Did Japan plan submarine-carried commando raids against the United States?
Short answerJapan had both long-range submarines and naval landing troops, but it does not appear to have combined them into such a plan, even though the concept was feasible.
NotesThe Imperial Japanese Navy had long-range submarines and naval landing troops, but apparently did not combine them into an American coastal-raiding plan. Weak security at some coastal sites would have made sabotage raids possible. At Ellwood, landing troops to place charges could have caused more damage than shelling from offshore. One proposed propaganda tactic was to leave the personnel alive to report the raid and amplify its psychological effect. The resulting diversion of American money and troops toward coastal defense is judged capable of buying Japan at least another three or four months, a counterfactual estimate rather than a historical outcome.