Pearl Harbor Day

[Lord Ash]

I sign everything at work dec 7th 1941.every year on todays date if im at work.

Uhm, I hope you aren’t signing anything TOO important or ther could cause some problems...

[davec]

Thanks for the recommendation. I am woefully ignorant* about the Pacific campaign during WW2 and have been looking to rectify this by reading a somewhat concise, but comprehensive history book at some point in the near future. A quick check of Goodreads.com reveals that Toll’s series is very highly regarded. However, at more than 2300 pages, the series appears to be more comprehensive than concise. Can anybody recommend anything a bit shorter?

Eagle Against the Sun by Spector is a good one-volume history of the war in the Pacific.

[Devilwin]

Eagle Against the Sun by Spector is a good one-volume history of the war in the Pacific.

ww2 In Color is a great documentary series on American Heroes Channel. Red Sun Rising is a great one on the Pacific theater. I had a great uncle that was in the USMC attack on Guadacanal. My mom was born on 12/07'31...

[Bob Green]

Can anybody recommend anything a bit shorter?.

The Two-Ocean War by Samuel Eliot Morison.

Morison wrote a 15 volume History of the United States Naval Operations in World War II. The Two-Ocean War is a 600 page synopsis.

[MartyClark]

I can't help but remember my late father in law, Paul, on Pearl Harbor day. Paul was a senior at Denver West High School when the bombing of Pearl Harbor happened. He vowed to join the Navy on graduation and did.

He served 2 1/2 years on the U.S.S. New Jersey in the South Pacific. He downplayed his service but in his later years there were a number of battleship reunions where we met his ship mates who talked about his leadership and heroism.

Until the the day he died, he was angry that Admiral Halsey, who served most of the war on the New Jersey, had to sign the treaty with Japan on the Missouri.

[OldPhiKap]

Wallace Wade was a calvary Captain during the First World War. After Pearl Harbor and the Rose Bowl being played in Durham, Coach Wade left Duke to rejoin the Army -- leaving Eddie Cameron to coach the football and basketball teams. He returned to Duke after the war in 1946.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

I can't help but remember my late father in law, Paul, on Pearl Harbor day. Paul was a senior at Denver West High School when the bombing of Pearl Harbor happened. He vowed to join the Navy on graduation and did.

He served 2 1/2 years on the U.S.S. New Jersey in the South Pacific. He downplayed his service but in his later years there were a number of battleship reunions where we met his ship mates who talked about his leadership and heroism.

Until the the day he died, he was angry that Admiral Halsey, who served most of the war on the New Jersey, had to sign the treaty with Japan on the Missouri.

Within the last week a friend posted something about the New Jersey on Facebook. It is now docked in Camden, NJ (directly across the river from Philly) and you can tour it. They have a fairly robust web site with lots of information about the ship and some interactive features.

https://www.battleshipnewjersey.org/

[MartyClark]

Within the last week a friend posted something about the New Jersey on Facebook. It is now docked in Camden, NJ (directly across the river from Philly) and you can tour it. They have a fairly robust web site with lots of information about the ship and some interactive features.

https://www.battleshipnewjersey.org/

Thanks. We hope to make a family expedition there at some point.

[jimsumner]

For those of you who like to read about this stuff, I strongly recommend Ian Toll's Pacific War Trilogy of books...I just finished the last one. Extremely interesting with great Japanese, as well as American sources.

FWIW, there were a lot of men in the Japanese Navy who knew that attacking Pearl Harbor was going to lead to the ruin of Japan, and they were right.

Ditto. Toll is also a talking head on the kinds of shows that pop up on the Smithsonian or PBS. Really knows his stuff and knows how to convey it.

[jimsumner]

Wallace Wade was a calvary Captain during the First World War. After Pearl Harbor and the Rose Bowl being played in Durham, Coach Wade left Duke to rejoin the i-- leaving Eddie Cameron to coach the football and basketball teams. He returned to Duke after the war in 1946.

Cameron dropped hoops after the conclusion of the 1941'42 season. Duke looked down the hall and gave the basketball job to soccer coach Gerry Gerard. Different times.

And yes, being head coach of the basketball team was a step below being head coach of the football team.

Much different times.

And Wade did serve in ETO, as an artillery officer.

[roge054]

The United States Battleships sunk or damaged were: Arizona, Oklahoma, West Virginia, California, Nevada, Tennessee, Maryland and Pennsylvania.

The Japanese Aircraft Carriers which carried out the attack were: Akagi, Kaga, Soryu, Hiryu, Shokaku and Zuikaku.

With the exception of the Arizona and Oklahoma, all the Battleships were repaired and returned to action in WWII. The Arizona is still at the bottom of Pearl Harbor and the Oklahoma capsized and sank while being towed to San Francisco in 1946.

Four of the Japanese Aircraft Carriers were sunk during the Battle of Midway in June 1942. The Shokaku was sunk during the Battle of the Philippine Sea in June 1944 and the Zuikaku was sunk during the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944.

I had the honor of visiting the USS Arizona Memorial multiple times while I was stationed on a ship homeported in Pearl Harbor between 1979 - 82.

Just read in "The First Wave" by Alex Kershaw that the Nevada was in the fleet on D-Day participating in the Normandy landings. I have been to those beaches and, as other locations mentioned, should be visited. Particularly the American Cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach. This is a sacred place. We went up to the cemetery from the beach.

[brevity]

Bumping for belated 80th Anniversary recognition.

[duke74]

Bumping for belated 80th Anniversary recognition.

Thank you.

Here's FDR's Declaration of War address to Congress on Dec 8th. The "date which shall live in infamy" speech.

https://youtu.be/ufoUtoQLGQY

I wonder whether we still have the unity of purpose and objective shown during that time. I fear not.