BOOK REVIEW | Blunting the Spear: The Pacific Carrier War from Pearl Harbor to the Doolittle Raid

What comes very impressively out of this work is the amazingly rapid and effective response by the US Navy from what had been a devastating blow by the Japanese.

While there were no aircraft carriers in Pearl Harbor or submarines damaged when the Japanese attacked, the psychological and human damage was staggering. That, however, just made the Americans angrier and their response more effective. Bear in mind that the Battle of Midway, that turned the tide on the Japanese, took place only six months after the Pearl Harbor attack.

Stern has delved deeply into the day-to-day recovery from the attack and the actions of the leading personalities involved. That human aspect makes his work all the more interesting. It is a very valuable addition to World War II naval history that has much educational importance.

Author: Robert C. Stern

Available from Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, USA.

Web: www.usni.org