On September 9, 1942, a Japanese floatplane drops incendiary bombs on an Oregon state forest—the first 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. 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.
When Japan Launched Killer Balloons in World War II
Japan’s bizarre WWII plan to bomb the continental U.S. by high-altitude balloons claimed its first and only victims—an Oregon church group in 1945.
Japan’s bizarre WWII plan to bomb the continental U.S. by high-altitude balloons claimed its first and only victims—an Oregon church group in 1945.