(image credit: CAF Tora! Tora! Tora!)
This dramatic and explosion-laden warbird performance is a re-creation of the attack on Pearl Harbor staged by the CAF in cooperation with the EAA Warbirds of America Living History Group and scores of CAF maintenance, pilots, and pyrotechnic experts and will be featured on the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh afternoon show schedule on August 2nd and 3rd. Its purpose is to create a dynamic history lesson about the events that propelled the United States into World War II. On Saturday, August 3, EAA’s own Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, Aluminum Overcast, will also participate in the show.
“The incredible flying and pyrotechnics in the ‘Tora! Tora! Tora!’ performance reinforces the story behind the events of December 1941 that forever changed the course of world history,” said Jim DiMatteo, EAA’s vice president of AirVenture features and attractions. The “Tora! Tora! Tora!” air show originally began in 1972 following release of the movie by the same name. The CAF has worked with U.S. and Japanese veterans to ensure an accurate and realistic portrayal of the events at Pearl Harbor. It is not intended to glorify war, but rather help those born after World War II better understand that war does not discriminate in the pain it inflicts on people of both sides. The show has been continually improved over the past four decades and received some of the most prestigious awards bestowed on air show performers, including the Art Scholl Award for Showmanship from the International Council of Air Shows.
The “Tora! Tora! Tora!” performances and all the other air show activities during the week are included with AirVenture admission. Advance tickets, camping, and other AirVenture items can be purchased online now at the EAA AirVenture Website.
