[Frumious Bandersnatch]

I decided to post this after hearing a talking head on one of the cable channels describe the terror attack of 9/11 as "the first attack on the mainland by a foreign power since the War of 1812." Having lived in New Mexico for several years - and being a stickler for historical detail - I was aware of Villa's attack on Columbus, NM. I starting digging around the web for a good account, and came across this article.

True, but you don't have to go that far back to find attacks on American Soil by foreign powers.  Think of Japan and the Aleutians during big 2.

[buaya]

Yes, the Aleutian campaign of WWII is another, almost forgotten part of our military history.

Right or wrong, many consider the "mainland" to be the contiguous 48 states (my apologies to freepers in Alaska and Hawaii!)

[buaya]

Also, during WWII, the Japanese launched high-altitude balloons with explosive payloads. The prevailing winds carried these balloons to the Pacific Northwest where they sparked some forest fires; I don't believe there were any casualties.

Also, I vaguely remember hearing or reading about a German U-boat firing on an oil refinery (or fuel depot) somewhere on the East Coast.