December 8, 1941: MacArthur's Pearl Harbor

569 Pages·2003·32.587 MB·English

by  William H. Bartsch

DECEMBER 8, 1941
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Joseph G. Dawson III, General Editor
Editorial Board
Robert Doughty
Brian Linn
Craig Symonds
Robert Wooster
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D E C E M B E R 8 , 19 4 1
M A RT H U R’S
A C
PEARL HARBOR
W I L L I A M H. B A RT S C H
Texas A&M University Press
College Station
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Copyright © 2003 by William H. Bartsch
Manufactured in the United States of America
All rights reserved
First edition
The paper used in this book meets the minimum requirements
of the American National Standard for Permanence
of Paper for Printed Library Materials, Z39.48-1984.
Binding materials have been chosen for durability.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bartsch, William H., –
December ,  : MacArthur’s Pearl Harbor / William H. Bartsch.
p. cm.—(Texas A&M University military history series ; no. )
Includes bibliographical references and index.
 ---
. World War, –—Campaigns—Philippines. . World War, –—
Aerial operations, Japanese. . World War, –—Aerial operations, American.
. MacArthur, Douglas, –. I. Title. II. Series: Texas A&M Universtiy
military history series ; .
. 
.’—dc 
The author wishes to thank Eugene Eisenberg for his donation of John D. Shaw’s
painting, They Fought with What They Had, for use on the jacket cover of this
book. The author also wishes to acknowledge the men represented in the paint-
ing. They are personnel of the th Bomb Group. Shown in the foreground
(left to right): Lt. Henry Godman, Sgt. Meyer Levin, Sgt. James Halkyard, Lt. Joseph
Bean (kneeling), Capt. Colin Kelly, Sgt. John Wallach, Sgt. J. W. DeLahanty, Pfc.
Robert Altman, Pfc. W. Money (on bumper). Shown on the Jeep (left to right):
Lt. William Bohnaker, Lt. Edward Jacquet, Lt. Harl Pease Jr., Lt. Jack Heinzel,
Lt. Don Robins (kneeling).
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This book is dedicated to the memory of
Lt. Col. Kirtley J. Gregg, USAAF
(December 25, 1901–April 21, 1942)
and
Col. William R. Burt, USAF (Ret.)
(August 4, 1914–January 8, 2001)
The inability of an enemy
to launch his air attack on these islands
is our greatest security.
—Douglas MacArthur, commanding general,
U.S. Army Forces in the Far East, to visiting British
admiral Tom Phillips during a conference chaired
by Adm. Thomas Hart, Manila, December , 
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Contents
Foreword by Lt. Gen. Joseph H. Moore, USAF (Ret.) 3
Preface 7
Acknowledgments 11
Prologue: “Seize This Golden Opportunity” 15
Part I: “By God, It Is Destiny That Brings Me Here!” 33
1. “They Have Really Ripped the th All to Hell” 45
2. “A Troop of Boy Scouts Flying Kites Could Take These Damned
Islands” 61
3. “They Will Be Shot Down as Fast as They Are Put in the Air” 70
Part II: “If We Make Our Attack Now, the War Is Not Hopeless” 91
4. “Why Send Over These Ninety-Day Wonders?” 106
5. “The Creation of the Five-Engine Bomber Has
Completely Changed the Strategy in the Pacific” 130
6. “Feasibility of Direct Attack on Luzon in the Philippines” 153
Part III: “The Inability of an Enemy to Launch His Air Attack on
These Islands Is Our Greatest Security” 179
7. “We Are Going Much Too Far on the Offensive Side” 197
8. “Struck by Its Resemblance to a Railroad Timetable” 228
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viii Contents
Part IV: “I Shall Die Only for the Emperor, I Shall
Never Look Back” 255
9. “What a Fog!” 264
10. “Go Get ’Em!” 291
11. “Navy, Hell, It’s the Japs!” 311
12. “Whatever You Do, Don’t Get under the Damned Truck!” 341
13. “All We’ve Got Left Is the Key to the Airplane” 358
14. “What Is the Matter with the Enemy?” 382
Epilogue 409
Appendix A. Japanese Naval Air Strength for the
Philippines Operation, December 8, 1941 425
Appendix B. Japanese Army Air Strength for the
Philippines Operation, Formosa, December 8, 1941 426
Appendix C. Far East Air Force Strength in the
Philippines, December 8, 1941 427
Appendix D. Order of Battle, Tainan Ko¯ku¯tai,
Tainan, Formosa, December 8, 1941 428
Appendix E. Order of Battle, 3d Ko¯ku¯tai,
Takao, Formosa, December 8, 1941 430
Appendix F. Officers of the 24th Pursuit Group,
December 8, 1941 432
Appendix G. Officers of the 19th Bomb Group (Heavy),
December 8, 1941 435
Appendix H. Far East Air Force Personnel Killed in Action,
December 8, 1941 439
Appendix I. B-17s of the 19th Bomb Group (Heavy),
December 8, 1941 442
Appendix J. Japanese Naval Terminology 443
Notes 445
Sources 505
Index 533
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DECEMBER 8, 1941
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