“Both a serious work of history . . . and a marvelously readable dramatic narrative.â€â€•San Francisco ChronicleOn the first Sunday in December 1941; an armada of Japanese warplanes appeared suddenly over Pearl Harbor; Hawaii; and devastated the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Six months later; in a sea fight north of the tiny atoll of Midway; four Japanese aircraft carriers were sent into the abyss; a blow that destroyed the offensive power of their fleet. Pacific Crucible tells the epic tale of these first searing months of the Pacific war; when the U.S. Navy shook off the worst defeat in American military history and seized the strategic initiative.This dramatic narrative; relying predominantly on eyewitness accounts and primary sources; is laced with riveting details of heroism and sacrifice on the stricken ships and planes of both navies. At the war’s outset; Japan’s pilots and planes enjoyed a clear-cut superiority to their American counterparts; but there was a price to be paid. Japanese pilots endured a lengthy and grueling training in which they were disciplined with baseball bats; often suffering broken bones; and the production line of the Zero― Japan’s superbly maneuverable fighter plane―ended not at a highway or railhead but at a rice paddy; through which the planes were then hauled on ox carts. Combat losses; of either pilots or planes; could not be replaced in time to match the fully mobilized American war machine.Pacific Crucible also spotlights recent scholarship that revises our understanding of the conflict; including the Japanese decision to provoke a war that few in their highest circles thought they could win. Those doubters included the flamboyantly brilliant Admiral Isokoru Yamamoto; architect of the raid on Pearl and the Midway offensive.Once again; Ian W. Toll proves himself to be a simply magnificent writer. The result here is a page-turning history that does justice to the breadth and depth of a tremendous subject. 24 pages of illustrations; 12 maps
#48865 in Books W. W. Norton Company 2004-07-17 2004-07-22Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.30 x 1.50 x 5.50l; 1.20 #File Name: 0393326713592 pagesGreat product!
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Lots of hypotheticalBy Jason PrendergastDisappointed in that much of the work is on why we need greater national intelligence ..less on what emperically occurred on that day6 of 8 people found the following review helpful. careful reading of the report only draws attention to this impression and leads one to believe that there should now be a fullerBy David RussellThe problem is that the report is quite well written and succinct in so far as it goes but the real problem rests with the Commission itself. They clearly ignored so many very disturbing questions that have been raised since the attack and they failed to call many witnesses that would have given extremely important evidence. I would include potential witnesses such as Susan Landauer in this category. These omissions are very serious indeed and tends to give independent minds such as myself the distinct impression that we have been conned. On a positive side; careful reading of the report only draws attention to this impression and leads one to believe that there should now be a fuller enquiry that with the perspective of time might be better able to find and inform the world of the real truth behind the circumstances of the attack and its aftermath. The fact that this report and the veritable library of books related to this subject still enjoys a huge world-wide readership indicates the importance of gaining a clearer indication of what really happened. The book has these faults but should still be read by a serious enquiring reader if just to think about the Commission's omissions.0 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Three StarsBy Matt EasleyThis does not appear to be a comprehensive review of the events unfolding around 9/11
