Did US planes bomb Japan before Pearl Harbor?

Question

Were there any bombing or strafing sorties from Shandong in China before Pearl Harbor?

Answer 1

It's been long enough now that we can cut the BS - dontcha think?

The United States government provided some planes and people to fly them to the Chinese government. We called the people "volunteers" and the equipment "loans".

Now, ordinarily, if an American citizen agrees to serve in the military of another country, he risks his citizenship. They generally don't let you out of your contract with the US military to pursue such things. This didn't happen to the Flying Tigers though - they were allowed to resign their commissions and they remained citizens while serving in the Chinese Air Forces (and bombing Japan).

So, you can put the pieces together if you want to and say "Americans attacked Japan" or you can say "Americans who were working for China attacked Japan" or you can say; well, there isn't any other way -- either way, they were American pilots flying American planes shooting bullets made in America... wonder why that annoyed the Japanese?

Now, is this a bad thing? It depends on your perspective. Officially, the 1st AVG (Flying Tigers) did not see action until Dec 20, 1941 -- twelve days after Pearl Harbor though we know that those Curtis aircraft were in China in Spring of '41.

It's hard to say whether the AVG actually engaged Japan before Dec 41 -- most historians agree though that the presence of the 1st AVG and that American equipment in China did indeed provoke Japan.

Consider next, why did the US have so many forward air bases in the Pacific Islands? How did the US acquire that property for war prep use? Hawaii wasn't a state of the US at the time, why was such a large fleet down there?

I don't condone the attack on Pearl Harbor - it was a horrendous thing and truly an act of war. I'm not convinced however that it was entirely unprovoked. That depends upon which side of the story you're hearing.

Answer 2

Ok firstly, the Flying Tigers used the Curtis Warhawk P-40. the first combat-ready 38s (the P-38E rolled off the assembly line in October, 1941. SO they were never in use during the air conflicts with Japan prior to the US being attacked at Pearl. Also, the USS Ward attacked and sank a jap miget sub 1 hour prior to the air attack on Pearl which was on 7 DEC 1941, not 6 DEC which was a saturday. Gte the facts straight pal. Lastly, we dropped the A-Bombs on 6 and 9 August 1945. NOT 1946. Just so you know. Now with regards to this question, the japanese had always felt that the Americans regarded them as inferior, that their machines were not up to "speed" with the Americans. That their tactics were not on the same level as the Americans. When they bombed Pearl, it was one of elation and one of pure joy. Not joy in the sense of pleasure but joy in the sense that they had delivered a blow that they felt would put them on an even level with the Americans and hopefully make them (the Americans) sue for peace and/or lift the oil embargo against the Home Islands. It also debunked the myth that the "yellow man" was inferior to the American and could in fact play ball with the best of them. (Well for a yr or two anyway.) When the American B-24's hit Japan in April of '42, it was nothing more than a morale booster for the Americans. Although no significant damage was done, the mere fact that the Americans had in fact hit the Home Islands was a form of dishonour to the japanese. It was then that they realized that they were in it for the long haul and it was a war that they could not win, although the hope was to prolong it long enough so that the American people would tell their leaders to sue for peace.

Answer 3

No! The USA was in a period of Isolationism, stemming from problems after the resolution of World War 1. This only stopped when the US started supplying the UK with Ships etc from the Lease Lend Program. The Americans didnt want to be in the war, but the Government understood that if Britain fell, the Germans would have a massive strategic advantage with the Atlantic. I know that China, after Pearl Harbour was used to bomb Tokyo during the war, but the Americans did not throw the first blows, but sure they did finish it.

Answer 4

Before the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, there were US & European Pilots flying for China in the "Flying Tigers" this was a unit of volunteers who joined as private citizens with no official backing from the USA.

If you are trying to use your question to justify the Japanese attack on the USA. I dont think it will work.

There were no Malay, Burmese, Philipino, pilots flying against the Japanese in China, but the Japanese still invaded there countries in the Great South-eastern Japanese Land Grab of 1936-45

Answer 5

Why are so many people trying to shift the blame for the attack on Pearl Harbor on to the U.S. What were we guilty of at the time of the attack? Standing up to the Empire of Japan? Refusing to sell them resources and supplies to help them prosecute their war of aggression against China and the rest of Asia? If standing up to Japan provoked them in to attacking us, then I guess we provoked them.

Answer 6

NO but there may have been volunteer's pilots to fly planes to the Chinese government but the US did not boom japan before pearl harbour the US Intel had Intel that pearl harbour would be boomed but.

Answer 7

Those were planes of the American Volunteer Force serving under the command of Chinese leader Chiang Kai Shek. That force is better known as the "Flying Tigers".

Answer 8

US planes never bombed Pearl Harbor. Those were all Japanese planes and a bunch of them didn't make it home fr tea.

Answer 9

No, but as already stated the Flying Tigers were from China as part of the Chinese Air force,

Click on this link for the history.

http://www.flyingtigersavg.com/tiger1.htm

Answer 10

Nope. Not the US, though some Americans did volunteer to be pilots for the Chinese to protect them from Japanese invaders chopping off POW heads in contests and other atrocities.

Other Americans volunteered to be pilots for the RAF.