During World War II, the Japanese used the jet stream, or some other major wind current, and sent bombs on balloons across to America. Some of these didn’t explode on contact with the earth and have remained untouched for many years.
What I want to know is, where did most of the bombs land in America?
Thanks
Farmers fields mostly.
As I recall, the balloon bombs that made it mostly ended up in British Columbia and Washington State. There was some picnicing family in Washington that was unlucky enough to get blown up by one.
From Isaac Asimov’s Book of Facts
We had a clever plan for bombing Japan, too. Based on a suggestion by Eleanor Roosevelt, we were going strap bombs on bats and release them over Japanese cities. They would then go to roost in the buildings, which would be destroyed when the explosives went off. I don’t remember exactly why the plan wasn’t put into practice. It had nothing to do with a relcutance to use bats so cruelly, I am sure.
There is one of these Japanese incendary balloon bombs on display in the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, Ontario.
Hm. I remember reading the story slightly differently: that FDR had a meeting with OSS Chief Bill Donovan where the Prez spoke of a “well known fact” that Japanese were terrified by bats. Donovan was asked to coordinate the use of bats as terror weapons.
I have heard two conflicting endings to the story. One is that Donovan ignored the idea, the other is that some tests were carried out but were unsuccessful in finding a way to “deploy” the bats.
I vaguely remember reading that the bats froze to death at high altitude and didn’t fly into houses with their incinderaries but just smacked into the ground.
According to Games Magazine, which recently had an article mentioning the bat bombs, the primary problem was that the bombs were too heavy for the bats to carry. It sounds reasonable; how much does a bat weigh, and how much would a bomb have to weigh to be effective? Most flying creatures can’t carry much more than their own weight, if that.
Cowboy’s link was this. A lot of fascinating information there, including this map that has data about where some of the balloons landed. This table lists 20 balloons down but not recovered. Most of these 20 seem to have gone into the water. The Japanese launched 9300 balloons, but only 290 are known to have touched down in North America.
Re: Bats
The bat program was called “Project X-Ray”.
Elenor did not suggest it; the bats did not freeze; and the bombs were not too heavy.
The program was proposed in late 1941,just days after Pearl Harbor. Mrs. Roosevelt was not involved.
Bats go into hibernation very quickly–come out of it just as fast. So they were to be loaded into bomb-like traveling cannisters straight from their refridgerated storage buildings. Each cannister held up to 7000 bats. When the unpressurized bomber reached a high altitude, the low air temperature from outside kept the bats cold.
The payload was several ounces of Thermite per bat ; this substance can melt through steel. Chemical timers/fuses were used–when they warmed up enough, they ignited the thermite.
Bats were chosen because they nest inside places like steeples, attics , airvents & simliar locals. These areas are hard to access for firefighters. The insides of a building have cloth, paper, chemicals & etc. stored inside ; & will catch fire easily & burn quickly.
During a field test, an accidential release of bats with live ordinance destroyed most of an Army Air Corps base in Colorado.
resistance on the part of some tradition-minded officiers delayed the project until 1945. They were operational & ready to be deployed to attack Japan, when a 2 week delay was ordered.
A different project was given first priority. The Manhatten Project.
Project X-Ray was abandoned.
As the recent fires in Los Alamos show us, the days of incendary weapons being able to destroy cities may not be past.
Will return soon with book title on the subject.
Book on the subject from one of the members of the Project X-Ray research team:
** Bat bomb : World War II’s other secret weapon / Jack Couffer
Imprint
Austin : University of Texas Press, c1992
Edition
1st ed**
I knew Eleanor Roosevelt was involved somehow. According to this site it was she who insisted an end be put to the project, out of concern for the bats. I should have known. The old bat felt protective toward her own kind.
THe picnicing family was in oregon. I’ve seen lots of articles, and heard alot I can’t remember 
Six people on a picnic (a woman and five children) were killed near Bly, Oregon. They were the only deaths attributed to the balloon bombs. Another bomb disrupted the power supply of the Hanford Engineering Works, part of the Manhattan Project. See these sites:
http://www.discoveromaha.com/community/hst-bomb.html
http://amaterasu.math.orst.edu:8080/~sharpej/bly.txt
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Thanks for correcting my mistake, Thought and bibliophage–I plead no contest to charges of being sloppy. I must admit that I hadn’t heard of the Hanford power supply getting hit.
For that matter, I’d never heard of the bat bombs, either. You have all lessened my ignorance today–this place works, by jove!
Batbombs? Holy flying mammels, Batman!
Batbombs? Holy flying mammels, Batman!