Glen Williford – författare

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. The island was turned into a military fortress - and yet it also became 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, and the island had earned the sobriquet "Fortress Oahu".This illustrated guide documents the development of the coastal, air and land defense systems that served to protect Pearl Harbor and Honolulu from 1907 to 1950, and seeks to understand why these failed at a critical point.

Glen Williford lends new insight into the reasons for America s relatively quick comeback from the attack on Pearl Harbor. For the first time, he tells the complete story of American efforts to build and reinforce its Pacific garrisons in the Philippines and Hawaii during the six months prior to the war and to supply Bataan and Corregidor in early 1942. One effort involved a carefully organized convoy and air ferry routes that were reaching their heights in December 1941. The author fully describes the reinforcement efforts in the context of both the existing military strategies and the realities and physical limits of America s defense capabilities at the time. It concludes with an examination of the transition from the desperate defensive efforts to protect lines of communication to Australia and build a major base there to using these assets to resume the offensive.

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. The island was turned into a military fortress - and yet it also became 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, and the island had earned the sobriquet "Fortress Oahu".This illustrated guide documents the development of the coastal, air and land defense systems that served to protect Pearl Harbor and Honolulu from 1907 to 1950, and seeks to understand why these failed at a critical point.