Welcome to the WWII Forums! Log in or Sign up to interact with the community.

The Niihau Incident

Discussion in 'Air War in the Pacific' started by GRW, Dec 15, 2012.

  1. GRW

    GRW Pillboxologist WW2|ORG Editor

    Joined:
    Oct 26, 2003
    Messages:
    20,815
    Likes Received:
    3,042
    Location:
    Stirling, Scotland
    Only ever heard this mentioned in passing, but think it deserves a wider audience.
    "When the Empire of Nippon launched its massive attack on Pearl Harbor on the morning of 7 December 1941, Airman 1st Class Shigenori Nishikaichi was among the raiders, escorting a group of bombers in his Zero fighter. After two successful runs, the bombers were seeking further targets when, seemingly from nowhere, a flight of nine US air fighters attacked them. The US forces were flying P-36As, and were hugely outclassed by the Zeros. Despite the advantage of surprise, the US planes were quickly dispatched.
    Nevertheless, one round had punctured the fuel tank of Shigenori Nishikaichi's fighter, and he began losing fuel. That single bullet set into motion events that would eventually lead to United States interning more than one-hundred thousand people of Japanese heritage--despite their citizenship--in concentration camps for the remainder World War II.As the Japanese pilot made his way back to the aircraft carrier, his injured plane fell behind. It soon became apparent that he would not be able to reach the carrier as it steamed away from Hawaii and back toward Japan. Instead he fell back on his emergency orders: he was to land on the uninhabited island of Niihau and wait on the north beach for an Imperial submarine to make rescue. On his first flyby however, he noticed a severe flaw in the plan. Contrary to Japan's pre-attack intelligence, the tiny island was inhabited."
    Incident on Niihau Island • Damn Interesting
    This link has more detail-
    The Niihau Incident
     
    KodiakBeer likes this.
  2. OpanaPointer

    OpanaPointer I Point at Opana Staff Member WW2|ORG Editor

    Joined:
    Jun 5, 2008
    Messages:
    18,254
    Likes Received:
    5,671
  3. belasar

    belasar Court Jester

    Joined:
    May 9, 2010
    Messages:
    8,515
    Likes Received:
    1,176
    I am not so sure we can claim this incident as the wellspring for the Japanese-American Internment camps, but I do conceed it helped to make them a reality.

    Looking at American attitudes in Hawaii, the West Coast and the country as a whole much of the foundation work had already been laid in the somewhat myopic veiws held by both the government and the public at large. General Short's defence plans seem to reguard a inssurection/5th column as likely as an actual enemy attack.

    My one problem with giving the Incident as the primary factor for the camps is the fact that the government seemed to downplay it when it was ready made to support the action of internment camps.
     
  4. KodiakBeer

    KodiakBeer Member

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2012
    Messages:
    6,329
    Likes Received:
    1,712
    Location:
    The Arid Zone
    That is a very interesting slice of history and I thank you for bringing it up!
     
  5. OpanaPointer

    OpanaPointer I Point at Opana Staff Member WW2|ORG Editor

    Joined:
    Jun 5, 2008
    Messages:
    18,254
    Likes Received:
    5,671
    I've never seen the two connected. And I wouldn't do so myself.
     
  6. belasar

    belasar Court Jester

    Joined:
    May 9, 2010
    Messages:
    8,515
    Likes Received:
    1,176
    Just commenting on the original post which makes the claim.
     
  7. OpanaPointer

    OpanaPointer I Point at Opana Staff Member WW2|ORG Editor

    Joined:
    Jun 5, 2008
    Messages:
    18,254
    Likes Received:
    5,671
    Understood, and I should have been more clearer. (Most clearest?)
     
  8. namvet

    namvet Member

    Joined:
    Jul 26, 2008
    Messages:
    193
    Likes Received:
    45
  9. KJ Jr

    KJ Jr Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 2, 2014
    Messages:
    3,148
    Likes Received:
    359
    Location:
    New England
    Wow, very interesting story. Thanks for sharing it. I would love to research more on if this did, in fact, have any impact on internment camps in the U.S.
     
  10. SymphonicPoet

    SymphonicPoet Member

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2009
    Messages:
    701
    Likes Received:
    130
    Akutan was another example of the backup plan gone awry, though for different reasons. It seems the Japanese did have a system for rescuing downed flyers, just not a very effective one. Worked a few times in the Solomons, where Malaita, and I think also Buka, and Buin (initially) played similar roles.
     

Share This Page