On the morning of December 7, 1941, the Japanese naval air forces launched a surprise attack against the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor and the airfields on Oahu. This attack forced the United States into WWII.

A critical aspect of the Japanese success at Pearl Harbor rested on achieving surprise. An early form of radar was in operation on the island of Oahu on December 7, 1941 and it detected the approaching Japanese planes. Unfortunately this alert was dismissed as the officer on duty assumed that the incoming aircraft were the 38th and 88th squadrons of Boeing B-17s due to arrive at Hickam Field that morning. The confusion not only aided the enemy's surprise, but the arriving flight of B-17s found themselves arriving in the midst of the attack. The B-17 pilots were confused, largely unarmed, and nearly out of fuel as they approached the island and found themselves being fired upon by both enemy fighters and US anti-aircraft guns. The squadrons were forced to split up making emergency landings in various parts of the island.

This scale replica of the B-17C has removable landing gear and includes the authentic markings of one of the aircraft flown by the 38th Reconnaissance Squadron on 7 December 1941.

This product was sponsored by the Arizona Memorial Museum Association and developed in cooperation with the National Park Service. Legacy of Valor donates a portion of the proceeds from the sale of this product to the USS Arizona Memorial Fund.