Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
5:23 | The B-17 squadron departed the West coast bound for a stopover in Hawaii en route to the Philippines. Co-pilot Roy Reid recalls what they found when they got to Hawaii, a big surprise. It was December 7th and his aircraft was destined to be the first of something that was unexpected.
Keywords : Roy Reid B-17 New Haven CT pilot Hawaii Pearl Harbor San Francisco CA Diamond Head sugar cane Hickam Field Philippines Swede Swenson Japanese crash
After surviving the crash landing of the first American plane to be shot down at Pearl Harbor, Roy Reid and the rest of the crew were swept up in the chaos as they tried to find some way to help. By the time the second wave of the attack came, they were hunkered down in an officer's house where he managed to get off a cable to his wife.
In the wake of the Pearl Harbor attack, Roy Reid's B-17 crew flew patrols for several days to ward off further attacks. Eventually, they were sent down to Australia and New Guinea, where they flew mostly photo reconnaissance missions. On the way to Australia, he spotted a Japanese submarine and he still can't believe the pilot's reaction.
