Defenses of pearl harbor and oahu 1907-50 (Bloomsbury Publishing)

At the beginning of the 20th century, the military importance of the Hawaiian Islands became clear. Oahu in particular was a key bastion in projecting America's military power in the Pacific. This importance would lead the island to becoming a military fortress - and also the site of one of America's greatest defensive failures, the Japanese attack of December 7, 1941. By the end of World War II, the harbor itself was the most heavily defended in the world, earning the sobriquet "Fortress Oahu". This title documents the development of these complex and integrated systems, and analyses the success of the infamous Japanese attack in the light of their knowledge of the island's defenses.