New book: Hitler's American Gamble: Pearl Harbor and the German March to Global War

davidbfpo · Dec 5, 2021

I spotted a few days ago a Twitter pointer to Jonathan Dimbleby discussing this book and now the 1hr long YouTube discussion has appeared:

The YouTube introduction states (with my emphasis):

As we prepare to commemorate the eightieth anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack, it remains etched in the public memory as the moment that ended America’s isolationism and led inevitably to the Axis defeat. In fact, as Brendan Simms and Charlie Laderman’s new book Hitler’s American Gamble. Pearl Harbor and Germany’s March to Global War shows, the Japanese assault initially did nothing of the sort. Across the world, the “day of infamy” brought uncertainty rather than clarity, plunging America into a new, separate war in the Pacific and threatening to leave Britain and the Soviet Union at the mercy of Hitler’s Germany. Hitler’s American Gamble shows that the five days from December 7 – 11 were the most exciting and consequential of early 20th century diplomatic history. It provides hour-by-hour, often minute-by-minute, accounts of the worldwide scramble to assess the impact of and response to Pearl Harbor. The authors show that the attack was not the turning point of World War II; they argue instead that it was Hitler’s declaration of war on the United States – occurring four days later on December 11, 1941 – that clinched the convergence of two struggles into a united global conflict and changed the course of the war. Speaker and author: Brendan Simms is a Professor in the History of European International Relations and a Fellow at the University of Cambridge. He is the author of many books, including Europe and Hitler. He lives in Cambridge, UK.
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I only vaguely knew there was a gap between Pearl Harbour and Hitler's declaration of war on the USA. On a quick scan I cannot identify a previous discussion of this period, there a few posts that could - scattered in a few threads. Those caveats aside I know that the USA was taking an active part beforehand in opposing Germany, notably in escorting convoys in the Atlantic and being the "arsenal of democracy".

davidbfpo · Dec 9, 2021

A review by the historian Andrew Roberts:

strikes me as a very important book. Covering the events of that most pivotal month in global history, December 1941, it is subtitled ‘Pearl Harbor and Germany’s March to Global War.’ It covers in absorbing detail those crucial five days between the Japanese attack on the United States in the Pacific and Hitler’s suicidal (as it turned out, literally) decision to go to war with an uninvadable country with limitless productive capacity. Truly eye-opening, myth-busting history.
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Link: Books of 2021 From Aspects of History - Aspects of History You have to scroll down to his comment (it is alphabetical).

davidbfpo · Dec 10, 2021

A short commentary by Charlie Laderman as four historians debate 'Did the Attack on Pearl Harbor Cost the Axis Powers the War' and the sub-title: Four historians consider the consequences of the ‘Day of Infamy’ on 7 December 1941, and whether it was the ultimate reason for Germany, Italy and Japan’s defeat.
Link: Did the Attack on Pearl Harbor Cost the Axis Powers the War? | History Today

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New book: Hitler's American Gamble: Pearl Harbor and the German March to Global War

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