Island Warriors

The unexplored history of the Hawaii during World War II—from the devastation of Pearl Harbor to the defense of the homefront and an operations base for the Pacific Theater.

Just before eight o’clock in the morning on 7th December 1941, life changed forever on the islands of Hawai’i. An unexpected attack on the United States Pacific Fleet in the now infamous Pearl Harbor, brought the Second World War to the islands and catapulted the United States into global conflict. People around the world read about the attacks in the newspapers, or listened to the grim announcements on the wireless, many of them unaware of where Hawai'i even was in relation to their own countries.

After the attack, countless Americans rushed to join the war effort. Few, however, would see the carnage of Pearl Harbor up close, or smell the smoke that rose from the ships as they burned and broke apart, spilling their oil and littering the harbour with shattered metal and mangled men. The people of Hawaii saw these sights and smelled these smells, and determined that no matter the cost, they would defend their islands.

Women and men rushed to the site of the attack to see if they could offer medical assistance. Others picked up fire hoses to put out fires that were still raging, despite risking being strafed by Japanese fighter aircraft. In the aftermath, there were trucks piled high with the blackened bodies of young men and nurses faced with some of the most horrific burns and injuries they would ever have to treat.

Hawaiians would rise to meet these horrors and steeled themselves for the fight ahead. Hawai'i was then an American territory, but it was separated from the U.S. mainland by more than two thousand miles of ocean. Help was far away. The Japanese would invade and occupied vast areas, isolating Hawai'i even further.

In this total war, every person in the islands became a warrior. Hawaiians lived and worked in a war zone, following the example of the formidable queens and warriors of old whose legacy inspired them.

From the islands' incredible advanced integrated air defence systems to serving as a key and it's role as a frontline war zone, Hawaii's transformation, hardship, loss, and courage reverberated across all corners of the island. Filled with remarkable historic figures and unprecedented research, Island Warriors is a brilliant and fresh wartime history that brings an underexplored chapter and these heroic men and women of American history to vivid life.