At 7:55 a.m., Japanese carrier-based planes launched a surprise attack on the US Pacific Fleet moored in Pearl Harbor. Thousands of lives were lost that day, drawing the United States into World War II and beginning a new phase of the war in East Asia. Pearl Harbor offers a fascinating photographic guide to this key turning point in World War II.

“A date which will live in infamy.”—US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Sunday, December 7, 1941, was supposed to be a day of rest for the military personnel at Hawaii’s Pearl Harbor naval base on the island of Oahu. But at 7:55 a.m., Japanese carrier-based planes launched a surprise attack on the US Pacific Fleet moored in the harbour. Thousands of lives were lost that day, drawing the United States into World War II and beginning a new phase of the war in East Asia.
In Pearl Harbor, our expert author offers a concise photographic guide to this key turning point in World War II. The book is divided into chapters covering the origins and military strength of the naval station; Japanese plans and dispositions; the attack itself; the damage caused; the clean-up operation and aftermath; and the life of the base today. See rare photographs of Japanese airplanes taking off to launch the attack; aerial views of the US naval base before and during the air attack; the destruction wrought; the key figures involved on both sides; and the memorials that have been erected, especially to the sunken battleship USS Arizona.
Pearl Harbor provides a photographic exploration of this momentous event and its aftermath in 160 dramatic photos.