Gordon W. Prange (1910–1980)

Richard Sorge was one of the greatest spies of all times. For 8 years he orchestrated a top-level Soviet operation in Tokyo, literally operating out of the German Embassy. He was a close confidant of Ambassador Ott, his top Japanese source Hotsumi Ozaki was a member of elite Japanese think-tanks and part of a weekly breakfast with the Prime Minister. Sorge and Ozaki both pursued their covers with dedicate, maintaining a reputation as insightful journalists. Sorge's information may have show more provided warnings of Operation Barbarossa, and reassurances that Japan would not attack Siberia while the USSR was occupied by Germany. The unwinding of the spy ring, and the slow march to execution, is also tragic.

This book is a nearly month by month account of the Sorge ring, and the man himself. Sorge was brilliant, an alcoholic, a womanizer, a scandalous loudmouth beloved of the German expat community in Tokyo, and a charismatic man who inspired loyalty even in those he betrayed. The workings of his relationships with his mistress Hanako, radioman Max Clausen, and with the distant 4th Directorate in Moscow, swirl around the tensions and secrets of his life. Prange is a dedicated and detailed historian, and this is a fascinating subject, but somehow this book was a slog, a real life spy story of narrow escapes and information that disappeared into the void of the Soviet strategic apparatus. show less

It’s not often that I get to use the word, definitive, but it certainly fits [At Dawn We Slept]. This book offers its readers everything they could possibly want with regard to the who, what, when, where, and why of the planning and execution of the raid, as well as the who, what, when, where, and why of how the U. S. failed to anticipate their actions and protect Pearl Harbor from a likely attack. It is filled with the incredible research done by Gordon Prange over almost 40 years, show more tracing down not only written information in letters, diaries, newspapers, magazines, and government records, but finding and interviewing well over 100 people, both in the U. S. and Japan.

I was surprised that I grew to be so interested in some of the major players in this moment in history that I actually felt for them a great deal of sympathy or, in the case, of some, cheered them on. Through this very long book they became like family or close friends.

Of course, I’ve lived my entire life knowing much about the Pearl Harbor attack. The following are some of the things I learned which were new to me or different than I had come to believe:

Yamamoto clearly understood that Japan had no hope of ultimate victory over the United States. He perceived Pearl Harbor as a knockout punch – damage and temporary containment.

The Japanese gathered mounds of information about Pearl Harbor merely by having one of their agents drive around the area and take notes. Security was so lax that the comings and goings of all ships were published in the newspapers every morning.

Neither Short nor Kimmel were privy to the Honolulu intercepts of Japanese coded transmissions, which were translated daily, and delivered to a very select few.

The Japanese originally estimated that the Pearl Harbor attack would cost them one third of their task force because they anticipated that the U. S. would discover them and respond accordingly.

Ambassador Nomura had no knowledge of the planning of Pearl Harbor. He only learned of it after he had returned from his final trip to the U. S. Ambassador. The Japanese government purposely kept him in the dark.

As early as October 11 Japan chose the date of December 7 (Hawaii time) for the attack.

FDR did not know about Pearl Harbor prior to its occurrence. He did not intentionally suppress information in order to bring it about.

The first blood spilt was by a Japanese and first shot fired was by the U. S.

On a personal note, the book was too inclusive. The editors did the reader no favors by putting in all that was gathered. Also, I found it very annoying that they used [sic] so often when the text was grammatically incorrect, especially since Prange misused forms of bring and take. show less

An incredibly detailed and unique look at a defining moment of the 20th century. Never before have WWII buffs had such an insight into the Day of Infamy, particularly in being able to view the lead up, battle, and aftermath from both the US and Japanese points of view. Prange's experience while living in Japan allowed him to cultivate and gather information that truly sheds new light on Pearl Harbor. In my view (as an amateur WWII historian), he permanently lays to rest the question of show more whether FDR had foreknowledge of the attack, though that is not the real value of this book. The true value is in the detail of planning, doubt, successes, failures, and crucial turning points throughout the narrative, particularly on the Japanese side.

For anyone interested in deeper analysis and fine minutiae of the battle, politics, and fallout, you can likely do no better. show less

An ambitious, academic work on the causes, reasons, outcomes and aftermaths of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Its probably one of the most well known events of WWII, but there was a lot that I never knew. Especially on the Japanese side, where the idea came from? how and when it was decided to go, and the logistical problems that arose. Not the least of which was that they had to completely redesign torpedo bombs, as they would not work in the shallow draft of the harbor. On the US side, I was show more amazed to see that bureaucracy and partisanship is nothing new and existed even during the unifying events of the war.

In the rear-view mirror of history, it is very easy to see where things went wrong and how the attack couldn't have been anticipated or prevented. In the book relatively little time is spent on the actual attak itself and the last big section deals with the aftermath, mostly around the many hearings and investigations that were undertaken to assign blame. Someone has to be blamed, right? To be honest, it was here that I tapped out and put the book down and decided to call it finished. The politics and who did what to whom, or who didn't do what to some other whom, didn't really interest me.

Despite this disappointing finish (for me), it is a worthwhile read for any history buff. Truth is always stranger and more interesting than fiction, or at least it usually is.

"He stands before the inquisitive historian in taut watchfulness, courteous, painstaking, and inscrutable, forever holding the citadel of his own personality"

6/10

S: 6/26/16 - F: 10/30/16 (127 Days) show less