History Literature / DaysOfInfamy

%% * AlternateHistory

%% * CoolBoat:
%% ** The USS Bunker Hill (CV-17), USS Copahee (CVE-12), and many more.
%% ** The Japanese have Daihatsu class landing crafts, the IJN Akagi, and the IJN Shokaku
%% * CoolGuns:
%% ** Browning Automatic Rifles were used by the US Marines when they retake Hawaii.
%% ** M2 Flamethrowers are used by Marines in Honolulu.
%% ** Arisaka Rifles are noted as being BoringButPractical.

%% ** During liberation of Hawaii, the aptly-named SB2C Helldivers sink the IJN Akagi and the IJN Shokaku.
%% ** B-25 Mitchells were used in the Doolittle raid on Oahu, with great success.

%%** The Aichi [=D3A=] dive bomber was decisive in winning the battle during the first US attempt to retake Hawaii.

* DeathByAdaptation:
** Mitsuo Fuchida, lead pilot of the attack on Pearl Harbor, was shot down by Joe Crosetti, whereas he survived the war in the real world
** Minoru Genda, architect of the attack on Pearl Harbor, commits seppku to apologize for the failure of the plan, as opposed to surviving the war to become a politician.

%% * DrillSergeantNasty: Sanji Iwabuchi. It gets exaggerated when Iwabuchi is [[YouAreInCommandNow promoted to commander]] of all Japanese forces on Hawaii, after Tomoyuki Yamashita is killed defending Pearl City. Iwabuchi wasts no time ordering troops to [[ZergRush heedlessly charge at the enemy]], regardless of the number of Japanese soldiers that are killed and any civilians caught in the crossfire. Some Japanese leaders, Minoru Genda among them, are [[EvenEvilHasStandards disturbed]] by his tactics. Although, it is much as a surprise and shock for American military intelligence to learn that Iwabuchi's mentality is ''hardly'' unique among the Japanese military.

* HistoricalVillainDowngrade: As bad as the Japanese soldiers are portrayed in this story, the reality was even worse. For instance, various characters often comment on how little food there is in Hawaii, even for the soldiers. However, this ignores the fact that there was plenty of meat on the island... in the form of the civilian population. Yes, according to Website/TheOtherWiki, the Imperial Japanese armed forces did engage in cannibalism among their other war crimes. See [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_war_crimes#Cannibalism here]]for details.

* LaserGuidedKarma: The Japanese gets their comeuppance for defending Hawaii against the United States in the same situation as the Americans'.

%% * POWCamp

* HistoricalVillainDowngrade: As bad as the Japanese soldiers are portrayed in this story, the reality was even worse. For instance, various characters often comment on how little food there is in Hawaii, even for the soldiers. However, this ignores the fact that there was plenty of meat on the island... in the form of the civilian population. Yes, according to Wiki/TheOtherWiki, the Imperial Japanese armed forces did engage in cannibalism among their other war crimes. See [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_war_crimes#Cannibalism here]]for details.

%% * DrillSergeantNasty: Sanji Iwabuchi. It gets taken UpToEleven when Iwabuchi is [[YouAreInCommandNow promoted to commander]] of all Japanese forces on Hawaii, after Tomoyuki Yamashita is killed defending Pearl City. Iwabuchi wasts no time ordering troops to [[ZergRush heedlessly charge at the enemy]], regardless of the number of Japanese soldiers that are killed and any civilians caught in the crossfire. Some Japanese leaders, Minoru Genda among them, are [[EvenEvilHasStandards disturbed]] by his tactics. Although, it is much as a surprise and shock for American military intelligence to learn that Iwabuchi's mentality is ''hardly'' unique among the Japanese military.

* ObligatoryWarCrimeScene: Given the fact that Japan didn't sign the [[UsefulNotes/TheLawsAndCustomsOfWar Geneva Convention]], the Imperial Japanese Army fills out their criteria throughout the series (many of which are unfortunately TruthInTelevision):
** Fletch discover a captured American POW who was [[ColdBloodedTorture tortured to death]] after being [[NightmareFuel repeatedly bayoneted, castrated and having his genitals put in his mouth before expiring from blood loss]], AND, as a sadistic add to insult, having a sign placed next to him with the words: "HE TAKE LONG TIME DIE". Fletch was so disturbed that he advised the soldiers who found the body to not tell any of their comrades about the dead man, except warning them of not to be taken prisoner by the Japanese.
** American POW's are worked to death.
** During the invasion, Japanese planes indiscriminately shoot evacuating civilians that were haphazardly mixed in with US Army columns along the highways.
** American medics are [[ShootTheMedicFirst targeted]] by the Japanese.
** A public execution of an American civilian for illegally keeping a radio via [[OffWithHisHead decapitation]].
** The Japanese military resorted to forcing women civilians in Hawaii into becoming [[SexSlave comfort women]] as there were too many Japanese servicemen crowding Hotel Street's brothels. Jane Armitage was among the comfort women. In real life, it was a very unfortunate TruthInTelevision.

** Jiro Takahasi and other elder Japanese ''Issei'' welcomed the Japanese invasion out of pride for their heritage and birth country.

* LesCollaborateurs:
** Jiro Takahasi and other elder Japanese ''Issei'' fell into the LesCollaborateurs camp.
** A subversion for Japanese gardener Yoshi Nakayama, who never want to abuse his position as a translator for the Japanese occupiers, and had little choice in the matter. Because of his sincerity, he escaped unscathed from running the gauntlet after the occupation ended.
** The "Royal Hawaiian Army" is a mixed bag during the liberation. On one side, many disenfranchised native Hawaiians were willing to fight the Americans to the death. But for the majority, [[KnowWhenToFoldEm many realized the futility and chose to peacefully surrender without incident]].

* CultureClash: The Japanese soldiers are pretty much amazed by American culture, such as the number of privately-owned cars and surfing.
** By the end of the American liberation, many surviving Japanese POW's were very surprised of how they were being properly treated by their captors, given how they treated their own prisoners.

* OnlySaneMan: Isoroku Yamamoto, unsurprisingly, knew that attacking and ''invading'' Hawaii was a bad idea from the beginning.

* AcePilot: Mitsuo Fuchida for the Japanese, and Joe Crosetti for the Americans.
* AllohistoricalAllusion: The first attack on Japanese occupied Oahu is called the "Doolittle Raid".
* AlternateHistory

* AwakeningTheSleepingGiant: The attack on Pearl Harbor was already a RageBreakingPoint for Americans but the invasion of Hawaii just amplifies the anger.
** This gets further pushed when Japanese forces start bombing the West Coast of America, causing many Americans to want to leave Europe to focus on Japan.

* ColonelBadass: Platoon Sergeant Lester Dillon of the USMC and World War I vet.
* CoolBoat:
** The USS Bunker Hill (CV-17), USS Copahee (CVE-12), and many more.
** The Japanese have Daihatsu class landing crafts, the IJN Akagi, and the IJN Shokaku
* CoolGuns:
** Browning Automatic Rifles were used by the US Marines when they retake Hawaii.
** M2 Flamethrowers are used by Marines in Honolulu.
** Arisaka Rifles are noted as being BoringButPractical.

** Mitsuo Fuchida was shot down by Joe Crosetti.
** Minoru Genda commits seppku.

* DrillSergeantNasty: Sanji Iwabuchi. It gets taken UpToEleven when Iwabuchi is [[YouAreInCommandNow promoted to commander]] of all Japanese forces on Hawaii, after Tomoyuki Yamashita is killed defending Pearl City. Iwabuchi wasts no time ordering troops to [[ZergRush heedlessly charge at the enemy]], regardless of the number of Japanese soldiers that are killed and any civilians caught in the crossfire. Some Japanese leaders, Minoru Genda among them, are [[EvenEvilHasStandards disturbed]] by his tactics. Although, it is much as a surprise and shock for American military intelligence to learn that Iwabuchi's mentality is ''hardly'' unique among the Japanese military.

* ForWantOfANail:
** The Japanese gave their approval of conquering Hawaii after being convinced by Minoru Genda.
** Saburo Shindo dies in 1943 when he slams his scrapyard Zero fighter into the USS ''Bunker Hill''.
* ForegoneConclusion: The end of the series implies that World War II in the Asian-Pacific theater will proceed as it was in spite of the historical changes. [[spoiler:Also, it is imply that Jiro will die in Hiroshima.]]

* HistoricalInJoke:
** Saburo Shindo kamikaze the ''Bunker Hill''.
** Jiro's last lines is thinking that it is not so bad living in [[spoiler:Hiroshima]].

* ImprovisedWeapon: Saburo Shindo, in a desperate attempt to get back into the air, repairs his Zero by scavenging the remains from other Zero fighters and Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusas.

* InterserviceRivalry: The Imperial Japanese Army and Navy, as in RealLife, had traditionally been rivals and barely tolerated each other, but this relationship only worsens during their occupation of Hawaii.

* MonumentalDamage: In ''Days of Infamy'', the Aloha Tower is bombed by Japanese dive bombers to break American morale.

* POWCamp
* PropagandaMachine: Jiro happily accepts doing newspaper interviews and regular radio broadcasts extolling the virtues of Japan. But by the time the Americans return, Jiro starts to have doubts about his job when the propaganda pieces start to sharply contradict him.
* PuppetKing: Stanley Owana Laanui was made "King of Hawaii" by the Japanese after the Pearl Harbor attack and invasion. Ironically, Stanley was the Japanese government's ''last'' choice for office, as many native Hawaiians with royal blood, such as Abigail Kawananakoa, knew very well that the real power remains in Japanese hands and flatly declined Japan's offer.
* PyrrhicVictory: The 1st Battle of the North Pacific, while a Japanese victory, cost them a lot of expert pilots and the IJN Zuikaku was sunk and no reserves would be sent to the island.

* SecretPolice: The ''Kempeitai'' police occupied Hawaii. Charlie Kaapu gets the ire of the ''Kempeitai'' purely on the say-so of a Japanese major whom Kaapu had cuckolded.

* SympatheticAdulterer: Minoru Genda.

** The M3 Stuarts fair well against Japanese tanks during the invasion.
** By the second book, the M4 Sherman dominated armored warfare and their only casualties are the result of suicide petrol bombs and grenade attacks.
* UnderestimatingBadassery: Both America and Japan underestimated each other prior to the invasion. In the first book, the Japanese believed that the Americans were lazy and incompetent, a view which is only reinforced by the Americans' first failed attempt to retake Hawaii.By the second book, however, it is Japan on the receiving end of this when America pulls it's wits together, upgraded it's military and successfully liberates Hawaii.

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: Tomoyuki Yamashita is portrayed as a brutal Army General in the series who allows the soldiers under his command to commit numerous atrocities. In reality, Yamashita was a very strict and moral general who forbade any misbehavior when his troops took Singapore, had an officer and several soldiers executed for ordering a massacre and looting respectively, and personally apologized to the survivors of said massacre. He was also criticized by his own countrymen for his humane treatment of prisoners of war under his watch.

** During liberation of Hawaii, B-17 Flying Fortresses sink the IJN Akagi and the IJN Shokaku and work in tandem with B-24 Liberators to pound Japanese positions, airfields and ships.
** B-25 Mitchells were used in the Doolittle raid on Oahu, with great success.
** The [=F6F=] Grumman Hellcat proves invaluable in replacing the [=F4F=] Wildcat.
** The Aichi [=D3A=] dive bomber was decisive in winning the battle during the first US attempt to retake Hawaii.
** The ''Zero'' is the most effective Japanese fighter up until 1943.

* ArtisticLicense - History: Tomoyuki Yamashita is portrayed as a brutal Army General in the series who allows the soldiers under his command to commit numerous atrocities. In reality, Yamashita was a very strict and moral general who forbade any misbehavior when his troops took Singapore, had an officer and several soldiers executed for ordering a massacre and looting respectively, and personally apologized to the survivors of said massacre. He was also criticized by his own countrymen for his humane treatment of prisoners of war under his watch.

* OnlySaneMan: Isoroku Yamamoto, unsurprisingly, knew better that attacking and ''invading'' Hawaii was a bad idea from the beginning.

* PropagandaMachine: Jiro happily accept in doing newspaper interviews and regular radio broadcasts extolling the virtues of Japan. But by the time the Americans return, Jiro start to have doubts about his job when the propaganda pieces start to sharply contradict him.

* PyrrhicVictory: The 1st Battle of the North Pacific, while a Japanese victory cost them a lot of expert pilots and the IJN Zuikaku was sunk and no reserves would be sent to the island.

** The "Royal Hawaiian Army" is a mixed bag during the liberation. On one side, many disenfranchised native Hawaiians were willingly to fight the Americans to the death. But for the majority, [[KnowWhenToFoldEm many realized the futility and chose to peacefully surrender without incident]].

* ArtisticLicense - History: Tomoyuki Yamashita is portrayed as a brutal Army General in the series who allows the soldiers under his command to commit numerous atrocities. In reality, Yamashita was a very strict and moral general who forbade any misbehavior when his troops took Singapore, had an officer and several soldiers executed for ordering a massacre and looting respectively, and personally apologized to the survivors of said massacre. He was also criticized by his own countrymen for his humane treatment of POWs under his watch.

* Artistic License - History: Tomoyuki Yamashita is portrayed as a brutal Army General in the series who allows the soldiers under his command to commit numerous atrocities. In reality, Yamashita was a very strict and moral general who forbade any misbehavior when his troops took Singapore, had an officer and several soldiers executed for ordering a massacre and looting respectively, and personally apologized to the survivors of said massacre. He was also criticized by his own countrymen for his humane treatment of POWs under his watch.

* ObligatoryWarCrimeScene: Given the fact that Japan didn't sign the [[TheLawsAndCustomsOfWar Geneva Convention]], the Imperial Japanese Army fills out their criteria throughout the series (many of which are unfortunately TruthInTelevision):

* AnyoneCanDie: Among the viewpoint characters in the Japanese armed forces, only Yasuo Furusawa survived as a prisoner of war.

* IWillOnlySlowYouDown: Jim Peterson, severely malnourished, says this to Charlie Kaapu, who want to escape together from the Japanese POW camp when the second battle for Hawaii is falling in favor for the Americans. Although Charlie promises to find help for him, he is unfortunately too late.

* LeaveNoSurvivors: Jim Peterson and the surviving POW's that were working in the tunnel are buried alive by their Japanese guards during the American liberation.

* SoleSurvivor: Out of all the Japanese characters given a [=POV=], only Yasuo Furusawa survives.

* HistoricalVillainDowngrade: As bad as the Japanese soldiers are portrayed in this story, the reality was even worse. For instance, various characters often comment on how little food there is in Hawaii, even for the soldiers. However, this ignores the fact that there was plenty of meat on the island... in the form of the civilian population. Yes, according to TheOtherWiki, the Imperial Japanese armed forces did engage in cannibalism among their other war crimes. See [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_war_crimes#Cannibalism here]]for details.

* LesCollaborateurs:
** Jiro Takahasi and other elder Japanese ''Issei'' fell into the LesCollaborateurs camp.
** A subversion for Japanese gardener Yoshi Nakayama, who never want to abuse his position as a translator for the Japanese occupiers, and had little choice in the matter. Because of his sincerity, he escaped unscathed from running the gauntlet after the occupation ended.
** The "Royal Hawaiian Army" is a mixed bag during the liberation. On one side, many disenfranchised native Hawaiians were willingly to fight the Americans to the death. But for the majority, [[KnowWhenToFoldEm many realized the futility and chose to peacefully surrender without incident]].

* ForegoneConclusion: The end of the series implies that World War II in the Asian-Pacific theater will proceed as it was. [[spoiler:Also, it is imply that Jiro will die in Hiroshima.]]

** A captured American POW was [[ColdBloodedTorture tortured by being repeatedly bayoneted, castrated and having his genitals put in his mouth before expiring from blood loss]], AND, as a sadistic add to insult, having a sign placed next to him with the words: "HE TAKE LONG TIME DIE".
** American POW's are worked to death.

* OffWithHisHead: Murphy, an elementary school principal, was decapitated by the Japs for charges of treason.

* HistoricalDomainCharacter: Quite a few for the Japanese, including Minoru Genda, Isoroku Yamamoto and Tomoyuki Yamashita, though there are still some on the American side as well..

** The "Royal Hawaiian Army" is a mixed bag during the liberation. On one side, many disenfranchised native Hawaiians were willingly to fight the Americans to the death. But for the ''majority'', many realized the futility and chose to peacefully surrender without incident.

* SemperFi: The United States Marine Corps are among the main American forces that liberated Hawaii.

* DrillSergeantNasty: Sanji Iwabuchi. It gets taken UpToEleven when Iwabuchi is [[YouAreInCommandNow promoted to commander]] of all Japanese forces on Hawaii, after Tomoyuki Yamashita is killed defending Pearl City. Iwabuchi wasts no time ordering troops to [[ZergRush heedlessly charge at the enemy]], regardless of the number of Japanese soldiers that are killed and any civilians caught in the crossfire. Some Japanese leaders, Minoru Genda among them, are [[EvenEvilHasStandards disturbed]] by his tactics. Although, it is much as a surprise and shock for American military intelligence to learn that Iwabuchi's mentality is ''hardly'' unique among the Japanese military.

** Saburo Shindo dies in 1943 when he slams his scrapyard Zero fighter into the USS Bunker Hill.

* HistoricalDomainCharacter: Quite a few for the Japanese, including Minoru Genda and Isoroku Yamamoto. Not so much on the American side, however.

* InterserviceRivalry: The Imperial Japanese Army and Navy, as in RealLife, had traditionally been rivals and barely tolerate each other, but this relationship only worsens during their occupation of Hawaii.

* DrillSergeantNasty: Sanji Iwabuchi. It gets taken UpToEleven when Iwabuchi is [[[[YouAreInCommand promoted to commander]] of all Japanese forces on Hawaii, after Tomoyuki Yamashita is killed defending Pearl City. Iwabuchi wasts no time ordering troops to [[ZergRush heedlessly charge at the enemy]], regardless of the number of Japanese soldiers that are killed and any civilians caught in the crossfire. Some Japanese leaders, Minoru Genda among them, are [[EvenEvilHasStandards disturbed]] by his tactics. Although, it is much as a surprise and shock for American military intelligence to learn that Iwabuchi's mentality is ''hardly'' unique among the Japanese military.

* DrillSergeantNasty: Sanji Iwabuchi. Even made worse that Iwabuchi became the [[BloodKnight leader]] of all Japanese forces in Hawaii after Tomoyuki Yamashita was killed and heedlessly ordering troops to [[ZergRush charge at the enemy]], regardless of the number of Japanese soldiers that are killed and any civilians caught in the crossfire. Some Japanese leaders, Minoru Genda among them, are [[EvenEvilHasStandards disturbed]] by his tactics. Although, it is much as a surprise and shock for American military intelligence, as Iwabuchi's mentality was ''hardly'' unique among the Japanese military.

* InterserviceRivalry: The Imperial Japanese Army and Navy hardly tolerate each other and had been traditionally rivals, which only intensified during their occupation of Hawaii.

* AcePilot: Mitsudo Fuchida for the Japanese, and Joe Crosetti for the Americans.

* AllohistoricalAllusion: The attack on Japanese occupied Oahu is called the "Doolittle Raid".

* IWillOnlySlowYouDown: Jim Peterson, severely malnourished, says this to Charlie Opana, who want to escape together from the Japanese POW camp when the second battle for Hawaii is falling in favor for the Americans. Although Charlie promises to find help for him, he is unfortunately too late.

** A subversion for Japanese gardener Yosh Nakayama, who never want to abuse his position as a translator for the Japanese occupiers, and had little choice in the matter. Because of his sincerity, he escaped unscathed from running the gauntlet after the occupation ended.

* PuppetKing: Stanley Owana Laanui was made "King of Hawaii" by the Japanese after the Pearl Harbor attack and invasion. Ironically, Stanley was the Japanese government's ''last'' choice for office, as many native Hawaiians with royal blood, such as Abigail Kawananakoa, knew very well that the real power remains in Japanese hands and flatly declined the Japanese's offer.

* YouALLShareMyStory: Although narrowly averted. Charlie Opana gets thrown into the POW camp with Jim Peterson. Lester Dillon was among the Marines that assaulted Iolani Palace and knocked out Yasuo Furusawa.

* HistoricalDomainCharacter: Mostly on the Japanese side, however.