Robert Thacker, who found himself caught in the middle of Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor when he was piloting an unarmed B-17 bomber to Hawaii for refueling, but managed to make a hair-raising landing and went on to a distinguished flying career in war and peace, died Nov. 25 at his home in San Clemente, California. He was 102.

Thacker was a pilot in a group of B-117 bombers that arrived in Hawaii unarmed and low on fuel in the midst of the Dec. 7 attack. Island radar operators had mistaken Japanese planes for his flight of bombers, ignoring the early warning.

Thack flew missions during the war in both the Pacific, flying from new guinea and the European theater (flying from England and Italy).

After the war, he set a propeller-driven fighter distance record that still stands today. The 14 1/2 hour nonstop flight took him from Hawaii to New York City in a P-82 (a twin-fuselage version of the Mustang fighter.

Col. Thacker piloted Superfortresses in the Korean War and flew high-altitude missions in the Vietnam War.

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RIP Col. Thacker and thank you.

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“No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong.” -- François de La Rochefoucauld

"Those who cannot accept the past are condemned to revise it." -- Geo. Mathias

The German word for contraceptive is “Schwangerschaftsverhütungsmittel”. By the time you finished saying that, it’s too late

RIP Col. Thacker

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39°36'17"N 75°44'43"W

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MrNoBody
RIP Col. Thacker

Thank you for your service Col Thacker!

I believe his landing was used in "Tora Tora Tora"! One wheel was stuck retracted, but he was able to get his crew down and safe.

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San Antonio, TX (in the old city)


"All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke
“Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." - Eli Weisel

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public." - Theodore Roosevelt (1918)

"I don’t want to see religious bigotry in any form. It would disturb me if there was a wedding between the religious fundamentalists and the political right. The hard right has no interest in religion except to manipulate it." - Billy Graham 1981

"Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can't and won't compromise" - Barry Goldwater

Quote
Rolando
I believe his landing was used in "Tora Tora Tora"! One wheel was stuck retracted, but he was able to get his crew down and safe.

That was not an actual Dec 7 landing. While Tora Tora Tora was being filmed they used several privately owned B-17's in it. One of those had a wheel stick and had to do a belly landing. After seeing the footage, director Richard Fleischer included it in the film.

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“No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong.” -- François de La Rochefoucauld

"Those who cannot accept the past are condemned to revise it." -- Geo. Mathias

The German word for contraceptive is “Schwangerschaftsverhütungsmittel”. By the time you finished saying that, it’s too late

Quote
Ombligo

Quote
Rolando
I believe his landing was used in "Tora Tora Tora"! One wheel was stuck retracted, but he was able to get his crew down and safe.

That was not an actual Dec 7 landing. While Tora Tora Tora was being filmed they used several privately owned B-17's in it. One of those had a wheel stick and had to do a belly landing. After seeing the footage, director Richard Fleischer included it in the film.

Always good to learn something!

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San Antonio, TX (in the old city)


"All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke
“Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." - Eli Weisel

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public." - Theodore Roosevelt (1918)

"I don’t want to see religious bigotry in any form. It would disturb me if there was a wedding between the religious fundamentalists and the political right. The hard right has no interest in religion except to manipulate it." - Billy Graham 1981

"Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can't and won't compromise" - Barry Goldwater