Pearl Harbor Mug Shots: 'This is No Drill'

Review by Bill Doughty

Dedicated "to the servicemen and civilians on Ford Island on 7 December 1941," this book purports to be the "comprehensive tactical history ... for the Japanese attacks on the island of Oahu."

"This Is No Drill: The History of NAS Pearl Harbor and the Japanese Attacks of 7 December 1941" (Naval Institute Press, 2018) by J. Michael Wnger, Robert J. Cressman and John F. Di Virgilio sets its sights on the island in the middle of Pearl Harbor.

Ford Island in 1941

The authors describe the building of Luke airfield and Army and Navy infrastructure on Ford Island after giving a short but fascinating history of the area: Hawaiians' use of the area; early name of Rabbit Island; first foreign owner (in 1810) Spaniard Francisco de Paula Marin; price of the island at public auction in 1865, $1,040; and then the U.S. government's purchase as the First World War loomed.

"With the coming of war in Europe in July 1914, concerned Americans 'cast a watchful eye to security in the Pacific' – a gaze that presaged the end of civilian ownership of Ford Island. A purchase price of $236,000 was arranged for 'the transfer of Ford Island to the U.S. government for military purposes'; $170,000 went to the 'I'i estate and $65,000 to the Oahu Sugar Company as lessee of the majority of the island. The government gave custody of the northwestern half to the U.S. Army, which began developing an airfield shortly thereafter."

Of course, the centerpiece of this tactical history is the attack on Pearl Harbor by Imperial Japan, and "This Is No Drill" shows how the attack happened, building suspense and giving a face to the individuals involved, both American and Japanese.

The "mug shots" are what sets this comprehensive history apart from other great books about Pearl Harbor, including Gordon Prange's "At Dawn We Slept,"  Craig Nelson's  "From Infamy to Greatness" and Samuel Eliot Morison's "The Rising Sun in the Pacific."



Fascinating historical photos of people, places and facilities come from the Naval HIstory and Heritage Command, National Archives and Records Administration, National Personnel Records Center, National Personal Records Center, Japan Defense Agency, among others.

This work is part of a Pearl Harbor Tactical Studies Series that also includes "No One Avoided Danger: NAS Kaneohe Bay and the Japanese Attack of 7 December 1941."

"The Pearl Harbor Tactical Studies series seeks to fill this wide gap in military history by exploring the deepest levels of practical, personal, and tactical details. The goal of these works is to promote a deeper understanding of the events of 7 December 1941 and to convey the chaos and magnitude of the disaster on Oahu as experienced by individuals. A careful survey of the available records and accounts from both sides has resulted in comprehensive accounts that document the epic American-Japanese struggle on and over Oahu and the intensely human tragedy of that day."

Anyone interested in the history of Pearl Harbor and the start of America's shock into World War II will find this book interesting and, as intended by the authors and series editors, comprehensive.