Pearl Survivor
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was right when he declared December 7, 1941 a day that would live in infamy. Even 80 years later, the mere mention of the attack on Pearl Harbor can summon quite a range of emotions, and the violation of our sovereignty on that day, with the images of burning ships and planes, will forever be etched in our souls.
Now history has proved that while Pearl Harbor may have been a temporary tactical success for the Imperial Japanese Military, it was a strategic blunder on a massive scale. It was the catalyst that awakened the industrial might of America and her Allies and the extraordinary resolve and strength of our citizens. That first glimpse of strength was demonstrated by those who fought at Pearl as the first bombs were still dropping.
Much has been written both in print and screenplays about Ken Taylor and George Welch’s headlong rush across Oahu to Haleiwa Field on the North Shore, where they scrambled into available P-40s and blasted six bombers and fighters out of the air. And even less known, another carload of pilots a few miles behind them got into the air as well.
The first attack wave had barely started retreating when the skies over the island came alive with hastily scrambled fighters. Through the chaos, a deadly aerial circus unfolded.
In our feature story, “The Ghosts of Pearl Harbor,” WW II Pacific historian Paul Aiken takes you into those few dramatic hours to explore people and events rarely examined.
The ultra-rare Olive Green early model P-40B Tomahawk photographed for the story is an original survivor of Pearl and a true ghost from the past. Bu No. 41-13297 was delivered to the U.S. Army Air Corp in March 1941 and quickly sent to Wheeler Field, Hawaii to become part of the 19th Pursuit Squadron. It was damaged in a gear-up landing later that year and placed in a hangar, which allowed it to survive the attack. Now owned by the American Heritage Museum, this warbird was brought back to life by the painstaking efforts of Stephen Grey, owner of the Fighter Collection, and Matt Nightingale’s California Aerofab a number of years ago.
The simple twist of fate that spared this P-40B from being destroyed allowed it to be among the elite few fighters from WW II that are still airworthy. Thanks to its restorers, it will continue being seen by new generations, which will keep that Day of Infamy and its heroes alive.