Phil Rasmussen, Hero, Friend, Best Man, and "Pajama Pilot"

The story of Phil Rasmussen is told in this blog from the perspective of being a friend of Ruth and Bill Cope. But, before connecting the dots in Honolulu of 1941, let's take a look at what Phil did on December 7, 1941.

Lt. Rasmussen awoke in his barracks to see a group of Japanese airplanes dropping bombs on the air field. He strapped his .45 caliber pistol to the outside of his pajamas and ran to get an airplane. (Yes, that's a big hint as to why he was called the "Pajama Pilot" for a few years.)

In the midst of the attack and smoking American planes, Phil Rasmussen found an unscathed P-36 Hawk and taxied it to a revetment where he had it loaded with ammunition. During a lull in the bombing, he took off with three other pilots and were radioed orders to fly to Kaneohe Bay on the windward side of the island.

Despite having a jammed .30 caliber gun and only limited capability with his .50 caliber gun, Lt. Rasmussen managed to shoot down a Mitsubishi A6M Zero. Several other Japanese pilots instantly attacked, including one who was having mechanical trouble, and thinking himself doomed, tried to ram Rasmussen. (The Japanese pilot made it back to his aircraft carrier and survived the war.)

Rasmussen's plane was badly damaged, so he dove into a cloud to escape—a dangerous maneuver considering the fact the Koolau Mountains cradle Kaneohe Bay and the Kaneohe Naval Air Stations. When Phil did manage to get back to Wheeler, he landed with no brakes, rudder, or tailwheel.

If you ever visit the National Museum of the United States Air Force (at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio) check out the World War II exhibit. There's a mannequin of a pajama-clad pilot climbing into a P-36 Hawk. The exhibit details Lt. Rasmussen's exploits that day and is informally titled "The Pajama Pilot."


A few weeks after the attack, Ruth wrote to her sorority sisters in California, “Phil is quite the hero. His photograph is on the front pages of the newspapers. His plane is really a sight. They shot everywhere else but his gas tank. We lost Gordon though, but not until he had gotten his man.”

(Oral accounts of the number of bullet holes in the plane vary, but most give a figure of about 500 times.)


(Gordon Sterling was shot down over Kailua Bay after being credited with downing one Japanese plane.)

PHOTO top: Phil Rasmussen at Flight School. (U.S.A.F. Museum)
PHOTO top left: Could be Bill Cope and Phil Rasmussen. When I met Bill and Ruth they were staunchly in their 80's and weren't sure that this was Bill. (Personal collection)
PHOTO center: Rasmussen posing with his battered plane.