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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best books I own,
By Joe Childers (Indiana) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Japanese Destroyer Captain (Mass Market Paperback)
Little can be added to the reviews below, expect to add that this book really shows how Hara was a leader of men. In spite of IJN policy and militaristic propaganda he trains his crew to a superlative level. He is also brutally honest about himself and his mistakes and foibles. Add to this some invaluable historical eyewitness data and you have a great book. Hara, by rewriting IJN torpedo doctrine in the 30's, can honestly be said to have contributed more to the IJN's battle success than any other person. This book is rich in history and flavor and well worth tracking down. My paperback copy is in three parts with the spine gone, but I still consider it one of the stars of my collection.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stirring Stuff!,
By richard hunn (Kyoto, Kansai Japan) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Japanese Destroyer Captain (Mass Market Paperback)
This book should always be in print. If I taught history in school or college, I'd make sure it was required reading. I first read the book as a mere lad of 14, always kept my copy around. It did much - in the postwar years, to wash away any bitterness toward former 'enemies.' In all honesty, I have never been able to forget certain things said by Hara - in his book, about human conduct. The other reviews say it all. Hara was a remarkable person. He took his duties seriously, but always remained a conscientious individual - candidly critical of the Japanese high command, when necessary - always ready to pay tribute to the skill of his opponents - peers in the U.S. Navy.I was struck by Hara's integrity - his strength of character, his leadership qualities - his daring, often fighting unequal battles. He realised the importance of learning from experience - of not making the same mistake - twice. I missed the references to the 'Rape of Nanjing' - must check it out. Still, as other reviewers noted, Hara was inclined toward a certain universalism in his thinking, moving toward a kind of pacifism toward the end of his career.He never approved of the senseless brutality frequently doled out to young cadets etc., and maintained a code of honour - worthy of the best Samurai tradition.I liked the goodwill expressed between Hara and his American peers, upon the surrender of Japan.As regards naval history per se, Hara's accounts of battles like Santa Cruz, Guadalcanal/Vella Lavella etc., question Sam Morrison's conclusions or observations in the official study (H.U.S.N.O. WW2).Alas, Hara could be accorded a bit more respect in his native land. An NHK t.v. documentary covering the loss of the Yamato, didn't make a single reference to Captain Hara, or the Yahagi, then escorting the Yamato, lost alongside.Like one of the other reviewers, I've read Hara's book so many times, it has fallen to bits. In the present climate, there is something sobering about Hara's book. That honour matters - in war, that military action always requires clear and attainable objectives, and ought never to become a mindless slaughter of the enemy, or a mindless sacrifice of one's own personneland resources.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Required reading about the Pacific War, the nature of Japan, being human,
By
This review is from: Japanese Destroyer Captain (Mass Market Paperback)
The other reviewers have eloquently stated the case. This is a book you will read and re-read throughout your life. It is first and foremost an incredible eyewitness account of the Pacific War by a ship captain who was intimately involved in many of the key small battles of the war (the major battles were settled by air power, not his area). It is one of the best written war accounts to come out of any nation.
Secondly, it provides an unique insight into the Japanese at the time that has relevance over the entire 19th and 20th centuries, explaining such things as the origin of the Japanese navy in imitation of the American and British navies...which can easily be taken as a model for the industrial imitation leading up to Japanese economic superpower status by the 1980s. Finally, Hara is a great autobiographist who shares his heart, displays his heroism and intellect, but does not fail to describe his weaknesses. Whenever there is a conflict, war or political or business or social, it is good to remember the other side is human too.
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