A long-debated World War II incident off the North Carolina coast is set to receive new recognition on March 12, when historians plan to dedicate a historical marker in Kure Beach commemorating what some believe was a German attack on the U.S. mainland.
Organizers say eyewitness accounts indicate a German U-boat surfaced offshore on the night of July 24–25, 1943, and fired three shells toward the Ethyl-Dow Chemical Plant, which extracted bromine from seawater for use in aviation fuel additives. The shells reportedly missed the plant and landed in or beyond the Cape Fear River, causing no damage or casualties.
The marker, placed near the former plant site, cites a report from local residents John and Lorena Gregory, who said they saw a submarine surface and fire deck-gun rounds toward the facility.
“Both witness and circumstantial evidence showed that the U-boat surfaced off of Kure Beach and fired three shells at the plant,” according to the World War II Wilmington Home Front Heritage Coalition, which noted that, if it occurred, it would be the only German attack on the U.S. mainland during WWII.
Historians note that while German U-boats operated extensively off the U.S. East Coast during the war—sinking dozens of Allied ships in 1942—the alleged Kure Beach shelling has never been conclusively verified in wartime records, according to Smithsonian magazine. Some researchers say German submarine logs do not mention such an attack, leaving the episode disputed among scholars.
Military historian and retired U.S. Naval Reserve Capt. Wilbur Jones told The Charlotte Observer that he’s “always had fascination over the U-boat attack. I’m confident it happened.”
Jones, 91, who serves as the coalition’s chairman, said preserving local wartime history has become a personal mission after decades of research.
“It’s an uphill battle, but if I didn’t do it, no one else would,” he said.
The marker dedication is part of the America 250 World War II Wilmington initiative led by the coalition in partnership with the Town of Kure Beach.
