Warbird Information Exchange

"the second bombing of Pearl Harbor on March 4, 1942" - and what happened on this date?

Ive never heard of this date been famous for a attack?

How did the Japanese penitrate the US defence system again so successfully?

Anyone got a clue?

Nothing in ANY history book ive ever read mention the Japanese getting this close to the US since Dec 7th 1941

The main battles were into the Pacific by then.

It didn't really accomplish much.

Quickly found this on wikipedia:

Subsequent attack on Pearl Harbor
On March 4, 1942, two Kawanishi H8K "Emily" flying boats bombed Pearl Harbor after fueling at French Frigate Shoals. Due to poor visibility, the bombs were off target and did not accomplish any significant damage. The resulting power outage delayed salvage operations temporarily.

Ok Emilys are big birds right.. and the USAAF and USN couldnt shoot these down? shezzz?

I hope that isnt what happened?

Nope but VMF-221 Buffalos shot down one at Midway.

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Please correct me if I am wrong...

From what I remember hearing... I believe the attack occured at night and in poor weather... Perhaps that is why they were not intercepted (and also why the targets were not hit).

IIRC they were targeting fuel storage tanks.

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There was cloud cover too I believe.

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Other reported attacks on U.S. soil, I have heard stories of a Japanese sub. taking pot shots at oil tanks in California, a U-boat also taking shots at oil tanks in Southport, NC. Since this is a warBIRD forum this not really germane (yes, that's a pun) to this topic. On a warbird note, a story that has circulated for many years was that a Japanese aerial armada actually got within 100 or so miles of Los Angeles and turned back. Of course, the unmanned balloons that bombed Oregon(??)

Really??

Yep- The Japanese launched something like 5000 hot air balloons with incendiary loads from the home islands towards the USA using the jet stream. Most were lost at sea(any still floating in the high altitudes ya think? lol) but several hundreds made it, and some started minor forest fires- that being the intent of the device. Most reports of them were quashed to keep the public from panicking.(Shades of pre-Roswell) The only one that really got any press was the one which detonated from a school's class picnic, killing some children and the teacher.


Robbie

There's an interesting book about this subject.I just checked and it's available via Amazon and undoubtedly from other sources for around $25.I read it a couple of years ago.

Yeah, I knew about the ballons, but not about an aerial aramada 100 miles off the coast that turned around. Where would they have been launched from? A Carrier? Or as the book cover indicates, float planes?

7 of those balloons made it as far inland as Colorado....some possibly further....

Was'nt there a story of a P-40 downing a Zero somewhere up in the pacific northwest, like Oregon or Washington?

M

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Mark Morris

I think it was a Capt William (Wild Bill) Kelso who pursued one from Barstow to Santa Monica.




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I have not read any verifiable proof, it was just a story that I heard a couple of times (from dubious sources). Maybe by mentioning it here, someone could verify or shoot it down.

Hahaha, or was it Santa Monica to Barstow?