LONG BEFORE CHINESE SPY BALLOONS, JAPAN SENT THE FU-GO BALLOON BOMB


By bblouin
A Japanese Fu-Go balloon with its payload of charges suspended below.

In an age in which missiles, planes, firearms, artillery, and any other number of typical weapons have dominated, there has also been a surprising amount of balloon usage. Not all are the same, and we’ve come a long way from the ideas that laid the foundation through hot air balloon reconnaissance, but they’ve still been used and continue to be used by various nations today. China sent a spy balloon (or a weather instrument, as they claim), making for an odd, yet not unprecedented sight that had the entire nation talking. But before Chinese spy balloons, America was under attack from the Fu-Go balloon bomb courtesy of a foe turned friend, Japan. Related: How the B-25 Used Broomsticks To Bomb Tokyo

The Fu-Go Balloon Bomb Was One of the Few Attacks on U.S. Soil During WWII

For the most part, the United States of America from a geographical standpoint was blessed during World War II in being spared from the destruction of the harshest war ever known to man. But one of the attacks that did land involved the Fu-Go balloon bomb incident. The idea was simple. Imperial Japan wanted to send balloons with incendiary bombs over to America to start massive wildfires and kill mass amounts of people in the Pacific Northwest. It was a gory plan, but that was the general, terrible theme of World War II. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0m9EqDlBBeg These hydrogen balloons were equipped with two incendiary bombs weighing 11 pounds each with an additional incendiary bomb weighing 26 pounds. Using the jet stream, the Fu-Go balloon bomb was set off to venture to the American Pacific Northwest. Technically, this was a success for Japan because they did indeed manage to hit us. Thankfully, the damage was minimal but sadly devastating to a small number of citizens. Overall, things could have been a lot worse.

A Massive Failure With One Unfortunate Incident

The Japanese bombing had one successful strike. There were six victims of a strike near Bly, Oregon, who would die after finding one of the Fu-Go Japanese balloon bombs in Fremont National Forest. This moment would birth two unfortunate moments for the United States:

  • The fatalities suffered were the only such to occur throughout WWII in the continental United States.
  • This was also the first example of a nation launching a bomb and successfully landing an attack on an intercontinental level.

Suggested Read: A Complete Guide to the Destructive Power of the M.O.A.B. (Mother of All Bombs) Making matters worse was the fact that the victims that would happen upon the Japanese bomb were mainly Sunday school children. The group also included Reverand Archie Mitchell and his pregnant wife Elsie. Today, you can visit the Mitchell Monument which is in the Mitchell Recreation Area at the location where this fateful event took place. Since it opened, many Japanese civilians have visited the monument to apologize. These fatalities, while a tragedy, were far less than Imperial Japan has planned, however, and this wasn’t simply a sentiment. The proof of their hopeful destruction is found in their actions. Around 9,300 Fu-Go balloon bombs were launched from Honshu, Japan in total. Taking away the fact that such a feat would always be difficult, most of the balloons never even made it to their target. The ones that did were largely ineffective thanks to technological malfunctions, and the fact that 1945 was a wetter year than usual.

From Balloons to Nuclear Weapons, Everything Has Changed (And Remained the Same)

Despite events such as the WWII Fu-Go balloon bomb in Timnath, CO, that went off, not much damage was done. The deadly balloon bombs of Imperial Japan would be lost to bigger headlines due to media blackouts, ineffectiveness, and the U.S. dropping nuclear weapons. But they set in motion a new idea. Striking enemies regardless of whether or not there were oceans between them. Technology was advancing in both the ability to launch such attacks as well as the size of payloads that bombs could deliver. Not the best combination if you’re looking for world peace, and these advancements are exactly what set off the Cold War’s main events following WWII. Of course, to this day, these ideas persist but hopefully remain dormant as nuclear deterrence prevails.

The Fu-Go Balloon Bomb Affected More Than the U.S.

Although the United States was the primary target of Japan, their bombs went far and wide. Using the jet stream to loft thousands upon thousands of balloon weapons is a hopeful tactic at best, so it’s no wonder that many went off course. Even today, some countries have trouble controlling their weather balloons. Launching a bomb in WWII with little to no guidance systems beyond wind speaks to the hindrance of such technology at the time. The tactic was always going to be a challenge to pull off. Hawaii, Wyoming, Alaska, various parts of Canada, and even Mexico would end up on the Fu-Go balloon bomb map over the next several years. When it was all said and done, the attack was largely a failure no matter which country you look at. Yet, it remains a unique event in that it was one of the few successful attacks on U.S. soil during WWII. The Fu-Go balloon bomb campaign was largely a misfire. A series of mistakes that we are all thankful to have occurred. Read Next: How Many Nukes Does China Have and How Did We Get Here?


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