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They did attack the US Mainland (US Continent) directly. Brookings, Oregon was bombed by an I-Boat launched airplane; Santa Barbara, California was shelled by an I-Boat (Japanese Submarine). And although not part of the MAINLAND, the Aleution Islands, part of the current state of Alaska was actually occupied by Japanese Forces. Although some historians will argue that the US Continent was NOT in Japanese War Plans; All combatant countries have contingency plans. Even the US had, at one time (even in the 20th Century) top secret "war plans" to fight Canada & Mexico. Therefore: the Continental United States could not be attacked as vigorously as other countries had been because of distance. Translation; if the US Carriers had been at Pearl Harbor instead of those obsolete battleships. Nearly all of the Pacific Sea-Battles from Pearl harbor onward would have had different outcomes (most likely Japanese Victories-when considering Japanese Aircraft Carriers verses a NO-Aircraft Carrier US Navy). Then the islands of Hawaii could have been taken, rather than the Philippines, or consecutively thereafter. With Hawaii as a major consolidation/supply base, Japan could have had the launching point it needed for a major attack against the US Continent. Which, by the way, is the reason the US annexed Hawaii to begin with in the 19th Century; to keep enemies (Japan) at a distance!

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16y ago

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