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JAPANESE FUGO BOMBS

Japanese Fugo bombs were large, unmanned, balloon bombs sent by Japan across the Pacific Ocean during World War II in an effort to bombard the western coast of the United States. Nearly 15,000 in total were made by the hands of military labor units as well as Japanese citizens, and sometimes even schoolchildren. This new type of bomb was engineered to land along the west coast of North America, preferably within the United States, and to light a series of forest fires along the coastline as well as create mass panic and confusion among the American public. The operation began in November of 1944 - classified as top secret. Of the 9,300 balloons ever launched, only 300 were ever recorded to have reached land, ranging from as far south as Mexico to as far north as Alaska and as far east as Michigan. Because of the ineffectiveness of the program in relation to its cost of maintenance (in total about $2 million dollars), the Japanese government discontinued the program in April of 1945, after only 6 months.

HISTORY

On November 3 of 1944, the Japanese military launched the first of 9,300 unmanned balloon bombs, named Fugos, against the United States. World War II was nearly over, but the Japanese continued anyway with the operation—one which had been planned before the war even began. They started buying daily weather maps from the United States Weather Bureau in 1940 in order to chart wind patterns and accurately direct these Fugos. After spending a costly $2 million to maintain the program for six months and with only limited success, the Japanese ultimately shut down the program.

U.S. RESPONSE

When sightings of these bombs were first reported in the United States, the military was unsure of what to do. As more balloons landed each week, many became uneasy and confused about the origin and purpose of these strange structures. After enough information was compiled, an official report, known as the BD -1 manual, was created regarding the nature and purpose of these mysterious balloons. The military had no clue as to where the balloons originated either. But after scientific studies with the USGS (United States Geographical Survey), studying samples of sand from the ballast of these balloons, it was determined the general origin was northern Japan, near Tokyo. The actual launch sites were Ichinomiya, Chiba Prefecture, Otsu, Ibarak Prefecture, and Nakoso, Fukushima Prefecture. The military surmised about possible purposes too, and included a list in the BD – 1 manual.

The List Contained Within the BD-1 manual:

1. Bacteriological and/or chemical warfare

2. Incendiary/AP bombs

3. Unknown experimentation

4. Psychological efforts to inspire terror

5. Transportation of agents

6. Anti-aircraft devices

EARLY TESTING

The Japanese military first acted upon the idea for a balloon bombing system when the Imperial Navy built 34 test balloons. Commonly referred to as 'Type B', these balloons held neither armament nor weapons of any kind and were merely for testing purposes only. They carried radios for telemetry uses, and the furthest radio contact made with a balloon was 1600 miles. After the navy perfected the model, the Imperial Army took over the program and started arming the balloons with incendiary and AP (anti-personnel) bombs. These balloons were supposed to follow the eastern jet stream at speeds of roughly 80-200 mph, releasing their payload once they had reached a certain distance. This improved type of balloon is commonly referred to as 'Type A'.

BASIC COMPOSITION

TYPE A -made of mulberry paper -100 ft. diameter -Volume of 19,000 cubic feet -Lifting capacity: -at sea level: 800 lbs -at 32,000 ft.: 400lbs

-Armament: 5 5/12 kg theremite incendiary bombs and 1 15kg High Explosive Anti-Personnel bomb

TYPE B -made from rubber coated silk -Carried radios on board -Only 34 ever launched -For testing purposes

HOW IT ALL WORKS

The balloons also each carried 36 sand bags as ballast. Whenever the balloon dropped to a certain height, the onboard altimeter would cause plugs to blow, releasing ballast. The armament was then used as ballast after all the sand bags had been dropped. After dropping the armament, a picric acid block aboard blew up, destroying the gondola, and a fuse connected to the balloon itself was lit, destroying it too.

CONLUSION

For all the hard work and effort that went into this project, the results were unsatisfying to the Japanese. Only 9,300 of 15,000 balloons had been launched, and most of them had landed in the sea. Of only 300 or so that ever reached land, the destinations ranged from Alaska, to British Columbia, to Mexico, to Texas and even Michigan. The structural design of these balloon bombs was inadequate for them to fulfill their purpose. Even so, of those which landed, most had somehow lost all their ballast, and little damage was ever recorded to have come from a balloon.

On only two occasions did a balloon ever succeed in fulfilling its purpose: in Bly, Oregon, a preacher's wife and five children were blown up when they tried to move a balloon they found with an unexploded bomb still attached; one balloon landed in power lines near Cold Creek, Washington, near a nuclear reactor, causing the first SCRAM ever. Officially, no other damage or forest fires were caused from these balloons.

When rumors of UFO's and strange balloons began in low circulation among the American public after the first sightings, the United States Government strongly urged news corporations to refrain from reporting on any balloon sightings in order to prevent any news reaching Japan of the little success they had had. This and cover-ups by the Japanese government immediately proceeding the war cause for a large part of the enigma and mystery that surrounds this strange occurrence known as the Fugo bombardment.