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Pearl Harbor
Japan’s Attack and America’s Entry into World War II
Takuma Melber
Translated by Nick Somers
polity
Originally published in German as Pearl Harbor: Japans Angriff und der Kriegseintritt der USA by Takuma Melber © Verlag C. H. Beck oHG, Munich 2016
This English edition © 2021 by Polity Press
Polity Press
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Cambridge CB2 1UR, UK
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Medford, MA 02155, USA
All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purpose of criticism and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.
ISBN-13: 978-1-5095-3721-1
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Melber, Takuma, author. | Somers, Nick, translator.
Title: Pearl Harbor : Japan’s attack and America’s entry into World War II / Takuma Melber ; translated by Nick Somers.
Other titles: Pearl Harbor. English | Japan’s attack and America’s entry into World War II
Description: English edition. | Cambridge, UK ; Medford, MA : Polity, [2020] | “Originally published in German as Pearl Harbor: Japans Angriff und der Kriegseintritt der USA by Takuma Melber ©Verlag C. H. Beck oHG, München 2016.” | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Summary: “A new account of one of the key battles of World War II told from the Japanese perspective.”-- Provided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020015550 (print) | LCCN 2020015551 (ebook) | ISBN 9781509537204 (hardback) | ISBN 9781509537211 (epub)
Subjects: LCSH: Pearl Harbor (Hawaii), Attack on, 1941. | World War, 1939-1945--Japan. | United States--Foreign relations--Japan. | Japan--Foreign relations--United States. | World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--Pacific Area. | Pacific Area--History, Military. | Pacific Area--History, Naval. | World War, 1939-1945--United States.
Classification: LCC D767.92 .M4513 2020 (print) | LCC D767.92 (ebook) | DDC 940.54/26693--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020015550 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020015551
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Every effort has been made to trace all copyright holders, but if any have been overlooked the publisher will be pleased to include any necessary credits in any subsequent reprint or edition.
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Dedication
To my wife Vera and our son Paul Yoshi, to my parents Wilhelm and Yoshiko, and to my siblings Satoko and Makito with their families – with all my love and deepest gratitude
Prologue
After fighting the heavy swell and bad weather in the north Pacific for several days, the Japanese aircraft carrier Kaga arrived in position in the middle of the vast Pacific Ocean an hour before sunrise on December 7, 1941. The loud rattle of the engine mixed with the roar of the waves. A Mitsubishi A6M2 fighter aircraft, later known as the Zero, sped down the runway, its propellers spinning. Next in line was Akamatsu Yūji’s plane.1 Akamatsu was the observer-navigator in a torpedo bomber. The pilot, who was responsible for achieving a successful take off, pressed the button as usual to start the propeller engines
