| Error creating thumbnail: File missing Join our Discord! |
| If you have been locked out of your account you can request a password reset here. |
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor is the 2001 World War II film directed by Michael Bay and stars Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett as childhood friends who became pilots for the US Army Air Corps and find themselves in the middle of the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. Released in the same year as the 60th anniversary of the actual event, the film was allowed to shoot sequences on the actual Naval base at Pearl as well as stage several explosions aboard actual decommissioned vessels in the harbor.
The following weapons appear in the film Pearl Harbor:
Webley Mk IV
While serving with the British Royal Air Force's Eagle Squadron early in the film, Lt. Rafe McCawley (Ben Affleck) carries a Webley Mk IV revolver as his sidearm. He is seen only using it once when he tries to shoot out the canopy of his Supermarine Spitfire fighter when trying to bail out after suffering critical damage during a dogfight with German fighters during the Battle of Britain.
MG15 Machine Gun
During the Battle of Britain, Heinkel He-111 bombers can be seen armed with MG15 machine guns as defensive armament, though these prove no match for the R.A.F. Spitfires, which simply attack the German planes from angles where the machine guns cannot engage them.
MG17 Machine Gun
During the Battle of Britain, Lt. McCawley becomes engaged in a dogfight with German Me-109 fighters equipped with MG17 machine guns as their primary armament.
M1928A1 Thompson
During the attack on Pearl Harbor, several M1928A1 Thompsons can be seen wielded by Rafe, Danny and several of the other pilots. These Thompsons are fitted with 50-round drum and 30-round box magazines. The usage of the 30-round box magazines is anachronistic due to the fact that it was not in use until its debut together with the M1 Thompson in the 1942. The 20-round magazine would have been accurate.
Browning Automatic Rifle
During the attack on Pearl Harbor, several Browning Automatic Rifles can be seen wielded by U.S. military personnel. All BAR's used in the movie were WWII/Korea M1918A2 fitted with WWI era handguards and buttstocks to make them look like the older version. Although most WWI era BAR's were modernized, the handguard was usually the first thing that was replaced or converted. The real M1918 that would have been correct for the time would have been in a highly blued finish without bipod. Furthermore, the sight would have been different.
Browning M2HB Heavy Machine Gun
The Browning M2HB heavy machine gun makes several appearances in the film, most notably during the attack on Pearl Harbor where Petty Officer Doris Miller (Cuba Gooding Jr.) uses a pair of M2HB's in a twin naval anti-aircraft mounting aboard the U.S.S. Nevada to shoot down several Japanese aircraft and when Lt. "Gooz" Wood (Michael Shannon) mans one to defend the auxiliary airfield.
Browning M2 Aircraft Heavy Machine Gun
The Browning M2 Aircraft heavy machine gun appears in the film as the primary armament of U.S. aircraft, specifically the P-40 Warhawk fighters and the B-25 Mitchell bombers, the latter of which have some removed and replaced with black-painted broomsticks to reduce weight and maximize fuel economy.
Browning AN/M2 Machine Gun
At the start of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the tail gunner on a Japanese B5N "Kate" torpedo bomber can be seen firing on people below with a Browning AN/M2 machine gun on a flex mount. This is highly inaccurate, as the Kate was equipped with a Type 92 machine gun, Japan's version of the Lewis gun for the tail gunner, as shown below.
MK 2 Browning Machine Gun
During Lt. McCawley's service with the Eagle Squadron during the Battle of Britain, his Supermarine Spitfire can be seen packing Mk 2 Browning machine guns, the British version of the American Browning M1919 machine gun as the main armament, chambered for the .303 British round instead of the American .30-06 cartridge. In some shots, such as the screenshot below, the muzzle flashes are emerging from where the 20mm Hispano cannons would be. The four Brownings would be positioned further out along the wing, near where the roundels are. Most Spitfires during the Battle of Britain were only armed with 8 MGs and no cannon, however, as the early cannon-armed Spitfires were buggy and unreliable.
Type 92 Light Machine Gun
During the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese D3A "Val" dive bombers and B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers can be seen with Type 92 light machine guns, a Japanese copy of the Lewis Gun for the tail gunners.
Type 99 Cannon
Japanese A6M3 "Zero" fighters are also armed with Type 99 cannons mounted in the wings.
Japanese Machine Guns
In one sequence, pilots on the ground are seen being strafed from a Japanese plane's machine gun point of view. These appear to be the fuselage mounted twin machine guns of a Japanese Zero, but the propeller and fuselage would be visible from this view.
Springfield M1903
During the attack on Pearl Harbor, the majority of U.S. soldiers, sailors, and Marines are seen armed with M1903 Springfield bolt-action rifles.
Winchester Model 1897
During the attack on Pearl Harbor, Sgt. Earl Sistern (Tom Sizemore) can be seen wielding a militarized version of the Winchester Model 1897 shotgun retrieved from the saddlebag of his Indian motorcycle, firing off several rounds at passing Japanese aircraft. In a goof, he fires eleven shots from a six-shot magazine.
M1911A1
After crashing in Japanese-occupied China, the surviving B-25 Mitchell crews are armed with only M1911A1 pistols to defend themselves. A few M1911A1's can also be seen in the hands of U.S. military personnel during the attack on Pearl Harbor, most notably when several soldiers inspect a crashed Japanese plane.
M1 Garand
Following the attack on Pearl Harbor and President Franklin D. Roosevelt (Jon Voight)'s famous "Day of Infamy" speech, newsreel footage of America's military response is shown, wherein U.S. Army soldiers can be briefly seen marching with M1 Garand rifles.
Arisaka Type 38
After crashing in Japanese-occupied China, the surviving B-25 Mitchell crews are captured by Japanese soldiers armed with Arisaka Type 38 rifles, one of which is used to fatally wound Captain Danny Walker during a brief shootout. Afterward, the remaining survivors commandeer some of these rifles until they make contact with the Chinese.
Nambu Type 14
When the Imperial Japanese Army soldiers attempt to capture the B-25 Mitchell survivors, one of the soldiers can be briefly seen armed with a Nambu Type 14 pistol, but isn't shown firing it in the ensuing shootout.
Type 97 Hand Grenade
During the shootout between the surviving B-25 crews and the Imperial Japanese Army soldiers, Lt. "Gooz" Wood (Michael Shannon) grabs a Type 97 hand grenade off a dead soldier, using it to kill the remaining Japanese soldiers.
20mm Type 98 Anti Aircraft Cannon
When the B-25's bomb Tokyo, Japanese forces are seen opening fire on the bombers with their 20mm Type 98 Anti-aircraft cannons. The exaggerated, fiery muzzle flashes however reveal these to be acetyline prop weapons.
