No One Avoided Danger

NAS Kaneohe Bay and the Japanese Attack of 7 December 1941

Hardcover $11.68
Book: Cover Type

Overview

“No One Avoided Danger” is a detailed combat narrative of the 7 December 1941 Japanese attacks on NAS Kaneohe Bay, one of two naval air stations on the island of O‘ahu. Partly because of Kaneohe’s location—15 air miles over a mountain range from the main site of that day’s infamous attack on Pearl Harbor—military historians have largely ignored the station’s story. Moreover, there is an understandable tendency to focus on the massive destruction sustained by the U.S. Pacific Fleet. The attacks on NAS Kaneohe Bay, however, were equally destructive and no less disastrous, notwithstanding the station’s considerable distance from the harbor.

The work focuses on descriptions of actions in the air and on the ground at the deepest practical, personal, and tactical level, from both the American and Japanese perspectives. Such a synthesis is possible only by pursuing every conceivable source of American documents, reminiscences, interviews, and photographs. Similarly, the authors sought out Japanese accounts and photography from the attacks, many appearing in print for the first time. Information from the Japanese air group and aircraft carrier action reports has never before been used.

On the American side, the authors also have researched the Official Military Personnel Files at the National Personnel Records Center and National Archives in St. Louis, Missouri, extracting service photographs and details of the military careers of American officers and men. The authors are among the first historians to be allowed access to previously unused service records. The authors likewise delved into the background and personalities of key Japanese participants, and have translated and incorporated the Japanese aircrew rosters from the attack.

This accumulation of data and information makes possible an intricate and highly integrated story that is unparalleled. The interwoven narratives of both sides provide a deeper understanding of the events near Kane'ohe Bay than any previous history.

About the Author

Editorial Reviews

"This book is the first in a planned series in which the authors, all of whom are historians with a high reputation for analytical research, intend to explain the events of 7 December 1941 as they unfolded during the Japanese attack on Hawaii by carrier-borne aircraft.... If the remaining volumes are up to the quality of the first they will indeed set a new benchmark and become the standard works on the subject."  Warship 2017
"Wenger, Cressman, and DiVirgilio's work remains faithfully focused on the immediate experiences of the men and women at NAS Kaneohe that day, an impressive tribute to all the personnel who conducted themselves 'in a manner which was in keeping with the best tradition of the Navy.'" Sea History Magazine
"No One Avoided Danger represents one of the most valuable additions to the voluminous literature on Pearl Harbor that has been published in the last decade." H-Net
"This new book is an unusual and worthwhile treatment of a well-known subject and is hopefully only the first volume in a continuing series of titles that focus on more specific areas of the strike that hurled the U.S. into its most important conflict until the current long-going war against terrorism." Naval Aviation News
"The massive Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor was one of most traumatic events in U.S. history. Oceans of ink have been spilled examining why it was a surprise and who was to blame. Yet it was also a desperate battle, bravely fought by both sides. With superb research and acute analysis, Wenger, Cressman and Di Virgilio return the actual participants and events to center stage to narrate precisely what occurred on 7 December 1941 at Kāne'ohe Bay. This reviewer eagerly awaits future installments in what will be the definitive history of the Pearl Harbor attack." JOHN B. LUNDSTROM, author of Black Shoe Carrier Admiral
"In 'No One Avoided Danger', Michael Wenger, Robert Cressman, and John Di Virgilio provide a fascinating account of Japan's aerial assault on Naval Air Station Kaneohe Bay as part of its attack on Pearl Harbor and Hawai'i on 7 December 1941. This book should appeal to a large readership. It is substantially based on the recollections of those present during the surprise raid and is filled with interesting photographs of the aviation facilities that were bombed and strafed, and of the sailors and Marines who were targeted and who fought back as best they could." DR. JEFFREY G. BARLOW, retired historian, Naval History and Heritage Command
"This is the first volume in what will surely become the definitive history of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The authors' meticulous research into the Japanese and American archives has revealed a wealth of new information on this operation. Indeed, the stunning photographs alone are worth the price of admission. I will eagerly look forward to reading more from this trio." JONATHAN PARSHALL, co-author Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway
"'No One Avoided Danger' delivers a stirring and heroic portrayal of the destruction of Naval Air Station Kaneohe Bay, long overlooked in the history of December 7th. Now for the first time this book reveals how the Japanese sought to take away the eyes of the Pacific Fleet and eliminate America's air defense of the Gibraltar of the Pacific. Balanced by recollections of Japanese and American veterans, the authors detail the tragedy of war with the accounts of those who experienced it in the air and on the land." DANIEL A. MARTINEZ, chief historian, World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
"The authors conducted interviews, searched archives, translated Japanese documents, and conducted expert analysis. The result is a coherent in-depth study of an important piece of that day's events. The events at Kaneohe Bay have long been given the short shrift in the overall study of the Pearl Harbor attack; this book redresses that imbalance." WWII History
"The level of detail here is impressive. The authors' collective passion to convey what those individuals felt and thought on a day that will live in infamy leaves readers with both a chill and an invigorating sense of pride. The book's elaborate photo display is captivating. I applaud the authors for conducting their extensive research and for sharing this piece of history. Documenting experiences through interview transcripts and preserving memories remind us to honor our World War II veterans." Air & Space Power Journal
"The often-quipped axiom 'never judge a book by its cover' has surely never been better demonstrated than by this work. On first glance, the cover is an understated black and white photo of a burial party, with the title in bold red and a drab khaki green background. Its appearance belies the drama and quality that lie within, a story of hardship and triumph, of brave young men and women rising to the occasion in a part of the Pearl Harbor attack that is often overlooked in favor of the more famous portions. This is a book which deserves to be read. It will certainly be of great interest to both the academic and interested reader... In compiling the exceptionally well researched text, with an exhaustive list of resources, the three authors have really poured a lot of their lives into this wok and it shows. Their choice of black and white photos throughout lends it a level of authenticity... One would buy it, however, for the words, not the illustrations." The Northern Mariner
"In just 150 pages of tightly paced text and evocative black-and-white photography, the authors reconstruct the two-wave assault in high-resolution detail. Distilled from previously restricted U.S. and Japanese archival records, oral histories, and survivor interviews, the book is the definitive account of this long-overshadowed battle." Air & Space Magazine
"As Pearl Harbor was taking fire, so was Naval Air Station Kaneohe Bay, 15 miles away. The authors painstakingly portray events there long unheralded." World War II
"The book is full of never-before-published photographs of the base from both sides, personal accounts from U.S. servicemen as well as Japanese pilots, and the destruction left behind after the attack. No One Avoided Danger would be a good addition to any library, for scholars and casual enthusiasts alike, if only to complete the picture of all the attacks on 7 December." The Strategy Bridge.com
"The Japanese sweep of the Pacific in December 1941 and early 1942 struck not only Pearl Harbor but other allied naval and air bases stretching from Hawaii to Ceylon. Naval Air Station Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, was struck by Japanese naval aviators at the same time Pearl Harbor was being attacked and the seaplane base and its PBY aircraft were hit badly. The authors of No One Avoided Danger go into exhaustively researched detail of the U.S. and Japanese personnel in the action to produce a highly personal account." Seapower
Enhanced throughout with period photography, 'No One Avoided Danger' is a critically important addition to the growing library of World War II literature in general, and the Pacific Campaign in particular. A seminal work of research-based scholarship, 'No One Avoided Danger' is enhanced with the inclusion of U.S. Navy and Japanese aircraft names; Japanese names; Hawaiian place names; National Personnel Records Center, a glossary, notes on ship names, eighteen pages of notes, a ten page bibliography, and a twenty-nine page index. Very highly recommended.ùMidwest Book Review
"This book has a superb balance of technical detail and personalized stories. The reader will get the true feel for the confusion, chaos, and fear generated on that December 7 morning. Of additional praise is the adding of photos of the many individuals referenced in the telling of this story. Seeing a face that matches the recorded heroic and tragic actions is truly a benefit few other histories of this event have fully captured." J-Aircraft.com
"This book is the first in a planned series in which the authors, all of whom are historians with a high reputation for analytical research, intend to explain the events of 7 December 1941 as they unfolded during the Japanese attack on Hawaii by carrier-borne aircraft.... If the remaining volumes are up to the quality of the first they will indeed set a new benchmark and become the standard works on the subject." Warship 2017
"Highly recommended to anyone interested in understanding the calamity that befell the United States on December 7, 1941, on O'ahu....Represents one of the most valuable additions to the voluminous literature on Pearl Harbor that has been published in the last decade." H-Net
No One Avoided Danger is the first in a unique trilogy centered upon the infamous attack on Pearl Harbor which brought the U.S. into World War II—hard. The authors created a unique approach, as well. Each of the three authors possess expertise and proficiency. The authors uniquely concentrate on the myriad independent actions taken by combatants, civilians, spouses. Like a masterpiece painting, the broad strokes (strategic moves) catch the eye and are easiest to research and understand but it is the small strokes providing the details (actions of individuals) which make it a work of the ages instead of a simple illustration…. This book is welcome.” —Travel for Aircraft

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