Love it or hate it

[Perrine]

I didn't question this back in 2001... did A6Ms actually strafed on civilians during the attack... or it's just another Hollywood fanservice?

[SectorNine50]

Cuba Gooding Jr. is absolutely terrible in this movie.  Not that he's been fantastic anywhere else, but my goodness he was just... embarassing in Pearl Harbor...

I also liked how they removed all the guns from the B25's... But apparently one didn't and was able to strafe the entire Japanese squad before they killed the pilots of the downed B25.

Just...

Wtf man...

[Saxman]

I didn't question this back in 2001... did A6Ms actually strafed on civilians during the attack... or it's just another Hollywood fanservice?

I saw a photo from after the attack of several civilians in a car that were killed when the vehicle was shot up. Whether or not this was deliberate or a case of mistaken identity (pilot thought it was a military vehicle) I'm not sure.

[tmetal]

There were also reports of the Japanese shooting up weird things like youth baseball fields during the attack because their intel suggested these might be clever camo for fuel and ammo depots. During his youth, my father lived on one of the airforce bases on the island during the late 60's and he can recall patched bullet holes in the home his familly was staying in.  Even if they had no intention to attack civilians I'm sure in all the chaos of the attack it wouldn't be hard to make that kind of mistake.

[Muzzy]

There were 63 civilian casualties, mostly from AA shells falling on Honolulu. The Japanese were mainly flying over military installations, but any vehicle moving near an airfield or the harbor would have been considered fair game for them, and it wouldn't be a surprise to me if they took shots at what they would have seen as "targets of opportunity".  Given the relatively low numbers of civilian deaths, again mostly from friendly fire, it's doubtful that the IJN pilots went out on a shooting spree.

Also, any building actually on an air force base would probably have been shot up as well, even if it was civilian housing.

The incident of the Japanese pilot trying to shoo the kids on the baseball diamond away from the fight actually happened.

[Ping]

I saw a photo from after the attack of several civilians in a car that were killed when the vehicle was shot up. Whether or not this was deliberate or a case of mistaken identity (pilot thought it was a military vehicle) I'm not sure.

That I beleive was from AA coming down.
Remember the pics of that also.

[SectorNine50]

That I beleive was from AA coming down.
Remember the pics of that also.

I heard it was an enemy A/C as well, but who knows.

Could you imagine how bad your luck would have to be to get hit by stray bullets falling after being shot into the air while driving 40 down a road?

[Shuffler]

I thought the movie sucked.

[CAP1]

Scary part is too many people believed it was accurate.  Not even sure where to start on how bad it was.  Doolittle 25s in formation in the ack over Tokyo would be a start I suppose.   Spit to P40 to B25 pilots in one fell swoop too.  Arghhhh.

don't forget them playing chicken with the zeeks with their props nearly scraping the blacktop.......

[oakranger]

Battle of Britain far better.  Than there this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czAwsE7yLBc&feature=related

[68ZooM]

the scene where ace pilut "ben awflak" and his BF "Oh my gosh Josh brolin"  were dogfighting them 6 zeke's watching them thrash around in the cockpits and jerking there sticks all around was one of the funniest dogfights Ive seen, the movie was terrible