Description
The successful reinforcement efforts of the US military immediately after the bombing of Pearl Harbor relied on the dispatch of military assets, including personnel and equipment, to the Philippines and Hawaii in the six months before the attack. Williford, co-founder of the Coast Defense Study Group, describes the reasons for and logistics of the build up before the attack and examines the subsequent use of these troops and equipment for the defense of outlying bases and the beginning of the buildup for the war. The book is illustrated with b&w historical photos and four maps, and includes an extensive bibliography of primary and secondary sources. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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Glen Williford lends new insight to the reasons for America's relatively quick comeback from the attack on Pearl Harbor. For the first time, he tells the complete story of American efforts to build and reinforce its Pacific garrisons in the Philippines and Hawaii during the six months prior to the war and to supply Bataan and Corregidor in early 1942. One effort involved a carefully organized convoy and air ferry routes that were reaching their heights in December 1941. The author fully describes the reinforcement efforts in the context of both the existing military strategies and the realities and physical limits of America's defense capabilities at the time. It concludes with an examination of the transition from the desperate defensive efforts to protect lines of communication to Australia and build a major base there to using these assets to resume the offensive.
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