Before you jump on some revisionist books about Pearl Harbor, like Stinnet's Day of Deceipt, you should get it from the horses mouth! Layton, et al, tell a little known side of the war in the pacific. His opinions of some famous naval personalities like Stark and R.K. Turner will really have you thinking about how war is run when powerful, ambitious officers are running the show. It's a shame that lives had to be wasted while the U.S. got its act together to finally win the war in the pacific, but Layton's tale will give you a new perspective and supports much of what was previously written, like Prang's "At Dawn We Slept", about the debacle of Pearl Harbor and the genius that followed at Midway. Buy it!

First and major portion of book covering Pearl Harbor is excellent. However, after Layton's death, the book was continued from his notes and descriptions of campaigns after Pearl Harbor suffer in quality by comparison.

FINALLY WE ARE TOLD! From the Man in the know! From the Intellegence Officer of Admirals Kimmel and Nimitz; the truth about the Japanese "blunder" at Pearl Harbor, the truth about the Battle of Coral Sea, the truth about the internal Navy battle over the impending Battle of Midway and the march across the Pacific with never before released Naval Intellegence details.

In this spellbinder Layton breaks his sacred oath as a Navy Officer to reveal how incompetency, infighting and persuit of personal gain at high ranks allowed the Pearl Harbor "surprise" to occur, greatly prolonged the Pacific War and brought the Allied Forces to the brink of defeat in the Pacific.

Layton reveals in chilling detail how Pearl Harbor Commanders Admiral Kimmel and General Short were made scapegoats and cashiered in disgrace, how the Fleet's Carrier task force sortied days after the bombing but was recalled out of fear, how Admiral Nimitz was forced to commit conspiracy and treason to get the 5th Fleet to Midway in time for battle. Layton exposes a secret vandetta by Washington Commanders against Pearl Harbor Intellegence personnel that caused a Japanese cipher change and the terrible effects of the lengthy intellegence "blackout" it caused at the most critical point in the War.

Layton shatters recorded history with a cronological portrayance of documented events as he lived them, by the side of the Navy Admirals who despite incredible odds, heavy losses and fierce opposition led Allied Forces to victory in the Pacific.

This Book is a "must read" for all! This Author's story must not be forgotten! At some risk with personal sacrifice, with violation of Oath, at the end of his life with no possible personal gain his last and greatest service to this great Country was a grave warning to us all;

World War Two showed us the stratigic advantage of airpower and of the Naval Aircraft Carrier. This "portable" airbase brought enormous destructive power to our enemies shore and allowed us to attack his facilities and installations with relative ease. With the modern atom bomb and ICBM the Continents become the bases from which total distruction unparalleled and swift can be wroght upon any Continant with relative ease.

Beware, this is what did happen, this is what can happen, this is what will happen again if we forget!

A Thermoneucular Pearl Harbor, surprise we're gone!

This book provides a welcomed view from the other side from Captain Tameichi Hara, Imperial Japanese Navy, who perfected Japanese Naval torpedo doctrine just prior to WWII - enabling the Imperial Japanese Navy to exploit and use to devastating advantage, the Type 93 oxygen fueled torpedo, aka "Long Lance"

Captain Hara injects humor and adds a personal side to his story while providing his views of key naval battles that he fought in against the United States Navy during World War II

This is a must read for any serious naval historian interested in the Imperial Japanese Navy, particularly as it relates to the naval engagements Hara fought in and the destroyers he commanded.

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.

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.

The author actually covers much wider ground than his title suggests - before proceeding to Midway he gives a detailed account of the campaigns leading up to it, starting before Pearl Harbor. This is interesting reading in itself.

His orders of battle are useful too, including the revelation that the carrier Soryu had 2 Judies aboard as fast recons, which I hadn't heard before. This is the kind of detail I like. The IJN lost 47% of its aircraft carrier tonnage at Midway, which makes it the Trafalgar of the carrier age. Fuchida still feels the pain. Definitely a recommended read, and it's well translated too.

One of Fuchida's less perceptive comments does rather stick in my mind. Writing in around 1950, he comments that his country has been completely laid low by military defeat, and he is deeply pessimistic about Japan's prospects in a world dominated by the huge economic muscle of the victors. The Japanese are, after all, he muses, a nation of craftsmen and artisans - they'll never get the hang of this massive-industrial-output lark!

Yeah, right! -- but fortunately his naval analysis skills are miles better than his futurology!

This is a splendid analysis of the Battle of Midway as seen from the Japanese side. The authors had firsthand knowledge of the plans, actions, mistakes, strengths, and weaknesses of the Imperial Japanese Navy in connection with the Battle of Midway, and they pull no punches telling us about the battle. The Battle of Midway turned the tide of the Pacific War for all time against Japan, as an outnumbered and outmatched, but plucky, U.S. Navy inflicted a devastating defeat on the greatest carrier force ever assembled up to that time. This book goes far in explaining how this miracle took place. The authors tell us about the dithering of the Japanese commander as to whether to strike Midway again, or to strike the American fleet, or do a hasty strike against the American fleet before all his planes were recovered--and how this indecision helped lose a battle that almost could not be lost. So too did the sloppiness of the deck crews, who stacked bombs and torpedos carelessly on the decks of the carriers as the Admiral kept changing his mind--this ordinance of course exploded when the American dive bombers attacked, ensuring that three Japanese carriers went to the bottom, rather than having a chance of surviving through damage control. The book is filled with excellent details like this.

The authors also do a fine job explaining the motivations and outlooks of the Japanese leaders, including the great famed Admiral Yamamoto--who evidently reacted to the Doolittle Raid by pushing for the attack on Midway. This key decision signed Japan's death warrant as regards the Pacific war. Had Japan instead turned west and attacked Russia, this could have changed the entire complexion of the war, as Germany might have prevailed against Russia, forcing the US to divert even more resources in its "Germany First" policy. The authors reveal how close Japan may have been to adopting this strategy.

This book impresses the reader not just with the mistakes the Japanese made, but also of the tenacity, skill, and competence of the former Japanese foe. The book was written in the early 1950s and the authors' viewpoints are somewhat overly colored by the aftermath of defeat--Japan had not yet shaken off the trauma of defeat and this pessimism about Japan's prospects is readily apparent. I trust the authors lived to see that in reality the Japanese people won, not lost, the war by becoming a prosperous and democratic economic powerhouse.

Incidentally, it appeared clear to me that the movie "Battle of Midway" with Henry Fonda was essentially based on this book.

This is a fine analysis of the most important battle of the Pacific War and constitutes essential reading for anyone who wishes to understand the Battle of Midway and the reasons that Japan was defeated in both the battle and the war.

Commander Fuchida Mitsuo, leader of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, along with co-author Okumiya Masatake, provide the most intimate Japanese account of the turning point at sea of World War II. Discussion of "victory" disease which lead to faulty dispositions and assumptions about what America would do rather than what she could do perceptively explains the disaster which the Nihon Kaigon (Imperial Japanese Navy ) experienced. The Kido Butai (First Striking Force) was destroyed as a unit at Midway, but Japanese naval airpower was not critically hurt until the Battle of Santa Cruz. This book is an absolute must for any student of the Pacific War. Even after 40 plus years, it has yet to be surpassed.

Edited from the first-hand accounts of the officers responsible for developing the first Kamikaze corps, _Divine Wind_ was almost certainly the first clear portrait of what went on in the minds of the men who decided to face certain death with a good hope of harming the enemy, against almost certain death with little prospect of doing any harm at all.

Contrary to popular American belief, the "Divine Wind" actions were counter to the deeply-held traditions of the Japanese Navy. As the last bastion of the old samurai class, Naval officers viewed a battle death without serious chance to harm the enemy as a disgrace, not an honor. At the time of the first attacks, the Naval Air Corp's aircraft were hopelessly outclassed, their state of repair and readiness was abysmal, and their pilots were woefully inexperienced and sorely lacking in chances for flight time. Faced with these facts, and under pressure from their own men, Inoguchi and Nakajima (with difficulty) secured permission for the first suicide attacks.

The true story is far from the sensationalistic view painted on the History Channel or in War At Sea, and the two former officers paint it with as much dignity as they know how. It begins to dispell the stereotypes of contempt for life and paint a picture of what it was like to be a proud warrior in a cause you had begun to realize you could not win. This is must reading for anyone who wants to understand how it feels at the wrong end of the stick.