They're Killing My Boys!

The History of Hickam Field and the Attacks of 7 December 1941

  • Subject: World War II | Pearl Harbor | Clear the Decks Up to 80% OFF
  • Format:
    Hardcover
  • Pages:
    296
    pages
  • Illustrations:
    “They're Killing my Boys” is a detailed combat narrative of the 7 December 1941 Japanese attacks on Hickam Field—then one of two major U.S. Army airfields on the island of O'ahu.
  • Published:
    October 15, 2019
  • ISBN-10:
    1682474585
  • ISBN-13:
    9781682474587
  • Product Dimensions:
    8.5 × 10.875 × 1 in
  • Product Weight:
    37 oz
Hardcover $13.80
Book: Cover Type

Overview

“They're Killing my Boys” is a detailed combat narrative of the 7 December 1941 Japanese attacks on Hickam Field—then one of two major U.S. Army airfields on the island of O'ahu. Since the field served as a base for long-range bombers, the Japanese military desired to put Hickam out of action to prevent U.S. forces from searching for and attacking their carrier force.

Typically, military historians tend to focus on the destruction sustained by the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor. Although the loss of life at Hickam Field was less than that sustained by the Pacific Fleet, the attacks on the former location caused destruction and mayhem that was disastrous and wrenching.

This work describes 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. This accumulation of data and information makes possible an intricate and highly-integrated story that is unparalleled. The interwoven nature of the narratives of both sides provides a deep understanding of the events at Hickam Field that has been impossible to present heretofore.


About the Author

Editorial Reviews

’They’re Killing My Boys!’, the third installment of Wenger, Cressman, and Di Virgilio’s comprehensive history of the Pearl Harbor tragedy, covers the devastation of Hickam Field, the U.S. bomber base on Oahu. Their superb treatment remains unmatched in absorbing detail, careful interpretation, and excellent photographs.” John B. Lundstrom, author of Black Shoe Carrier Admiral
They’re Killing My Boys! is a very detailed examination on the Japanese attacks on Hickman Field…. The story is told within 272-pages in this well-illustrated hardbound volume…. So, what’s new to find out concerning the 7 December 1941 Japanese sneak attack on Hawaii? By what’s in this volume, a lot!” —Sea Classics
“A companion volume to the authors’ ‘This is No Drill’: The History of NAS Pearl Harbor and the Japanese Attacks of 7 December 1941, a very detailed history of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) air attack on Hickam Field – one of two major United States Army Air Force (USAAF) airfields on the Hawaiian island of O’ahu – which followed the major assault on the nearby Pearl Harbor Navy Yard during one of the most pivotal days in the history of WW2.” —Aerospace
“What makes this book so important is the first-time availability of free and unfettered access to both open and closed service records of American and Japanese personnel. The authors have detailed backgrounds and personality profiles with photos of key Japanese participants, including many of the pilots who led the attacks.” —WTBF-AM/FM
“Three leading US military historians collaborate to produce a fresh review of the wider actions on the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbour. This is an original review of the attack with fresh insight and many rare photographs. Most Highly Recommended.” —FIRE Reviews
“Using heretofore restricted personnel records, this team of three diligent historians have done very well in telling the full story of the surprise attack on what should have been a regular quiet, restful Sunday morning in the Navy’s distant naval base. Focusing on the Army’s side of the story, on nearby Hickam Army Air Field, we see a different, yet highly detailed, side of the overall story of the Pearl Harbor strike and especially that concerning the Army’s bomber units, many of which actually launched in unproductive searches for the Japanese attackers using B-17s and obsolescent B-18s.” —Naval Aviation News
“The authors of They're Killing My Boys present a detailed narrative of the prewar history of the airfield plus a minute by minute account of the Japanese attack on December 7, 1941 with an incredible depth of information about the damage sustained and aircraft destroyed on the ground…. Nearly every page of They're Killing My Boys is lavishly illustrated with period photographs of the people and places described, including personnel photographs of the Americans who served at Hickam or piloted aircraft plus photographs of attacking Japanese pilots.” —Pacific Wrecks
“The authors do well describing many individuals—both U.S. and IJN—with service photos, historical photos and short bios. They make these individuals real to the reader and how their actions played out as these attacks unfolded. Maps help as do images gleaned from several sources with each image scrutinized for every detail they can provide—each of their captions are incredibly informative.” —The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

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