Day of Infamy by Anthony Saunders

It was a quiet Sunday morning. On the deck of the battleship California the duty watch was at ease whilst others relaxed, enjoying the warm breeze that blew lazily through the towering superstructure of their ship, the flagship of the US Pacific Fleet. It was a similar scene on board the six other battleships moored quietly on the eastern side of Ford Island at Pearl Harbor, the Navy’s vast and seemingly impregnable anchorage on the Pacific Island of Oahu. America, unlike the countries of Europe, was still at peace.

Yet the Japanese had more sinister ambitions. On that fateful Sunday morning when they unleashed their infamous, unprovoked attack, surprise was complete. Within a few terrifying minutes, carrier borne Nakajima B5N Kate dive-bombers had ripped apart the neatly parked ranks of American fighters at airfields over the island. As the frantic call went out “Air raid, Pearl Harbor, this is no drill”, the Japanese aircraft had already begun their ferocious attack on the US fleet.

Seventy years ago the world stood open-mouthed in shock as it learned of the infamous attack on Pearl Harbor. In tribute to all those that took part in the actions on December 7 1941, Anthony Saunders’ poignant new painting recreates the scene as the stricken California comes under yet another sustained attack from Aichi D-3A Val dive-bombers. A lone P-40 Warhawk, heavily out-numbered and one of only a handful to get airborne from the shattered airfields, has stormed into the attack in a valiant attempt to stem the tide of destruction.

Signatures:

Both of these veterans who were in action on Battleship Row that fateful morning aboard the USS Tennessee, sister ship of the California, have personally signed each print, endorsing this dramatic new edition.

Chief Petty Officer CLARENCE E. LUX USN

Chief Boatsman EDWARD WISE USN