07/23/2026
Once in a lifetime!
Own a very rare piece of one of the Japanese fighters that participated in attack upon Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941: Mitsubishi A6M2 Type 0 Carrier Fighter (Zero), tail number AI-154, piloted by Petty Officer 1st Class Takashi Hirano. Operating from the aircraft carrier Akagi, Hirano was part of the First Strike-Wave!
At 0550 (0120 Tokyo time), the Akagi launched its contingent of the First Strike-Wave, which included a hiko chutai (flight) of nine Zeros under the command of Lt. Cmdr. Shigeru Itaya. PO1c Takashi Hirano flew as Itaya's wingman in the No. 1 Shotai (element). Their primary objective was to provide top cover for the Aichi D3A1 "Val" dive bombers attacking Hickam Field and to interdict American aircraft.
As the attack commenced around 0800 local time, Itaya's unit encountered an unarmed American Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress piloted by Captain Swenson and 2nd Lt. Ernest L. Reid. The B-17, arriving from Hamilton Field, California, was attempting to land at Hickam Field amidst the chaos. Itaya, Hirano, and PO1c Shinatsugu Iwama engaged the bomber, setting it ablaze with tracer fire. The B-17 managed a hard landing, breaking in half upon impact.
Following the engagement with the B-17, the Akagi Zeros commenced low-level strafing runs across Hickam Field. It was during these runs that Hirano's Zero, AI-154, met its fate . . .
SEE MORE: https://roncole.net/products/pearl-harbor-japanese-a6m2-mod-21-zero-s-n-5289-takashi-hirano-relic-display