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Racing the sunrise : reinforcing America's Pacific outposts, 1941-1942

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Glen Williford lends new insight into the reasons for America's relatively quick comeback from the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. For the first time, he tells the complete story of American efforts to build and reinforce its Pacific garrisons in the Philippines and Hawaii during the six months before the war and to supply Bataan and Corregidor in early 1942. This major effort by the United States to send the few units of trained men and scarce equipment to the Philippines and Hawaii-which involved a carefully organized convoy route utilizing both Army and Navy assets-has generally gone unappreciated. In order to get planes to the western Pacific, an entire air ferry route was quickly developed and garrisoned, and when the attack on Pearl Harbor came, the effort was just reaching its height. Men and supplies in San Francisco and convoys and lone freighters at sea were either lost to the enemy or diverted to campaigns to try and stop the Japanese. The author fully describes the reinforcement efforts in the context of both the existing military strategies and the realities and physical limits of America's defense capabilities at the time. Most importantly, it relates the human cost to the units caught up by the war's events. It concludes with an examination of the transition from the desperate defensive efforts to protect lines of communication to Australia in order to build a major base there, and to using these assets to resume the offensive.

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Summary Note

Glen Williford lends new insight into the reasons for America's relatively quick comeback from the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. For the first time, he tells the complete story of American efforts to build and reinforce its Pacific garrisons in the Philippines and Hawaii during the six months before the war and to supply Bataan and Corregidor in early 1942. This major effort by the United States to send the few units of trained men and scarce equipment to the Philippines and Hawaii-which involved a carefully organized convoy route utilizing both Army and Navy assets-has generally gone unappreciated. In order to get planes to the western Pacific, an entire air ferry route was quickly developed and garrisoned, and when the attack on Pearl Harbor came, the effort was just reaching its height. Men and supplies in San Francisco and convoys and lone freighters at sea were either lost to the enemy or diverted to campaigns to try and stop the Japanese. The author fully describes the reinforcement efforts in the context of both the existing military strategies and the realities and physical limits of America's defense capabilities at the time. Most importantly, it relates the human cost to the units caught up by the war's events. It concludes with an examination of the transition from the desperate defensive efforts to protect lines of communication to Australia in order to build a major base there, and to using these assets to resume the offensive.

Content Note

The situation in the Philippines -- Pacific Fleet basing and the problem of Oahu defense -- Initial reinforcements -- September 1941 -- Philippine reinforcements -- October 1941 -- The naval and marine reinforcements -- Philippine reinforcements -- November 1941 -- The Philippine Army -- B-17s and the first air ferry route -- Marine Corps base defense -- Pensacola convoy begins -- Pensacola convoy after December 7 -- Caught at sea -- Aborted convoys from San Francisco -- War commences -- Running the blockade -- Airplanes for ABDA -- Building the Australian base -- Frantic efforts to reinforce Hawaii and its outposts -- Further adventures of the artillery battalions -- The new South Pacific and African air ferry routes -- Shipping challenges of early 1942 and the Pacific task forces.