Last Panay Incident survivor dies at 95 (Sand Pebbles)

Sierra Vista Herald/Bisbee Review ^ | Ted Morris

[fieldmarshaldj]

RIP.

[Fiji Hill]

Wasn't the "Sand Pebbles" set in the era of the Boxer rebellion, which was right around 1900-1901?

I saw "The Sand Pebbles" in 1968. If I remember correctly, it was set in the 1920's, just before Chiang Kai-shek (who is mentioned in the film) rose to prominence.

[american_ranger]

From my readings about the Panay was this.
Chenault (Flyiing Tigers commander) managed to secure a relatively entact Zero fighter. He had it loaded on the Panay so that it could be transported to the sea for transfer to an ocean vessel. Chenault wanted the Zero to get to the US so it could be examined. At this time, most US aviation experts were unaware of the Zero’s amazing flying characteristics.

Japanese spies found out about the Zero being on the Panay. Obviously the Japanese military did not want their fighter being examiined by US experts and so decided to sink the Panay.

[coolbreeze]

That’s real interesting..my dad was an aviation Machinist mate who was in the crew swinging wrenches on a captured Zero and Tony in San Diego very early in the war.

[Pearls Before Swine]

Re Sand Pebbles history - thanks. I didn’t remember the dialog details, but I did know the Japanese weren’t involved in the film’s incidents, so it had to be earlier than the Panay.

[Fiji Hill]

The problem with that story is that the Panay was sunk in 1937, while the Zero fighter was not developed until 1940.

[pabianice]

I liked it too. In fact I saw it on my first date. The casting was excellent. Richard Crenna did a fantastic job as did McQueen, Oakland,and Atenborough What was the other best movie of the 1960’s?

Flight of the Phoenix (the original with Stewart, Attenborough, Kreuger, Borgnine, not the terrible remake of a few years ago)

[pabianice]

Set in 1926.