Overview

A Pitiful, Unholy Mess is a detailed combat narrative of the 7 December 1941 Japanese attacks on O'ahu's Wheeler, Bellows, and Haleiwa Fields. Since these bases comprised O'ahu's fighter defenses, the Japanese needed to neutralize these bases (particularly Wheeler Field) to prevent U.S. aircraft from interfering with attacks on the Pacific Fleet. Although the loss of life at the three fields was less than that sustained by the Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, the attacks caused destruction and mayhem that proved disastrous and wrenching.  The work focuses on descriptions of actions in the air and on the ground at the deepest practical tactical level, from both the U.S. and Japanese perspectives. Such synthesis is possible only by doggedly pursuing every conceivable source of American documents, reminiscences, interviews, and photographs. Similarly, the authors sought out Japanese accounts and photography from the attacks, many appearing in print for the first time. Much information from the reports of the Japanese air groups and the aircraft carrier Shōkaku has never been used.  On the American side, the authors also have researched the U.S. Army Air Force Individual Flight Records at NARA, St. Louis, that provide operational details of the pilots' flights, as well of their military careers. The authors were among the first to research these microfilmed records within months after NARA, St. Louis accessioned them. The authors have delved into the background and personalities of key Japanese participants and have translated and incorporated Japanese aircrew rosters from the attacks.  This accumulation of data and information makes possible an intricate and highly integrated story that is compelling and unparalleled. The interwoven nature of the narratives of both sides provides a deep understanding of the events at Wheeler, Bellows and Haleiwa Fields that has been impossible to present heretofore. 

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9781682476024

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Reviews

Meticulously researched, beautifully illustrated, and poignantly written, this latest volume from Wenger, Cressman, and DiVirgilio once again dramatically expands our knowledge of the events surrounding Pearl Harbor. Drawing heavily from previously untapped American and Japanese archival materials, this ongoing series of histories is fundamentally redefining our knowledge of the most climactic battle in American history. It is absolutely essential reading for any serious scholar of the Pacific War. --Jonathan Parshall, co-author Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway

Author Information

Military historian J. Michael Wenger has co-written eleven books, and numerous journal articles, newspaper features, and reviews. His main interest is Japanese carrier aviation and doctrine in World War II. He lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.  Naval historian Robert J. Cressman lives in Silver Spring, Maryland. His The Official Chronology of the United States Navy in World War II received a John Lyman Book Award (1999) and his body of work on U.S. naval aviation history was recognized by the Admiral Arthur W. Radford Award (2008). He is currently editor of the online Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Military historian John F. Di Virgilio lives in Honolulu, Hawaii. He is the author of two groundbreaking articles related to Pearl Harbor and is recognized for his extensive research on Japanese naval ordnance, and for his illustrated Pearl Harbor battleship damage profiles. 

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