Operation K, was a Japanese naval operation in World War II, intended as a reconnaissance of Pearl Harbor and disruption of repair and salvage operations following the surprise attack on December 7, 1941. It culminated on March 4, 1942, with an unsuccessful attack carried out by two Kawanishi H8K “Emily” flying boats. This was the longest distance ever undertaken by a two-plane bombing mission, and the longest bombing sortie ever planned without fighter escort
The SECOND Raid on Pearl Harbor – Operation K
Everyone knows about the First Pearl Harbor Attack by the Japanese Imperial Navy. But few are aware of the second Raid that the Japanese launched on Pearl Harbor. This raid was codenamed Operation K. It was a Japanese naval operation in WWII intended as a reconnaissance mission of the US Naval base at Pearl Harbor.
During the Pearl Harbor attack, the Japanese had missed out on destroying the Oil Storage facilities near Pearl Harbor Naval Air Station and the Naval Yard. So, they aimed to bomb these facilities in Operation K. Also, the Japanese aimed to disrupt the repair and salvage operations that were going on in full swing. This was, perhaps, the longest bombing sortie by two planes without fighter escort in WWII.
Operation K culminated on March 4, 1942. Two, nicknamed “Emily,” carried out an unsuccessful attack on Pearl Harbor. These flying boats were huge with a gross takeoff weight of 71,650 lb and a wingspan of 124 ft. Four 1,850 hp engines powered this flying boat. Its top speed was 296 mph, and it had a crew of 10. Named “the Flying Porcupine” by Allied pilots, this flying boat was defended by 10 machine guns and an equal number of 20mm cannons. The H8K flying boat was capable of undertaking long missions that lasted up to 24 hours. Each flying boat could carry eight 550 lb bombs.
Initial plans of the Japanese Navy’s high command called for the use of 5 H8K aircraft. They were to fly to French Frigate Shoals, the biggest atoll in the Northwestern tip of the Hawaiian Islands. Here, they’d be refueled by submarines before heading to Pearl Harbor. More raids would be undertaken if the first raid was successful.
On mission day, only two of the planned 5 flying giants were available. The first H8K aircraft was flown by Pilot Lieutenant Hisao Hashizume, the commander of the mission. Ensign Shosuke Sasao was flying the second H8K. The mission started at Wojte Atoll (Marshall Islands). Each aircraft was loaded with four 550 lb bombs. From Wojte, the flying boats flew 1,900 mi to French Frigate Shoals. After refueling here, the planes set off for Pearl Harbor that was 560 mi away.
The Ten-Ten dock was so named because of it length—1,010 ft. The US Navy’s salvage and repair efforts were in progress at this dock. The time of the bombing was to be sometime after midnight. However, the Japanese plan of bombing the Ten-Ten Dock was hindered due to the prevalent unfavorable weather conditions at Pearl Harbor. Inclement weather also resulted in a several errors. The Japanese submarine I-23 that was supposed to direct the flying boats south of Oahu was lost after February 14.
Hawaii’s WARD—Women’s Air Raid Defense—picked up the Japanese planes on their Radar. They had been working for 12 weeks since the Pearl Harbor Attack and were on high alert. The response to the women’s alert was instantaneous. Searchlights were turned on, fighter planes were scrambled, and the anti-aircraft guns were manned. Since it was a moonless, rainy night, the fighter planes were not successful in downing the flying boats (Altitude: 15,000 ft) even with help from the WARD Radar operators.
In the absence of position support from their submarine I-23, the Japanese Pilots used the lighthouse at Kaena Point for a position fix. Mission Commander Hashizume attacked from the north. Poor quality radio communication resulted in the second pilot, Sasao, turning to skirt the opposite (north) coast of Oahu. In the inclement weather, Hashizume was able to see just some patches of the island. He dropped his 4 bombs on the Tantalus Peak sometime around 2 am local time. The bombs landed close to Roosevelt High School, but the damage was minimal.
Sasao dropped the 4 bombs he carried into the ocean somewhere close to the sea approach to Pearl Harbor and returned to Wotje Atoll. Hashizume, whose aircraft had sustained hull damage at French Frigate Shoals, proceeded to his home base at Jaluit Atoll.
Conclusion
Operation K was a colossal failure. The mission was jinxed right from the beginning. Only two porcupines flew instead of the planned five. Also, the absence of an element of surprise and poor weather conditions forced the Japanese planes to drop their bombs blind when they could not sight their targets. The flying giants returned without success.
Source: http://www.warhistoryonline.com
Station HYPO 
4 March 2022 at 16:43
I had never heard of this second attack until this post (and I’m 84 years old and was stationed at Wahiawa for 2 years
back in the mid ’50s). Thank you, Mario, for this piece of history.
Jim King
CTOC Ret.
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4 March 2022 at 21:42
Interesting, thank you.
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5 March 2022 at 14:15
Another instance where women played a part in the defense and ultimately the winning of the war. The photo of the SC-270 radar installation is fascinating to me as I believe these installations were also the kind set up along the east and west coasts of the US later in the war.
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8 March 2022 at 00:25
Interesting article. I found Jim King’s comment on the article even more interesting. He’s eighty-four and had never heard of Operation K or “the second attack on Pearl Harbor” prior to reading the above article. I’m not suggesting criticism of James R. King in any way, so please don’t take these comments as such. I personally do my best to avoid reading anything I suspect is counter-information unless it relates specifically to Pearl Harbor and U.S. entry into World War II. (I do my best to read everything related to the “Pearl Harbor.” I than make my own analysis and come to my own conclusions.)
The May 1953 issue of Naval Institute Proceedings published an article on this incident by RADM Edwin T. Layton. There is reference to Layton’s article in Captain Wilfred “W.J.” Holmes’ book, DOUBLE-EDGED SECRETS: U.S. NAVAL INTELLIGENCE OPERATIONS IN THE PACIFIC DURING WORLD WAR II. Captain Holmes’ book was published by the Naval Institute Press in 1979. (Used copies can be purchased from ABE.com.) I consider DOUBLE-EDGED SECRETS the single most interesting book I’ve read in the past 38 plus years.
As you ComInt professionals know, “Jasper” Holmes was assigned to STATION HYPO in 1941. He spent the war with HYPO, JICPOA and FRUPAC. Captain Holmes’ account of Operation K is on pp. 59-62 of his book. I suspect you professionals could get far more out of DOUBLE-EDGED SECRETS than I can, as Holmes has a way of sanitizing what was known from the breaking of Japanese naval codes during the Pacific War. Here’s one example (see p. 60) that is related to Operation K: “I believe Rochefort had more information than he gave me, for on the afternoon of 3 March 1942 he warned CinCPac and Admiral Bloch (Com14) that something was about to happen….”
In 2005, the Naval Institute Press published a book titled THE SECOND ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR: OPERATION K AND OTHER JAPANESE ATTENMPTS TO BOMB AMERICA IN WORLD WAR ii. While I have this book in my personal collection, I’ve not yet read it. Operation K is, of course, of great interest to me. Due to my own shortcomings, my focus of the last 38-years has been almost entirely on events leading up to 7 December 1941 and also on the 39-volume PEARL HARBOR ATTACK HEARINGS and as many books and articles written on Pearl Harbor in the aftermath of this great historical event.
As I’ll be away from home for the better part of two weeks starting 8 March, I’ll keep this email short. Suffice it to say, I believe a considerable number of books on Pearl Harbor were poorly researched. I believe some of the books and a number of articles published on this topic are counter-information. I further suspect that some writers were and are totally ignorant of the American Armed Forces and also of the value of communications intelligence.
In closing I wish to repeat what I’ve written before: You folks in communications intelligence and electronic warfare have my greatest respect, appreciation and admiration. Your community provides this nation’s decision makers with intelligence that is used in the manner of which our strategic decision makers believe it can best be employed.
Thank all of you professionals for all of your dedicated hard work!
Andy McKane, 1425 (Hawaiian time), Monday, 7 March 2022, PO Box 166, Maunaloa, Hawaii 96770
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