Kenneth Marlar Taylor was a United States Air Force officer and a flying ace of World War II. He was then a new United States Army Air Corps second lieutenant pilot stationed at Wheeler Field during t
Major Kenneth M. Taylor, c. 1945
A Curtiss P-40 Tomahawk similar to the planes used by Taylor and Welch
Taylor and Welch shortly after the Pearl Harbor attack
Taylor receiving the Distinguished Service Cross on January 8, 1942, for his efforts
Tora! Tora! Tora! is a 1970 Japanese-American war film that dramatizes the events leading up to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, from both American and Japanese positions. The film was pro
Kenneth M. Taylor
…Air National Guard until 1971 and worked in the insurance industry before retiring in 1985. His Pearl Harbor experience was portrayed in the 1970 film Tora! Tora! Tora! and the film Pearl Harbor. Shortly after his birth in Enid, Oklahoma, Taylor's father, Joe K. Taylor, moved his family to Hominy, Oklahoma, where Taylor…
The North American T-6 Texan stood in for the Mitsubishi A6M Zero as there were no airworthy types at that time. Only Zeros from the carrier Akagi were depicted, identifiable by the single red band on the rear fuselage.
Aichi D3A replica at the Geneseo Airshow. In 1968 a Vultee BT-13 Valiant (N56867) was converted to a Val replica for use in the filming of the movie Tora! Tora! Tora!, flown as Val "AI-244" from the carrier Akagi.
Nakajima B5N replica modified from a T-6 for the movie Tora! Tora! Tora!
A number of Curtiss P-40 Warhawk mockups were blown up during filming. This example, which was spared destruction, is currently on display at Wheeler Army Airfield, with markings identical to those of 2nd Lt George Welch.