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Subject: Fwd: The Day
Japan Bombed Brookings, Oregon
Fascinating story of a war that still resonates through the
generations, even those who know little to nothing of it. It certainly
had a drastic effect on the lives of our parents and grandparents.
Next time I drive through Brookings . . .
A little slice of history...
The Day Japan Bombed
Brookings, Oregon
Brookings, Oregon By:
Norm Goyer
September 9, 1942, the
I-25 class Japanese submarine was cruising in an easterly direction raising its
periscope occasionally as it neared the United States Coastline. Japan
had attacked Pearl Harbor less than a year ago and the Captain of the attack
submarine knew that Americans were watching their coast line for ships and
aircraft that might attack our country. Dawn was approaching; the first
rays of the sun were flickering off the periscopes lens.
Their mission; attack the west coast with incendiary bombs in hopes of starting a devastating forest fire.
Their mission; attack the west coast with incendiary bombs in hopes of starting a devastating forest fire.
If this test run were
successful, Japan had hopes of using their huge submarine fleet to attack the
eastern end of the Panama Canal to slow down shipping from the Atlantic to the
Pacific. The Japanese Navy had a large number of I-400 submarines under
construction. Each capable of carrying three aircraft. Pilot Chief
Warrant Officer Nobuo Fujita and his crewman Petty Officer Shoji Okuda were
making last minute checks of their charts making sure they matched those of the
submarine's navigator.
The
only plane ever to drop a bomb on the United States during WW-II was this
submarine based Glen.
September 9, 1942:
Nebraska forestry student Keith V. Johnson was on duty atop a forest fire
lookout tower between Gold's Beach and Brookings Oregon . Keith had
memorized the silhouettes of Japanese long distance bombers and those of our
own aircraft. He felt confident that he could spot and identify, friend
or foe, almost immediately. It was cold on the coast this September
morning, and quiet. The residents of the area were still in bed or
preparing to head for work. Lumber was a large part of the industry in
Brookings, just a few miles north of the California Oregon state lines.
The aircraft carried two
incendiary
168 pound bombs and a
crew of two.
Aboard the submarine the
Captain's voice boomed over the PA system, "Prepare to surface, aircrew report
to your stations, wait for the open hatch signal" During training runs
several subs were lost when hangar door were opened too soon and sea water
rushed into the hangars and sank the boat with all hands lost. You could
hear the change of sound as the bow of the I-25 broke from the depths, nosed
over for its run on the surface. A loud bell signaled the "All
Clear."
The crew assigned to the
single engine Yokosuki E14Ys float equipped observation and light attack
aircraft sprang into action. They rolled the plane out its hangar built
next to the conning tower. The wings and tail were unfolded, and two 168
pound incendiary bombs were attached to the hard points under the wings.
This was a small two passenger float plane with a nine cylinder 340 hp radial
engine.
It was full daylight when
the Captain ordered the aircraft to be placed on the catapult. Warrant
Officer Fujita started the engine, let it warm up, checked the magnetos and oil
pressure. There was a slight breeze blowing and the seas were calm.
A perfect day to attack the United States of America When the
gauges were in the green the pilot signaled and the catapult launched the
aircraft. After a short climb to altitude the pilot turned on a heading
for the Oregon coast.
The "Glen" was
launched via catapult
From a I-25 class
Japanese submarine.
Johnson was sweeping the
horizon but could see nothing, he went back to his duties as a forestry agent
which was searching for any signs of a forest fire The morning moved on.
Every few minutes he would scan low, medium and high but nothing caught his
eye.
The small Japanese float
plane had climbed to several thousand feet of altitude for better visibility
and to get above the coastal fog. The pilot had calculated land fall in a
few minutes and right on schedule he could see the breakers flashing white as
they hit the Oregon shores.
Johnson was about to put
his binoculars down when something flashed in the sun just above the fog
bank. It was unusual because in the past all air traffic had been flying
up and down the coast, not aiming into the coast.
The pilot of the aircraft
checked his course and alerted his observer to be on the lookout for a fire
tower which was on the edge of the wooded area where they were supposed to drop
their bombs. These airplanes carried very little fuel and all flights
were in and out without any loitering. The plane reached the shore line
and the pilot made a course correction 20 degrees to the north. The huge
trees were easy to spot and certainly easy to hit with the bombs. The fog
was very wispy by this time.
Warrant Officer Fujita is
shown with his
Yokosuka E14Y (Glen)
float plane prior to his flight.
Johnson watched in awe as
the small floatplane with a red meat ball on the wings flew overhead, the plane
was not a bomber and there was no way that it could have flown across the
Pacific, Johnson could not understand what was happening. He locked onto
the plane and followed it as it headed inland.
The pilot activated the
release locks so that when he could pickled the bombs they would release.
His instructions were simple, fly at 500 feet, drop the bombs into the trees
and circle once to see if they had started any fires and then head back to the
submarine.
Johnson could see the two
bombs under the wing of the plane and knew that they would be dropped. He
grabbed his communications radio and called the Forest Fire Headquarters
informing them of what he was watching unfold.
The bombs tumbled from
the small seaplane and impacted the forests, the pilot circled once and spotted
fire around the impact point. He executed an 180 degree turn and headed
back to the submarine. There was no air activity, the skies were
clear. The small float plane lined up with the surfaced submarine and
landed gently on the ocean, then taxied to the sub. A long boom swung out
from the stern. His crewman caught the cable and hooked it into the
pickup attached to the roll over cage between the cockpits. The plane was
swung onto the deck, The plane's crew folded the wings and tail, pushed it into
its hangar and secured the water tight doors. The I-25 submerged and
headed back to Japan.
This
event ,which caused no damage, marked the only time during World War II that an
enemy plane had dropped bombs on the United States mainland. What the
Japanese didn't count on was coastal fog, mist and heavy doses of rain made the
forests so wet they simply would not catch fire.
This Memorial Plaque is
located in Brookings ,
Oregon at the site of the
1942 bombing.
Fifty years later the
Japanese pilot, who survived the war, would return to Oregon to help dedicate a
historical plaque at the exact spot where his two bombs had impacted.
The elderly pilot then
donated his ceremonial sword as a gesture of peace and closure of the bombing
of Oregon in 1942.
For all you history buffs
out there!
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