I hear they used "Day of Infamy" as a blueprint for the historical integrity of the film. However, the movie could have gotten rid of the "Titanic-esque" boredome that dominated for the first half of the movie.

In "Day of Infamy" there is no romance, just the plain facts. I know the reader will enjoy this book as I did.

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.

"Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 -- a date which will live in infamy -- the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan." -- President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Dec. 8, 1941.

Pearl Harbor. Very few place names in the U.S. evoke still-vivid memories of shocking violence, death, destruction, and a sense that America and her place in the world would never be the same afterwards. In our lifetimes, perhaps only Dallas, Manhattan and Washington, D.C. will rival Pearl Harbor as an existing location where memories of cataclysmic events will overshadow the present. For just as the Pentagon has been repaired and the World Trade Center will be rebuilt after the events of Sept. 11, 2001, Pearl Harbor is still a bustling -- if somewhat quieter -- naval base in the Pacific. Yet, say the name and you'll conjure up newsreel footage of the USS Arizona exploding and Japanese bombers attacking Battleship Row on what had previously been a quiet Sunday morning.

Walter Lord, author of such acclaimed narratives as A Night to Remember, A Time to Stand, and Incredible Victory, tells very human stories of heroism and sacrifice as he recounts the events of December 7, 1941 from both American and Japanese perspectives. His clear and descriptive narrative, his masterful use of interviews with survivors and material from the vast amount of historical records, and his decision to focus the book's focus on the events of the evening of Dec. 6 and the "day of infamy" itself make this a fine literary starting point for readers who want to learn the Pearl Harbor story without having to wade through books that deal with all the preliminaries (such as At Dawn We Slept) or try to revise history (John Toland's Infamy) to pin the blame on President Roosevelt.

All in all, for a book that was first published in the late 1950s, Day of Infamy is still considered one of the best popular histories about a World War II event, and I strongly recommend it.

I read this book in the seventies, and I just reread it. Prange's book may have a lot more detail, but for a quick and easy read about this historic event, read Lord's book. He is a master at presentation, not only on this book, but his two on the Titanic. The individuals shines through in his book, and it is most interesting to see how they react to the Japanese attack. I was especially interested in the Japanese suicide submarines attempt in the attack.

In "Day Of Infamy" Walter Lord gives the reader an insight into the events of December 7, 1941 as seen through the eyes of the participants themselves, Japanese and American, naval, military and civilian. Someone did extensive research for this book. Although the brass are not ignored, most of the observations reported are those of the common people involved. We read the observations of Japanese admirals, pilots and a midget submarine captain. On the American side we see through the eyes of sailors who barely escaped from ships, who struggled to return to their posts and who responded with anti-aircraft fire. Soldiers and airmen, both those on the ground and those flying into the war, tell their stories. Housewives seeking shelter and searching for their children and contribute their the stories. The impressions of children also add to the richness of the book.

I found particular interest in the misconceptions which occurred during and after the raid. Knowing what we know now, the extent of disbelief is surprising, but understandable. The number of service personnel and civilians who thought that the raid was a drill in which live ammunition was mistakenly used is shocking. Many thought that Naval and Air Corps personnel would be in real trouble. After the raid the wild rumors of further attacks and invasions seems incredible, but it is understandable given the shock of the attack.

At the end, Lord sums up the impact that the assault had on American attitudes toward the war in general and toward Japan in particular.

There are better sources for the big picture of Pearl Harbor, the story of the damage done to the fleet and the impact of the attack meant on the course of the war. "Day Of Infamy" is the place to look for the story of the participants whose lives were forever changed on December 7, 1941.

After reading a library-full of books seeking to place blame, as history and polemic, Walter Lord's account of Dec. 7, 1941 is a compelling narrative of the emotional gamut from innocence to bitter tragedy of that pivotal day in American history. As a trained historian and reader of many of Lord's other books, I was surprised somewhat at the story-telling modus. Those who have enjoyed the methods of Cornelius Ryan's The Longest Day and Stephen Ambrose's Citizen Soldiers will find themselves amidst the unpeeling of emotional numbness that years of Depression and isolationism had left on the psyches of those whose stories unfold in Lord's able prosaic style.

His ability to bring excitement and vivid characterization to history, without losing his factual focus, has long been evident in Incredible Victory, his artistic telling of the unlikely American smashing of the Japanese fleet at Midway, and his other books. It is his choice, not his inability to make conclusions, which gives the book its human punch.

Lord chooses to relate the impact of the startling events of that day on the high of rank and the swab, using personal primary sources to supplant official chronologies. He draws his readers into the chaos and heroism and tragedy, letting us react and come to conclusions, as the accumulation of individual experiences allows us.

Those looking for fodder with which to exonerate or indict from prior opinion will probably not find the key to their cases in this book. Those wanting a heart-stopping chapter of the human experience, at its most uncommon best and worst, are in for a great read. It is a very appropriate view of historic events for our time, when we have become accustomed to learning the backgrounds and reactions of our fellows involved in national tragedy, in which we share vicariously and emotionally, but look to find a more concrete point of common reference.