SBD's as Zero's??

[Pat Carry]

During WW2, did the war dept. use SBD's for filming purposes to simulate the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor? I was watching some war footage the other day and I'm sure it was the SBD sporting the red meatball in a diving maneuver with other SBD's. Then again perhaps I was seeing things.

[jdvoss]

Pat:

You are so right. I've seen that same footage many times and they are indeed SBD's.

[AG pilot]

I have seen it, and it is pretty sad to think many believe that to be actual "Zero" footage. Chances are, in the future, not many will even know enough to notice it's incorrect.

[Mike]

Nowadays there are more Zeros flying than SBDs!

[The Inspector]

That was John Ford grabbing up scraps of footage to 'dramatize' the attack for the Saturday night farmers audiences at the BIJOU in East Mule Nostril, but it made 'em buy War Bonds in the lobby afterwards. I blew the whistle as a 9 year old and first saw the footage on 'Navy Log' or 'Victory at Sea'on NBC.
He used a lot of the same footage but tinted it in his 'epic' about Wake Island, you can see the U.S. star under the dark pinkish tint on the blazing wing (amazing how that flame just fits on the painted circle isn't it?)and the fiercely burning Consolidated Biplane

[Chris Brame]

He used a lot of the same footage but tinted it in his 'epic' about Wake Island, you can see the U.S. star under the dark pinkish tint on the blazing wing (amazing how that flame just fits on the painted circle isn't it?)and the fiercely burning Consolidated Biplane

I posted about that one before - actually it was a Douglas BT-2B; there were several in Hawaii into the late thirties. Evidently there was a straggler left after the war started:

From the Hawaii album recently posted here:

And a front view: