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From: nrh@inmet.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Orphaned Response
Message-ID: <7800425@inmet.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 6-Sep-85 13:28:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: inmet.7800425
Posted: Fri Sep  6 13:28:00 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 15-Sep-85 04:49:00 EDT
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Nf-From: inmet!nrh    Sep  6 13:28:00 1985


>/* Written 12:36 pm  Sep  4, 1985 by ihlpg!tan in inmet:net.politics */
>> >[Unknown]
>> >Since no living American has experienced an invasion of America,
>> >we cannot expect them to fully comprehend the repercussions of
>> >war in Main Street, USA. While I don't claim to know the extent
>> >of those repercussions, I am sure any attack on America (which
>> >if non-nuclear at first, would quickly turn nuclear) would
>> >destroy the lives of millions.
>--------
>> [Also Unknown] [actually, NRH]
>> My understanding was that during WWII the Japanese took territory
>> on an American island off the coast of Alaska, and bombed both
>> Alaska and California.  
>> 
>> Perhaps you should not be so quick with the "no living American" 
>> stuff.
>-------
>The two Aleutian islands taken by the Japanese were uninhabited.  They
>never bombed Alaska or California.  Perhaps you are confusing the movie
Uu>1941 with reality.  Even Pearl Harbor was only an attack on a military
>base, not an invasion or an attack on civilian targets.  Civilian
>casualties at Pearl Harbor were very small.  No living American has
>experienced an invasion of America.
>-- 
Annoyed at the implication that I would confuse the movie "1941" with
reality, I called the Boston Public Library, and asked them whether
the Japanese bombed the mainland.

In "the Simon & Schuster Encyclopedia of WWII", pp 48, it is said that
over 1000 "balloon bombs" -- anti-personnel incendiary reached North
America, most in Canada.  In one such landing, Six people were killed.

In September 1942, according to the same reference, a single Japanese
airplane dropped 2 bombs in Oregon (this was the only Japanese plane to
attack the continental US).

As it happened, one of the folks at the BPL was stationed in Alaska
late in the War.  He points out the the government evacuated the
Aleuts from the Aleutians early in the war.  

So, Mr. Tanenbaum, I am NOT confusing the film "1941" with reality.
While we agree that there was never a massive invasion with lots of
soldiers of Anytown, USA, there were evacuations, bombings, and
invasions in force of US territory.  To the soldiers in Alaska, or the
folks killed by balloon bombs, or the people watching the two bombs drop
from that plane in September 1942, these events no doubt felt like 
an invasion (remember, they didn't know the Japanese had no more planes
around, no other carriers with which to invade other islands, nor 
any way of making the balloon bombs more accurate.


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