Alan D. Zimm

Dr. Zimm is the author of Attack on Pearl Harbor: Strategy, Combat, Myths, Deceptions (Casemate, 2011) and contributed a chapter to The Sea and the Second World War: Maritime Aspects of a Global Conflict (Andarta Books, 2019). He was named 2016 Naval History Author of the Year for his article in the December issue, “Commander Fuchida’s Decision.”

Articles by Alan D. Zimm

Russian Navy’s Slava-class Black Sea flagship Moskva

Antiship Missile Lessons from Sinking of the Moskva

By Commander Alan D. Zimm, U.S. Navy (Retired)

May 2022

The missile attack that sank the Russian Navy’s Slava-class cruiser reveals that missiles with more precision, longer range, and smaller warheads cause far more damage than most models estimated.

The Second-Wave Attack on Battleship Row

By Alan D. Zimm

December 2021

While the first strike on Pearl Harbor wreaked havoc and destruction, the follow-up strike was a thorough bust. What happened?

In her heyday, the battleship USS Utah was a Florida-class dreadnought. By 1941, she had been converted to a gunnery-training platform and redesignated AG-16 from BB-31.

The Mystery of the Attack on the Utah

By Alan D. Zimm

December 2020

An on-site investigation leads a historical sleuth to a possible explanation for one of the enduring enigmas of Pearl Harbor.

The "Achilles" opening the attack on the "Graf Spee" by Edward S. Annison

A Battle Badly Fought

By Alan D. Zimm

August 2019

The defeat of the Graf Spee in 1939 gave the British Admiralty a much-needed propaganda boost—but the heroic David-and-Goliath narrative so long accepted by history is fundamentally false.

Commander Fuchida's Decision

By Commander Alan D. Zimm, U.S. Navy (Retired)

December 2016

Commander Mitsuo Fuchida sat in the center seat of his Nakajima B5N2 Type 97 carrier attack bomber watching aircraft race off the Akagi’s bow into the predawn mist. The weather ...

Human-Centric Warfare

By Commander Alan D. Zimm, USN (Ret.)

May 1999

The needs and limitations of the human users must be part of network-centric warfare.

Deterrence: Then and Now

By Commander Alan Zimm, U.S. Navy (Retired)

August 1996

Military forces are supposed to fight and win wars, but an equally important function is to prevent wars. Increasingly, it has been realized that these functions are not separate and ...

The First Salvo

By Lieutenant Commander Alan D. Zimm, U. S. Navy

February 1985

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Alan D. Zimm

Articles by Alan D. Zimm

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