Failed Attempt

Bombs dropping on the United States are basically unheard of. Of course, Pearl Harbor might come to mind for many people, but Hawaii only became a state on August 2, 1959, and the bombing of Pearl Harbor was December 7, 1941, meaning that while the base belonged to the United States, the state didn’t yet. Nevertheless, there was a bomb dropped on US soil…once. It happened on September 9, 1942, when the I-25 B1 type Japanese submarine cruised eastward, it occasionally raised its periscope while approaching the United States coastline. The B1 type was the most common class of Japanese submarines, known for their speed, long range, and the unique feature of carrying a seaplane behind watertight doors, which could be launched using a forward catapult. It was so unique for the era, nevertheless, a seaplane on a submarine, under the water, yet completely dry, existed. Less than a year after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, the submarine’s captain was aware that Americans were closely monitoring their coastline for potential threats from ships or aircraft.

As dawn broke on that fateful day, the first rays of sunlight glinted off the periscope lens. The mission was clear…to attack the West Coast of the United States with incendiary bombs to ignite a destructive forest fire. The idea was that success in this test run could pave the way for Japan to deploy its vast submarine fleet to strike the eastern end of the Panama Canal, disrupting shipping between the Atlantic and Pacific. The Japanese Navy had numerous I-400 submarines under construction, each capable of carrying three aircraft. Chief Warrant Officer Nobuo Fujita and Petty Officer Shoji Okuda meticulously checked their charts, ensuring they aligned with the submarine navigator’s. Meanwhile, Nebraska forestry student Keith V Johnson was stationed atop a fire lookout tower between Gold Beach and Brookings, Oregon. Of a necessity, Johnson had memorized the silhouettes of Japanese long-range bombers and American aircraft, and now he was confident in his ability to identify friend or foe instantly. The September morning was cold and silent along the coast. Most residents were still asleep or gearing up for work. Lumber was a major industry in Brookings, which was located just north of the California-Oregon border.

Aboard the submarine, the captain’s voice echoed over the PA system, “Prepare to surface, aircrew report to your stations, wait for the open hatch signal.” During training, several subs were lost when hangar doors were opened too soon, allowing seawater to flood the hangars and sink the vessels with all hands. The sound shifted as the bow of the I-25 emerged from the depths, leveling out for its surface run. A loud bell signaled the “All Clear.” The crew assigned to the single-engine Yokosuka E14Y floatplane sprang into action. They rolled the plane out of its hangar beside the conning tower. The wings and tail were unfolded, and two 168-pound incendiary bombs were attached under the wings. This small, two-passenger floatplane featured a nine-cylinder, 340-horsepower radial engine.

In broad daylight, the captain ordered the aircraft onto the catapult, not even worrying about being seen. Warrant Officer Fujita started the engine, letting it warm up while checking the magnetos and oil pressure. That day, a light breeze blew across calm seas…ideal conditions for an attack on the United States. Once the gauges were in the green, the pilot signaled, and the catapult launched the plane. After a brief climb, the pilot turned toward the Oregon coast. At his post, Johnson was scanning the horizon. He was seeing nothing, so he returned to his duties as a forestry agent, searching for signs of a forest fire. Ever watchful, he periodically scanned low, medium, and high, as the morning progressed, but nothing caught his eye. Meanwhile, the small Japanese floatplane climbed to several thousand feet higher for better visibility and to rise above the coastal fog. The pilot calculated landfall in a few minutes. Then, right on schedule, he spotted the breakers flashing white against the Oregon shores.

Johnson was scanning the horizon again and was just about to lower his binoculars when something reflected sunlight above the fog bank. It was unusual because all previous air traffic had flown along the coast, not inland. The pilot, after checking his course and instructed his observer to watch for a fire tower at the edge of the wooded area where they were to drop their bombs. These planes carried minimal fuel, so flights were quick and quick out missions. When the plane reached the shoreline, the pilot adjusted the course 20 degrees to the north. The towering trees were easy to spot and made obvious targets for the bombs. The fog, however, had burned off and was now, thin and wispy.

Johnson watched in amazement, unable to believe his eyes, as a small floatplane with a red meatball emblem on its wings flew overhead. He knew it wasn’t a bomber, and he couldn’t fathom how it had crossed the Pacific. He tracked the plane as it moved inland. The pilot, meanwhile, prepared the bomb release mechanism. His orders were clear…fly at 500 feet, drop the bombs into the forest, circle back to check for fires, and return to the submarine. As a stunned Johnson watched, he noticed the two bombs under the plane’s wings and realized they were about to be released. Quickly grabbing his radio, he called Forest Fire Headquarters to report what he was witnessing. He was in shock.

The bombs fell from the seaplane and hit the forest, igniting small fires at the impact site. The pilot circled once, confirmed the fires, and then turned back toward the submarine. The skies were clear, with no other aircraft in sight. The floatplane aligned with the surfaced submarine, landed smoothly on the water, and taxied to the vessel. A boom extended from the sub’s stern, and a crew member secured a cable to the plane. The aircraft was hoisted onto the deck, its wings and tail folded, and it was stored in a watertight hangar. The I-25 submarine submerged and began its journey back to Japan, thinking that the mission had successfully started a large fire. The Japanese had not accounted for the coastal fog, mist, and heavy rain that left the forests too damp to sustain fires. This incident, which caused no significant damage, was the only time during World War II that an enemy plane dropped bombs on the US mainland.