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Japanese Attack SB
The following 12 comments and questions have been sent in. They are listed according to date.
List of first 10 items
- Some interesting facts about the shelling
- Heard about attack from friends
- Did Japanese soldiers come ashore?
- Has a different version of the Santa Barbara attack
- Lived in Montecito when the attack occurred
- Remembers time in North Hollywood
- Has picture of Japanese bomb
- Sub shelled LA
- Putting article in US History Monthly
- Mother lived there
Some interesting facts about the shelling
Question
January 23, 2008
My Grandfather was Provos Marshall at Camp Roberts when a Japanese submarine shelled Goleta. Huell Howser has a one-hour documentary on the event. The movie "1941" by Steven Spielberg was done as a "comedy" on the event. My grandfather was Col. V.N. Scott(deceased 1986). A good friend of my grandfather owned a butcher shop in Paso Robles. My grandfather told me that Japanese corpses washed ashore and his friend hung them in his meat locker. This is all I know.
Scott - USA
15199
Answer
Thanks for the interesting information on the event.
I wonder how the corpses came about? I didn't hear about the submarine being destroyed. Unless that was later, as a response to the shelling.
Heard about attack from friends
Question
October 6, 2006
I heard about the Japanese coming ashore from friends who just had a visit from Hobart Skofield's nephew (he's in his 80s). Hobart says his uncle used to tell that story. When questioned, he apparently didn't have another source.
Have you researched accounts at UCSB or Historical Society? I may try there.
Karen - USA
12095
Answer
Unfortunately, I dont live in Santa Barbara anymore. I had checked with the SB Historical Society but not UCSB when I lived there.
If you do find out more information on the event, let me know.
Did Japanese soldiers come ashore?
Question
October 2, 2006
Hello Ron,
I recently heard another detail about the Santa Barbara attack that I'd be interested in checking. This is that some Japanese soldiers came on land, stationing themselves on 2 mountain tops, to triangulate with the sub for the attack. Do you know of other information sources besides the News-Press and Chronicle accounts?
Thank you,
K. - USA
12055
Answer
I haven't heard about soldiers coming ashore to triangulate for the sub, even from people who lived in Santa Barbara at that time. Since the attack wasn't very effective, I wonder about any triangulation. Also, it seems quite a risky venture for such a target of low value. But it is possible. Where did you get your information?
Has a different version of the Santa Barbara attack
Question
May 28, 2006
Years ago, I read a local history book in Santa Barbara that told the Ellwood attack story a little differently,
Nicolas Den got a Spanish land grant for 4400 acres west of Santa Barbara in 1842. After his death in 1862 the ranch started to be sub-divided. The family would picnic every summer at Ellwood beach, and years later his daughter would picnic with her family there also. One year she planted some cactus near the family picnic site.
In the 1930's the oil field at Ellwood was managed by her grandson. He had the oil riggers erect a steel railing around the cactus because the big trucks kept backing into it. Captain Nambu came ashore at Ellwood and while trying to collect a cactus flower for his garden back home, he fell over the railing into the cactus and was humiliated by the oil riggers laughing at him.
Returning in 1942 in a submarine, he surfaced and fired 20 rounds from the deck gun at the cactus patch on Ellwood Beach.
Dave - USA
11210
Answer
Thanks for sending a modified version of the Ellwood attack story. I know there are several versions from people in the area. I got my information when I lived in Santa Barbara and was doing some oral history about the area. Also, I saw material on it at the old Timbers restaurant and in a copy of the SB newspaper reporting the event.
It is difficult to know which story is correct, except that the area had been shelled by a submarine during the war.
Lived in Montecito when the attack occurred
Question
December 17, 2005
WE LIVED ON EUCALYPTUS LANE IN MONTECITO, AND WHILE I WAS ONLY FIVE I REMEMBER ALL THE EXCITEMENT FOLLOWING THE SHELLING OF THE OIL STORAGE TANKS AT GAVIOTA POIINT I BELIEVE. MY RECOLLECTION IS THAT MANY PEOPLE WENT DOWN TO THE BEACH TO OBSERVE THE MARINES FROM GOLETA ATTEMPTING TO LOCATE THE SUB OFF THE COAST FROM THE AIR.
WHAT I HOPE YOU CAN FURNISH ME IS SOME INFORMATION ABOUT THE TWO LIGHTNING P-38'S THAT COLLIDED OVER MONTECITO AND CRASHED. ONE AT WHAT BECAME KNOWN AS LIGHTNING POINT NEAR THE SAN YSIDRO GUEST RANCH.
THANK YOU,
JOHN HOLM
JOHN - USA
9410
Answer
Many of the residents of the large mansions in Montecito left the area after the shelling to move back East.
I don't have any information concerning the aircraft crashing.
Your mention of Eucalyptus Lane and the San Ysidro Ranch brought back some fond memories of the area.
Remembers time in North Hollywood
Question
January 9, 2005
I remeber when I was a little girl we moved into our home in the San Fernando Valley from Michigan. It was 1944 and the town was North Hollywood, California. The windows, in the inside of the house, had black cloth stapled onto the window frames. When I asked about it, I was told it was there in case the Japanese bombers would come in at night they wouldn't see our lights and bombs us. I had may nightmares after that.
MARIE - USA
5560
Answer
Thanks for sharing your experience. Those were trying times on the West coast.
Has picture of Japanese bomb
Question
October 2, 2004
my da has a picture of himself at age four sitting on a bomb, i guess it was a dud.I asked him where it was he told me on our ranch. It turns out that the japs hit our ranch with a dud. my name is craig langlo. my grandfathers name is Andrew Langlo. the ranch is on "Langlo Ranch Road", accross from the baccarra resort in Goleta,on a hill side accross from the beach. DO you know if anyother resedents properties were hit?
Craig - USA
4489
Answer
I hadn't heard of any. If you could scan in the picture and send it to me, I'd post it in the article.
Sub shelled LA
Question
August 29, 2004
An older friend of mine related that he sunk one of the subs sent to the west coast that shelled Los Angeles. He did so with a OS2U Kingfisher with depth charges close to the New Hebrides Islands . The sub was damaged and the crew captured. From the log and interrogation the shelling story came out.
Robert - USA
4130
Answer
Thanks for sharing the story. I hadn't heard of any shelling of LA, but it is possible.
Putting article in US History Monthly
Question
October 17, 2001
I am considering using your piece on "When the Japanese Attacked Santa Barbara" in my next issue. Would that be ok with you?
Thank you,
Brad Kaplus
Founder/Senior Editor
US History Monthly
WWW.USHistoryMonthly.Com
Brad - USA
3492
Answer
That sounds great.
Mother lived there
Question
December 6, 2003
I was very interested to find your article on the internet. My grandmother lived in Santa Barbara during WW2 and had told us this story although I never read it in any history book. She mentioned at the time they weren't aware of what was going on and assumed it was an earthquake.
Melissa -
1497
Answer
It is a little-known fact that only some historians and local SB residents know about.
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