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First Shot: The Untold Story of the Japanese Minisubs
Craddock, John, First Shot: The Untold Story of the Japanese Minisubs that Attacked Pearl Harbor. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2006. 255p. ISBN 0-07-143716-9 (hc), $24.95. Index, Bib, Illus. Acid-Free.
John Craddock’s First Shot: The Untold Story of the Japanese Minisubs that Attacked Pearl Harbor is a good book to supplement other texts on World War II history. Its focus is on Japan’s use of minisubs at Pearl Harbor and subsequent conflicts during the war. It does not however discuss in detail the other military actions at Pearl Harbor and following naval battles.
One of the strengths of the book is Craddock’s effort to explore the humanity and psychology of those involved in the conflict. He focuses on Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto and Kazuo Sakamaki, the commander of one of the minisubs used at Pearl Harbor. Sakamaki became the first POW captured by the US after his minisub ran aground and he swam to shore. Craddock discusses his life in the US POW camps as well as his return to Japan at the conclusion of the conflict.
The book attempts to shed light on the mentality of the men who participated in and ordered the minisub attacks which were regarded as suicide missions. Later in the war, some minisubs were designed to explode on contact with enemy ships, killing the pilot in the process. Craddock discusses in some detail these kamikaze minisubs and the larger phenomena of suicide attacks.
Craddock is a former journalist and his prose style and word usage are accessible to the average reader. He provides enough background details to give a general sense of the events and people involved. The book focuses on Japanese minisubs however, and for a more thorough understanding of the naval struggle in the Pacific Ocean the reader would have to consult other texts.
The book has problems with organization. The chapters generally discuss events as they occurred chronologically, but at times there are digressions in the discussion of limited relevance. For example the book opens with a description of an attempt to locate, some sixty years after the battle, one of the minisubs sank at Pearl Harbor. These pages offer information of limited value given the stated topic of the book, especially since the search ultimately failed.
Craddock’s speculation concerning Isoroku Yamamoto’s possible role as a post-war leader is a distraction. Yamamoto was assassinated during the war, so while it is interesting to consider “what if” scenarios, this particular one does not help the reader understand Japan’s use of minisubs in naval engagements. Fortunately these digressions are short and do not harm the integrity of the discussion.
The endnotes of the book were poorly done. They are not referenced in the body of the text. Instead they are organized in the back of the book by chapter, page, and relevant phrase. This keeps the text free of numerical markings, but makes the information in the endnotes less accessible to the reader.
Some of the citations in the bibliography seem less than scholarly. For instance there is a reference to a title called Wildlife Explorer. According to the publisher’s web site (www.imp-usa.com), it is a collection of cards with facts, statistics, and trivia about different species of animals. It appears to have no relevance to the topic of the book. Its inclusion in the bibliography can perhaps be explained by the fact that John Craddock is listed as one of the authors. However its presence makes one question the sincerity of the bibliography.
In conclusion, First Shot: The Untold Story of the Japanese Minisubs that Attacked Pearl Harbor is an accessible book that discusses the interesting and not widely known use of minisubs by Japan in World War II. It is suitable as a supplement to books that give a more thorough discussion of naval engagements in the Pacific Ocean.
John Craddock’s First Shot: The Untold Story of the Japanese Minisubs that Attacked Pearl Harbor is a good book to supplement other texts on World War II history. Its focus is on Japan’s use of minisubs at Pearl Harbor and subsequent conflicts during the war. It does not however discuss in detail the other military actions at Pearl Harbor and following naval battles.
One of the strengths of the book is Craddock’s effort to explore the humanity and psychology of those involved in the conflict. He focuses on Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto and Kazuo Sakamaki, the commander of one of the minisubs used at Pearl Harbor. Sakamaki became the first POW captured by the US after his minisub ran aground and he swam to shore. Craddock discusses his life in the US POW camps as well as his return to Japan at the conclusion of the conflict.
The book attempts to shed light on the mentality of the men who participated in and ordered the minisub attacks which were regarded as suicide missions. Later in the war, some minisubs were designed to explode on contact with enemy ships, killing the pilot in the process. Craddock discusses in some detail these kamikaze minisubs and the larger phenomena of suicide attacks.
Craddock is a former journalist and his prose style and word usage are accessible to the average reader. He provides enough background details to give a general sense of the events and people involved. The book focuses on Japanese minisubs however, and for a more thorough understanding of the naval struggle in the Pacific Ocean the reader would have to consult other texts.
The book has problems with organization. The chapters generally discuss events as they occurred chronologically, but at times there are digressions in the discussion of limited relevance. For example the book opens with a description of an attempt to locate, some sixty years after the battle, one of the minisubs sank at Pearl Harbor. These pages offer information of limited value given the stated topic of the book, especially since the search ultimately failed.
Craddock’s speculation concerning Isoroku Yamamoto’s possible role as a post-war leader is a distraction. Yamamoto was assassinated during the war, so while it is interesting to consider “what if” scenarios, this particular one does not help the reader understand Japan’s use of minisubs in naval engagements. Fortunately these digressions are short and do not harm the integrity of the discussion.
The endnotes of the book were poorly done. They are not referenced in the body of the text. Instead they are organized in the back of the book by chapter, page, and relevant phrase. This keeps the text free of numerical markings, but makes the information in the endnotes less accessible to the reader.
Some of the citations in the bibliography seem less than scholarly. For instance there is a reference to a title called Wildlife Explorer. According to the publisher’s web site (www.imp-usa.com), it is a collection of cards with facts, statistics, and trivia about different species of animals. It appears to have no relevance to the topic of the book. Its inclusion in the bibliography can perhaps be explained by the fact that John Craddock is listed as one of the authors. However its presence makes one question the sincerity of the bibliography.
In conclusion, First Shot: The Untold Story of the Japanese Minisubs that Attacked Pearl Harbor is an accessible book that discusses the interesting and not widely known use of minisubs by Japan in World War II. It is suitable as a supplement to books that give a more thorough discussion of naval engagements in the Pacific Ocean.
Submitted in April 2007 by Ryan James, LIS Student, University of Hawaii at Manoa.
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