Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

This is a great book that any WWII buff is going to enjoy. Especially those who are more interested in the politics that led to some decisions during such a bloody war.

I got this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book from the publisher through Netgalley for review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Publication date: November 16, 2021.
In this fine, historical account of the five days in 20th Century history; December 7-11 of 1941; the reader gets a rare glimpse into the build up to American entrance into World War II. Witness accounts, diary entries, writings of the leaders of the time, as well as insights from historical facts, all come together to form a well thought out picture of live across the globe in the verge of conflict beyond imagination. War was imminent and we get the sense of building anxiety as we read these accounts. Excellent history book. Highly recommend to anyone who wants to the learn even more about the history around the war.

The authors of the this book have attempted to recount the diplomatic inner workings leading up to Pearl Harbor and the crucial days afterwords. This is truly a masterful work that should be included when looking at the diplomatic histories of the Second World War.

December 7th, 1941, Pearl harbor guarantees the United States will enter a conflict in the Pacific. Halfway around the World in Berlin, the attack would be a pleasant surprise to the megalomaniacal leader of the newly risen German Empire Adolf Hitler. Already in a low-grade conflict in the Atlantic Ocean Hitler would ham-handedly lead his nation through his charge d' affairs Hans Thomsen to war on December 11th. This was the great blunder among many blunders committed by Hitler and the greatest gift to the free world. This is the story of those five days.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Perseus Books for a copy of this military history.

Hitler's American Gamble: Pearl Harbor and Germany’s March to Global War by historians Brendan Simms and Charlie Laderman is a examination of the five days following the bombing of Pearl Harbor and Adolf Hitler's declaration of war on the United States. Their argument is that the most important day in the war was the December 11 declaration rather than the Japanese attack, as it made the war much easier to sell to a divided America who had no interest intervening in world affairs.

Pearl Harbor was as much a surprise to the Axis powers of Germany and Italy as it was to the Allies. Prejudice had much to to with this as no one thought the Japanese had the capacity to fight a war, and not against the racially superior West. As countries fell and ships were sunk, the Allies found themselves in a very confusing place. One that Hitler, declaring war first thought would win him a strategic advantage in Russia and finally in Europe.

The book is very well researched and readable. Their are many famous names and people, and not so famous but important to the story, that they could easily be lost. The authors are very good at making sure this does not happen. Their arguments are backed by plenty of evidence and presented well. One of the better books on World War II in quite awhile. I like the approach of just studying, with plenty of background one small snippet of time. A snippet that was very important to history.

A historic revelation about why Hitler shouldn't have declared war on the United States.

Historians Brandon Simms and Charlie Laderman, in their book 'Hitler's American Gamble: Pearl Harbor and Germany's March to Global War,' create a revealing, captivating account of the five historically significant days from December 6th to December 11th, 1941. The book begins with an overview of the situation before December 6th, covering the reasons behind the Axis cooperation, the Lend-Lease agreement between Britain and the USA, and conditions in the different war theatres. Military actions raged on two continents, but the war still couldn't be called a world war. The authors show how each country acted according to its ideological, geopolitical, and economic considerations. For Japan, Italy, and especially Germany, the war was a way to create a new world order in which they would play the superior role above the empires of the US and Britain. It was 'them,' haves of the world, against 'us,' the have-nots. Opponents of the Axis powers were merged into one 'Anglo-Saxon plutocracy,' pushed forward by the international Jewry and big corporations. Seeking allies, Hitler had to partially abandon his rhetoric about the supremacy of the white race, picturing the future world divided into two spheres of interest.

The attack on Pearl Harbor came as a shocking surprise to the Allied forces as well as Germany and Italy. The British and Americans continued to demonstrate underestimation of Japan's war capacities even after it destroyed Pearl Harbor, invaded the Philippines, and sunk two British battleships, the Prince of Walse and Repulse, leaving the Indian and Pacific Oceans unprotected.

The authors disprove conventional wisdom: the Japanese attack didn't mean an automatic American entry into the war due to the strong opposition from anti-interventionists at home that continued even after December 7th. It was Hitler's declaration of war that changed the balance within Congress.

The book provides a fascinating, paramount study of international and domestic politics. It uses every source of information possible: correspondence, newspapers, diaries, archives, observations of average citizens, among the few. From high-ranking officials to the ghetto Jews, from America, France, Britain, Russia, to Japan; the study covers everybody and everything. It's unequivocally a must-read for people interested in politics and World War II.

For me, it's one of the best history books this year.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A compelling & fascinating account of the very few days it took for WWII to become a global conflict from the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor,December 7th 1941 to the infamous speech Hitler gave 4 days later on the 11th declaring war to the United States.
An amazing and gripping day by day breakdown of all the events that brought the scales down towards a catastrophic outcome, from the American wrath and its declaration of war against the Japanese imperialist agression to the German Machiavellian decision to throw down the towel in order to launch its mad & almost doomed to fail invasion of the Soviet Union.

A magnificent and very detailed tapestry of the madness that gripped the World at the end of 1941 and the few days that changed the 20th century forever.

Highly recommended to anyone interested by WWII and to be enjoyed without any moderation whatsoever.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Basic Books for this terrific ARC

Even though President Franklin D. Roosevelt called December 6, 1941 a "Day of Infamy," after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Japan officially declared war on the United States, Great Britain, Holland and China just hours after the attack, it took the United States longer to reciprocate. It took some days to try to fathom what the destruction of so much of the navy in men and ships might lead. In fact, it was Adolf Hitler who declared war on the United States in a 90 minute Reichstag speech on December 11th before FDR really acted. The authors give some background prior to December 6 but then it is a day by day account through that December and then picks up the relationships of the "United Nations," the Soviet Union and the Axis powers until the end of the war. The United States population was so divided on even the lend-lease aid to Greta Britain and the Soviet Union that Roosevelt had to constantly read popular opinion information from trusted pollster Hadley Cantril. The racism of many in the United States and Great Britain in underestimating the Japanese and other Asians and also the anti-Semitism is sad and hard to read the quotes from. The authors write in a way that helped me keep track of who was who, where people were, when they were, and why some decisions probably were made. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.