Pearl Harbor

Richard Collier wrote The Road to Pearl Harbor: 1941 to talk about how the actions of individuals and governments brought the United States into World War II, as a result of the Pearl Harbor massacre caused by the Japanese.

The book starts out a dinner that Winston Churchill is hosting in order to recruit the support of the United States during the war. Winston Churchill is pleased to find out that he will have access to all sorts of American war materials, thanks to the lend-lease policy, which many saw as a slick business deal for the United States. The United States gained many assets in return for war materials not worth nearly as much.

One German who made a huge difference in the book was Rudolf Hess, a personal friend of Hitler’s who took it upon himself to fly an unarmed plane into Britain to try and negotiate a peace talk in order to keep Germany from having to fight a two front war following the execution of Operation Barbarossa, the code name for the invasion of the Soviet Union. The British did not know what to make of Hess, and treated him as a prisoner of war, leaving him mentally unstable and in no condition to negotiate a peace between Germany and Britain. Hitler was outraged when he found out about Hess’s mission, and played it off like Hess was the victim of hallucinations. Hitler did this because he did not really want peace with Britain and was desperate to keep up the morale of his troops getting ready to invade the Soviet Union. Hitler was also worried that Hess would be given a truth serum and reveal the plan to invade the Soviet Union to Winston Churchill.

Another interesting man from Germany was called the “Desert Fox.” Erwin Rommel earned his nickname by using new tactics to defeat the British in Africa despite being outnumbered for the most part. Rommel would make it look like he had more forces than he did by putting wooden turrets on top of BMWs and placing them next to real artillery during battles, influencing the British’s decision to retreat.

The turning point in both the war and the book come when the Japanese decide to invade Pearl Harbor early in the morning of December 7, 1941. Collier goes on to talk about how the Japanese got ready for the invasion by eating a traditional breakfast, wearing red shirt...

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...e Collier is basically just telling the stories of people who did something important during World War II before the tragedy at Pearl Harbor. These events are all correct historically and that makes the book a little easier to read. Before reading this book I did not know who people like Erwin Rommel and Rudolf Hess were.

It is different to see World War II from a view other than that of an American. Richard Collier was born in London and was a member of the Royal Air Force from 1942 until 1946. This gives him more credibility than someone who just does a bunch of research and throws it together for a book. Collier did research, citing hundreds of sources, but he also had his own personal experiences to fall back on, and that is not something that a lot of teachers and authors can say.

I would not recommend this book to other people unless they are interested in history and war. If you are interested in history and war, especially World War II, then The Road to Pearl Harbor: 1941 is a good book for you. The book covers so much material that teachers could not possibly begin to cover that it is a must-read for history buffs.

"The Road to Pearl Harbor: 1941 by Richard Collier