theBlackman on 5/10/2008 at 02:33
Most people don't know that the Japanese, in the latter stages of WWII, attacked the USA with balloons that dropped incendiary devices from the Pacific coast to as far as the eastern edge of the mid-west.
I am watching a documentary about this on my favorite local Japanese TV channel. Unfortunately the program is in Japanese without sub-titles. I can follow the "story" because I happen to have a booklet from the Smithsonian that has maps, construction details, and other information about this incident.
Some 9000 plus of these devices were launched with the hope that wildfires would impact the US and take some of the pressure off the Japanese army et al.
These balloons were made of paper, with timing devices to drop the balancing sandbags when the balloons dropped too low. The Pacific jet streams carried the balloons over 2000 miles and some were effective enough to cause minor problems in the US.
In Washington state, a family on an outing was killed when the children found one of these on the ground. While the family was checking it out, it detonated one of the devices and killed all of them.
Just thought I'd throw a little history at you.
(
http://www.japan-101.com/history/fire_balloons_or_balloon_bombs.htm)
(
http://www.faqs.org/docs/air/avfusen.html)
(
http://www.lib.msu.edu/unsworth/genhist/ww2/ww2st/fugo1.htm)
jtr7 on 5/10/2008 at 03:05
Sadly, the first time I'd heard about those was in one of those UFO-debunking articles. It was a sidebar in a science magazine that connected those Japanese aerial warfare balloons with UFO sightings. It neglected to mention that there actually were casualties. I remember it saying simply that it was a failed attempt. The article focused too much on the UFO element when it could've at least touched on the historical and real points of interest.
Thanks for the links.
BEAR on 5/10/2008 at 06:23
Sir, surely you are not implying that I haven't watched every WWII documentary that the history channel has to offer? I am offended :mad:
This whole issue was related to their knowledge of the gulf stream. They were way ahead of us in their knowledge of it (we didn't know anything about it until we were planning invasions in the south pacific).
Don't even get me started on their death ray.
theBlackman on 5/10/2008 at 06:52
Quote Posted by BEAR
Sir, surely you are not implying that I haven't watched every WWII documentary that the history channel has to offer? I am offended :mad:
This whole issue was related to their knowledge of the gulf stream. They were way ahead of us in their knowledge of it (we didn't know anything about it until we were planning invasions in the south pacific).
Don't even get me started on their death ray.
I imply nothing. I merely commented on the fact that the documentary was interesting, but sadly not sub-titled, and that few (that is some but not many), knew enough of our history to be aware of that fact, nor now that it (the subject of historical ignorance), has come up, that the Oregon coast was shelled by Japanese submarines a few miles from where I was living at the time.
If the shoe fits, wear it. Otherwise, any implication appearing to attach to any individual is the result of that individuals insecurities or paranoia. :)
BEAR on 5/10/2008 at 06:55
I was actually just joking, I'm quite aware you have no way of knowing whether or not I watch the shit out of some history channel.
theBlackman on 5/10/2008 at 07:55
Quote Posted by BEAR
I was actually just joking, I'm quite aware you have no way of knowing whether or not I watch the shit out of some history channel.
I knew that, as you knew that I was joking. I do know what you had for lunch though. :joke:
Trance on 5/10/2008 at 16:14
An episode from the British panel show QI brought this up as a topic of discussion. That's where I first heard about it.
The US attempted something similar when we tried to turn bats into self-guided napalm bombs to set Japanese cities on fire. It didn't go so well.
Muzman on 5/10/2008 at 16:55
My favourite one of those stories was, I think, the Russian exploding dog technique.
Poetically, when first tested it hadn't been trained to recognise enemy vehicles and ran back to friendly trucks instead. That or it was a dog with a great sense of humour. (or am I mixing it up with the bats coming home to roost?)
Trance on 5/10/2008 at 17:06
You're correct, the dogs were starved and trained to look for food under tanks and other armored vehicles, where a lever atop their back would trip the bomb. Trouble was, they were trained with Soviet tanks, so when they were set loose in combat they went straight for the familiar Soviet designs.
heretic on 5/10/2008 at 17:10
The city of Brookings, Oregon was given a 400 year old sword by one of the Japanese pilots (Nobuo Fugita) who are known to have dropped such ordinance (one of the very incendiary devices mentioned by the OP) from a plane onto the continental US.
The pilot continued visits to Brookings Oregon until his death. He eventually ended up building a library and becoming an honorary citizen and his family sword is still put on display every year for the Azalea festival.
