Ditty Bag: Collections of the Naval Historical Foundation An Artifact and Collections Blog Series Imperial Japanese Navy Minister Flag The Meiji Restoration saw an end to the Tokugawa shogunate rule of the Edo period in favor of imperial rule in Japan. The implementation of new political structures drastically changed the methods of military decisions and
By Mark Stille, Osprey Publishing, Oxford, United Kingdom (2013) Reviewed by Diana L. Ahmad, Ph.D., Missouri University of Science and Technology As with other Osprey publications, this volume packs a lot of information into a small space and completes its discussion of Japanese destroyers with excellent illustrations by Paul Wright and photographs from the collections
By John Gordon, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD, (2011). Reviewed by Captain Roger F. Jones, U.S. Navy (Retired) This is a book well worth reading from several standpoints. First, the role of the Navy and Marine Corps in the defense of the Philippines in World War II, as compared to the Army, is not generally
By Norman Polmar (Editor’s note: This is the seventh in a series of blogs by Norman Polmar, author, analyst, and consultant specializing in the naval, aviation, and intelligence fields. Follow the full series here.) While in high school I became interested in the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. As I
By Roger Mansell, Edited by Linda Goetz Holmes, Naval Institute Press, 2012. Reviewed by Nathan Albright A labor of love for Roger Mansell that extended ten years, edited after his death by historian Linda Goetz (known for her writings on the POW experience in the Pacific War), this book stands as a harrowing tale of
By John Jordan, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD. (2011). Reviewed by Larry A. Grant Warships After Washington: The Development of the Five Major Fleets 1922-1930 tells the story of the impact of the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 on warship construction as the victorious nations tried to modernize their navies while facing financial strain, national
The following interview is an excerpt from the oral history of Captain Douglas G. Phillips, USN (Retired), recorded in December 2010. Captain Phillips graduated from the New York State Merchant Marine Academy in 1937, and later obtained a commission with the U.S. Navy. His first Navy assignment was aboard USS Castor, and he later reported
As we approach the 71st anniversary of the tragic Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the thoughts of many around the nation will turn towards Hawaii, and the wreck of the battleship USS Arizona. But another Navy vessel from that colossal battle is being prepared for display in the deep South. The tugboat ex-USS Hoga (YT
By Elliot Carlson, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD (2011). Reviewed by Capt. John A. Rodgaard USN (Ret.) Joe Rochefort is a legend to all United States Navy intelligence professionals and Elliot Carlson’s outstanding biography finally introduces the man behind the legend. The author also lifts the veil of mythology and mystery that has surrounded the
By David C. Evans and Mark R. Peattie, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis (1997). Reviewed by Nathan B. Albright David C. Evans served in the U.S. Navy as an ensign and a lieutenant (junior grade), and previously edited The Japanese Navy in World War II: In the Words of Former Japanese Naval Officers. Mark R. Peattie
By Mark Stille, Osprey Publishing, 2011 Reviewed by Samuel Loring Morison This book, number 176 in Osprey’s “New Vanguard” series discusses the construction, design and role of the six classes of Heavy Cruisers built for the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II and the equipment that they employed. The book also includes mid-war modifications.
Iconic images of U.S. Navy warships under attack and on fire at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941 are seared into the collective American memory. Yet the total amount of moving picture footage of the surprise Japanese attack in Hawaii is limited, with the same shots often repeated over and over again. Rare footage shot
