A blockbuster film for 2001 is Pearl Harbor, which is said to stay in touch with what really happened more closely than usual. For an ‘alternate’ view of Pearl Harbor, read ‘Pearl Harbor: Irredeemable Defeat’ by Frank R. Shirer in Greenhill’s own new blockbuster Rising Sun Victorious . The following events take place during the first of three Japanese strikes: “The ad hoc strike group under the command of Lieutenant Commander Shigeharu Murata separated from the main force at 0745 to seek out Task Force 8. They found their prey at 0830, steaming south at 30 knots. On Enterprise and her escorts all hands stood at their battle stations. They had long since heard the radio message ‘Air raid Pearl Harbor. This is no drill.’ Circling at 20,000 feet was their combat air patrol of ten Wildcats. Enterprise’s thirty SBDs and six remaining TBDs were circling over the island of Maui, sent out of harm’s way by Halsey. His plan was to recall, refuel, and arm them to strike the Japanese fleet, once he had an idea of its location. Commander Murata ordered his veteran torpedo pilots to split their force in half, his element engaging Enterprise while the others hit her escorts. The Vals were to strike after the Kates had made their run. Murata’s ten Kates began their runs at both sides of Enterprise, charging through a hail of anti-aircraft fire much heavier than that which their comrades were facing at Pearl. Three went down before launching their fish, but the remaining planes successfully loosed their torpedos. Three hit Enterprise on her starboard side in quick succession, followed by another two on her port. She began to slow. Her advanced damage control design matched the effects of the five massive torpedo holes, but once the modified battleship shells dropped by the Vals exploded within her hull, destroying her watertight integrity, she began to settle slowly to the bottom of the Pacific. Meanwhile her Wildcats had been engaged by the Zeros as they dived to attack the Kates. In a whirlwind fight, seven Wildcats went down, taking with them three Zeros and two Kates. The remaining Kates and Vals made their runs on the cruisers Northampton, Chester, and Salt Lake City. Swerving wildly and putting up a dense canopy of triple A, Chester and Salt Lake City took repeated hits and were soon ablaze and sinking. Of the nine escorting destroyers, Blach, Dunlop, and Benham were sunk. Northampton, flagship of Rear Admiral Raymond A. Spruance, escaped with one torpedo hit and one bomb strike. His job done, with Enterprise sinking, Murata led the remains of his strike force back to the home carriers.” At the end of the chapter, Frank R. Shirer pinpoints where his alternate view diverges from reality. Or you could go and see the film. Back to Greenhill Military Book News No. 106 Table of Contents Back to Greenhill Military Book News List of Issues Back to Master Magazine List © Copyright 2001 by Greenhill Books This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com