Customer Reviews

Pearl Harbor: A Day of Infamy - The Survivors' Story

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On December 7, 1941, Japan launched a sneak attack against the American Pacific fleet based at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Travelling over 4000 miles, the Japanese, due to their strict adherance to radio silence, managed to steam undetected across the Pacific Ocean to their launcing point 275 miles north of Pearl Harbor. They caught the Americans completely by surprise.

The damage was catastrophic; 18 warships either sunk or severely damaged, 350 aircraft destroyed, and the greatest loss of all, some 2,500 American service personnel killed and over 1,000 wounded. President Roosevelt asked Congress for a declaration of war the following day.

This is an excellent documentary. What makes this documentary so special is the eyewitness accounts of the attack by some of the survivors. These brave people describe in vivid detail what it was like to actually be in the fighting on December 7, 1941. The viewer hears first-hand about the Army making preparations to face an anticipated Japanese landing, while another survivor describes finding dead Japanese pilots from Japanese planes which were shot down during the attack. A woman also describes how she went to the overcrowded hospital wards to comfort the injured and dying Americans. Also included in this documentary is an actual Hawaiian radio station's broadcast after the attack which describes the damage, as well as Roosevelt's complete declaration of war message to Congress.

This is a first-rate documentary. The first-hand accounts of the action put the viewer right in the midst of the action, and the actual footage of the attack is spectacular. The narration is very good as well. I give this documentary my highest recommendation. First-hand accounts of people who actually fought give the most accurate information, and this holds true with this film. These brave people offer their own unique insights into one of the darkest days in American military history, and they bring December 7, 1941 to life in a way that no book can. Watch this fine documentary and witness the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor by the people who were actually there on that fateful day.