Before dawn breaks over the Pacific, young Japanese pilots don the scarfs of ancient warriors -- and in the early light of Sunday morning an American radarman picks up an approaching air force, only to be told by his superiors that the planes are U.S. B-27s. A few hours later, Pearl Harbor is in flames, and America's naval fleet lies in bloodied ruins...

From a renowned team of military historians, here is the gripping, blow-by-blow chronicle of how it happened: from the chance conditions that allowed the Japanese a perfect approach, to a housewife's account of the first assault wave, from a ship's cook manning machine guns to survivors swimming through flaming, oil-slicked water. Told from both the Japanese and American points of view, December 7, 1941 reveals the diplomatic intrigue, the brutal fighting, the panic that followed the attack, and the disbelief, anger, and determination that gripped an America suddenly at war.