Commander

September 9th 1942: Japanese bomb U.S. mainland

On this day in 1942, a Japanese floatplane drops incendiary bombs on an Oregon state forest-the first and only air attack on the U.S. mainland in the war.

Launching from the Japanese sub I-25, Nobuo Fujita piloted his light aircraft over the state of Oregon and firebombed Mount Emily, alighting a state forest--and ensuring his place in the history books as the only man to ever bomb the continental United States. The president immediately called for a news blackout for the sake of morale. No long-term damage was done, and Fujita eventually went home to train navy pilots for the rest of the war.

Comet

That's really interesting Commander....I had no clue that event occurred.

flaja

The Japanese also shelled an island off the coast of California- sometime before Midway, I think.

Also, later in the war the Japanese launched bomb carrying balloons. I know that one did cause casualties/death to some civilians in the Pacific Northwest.

Breth

Haven't heard of the shelling, but have heard of the balloons. The Japanese some how figured out the airway (some how the wind blows a certain way) to the West and used those balloons. They were stopped being used as the factories were being destroyed and thier usefullness very limited. I think they kept floating around years later after the war. One farmer made a haystack cover out of one. I heard the furthest one went to Michigan. Thats far.

Belisarius

I read somewhere it was a school field/camping trip or somesuch out in the middle of nowhere. They found the bomb suspended from the balloon caught up in branches, tampered with it, and it went off.

MrStoff1989

I heard about that on the history channel on Mail Call! :P

Breth

"Ooooooh, look at the perty balloon!"

"Look at the clock on it too!" tick tick tick tick

"Hey, lets keep this, come on, lets take it down!"

BOOOOOOOOOOM!



Really though, some people can just some how not think.

MrStoff1989

LOL! I know what you mean!