# Japan's WWII targets in US **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 20, 2007, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-wwii-targets-in-us/412473 "2007-07-20T01:04:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Obeseus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbce88/32.png) [@Obeseus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Obeseus)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-wwii-targets-in-us/412473/1 "2007-07-20T01:04:43Z")
During a discussion of the Simpsons movie premiere being shown in Springfield, Vermont, this one guy says he used to live near there. He went on to say that during WWII, the town was “6th or 7th” on Japan’s list of US places to bomb due to the machine industry in the area. That got me wondering. Is it actually known whether Japan had an actual hit list? Or did US folk decide which areas Japan was most likley to bomb? And which is it, 6th or 7th? What is the top five? ---
**Author:** ![Malodorous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47774/32.png) [@Malodorous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malodorous)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-wwii-targets-in-us/412473/2 "2007-07-20T01:15:33Z")
How the hell would the Japanese get planes over VT? They must’ve been _really_ optimistic about how the war was gonna shake out. > [@Obeseus](#): > > What is the top five? #1: Perl Harbor 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-wwii-targets-in-us/412473/3 "2007-07-20T01:18:39Z")
People near the east coast (and even in the midwest) were much more worried about Germany than Japan. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-wwii-targets-in-us/412473/4 "2007-07-20T01:20:18Z")
That sounds really unlikely. Just based on the distance from Japan to Vermont. Even if the Japanese had invaded and conquered Hawaii, and then the West Cost of the USA, they would still have been too far away for any Japanese bomber of 1941 to have reached Vermont. And as I recall, the Japanese strategy was to quickly seize various areas in the Pacific and SE Asia area, and become the leading nation in that vicinity. By doing this quickly, and occupying and reinforcing those areas, they would make it too hard for the USA to take them back, and they thought we would reach a negotiated peace settlement that would leave them in control of much of that territory. Japan never seriously tried to invade & occupy either Australia or the Hawaiian Islands. They were focused on a quick win, and knew the facts of the production capability of American industry vs. Japans. I seriously doubt any Japanese war planner ever contemplated an extended war strategy that would have Japanese bombers going into Vermont! Doesn’t pass the common sense test. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-wwii-targets-in-us/412473/5 "2007-07-20T01:20:40Z")
[QUOTE=Malodorous] How the hell would the Japanese get planes over VT? [/QUOTE] The Japanese sent [balloons](http://www.axishistory.com/index.php?id=932) with explosives to the West coast. Vermont seems kind of far. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Obeseus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbce88/32.png) [@Obeseus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Obeseus)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-wwii-targets-in-us/412473/6 "2007-07-20T01:22:18Z")
That’s what I figured. Japan would have to practically wipe out the country before worrying about dropping anything in the northeast US. But what if the guy is mixed up, and he meant Germany? Is there an official hit list for Germany? Wouldn’t they go after all the naval shipyards before going further inland? What is realistic? Vermont was 60th or 70th? ---
**Author:** ![Malodorous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47774/32.png) [@Malodorous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malodorous)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-wwii-targets-in-us/412473/7 "2007-07-20T01:26:32Z")
Heh, wikipedia entry for Springfield VT: > [@](#): > > During World War II, Springfield’s production of machine tools was of such importance to the American war effort that the US government ranked Springfield (together with the Cone at Windsor) as the seventh most important bombing target in the country.[1] cite is: Wayne G. Broehl, Jr., Precision Valley: The Machine Tool Companies of Springfield, Vermont. (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 1959) p. 184, citing W. Storrs Lee, The Green Mountains of Vermont (New York: Henry Hold & Company, Inc., 1949) p.76. Doesn’t say Japanese, however, though VT is a long flight from Germany as well. ---
**Author:** ![Malodorous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47774/32.png) [@Malodorous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malodorous)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-wwii-targets-in-us/412473/8 "2007-07-20T01:31:16Z")
Of course we all know that during the Cold War Springfield was designated as a “Nuclear Whipping Boy” target by NATO for allied calibration of nuclear bombs in the event of a first strike against the Soviets. ---
**Author:** ![figure9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@figure9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/figure9)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-wwii-targets-in-us/412473/9 "2007-07-20T01:33:21Z")
An I-boat took a few shots at the west coast with its deck gun. But that doesn’t really count as a bombing raid. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-wwii-targets-in-us/412473/10 "2007-07-20T01:41:09Z")
[QUOTE=Malodorous] target by NATO for allied calibration of nuclear bombs [/QUOTE] Say what? ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-wwii-targets-in-us/412473/11 "2007-07-20T02:57:49Z")
[QUOTE=figure9] An I-boat took a few shots at the west coast with its deck gun. But that doesn’t really count as a bombing raid. [/QUOTE] Actually, there were two such incidents, I believe. One was the shelling of an oil refinery in California and the second was of Ft. Stevens, Oregon near the mouth of the Columbia. There was also an actual bombing: a float plane launched from a Japanese sub dropped a couple incendiary bombs near Brookings, Oregon. They failed to set the forest ablaze. No one was killed in any of these attacks. At Ft Stevens, all the shells missed hitting any of the shore batteries. The batteries didn’t return fire because of an error by the range detector operator who mistakenly calculated the sub was out of range. [Japanese attack on Ellwood refinery](http://www.militarymuseum.org/Ellwood.html) On looking these up on Wikipedia ([url="[American theater of World War II - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attacks_on_United_States_territory_in_North_America_during_World_War_II) for those interested), it seems there was an attack on a lighthouse on Vancouver Island the day before the attack on Ft Stevens. I was unaware of that before now. Also, despite the title of the Wiki page, Vancouver Island is not US territory. There were also some similar incidents on the East Coast and in the Caribbean involving German U-boats. I don’t know much of the details but there’s stuff about them in the Wiki page linked above. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-wwii-targets-in-us/412473/12 "2007-07-20T03:02:51Z")
[QUOTE=figure9] An I-boat took a few shots at the west coast with its deck gun. But that doesn’t really count as a bombing raid. [/QUOTE] Are you sure that wasn’t just L. Ron Hubbard? ---
**Author:** ![Malodorous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47774/32.png) [@Malodorous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malodorous)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-wwii-targets-in-us/412473/13 "2007-07-20T03:05:11Z")
[QUOTE=carnivorousplant] Say what? [/QUOTE] From a Simpson’s episode. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-wwii-targets-in-us/412473/14 "2007-07-20T03:11:45Z")
[QUOTE=carnivorousplant] Say what? [/QUOTE] I believe **Malodorous** was refering to a _Simpsons_ episode where Bart and friends are given temporary control of the local games store. Or was it the video parlor? Something like that. Anyway, they discover the owner’s secret stash of videos, one of which details the military’s secret plans for Springfield, as disclosedby **Malodorous**. I screwed up the Wiki link in my last post. Try [Attacks\_on\_United\_States\_territory\_in\_North\_America\_during\_World\_War\_II](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attacks_on_United_States_territory_in_North_America_during_World_War_II) ---
**Author:** ![Scienceman123](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Scienceman123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scienceman123)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-wwii-targets-in-us/412473/15 "2007-07-20T03:16:26Z")
[QUOTE=Sublight] Are you sure that wasn’t just L. Ron Hubbard? [/QUOTE] I see what you did there. ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-wwii-targets-in-us/412473/16 "2007-07-20T20:51:15Z")
[QUOTE=carnivorousplant] The Japanese sent [balloons](http://www.axishistory.com/index.php?id=932) with explosives to the West coast. Vermont seems kind of far. 🙂 [/QUOTE] At least some of those bombs made it all the way to [Michigan](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balloon_bomb#American_reaction). Had the Japanese launched a _lot_ more of them, it’s plausible that some few might have reached Vermont. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-wwii-targets-in-us/412473/17 "2007-07-20T21:34:25Z")
[QUOTE=Malodorous] #1: Perl Harbor 🙂 [/QUOTE] ($\_ = “Perl Harbor”) =~ s/e/ea/; ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2007, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-wwii-targets-in-us/412473/18 "2007-07-20T22:27:16Z")
IIRC, one of the primary targets for Japan as the Panama Canal. Again, from memory they were developing special subs with air craft on board and heavy hitting bombs (or maybe torpedoes) to disable the locks. So, I’d put those at the top of the primary list (unless I’m mis-remembering things…I’d have to go with them above Springfield Vermont at a minimum :)). -XT ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2007, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-wwii-targets-in-us/412473/19 "2007-07-21T00:00:38Z")
These lists of bombing attacks may also have some basis in FBI lists of what the FBI felt were important sites that might be victims of sabotage, secret agent style. Not just direct military attack. In ww1, some German sympathiser placed home made explosives in some cargo ships that docked in New York, IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2007, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-wwii-targets-in-us/412473/20 "2007-07-21T00:11:02Z")
[QUOTE=Malodorous] > [@](#): > > ranked Springfield (together with the Cone at Windsor) … [/QUOTE] Not Ice cream, but [Cone-Blanchard](http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3675/is_199508/ai_n8716629) > [@](#): > > By the winter of 1994, the townspeople of Windsor were all but writing the epitaph for the Cone-Blanchard Machine Company. > > For the employees of the plant, a harsh winter had been made harder by the uncertainty of continued employment at the facility. Indeed, the 78-year- old company, saddled with debt… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-wwii-targets-in-us/412473.md?page=2)