Japanese Specifically Targeted Pan Am Clippers, Pacific Seaplanes WW-II Historical Background

Japanese Planes Specifically Targeted Clippers

The day that Japanese Naval forces attacked

the British colony of Hong Kong, Japanese

warplanes also flew over to destroy the "Hong Kong" clipper as it lay tied to the dock.

As the Pan Am crew dived under the dock to

escape the strafing, carefully aimed bombs

finished off the "Hong Kong" clipper. Japanese planes also attacked the "Philippine Clipper"

at the Wake island dock on December 8, 1941.

During the Pearl Harbor attack of December 7, the Japanese Navy also hoped to "bag" a Pan Am Clipper at its base near Pearl City. It almost happened as one was inbound to Pearl Harbor when the attack began. Upon hearing the air raid warning on his radio, the clipper pilot cranked the seaplane 180 degrees and made a landing in Hilo Bay on the Big Island. Very

interestingly, a Japanese mini-sub was discovered and sunk by a Navy destroyer in the loch area the Pan Am clipper seaplanes landed on.

Historical Background : How the 1930's led up to Japan and the U.S. at War

Historical Background : How the 1930's led up to Japan and the U.S. at War Japanese Planes Specifically Targeted Clippers The day that Japanese Naval forces attacked the British colony of Hong Kong, Japanese warplanes also flew over to destroy the "Hong Kong" clipper as it lay tied to the dock. As the Pan Am crew dived under the dock to escape the strafing, carefully aimed bombs finished off the "Hong Kong" clipper. Japanese planes also attacked the "Philippine Clipper" at the Wake island dock on December 8, 1941.