BOXART STORY
#84189
Hickam Field Zero
The Japanese attack on the American
base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on
December 7, 1941, is one of the decisive
milestones of the Second World War and
of the entire twentieth century. It was
the catharsis of a long-standing crisis
in Japanese–American relations and
brought the United States into the World
War 2. United States as a global economic
and military power had until then kept
aloof from the war in Europe, even they
were preparing for it and supporting
their future allies.
Japanese task force launched 350
machines into action out of the 414
available on board of six carriers. In the
first wave were lost three Zeros, one D3A
and five B5N bombers. In the second wave,
six Zeros and fourteen D3As were lost.
Fifty-five pilots were killed, none were
captured, except for the ironic situation
of fighter pilot PO1c Nishikaichi. A total
of 74 aircraft returned with damage.
Nine midget submarine crews also lost
their lives and one was captured. Of the
79 fighter pilots who took part in both
attack waves, only 17 lived to see the end
of the war.
The airstrike killed 2,335 members of
the US armed forces and injured 1,143.
68 civilians also lost their lives and 35
others sustained injuries. In addition to
the sunken and damaged ships, nearly
350 aircraft were destroyed or damaged.
Three civilian machines were also shot
down.
36
INFO Eduard
During the two waves of the Japanese
raid on Pearl Harbor, 21 US Navy ships
were sunk or damaged, but 18 were
recovered or repaired and returned to
service. For example, the badly damaged
battleship USS Nevada was combat
deployed in October 1942.
The USS Enterprise, as one of the carriers
that escaped the raid on Pearl Harbor,
fought in the Battle of Midway six months
later and participated in the sinking of
four of the six carriers that participated
in the attack on Pearl Harbor.
During
this
raid,
which
was
unprecedented both in terms of scale and
the manner in which a large carrier group
was deployed, a number of dramatic
moments occurred. One was the landing
of B-17 bombers at Hickam Field. Their
arrival from the U.S. had been expected,
and the first wave of the Japanese raid
was initially mistaken by the Americans
for the very B-17 bombers that were to
arrive in Hawaii.
The unarmed B-17s arrived at Hickam just
as the base was being targeted. B-17s
were attacked not only by Zeros, but even
by crews of D3A Val dive bombers. One of
the four-engine machines they deployed
for the landing was a B-17C (40-2074)
of the 7th Bombardment Group, 14th
Bombardment Squadron, whose first
pilot was Captain Raymond T. Swenson.
Their aircraft was attacked by commander
of the first wave fighter escort, Lt. Cdr.
Shigeru Itaya of the aircraft carrier
Text: Jan Bobek
Illustration: Piotr Forkasiewicz
Akagi. His second wingman, who was
PO1c. Shinaji Iwama, managed to set
fire to a crate of flares in the fuselage
of Swenson's bomber just before landing
and a fire broke out on deck. Swenson
decided to abort the landing manoeuvre,
regained altitude and hid in the low lying
clouds. On the second landing attempt,
Swenson's machine broke in two shortly
after touchdown. As it did so, it was still
under attack by Japanese fighters, who
opened fire on the fleeing crew.
The wounded passenger, who was
a surgeon, 1st Lt. William R. Schick, was
strafed by Itaya's first wingman, PO1c
Takashi Hirano. Unfortunately, Schick
was hit again and soon succumbed to
his injuries. Hirano, however, struck the
surface of the airfield with his propeller
and auxiliary tank. His engine stopped
and the Japanese airman crashed in
a nearby street, causing the deaths of
four soldiers.
People flocked to the wreckage of
his Zero, shouting “kill him, kill him!”.
However, Hirano died when he crashed
into one of the buildings. His plane
AI-154 became the first Zero to be
examined after the attack on Pearl
Harbor. Among other things, a map
was found in its cockpit, which led the
Americans to attempt to attack the
Japanese as they sailed away.
June 2023