Still wet from the rainstorms through which we passed the night, the deck of the carrier undulates with the steep rise and fall of the churning Pacific Ocean.
I taxi my fighter across the deck toward the bow of the ship, taking my station facing the wind for maximum lift.
We’re going to take out the fleet!
When my turn arrives I max my engine while holding the breaks to await the next rise of the carrier’s deck with a steep wave.
This is it!
The deck rises.
The flag man drops his arms toward the sea.
Purring like a highly coiled cat ready to pounce, my engine’s full-throttle push against the breaks is relieved as I release the wheels.
Slowly, at first, then with great speed and power, I launch off the deck of the carrier into open ocean.
As I rise I can see our small destroyer escort and massive carriers fade in the distance.
They will never know what hit them!
Our flight of fighters and dive bombers heads toward Oahu, toward Pearl Harbor, towards destiny.
We are the vanguard of a new age!
We are going to catch them with their pants down!
As we approach Pearl Harbor from the north, a vast row of battleships reveals itself from behind the small chain of mountains separating the northern and southern parts of the island.
Scanning away from the battleships, I spot my targets, the orderly lined up planes on Hickam Field and Ford Island.
We did it, they are surprised!
I head my fighter toward Hickam, firing my machine guns to strafe the empty and idle fighters lined up there.
First flight heads toward battleship row, dropping their bombs on each of the ships parked in a beautiful line on the side of Ford Island.
There’s nothing to stop us from taking out the whole fleet and air arm.
What a day, the Pacific is ours!
Zeroing in on Ford Island, I run another pass to strafe even more fighters.
We’re going to take them all out!
No resistance, no idea we were coming, no defense!
As I run low on ammunition I signal to Second Flight, “Time to head home!”
We’ve done our job this day.
December 7th, 1941 was not the first time anyone conducted a successful aerial assault on U.S. forces based in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. In fact, on Sunday February 7, 1932 a small force of two aircraft carriers and its destroyer escorts wiped out the United States fleet and all military air assets at Pearl Harbor in a war game designated “Fleet Problem #13”. 152 Fighters and dive bombers launched from a hidden carrier force, which had arrived off the coast of Oahu earlier that morning after hiding in a rain storm, dropped sandbags and flairs, figuratively sinking the ships at anchor in the harbor while also attacking the nearby aircraft. Initially deemed a win for the attacking force, the judges later rescinded the award because of complaints from the Navy the attack was unfair. Sunday was deemed an inappropriate day to attack the fleet at anchor. Rear Admiral Harry Yarnell, the qualified naval aviator who had led the attack force to such success, disagreed with the final ruling, claiming such an attack was exactly what a future enemy could do. The event was observed by those on Hawaii, including representatives of foreign consulates. It was also discussed in local reporting. Nine years later, the Japanese empire conducted the same attack, costing the United States many ships, thousands of men, and bringing the U.S. into the World War. Sometimes, what we may think is unfair is exactly what our opponent believes is needed.