The only Axis pilot to bomb the contiguous US during World War II
Nobuo Fujita was a Japanese naval aviator who flew a seaplane from a submarine and dropped incendiary bombs on the forest near Brookings, Oregon, on September 9 and September 29, 1942, conducting the so-called Lookout Air Raids. This was the only time during the war that the continental US was bombed by enemy aircraft, and Fujita became the only Axis pilot to bomb the contiguous US during World War II.
According to Wikipedia:
‘Fujita himself suggested the idea of a submarine-based seaplane to bomb military targets, including ships at sea, and attacks on the US mainland, especially the strategic Panama Canal. The idea was approved, and the mission was given to I-25 long-range submarine aircraft carrier. Larger submarine aircraft carriers such as the giant I-400-class submarines would be developed specifically to bomb the Panama Canal.
Fire caused by a Japanese bomb
‘At 06:00 on 9 September, I-25 surfaced west of the Oregon/California border, where she launched the Yokosuka E14Y “Glen” seaplane, flown by Fujita and Petty Officer Okuda Shoji, with a 154 kg (340 lb) load of two incendiary bombs. Fujita dropped two bombs, one on Wheeler Ridge on Mount Emily in Oregon. The location of the other bomb is unknown. The Wheeler Ridge bomb started a small fire 16 km (9.9 mi) due east of Brookings, which US Forest Service employees were able to extinguish. Rain the night before had made the forest very damp, and the bombs were rendered essentially ineffective.
‘Fujita’s plane had been spotted by two men, Howard Gardner and Bob Larson, at the Mount Emily fire lookout tower in the Siskiyou National Forest. Two other lookouts (the Chetco Point Lookout and the Long Ridge Lookout) reported the plane but could not see it due to heavy fog. The plane was seen and heard by many people, especially when Fujita flew over Brookings in both directions. At about noon that day, Howard Gardner at the Mount Emily Lookout reported seeing smoke. The four US Forest Service employees discovered that the fire was caused by a Japanese bomb. Approximately 27 kg (60 lb) of fragments, including the nose of the bomb, were turned over to the United States Army.
Under attack by a USAAF aircraft on patrol
‘After the bombing, I-25 came under attack by a USAAF aircraft on patrol, forcing the submarine to dive and hide on the ocean floor off Port Orford. The American attacks caused only minor damage, and Fujita flew a second bombing sortie three weeks later, on 29 September. Fujita used the Cape Blanco Light as a beacon. After 90 minutes flying east, he dropped his bombs and reported seeing flames, but the bombing remained unnoticed in the US.
‘The submarine torpedoed and sank the SS Camden and SS Larry Doheny and then sailed for home. On its way to Japan, I-25 sank the Soviet submarine L-16, which was in transit between Dutch Harbor, Alaska, and San Francisco, California, mistaking it for an American submarine (Japan and the USSR were not at war at the time).
‘The two attacks on Oregon in September 1942 were the only enemy aircraft bombings on the contiguous United States and were the second time the continental United States was attacked by such aircraft during World War II, following the bombing of Dutch Harbor in Unalaska, Alaska, three months earlier.’
According to an interesting post that appeared on Quora, despite the devastation that the bombing caused, Fujita’s actions after the war were seen as a symbol of remorse and reconciliation.
Kindness and forgiveness
The city of Brookings extended an invitation to Fujita in 1962 to participate in their Azalea Festival and plant a tree symbolizing peace and friendship between the two nations. He accepted the invitation and became the first Japanese pilot to visit the United States following the war. Fujita presented the town with a 400-year-old Samurai sword that had been part of his family’s heritage for generations as a gesture of goodwill and reconciliation during his visit. He also contributed $1,000 toward establishing a student exchange program between the two countries.
Mixed reactions greeted Fujita’s actions. Some people viewed his gesture as a genuine attempt to make amends for the past, while others believed he hadn’t done enough to atone for his actions. His daughter later revealed that he had brought a dagger with him on his visit to the town and had intended to commit ritual suicide if he had encountered hostility or anger.
Despite the mixed reactions to his visit, Fujita was grateful for the kindness and forgiveness shown to him by the people of Brookings. According to his daughter, the sword symbolized her father’s desire for peace and understanding between the two nations. It was Fujita’s actions that exemplified the power of forgiveness and reconciliation, and his visit to Brookings remains a significant moment in the history of US-Japan relations.
In 1997, Fujita passed away, and the sword remains on display at the Chetco Community Public Library in Brookings as a testament to the power of forgiveness and reconciliation.
