Advance Force-Pearl Harbor

Japan's submarine assault on Pearl Harbor, though not as well known as the devastating air strike, had a significant impact on the chaos that was 7 December 1941. Drawn from American and Japanese sources, this page-turner describes both the single-minded bravery of the submarines who carried out the attack and the valorous men in the destroyers who battled them to a standstill. It is the first comprehensive examination of the role played by the Imperial Navy's submarine force during the opening moves of World War II, a story that has been overlooked for more than a half-century.
Infused with firsthand accounts by participants, the narrative crackles with intrigue and suspense. The author, journalist and historian Burl Burlingame, covers every aspect of the campaign from submarine development, strategy, and espionage to the Japanese military psyche and prisoners of war. One of the many revealing sidebars includes computer-enhanced images of a classic battle photo containing the previously unnoticed presence of Imperial Navy submarines just off Battleship Row. Profiles of crewmembers lend a human dimension to both the unique cadre of the Japanese submariner and the ranks of American destroyer sailors. Generously illustrated with more than three hundred photographs and diagrams, this thoroughly researched volume restores the underwater attack at Pearl Harbor to its proper place in history and provides a riveting chronicle of the U.S. Navy's "day of infamy."