My grandfather told me he was born in 1939 and that US planes patrolled the area of the Canal, vital for US, and that they kept a blackout. Anyone else knows?
Yes, at the time, the Panama Canal Zone had one of the finest coast defense systems in the world, I believe. Given the Canal's strategic importance, I'm not surprised. Also, late in the war, the Japanse planned to attack it with their I-400-class submarines, which carried seaplanes. The Japanese intention was to sail these long-range boats across the Indian and Atlantic Oceans, and hurl their planes, probably as Kamikazes, against the canal's locks. The plan was never carried out, mostly due to fuel shortages.
Wow. ANd if it had been carried out and succeeded, the Canal would have been locked for months, maybe years.
Originally posted by Juanra@May 5 2005, 05:04 PM Wow. ANd if it had been carried out and succeeded, the Canal would have been locked for months, maybe years. [post=34096]Quoted post[/post] Right. But on the other hand, by 1945, the Panama Canal was fairly well-defended by 90mm AA guns, fighters, and radar. More than likely, the attackers would have been shot down, or done superficial damage. The Japanese would have had a better shot at damaging the Canal if they had attacked it in connection with the outbreak of the war in 1941, with the advantages of inferior American defenses (compared to 1945) and surprise. However, as you say, it could have severely damaged the canal. Numerous Kamikaze attacks were, as we know, highly successful.
Recently Grandpa told me car lights were blocked and the low half wasn't. There were searchlights, concrete structures, and small bunkers in the main street. And people used flashlights at night so to not make light.