# Pearl Harbor: Japanese Aviators Dressed as Civilians



## Matt308 (Dec 9, 2009)

Ran across an article in the sunday Tacoma News Tribune entitled Pearl Harbor Survivors Remember the Day, by Jeffrey P. Mayor.

In the article Jeffrey interviews George Neagle who at the time was serving on the USS Curtis, a Navy Seaplane Tender. I quote some of his interview below.
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"We were right across from Ford Island and right next to a hospital ship". 

Neagle was up drinking coffee when the Japanese surprise attack began shorly before 0800. Reporting to his battle station on the bridge, Neagle soon was racing to and fro, delivering messages for the captain and returning details on damage. The seaplane tender was first hit by a Japanese dive bomber that crashed on the ship's stern after being hit by American anti-aircraft fire.

"*The [Japanese] pilot had a University of Hawaii ring on and civilian clothes underneath his flight suit*," Neagle said.

The USS Curtis was hit by two more 250kg bombs which left the ship's bow slipping into the harbor's waters and 21 of the crew dead.
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Does anyone have any information on Japanese pilots dressed as civilians? Did Mr. Neagle perhaps misremember the incident and inadvertantly insert a ship rumour into his account? And if true, was this intended for escape and evasion purposes? Is there more evidence of this having occurred? Was this a single known incidence or was this part of the suprise attack planning and thus commonplace?

This is a picture from the Bureau of Ships Collection, National Archives. A Type 99 Val Dive Bomber is seen in the hangar wreckage with tail number A1-225 from the carrier Akagi. It destroyed an OS2U-2 Kingfisher floatplane. The last couple of pics show the damage from the 250kg bombs having blown out the hangar doors.


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## Messy1 (Dec 9, 2009)

Hmm, interesting. Looking forward to any info anyone may have.


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## Capt. Vick (Dec 9, 2009)

I hope there is an answer out there some where. Would something like this be in some kind of after action intelligence report, if there is such a thing.


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## Shinpachi (Dec 9, 2009)

I think the pilot was a real graduate of Hawaii University.
Civilian clothes was simply his favor.

Please see some photos here taken from 
_View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-vmZYQeahk_...

The guy of No.1 photo wears a hanging band. This could not have been an official supply.
That was his favor.
The guy of No.2 wears a blue muffler when the official color was always white.
The third one's is, OMG, PURPLE. These are totally incredible on the rule but not wrong.
Such private favor was allowed unofficially in the old navy.


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## Matt308 (Dec 9, 2009)

That's the part the bugs me, Shinpachi. I can't imagine the typical Japanese warrior going to war intent upon killing the enemy... dressing as the enemy. I don't mean to insult, Shipachi-san, but I have to say that frankly seems like bullshit to me. Everything that has been printed was that the Japanese warrior was proud to a fault. I can't imagine the ridicule (or worse) that a Japanese naval aviator would receive preparing for a surprise attack against a hated enemy and yet dressing as them being acceptable, condoned or even allowed on ship. Just as the US characterized Japanese warriors as "monkeys", "eyes too slanted to land on carriers" and other such nonsense, the Japanese were doing the same noting that US warriors were "barbarians", "simple" and "ruthless". Imagine a US naval aviator prepping for the Dolittle Tokyo Raid dressing in traditional Japanese clothing. That aviator would have been drummed out and sent to confinement in a heartbeat. Especially during such a highly secret and important operation as the Pearl Harbor attack.

Doesn't seem right by any stretch of my imagination. In fact, I honestly think that Mr. Neagle has confused a post attack ship rumour with memory (reality). I honestly don't believe that such a thing happened. A Hawaiian University ring stuffed in a pocket of a proud Japanese aviator recently returned to the homeland? Maybe. But full US civilian clothing blatantly displayed under his flight suit during operational preparations? Phhhttt... don't believe it.

Yet if it was a ruse that was meant for strategic purposes of escape/evasion (most likely) or perhaps additional behind enemy lines subterfuge/operations (NOT likely), perhaps I could buy into it. Just the first I have ever heard such a thing. And I can't believe some historian hasn't uncovered such a plot beforehand.


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## B-17engineer (Dec 9, 2009)

Could it be possible if he had to bail out (Although it rarely happened) he could 'evade' capture by looking like a Hawaiian citizen? 

Just a guess!


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## gumbyk (Dec 9, 2009)

> "The [Japanese] pilot had a University of Hawaii ring on and civilian clothes underneath his flight suit," Neagle said.


Matt, the quote here doesn't say anything about_ American _civilian clothes. He could just as easily have been wearing Japanese civilian clothes, which I think is what Shinpachi was saying.
It doesn't sound at all that far-fetched to me.


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## Matt308 (Dec 9, 2009)

You didn't read my post, B. I'm giving you a D and assigning you two chapters of history for a quiz tomorrow.


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## Matt308 (Dec 9, 2009)

gumbyk said:


> Matt, the quote here doesn't say anything about_ American _civilian clothes. He could just as easily have been wearing Japanese civilian clothes, which I think is what Shinpachi was saying.
> It doesn't sound at all that far-fetched to me.



That is a good point and I note that might be what occurred in my post above. He might have been just a repatriated naval aviator that was schooled in the good ole USA.


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## B-17engineer (Dec 9, 2009)

Matt308 said:


> You didn't read my post, B. I'm giving you a D and assigning you two chapters of history for a quiz tomorrow.



Uh-oh! 

*runs*


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## Matt308 (Dec 9, 2009)

... and Japanese civvie clothing? As acceptable attire on the Akagi with elite naval aviators striking for the Emperor? Really?


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## gumbyk (Dec 9, 2009)

Just thinking a bit more about it, would an American Navy man know what Japanese Naval Aviators normally wore under their flight suits?
Could he have mistaken Japanese standard issue clothes as civilian, just because they weren't the colour/style that he was used to seeing? i.e. is you're used to seeing military uniforms as green, button-down shirts, and the Japanese issue was a white T-shirt for wear under the flight suit, could this have been seen as civvie clothing?


I'm going to stop thinking about this now. The more I think about it, the more possibilities that I come up with.


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## Matt308 (Dec 9, 2009)

That certainly sounds plausible too.


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## vikingBerserker (Dec 9, 2009)

This is the first I'd ever hard of this and for some reason I would have thought it would have been widely talked about, esp if it appeared that he was wearing American clothes.


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## Shinpachi (Dec 9, 2009)

I guess that a formal IJN uniform with a tie might have looked a civilian clothes.

Thinking an extreme case.....If it had been Aloha(native Hawaiian's) shirt, he must have been born in Hawaii originally but would have been allowed to wear it within his unit unofficially as it belonged to his private favor. 

First of all, the rank for the university graduates was always high in the navy. 
There were few who could complain about an officer's favor.

If he should have been a spy, he would have landed Hawaii by submarine.

PS: I have ever heard that Aloha shirt was originally made from the Kimono cloth which Japanese
immigrants brought into Hawaii to recycle.


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## vikingBerserker (Dec 9, 2009)

Very interesting. What was the movie you got the pics from?


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## Shinpachi (Dec 9, 2009)

vikingBerserker said:


> Very interesting. What was the movie you got the pics from?



It is
"Zero (1984)" based on "Zerosen Moyu (English Translation: Zero Fighters Blaze)" writen by Kunio Yanagida


_View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-GkHz1gOG0_

_View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtxcIo88mys_
Zerosen Moyu (English Translation: Zero Fighters Blaze) - Yorimitsu Takashi
Yorimitsu Takashi is wrong.

Thanks.


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## vikingBerserker (Dec 9, 2009)

Thanks Shinpachi, I appreciate the info.


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## N4521U (Dec 10, 2009)

I've heard the same thing. As the story goes, a Japanese fighter landed out of fuel at Wheeler field. In the cockpit was found a top hat and cane. His ID was under the name Odd Jobb! cheers, Bill


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## Shinpachi (Dec 10, 2009)

vikingBerserker said:


> Thanks Shinpachi, I appreciate the info.



You are welcome, vB.
There seem more unknown facts even after 68 years!


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## Messy1 (Dec 10, 2009)

Great stuff. Thanks guys.


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## diddyriddick (Dec 10, 2009)

N4521U said:


> I've heard the same thing. As the story goes, a Japanese airman landed out of fuel at Wheeler field. In the cocpit was found a top hat and cane.
> His ID was under the name Odd Jobb! cheers, Bill



Sounds like somebody has been reading/seeing too many Ian Fleming novels/movies. 

Nice find, though!


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## piet (Dec 10, 2009)

Shinpachi said:


> It is
> "Zero (1984)" based on "Zerosen Moyu (English Translation: Zero Fighters Blaze)" writen by Kunio Yanagida
> 
> 
> ...




thanks for the info

piet


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## Matt308 (Dec 10, 2009)

N4521U said:


> I've heard the same thing. As the story goes, a Japanese airman landed out of fuel at Wheeler field. In the cocpit was found a top hat and cane. His ID was under the name Odd Jobb! cheers, Bill




another post like that Ftard and you are gone.


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## evangilder (Dec 10, 2009)

What Matt is referring to is the derogatory term you used, N4521. Let's remember that we have members from all over the world here and that kind of terminology is not acceptable.


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## Shinpachi (Dec 10, 2009)

N4521U said:


> I've heard the same thing. As the story goes, a Japanese airman landed out of fuel at Wheeler field. In the cocpit was found a top hat and cane. His ID was under the name Odd Jobb! cheers, Bill



Japanese teenager's fashion in 1942.
Their sense was totally different from ours today.

Oh, you are welcome, piet.


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## evangilder (Dec 10, 2009)

They almost look like Chicago gangsters, Shinpachi. Neat photo


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## Shinpachi (Dec 10, 2009)




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## Matt308 (Dec 10, 2009)

They sure do. Guido-san and his posse.


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## vikingBerserker (Dec 10, 2009)




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## RabidAlien (Dec 10, 2009)

Hmmm...'nother thought: what if he was SUPPOSED to be found wearing civilian clothes? What if that ship was designated as a "please don't bomb this one too much, one of our guys is supposed to crash into it" boat....and (provided the pilot survived) he was supposed to spread the story that they were landing intelligence agents or saboteurs in civilian clothes? How badly would the panic have spread, had that story gotten out? Would've cramped the Army a bit had they been tasked to police off 80% of the population of the island chain!

The ring is quite plausible to me, though...a lot of their military leaders were educated in the West. Yamamoto spent a lot of time in the US before being posted back to Japan and planning the Pearl Harbor attack.


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## Matt308 (Dec 10, 2009)

Yeah the ring is the most plausible. But overtly wearing it with civvie clothes does not seem to be. At least in my eyes.

I'm thinking rumour interfering with Mr. Neagle's memory. I bet the rumours were rampant post Pearl. And I bet they were all over the map. Hell, in the interveiw, another sailor related that they were so concerned about an invasion that they climbed a "water" tower. Another military person had thrown them a Garand with no ammmo, but it had a bayonet. This sailor and another mate climbed the tower preparing to bayonet any Japanese that attempted to confront them. Only when other US sailors/soldiers convinced them to come down did they realize that they were hiding on the outside of a large gasoline/fuel tower. This sailor noted that upon recognition of the tower's contents, "they got the hell out of there".

Funny now. But I'm sure not so much then.


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## GrauGeist (Dec 10, 2009)

RabidAlien said:


> The ring is quite plausible to me, though...a lot of their military leaders were educated in the West. Yamamoto spent a lot of time in the US before being posted back to Japan and planning the Pearl Harbor attack.



There were quite a few Japanese leaders that were American educated...

Admiral Yamamoto studied at both the U.S. Naval War College and Harvard University, Admiral Nagano studied at Harvard Law school.


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## Shinpachi (Dec 11, 2009)

I have read a book - Testimony collection about the attack on Pearl Harbor published by Kohjin-sya.
28 former IJN pilots, vessel(inculdes submarine) officers, diplomats and press corresspondents
wrote their experiences on the day. The former IJN pilots are counted up as many as 15.

Nothing comes up about the civillian clothes except a confession by an ex-spy in Honolulu.
He(30yo then) was a navy officer but pretended a diplomat with his long civillian-look hairs staying at the Japan consulate general.

He checked the number of US navy vessels in the Pearl Harbor twice a day just before the attack.
He writes that he reported Tokyo there were no aircraft-carriers in the harbor 12 hours before the attack.


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## Marshall_Stack (Dec 11, 2009)

This might not be related, but I just saw on the History Channel that the U.S. found a map on the captured midget submarine that showed where a "safe house" was located on Oahu. Having a civilian suit would be helpful if you are trying to avoid escape.

Having said that, I believe what someone else said, that the plot was just wearing his normal clothes on under his flight suit and these were taken to be civilian attire.


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## Matt308 (Dec 11, 2009)

Not sure if we are ever going to solve this. But it still begs the question of why? E&E I can accept. But if not typical or part of the operation, than it makes one wonder if it really occurred at all (no offense meant to Mr. Neagle).


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