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I know the intent was to boost morale, but reality is a bit different...



1. The ship was the cruiser Natori, not the battleship Haruna.



2. It was damaged, not sunk.



What they did'nt say...



They were attacked and shot up by Japanese fighters on the return trip. One man was killed, and the plane on fire. The pilot ordered all others to bail out. Those who got out spent the war as POW's. As the pilot and co-pilot attempted to bail out, the plane exploded and both men died.

The piliot, Colin Purdie Kelly, Jr. (July 11, 1915 – December 10, 1941), is remembered as one of the first heroes of the war for sacrificing his own life to save his crew when his plane became the first American B-17 to be shot down in combat.

- December 30, 2011A bit off on the facts...