Was the Mainland US Really Not Attacked in WWII?
You may have heard that the mainland U.S. was never attacked in World War II. But that's not true! The United States was attacked multiple times, by Japan and Germany. Learn all about it in this fascinating episode!
Transcript
Tzeela: Hi I'm Tzeela and I'm 17
Rina: Hi I'm Rina and I'm 15
Dalia: Hey, I'm Dalia and I'm 12
Penina: I'm Penina and I'm 7
All: And this is Things You Thought You Knew About History!
Tzeela: Where we show you the real story behind historical misconceptions.
Dalia: We often hear that enemy soldiers never reached the US mainland during WWII but is that true?
Tzeela: Actually, no. On June 13, 1942, four German soldiers landed in the US on a beach near Amagansett in Long Island, New York. Then a second group of four soldiers landed at Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, south of Jacksonville.
Penina: What were these soldiers sent to do?
Rina: These soldiers were sent to sabotage the United States’ war effort by destroying America’s ability to make and transport equipment. This was also meant to scare the people to make them less ready to fight.
Dalia: Throughout the war, a major part of the US effort was sending supplies and equipment to fight against Germany. This angered the Nazis, and German Intelligence decided sabotage was the best solution.
Tzeela: Lieutenant Walter Kappe was put in charge of the operation. Kappe had spent time organizing Nazi activity in the US before the war and was an official of the Ausland Institute which brought Germans from abroad into the Nazi party.
Rina: In early 1942 he contacted 12 Germans, all American citizens, to be trained for the sabotage mission. They were taught to use chemistry and explosive, to blend in with Americans, and to identify targets.
Dalia: On May 26 and 28 1942 two submarines each with four saboteurs left for the east coast of the US. They were expected to carry out a long and successful mission and came with lots of equipment and $175,200.
Rina: On June 13 George John Dasch the leader landed with Ernest Peter Burger, Heinrich Harm Heinck, and Richard Quirin, on Long Island, and on June 17 Edward John Kerling landed with Werner Thiel, Herman Otto Nuebauer, and Herbert Hans Haupt in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
Penina: What happened to them?
Tzeela: The Florida crew took a train to Cincinnati and then split up with 2 going to NY and 2 to Chicago. Before the Long Island crew even finished changing from their boat ride, a member of the Coast Guard stopped them. The saboteurs bribed him to say nothing and he accepted the bribe only to calm the Germans. Then he immediately reported them but by the time a search patrol showed up the saboteurs had left for NYC.
Dalia: Dasch turned on the mission and turned himself in to the FBI. He was interrogated and gave information on the other members of the mission. By June 27th they were all arrested without having carried out any sabotage.
Rina: All but Dasch, and one other who helped him, got the death penalty
Penina: That’s crazy!
Rina: Yes, and it’s not the only time that the mainland US was attacked during WWII!
Penina: Really?
Tzeela: Yeah. Over the course of the war, Japan sent some attacks on the west coast of the U.S. but none of them accomplished much. The first place Japan attacked was on an oil field at Ellwood, on the California coast north of Santa Barbara. On February 23, 1942, a bit over 2 months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, a Japanese long-range submarine attacked the Barnsdall-Rio Grande Oil Field.
Dalia: Starting at 7 pm and continuing for 20 minutes, the submarine moved along the oil piers trying to shell them. It fired 26 rounds, with some landing below the oil installations, some damaging machinery, and some falling close to the gasoline tanks. Thankfully, none of the shells hit the gasoline tanks or exploded near the workers or damage could’ve been much worse.
Rina: This attack angered Americans more than anything else, prompting National Savings Bond drives to fund airplanes and ships to “Avenge Ellwood.” To boost American morale the United States planned an attack on Tokyo in April led by Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle and called the Doolittle raid.
Tzeela: Though not particularly damaging, the bombing left the Japanese command embarrassed, and one way they responded was by attacking the West Coast again. This time they bombed Fort Stevens in Oregon.
Dalia: On June 21, 1942, a submarine came close to the shore near Fort Stevens and started shooting. In the great confusion, the ship was determined too far away so the soldiers at the fort didn’t return fire. The shells made craters in the beach, damaged a nearby baseball field, and nicked a power line. Only one soldier got hurt, while running to his station.
Rina: A few months later the Japanese attacked the coast attempting to start a forest fire. Forest Service Lookout reported a plane but it was assumed to be a patrol plane and the fire was thought to be started by accident. Later they found it was started by a Japanese bomb, but the fire was contained and caused no real damage.
Tzeela: An Japanese army research laboratory came up with the idea of sending balloons packed with explosives to the US. They couldn’t control these balloons but they estimated 10% would arrive in America to set things on fire and cause damage.
Dalia: the Japanese army even considered sending viruses to the US with these balloons but decided it was too risky.
Rina: These balloons were carried from Japan to North America in an air current called the Jetstream. The first round of what would total 9,300 balloons were sent off on November 3rd, 1944, and started making their way to America. Some were shot down by the countries’ air forces, some were turned in to the authorities by citizens, and some landed without causing much damage.
Tzeela: Unfortunately, one of the balloons landed next to a picnic in Bly, Oregon and killed pregnant Elsie Wintersand and her five Sunday school students who ranged from 11 to 14.
Dalia: Anything about the balloons was strictly kept out of the news so Japan would think they failed. It worked, and Japan stopped sending balloons in April.
Penina: Now for some Germany trivia!
Dalia: We’ll ask a question then give you ten seconds to answer. Ready?
Rina: What are the colors on the German flag?
10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1
Black, Red, Gold
Tzeela: What is the longest river that flows through Germany? 10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1
Danube
Penina: What is the tallest mountain in Germany?
10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1
Zugspitze on the border of Austria and Germany