Shotdown fire balloon reinflated by Americans in California

The term "fire balloon" can mean a small unmanned hot air balloon for festivities; this is also called a sky lantern. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (588x1224, 222 KB) Image: http://web. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (588x1224, 222 KB) Image: http://web. ... Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... Shortcut: WP:NPOVD Articles that have been linked to this page are the subject of an NPOV dispute (NPOV stands for Neutral Point Of View; see below). ... Hot air balloon in flight The hot air balloon is the oldest successful human-carrying flight technology, dating back to its invention by the Montgolfier brothers in Annonay, France in 1783. ... Sky lanterns (天燈) are traditionally lanterns made of oiled rice paper with a bamboo frame that contain a small candle or fuel cell, which is a waxy combustible material. ...

Fire balloons or balloon bombs (Japanese 風船爆弾 fūsen bakudan, lit. "balloon bomb") were hydrogen balloons with a load varying from a 12 kg (26 lb) incendiary to one 15 kg (33 lb) antipersonnel bomb and four 5 kg (11 lb) incendiaries attached. They were launched by Japan during World War II, designed to wreak havoc on Canadian and American cities, forests, and farmlands. General Name, Symbol, Number hydrogen, H, 1 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 1, 1, s Appearance colorless Atomic mass 1. ... Balloons, like greeting cards or flowers, are given for special occasions. ... The Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) bomb produced in the United States. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Look up city, City in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article is about a community of trees. ... Modern arable agriculture typically uses large fields like this one in Dorset, England. ...

Japanese bomb-carrying balloons were 10 metres (33 ft) in diameter and when fully inflated, held about 540 cubic metres (19,000 ft³) of hydrogen. Launch sites were located on the east coast of the main Japanese island of Honshū. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Similar, but cruder, balloons were also used by the British to attack Germany between 1942 and 1944. Operation Outward was the name given to the British Second World War programme to attack Germany by means of free-flying balloons. ...

Overview

When General Jimmy Doolittle led his B-25 bombers in a sneak raid over Japan in the spring of 1942, he set into motion a chain of events that would result in one of the more bizarre stories of World War II: the Japanese attempt to attack the continental United States by bomb-carrying balloons, floating across the entire Pacific Ocean. General James Harold Jimmy Doolittle, Sc. ... Lt. ... Combatants  United States  Japan Commanders James H. Doolittle Hideki Tojo Strength 16 B-25 Mitchells Unknown number of troops and homeland defense Casualties 3 dead, 8 POWs (4 died in captivity); 5 interned in USSR all 16 B-25s About 50 dead, 400 injured Lt. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The continental United States is a term referring to the United States situated on the North American continent. ... The Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) bomb produced in the United States. ...

From the late fall of 1944 through the early spring of 1945, the Japanese launched over 9,000 of these fire balloons, of which 300 were found or observed in the US. Some guesswork gives the total number that made the trip at about 1,000. Despite the high hopes of their designers, the balloons were relatively ineffective as weapons, causing only half a dozen deaths and a small amount of damage, and they survive in memory mostly as an ingenious and malevolent curiosity.

Japan released the first of these bomb-bearing balloons on November 3, 1944. They were found in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Michigan and Iowa, as well as Mexico and Canada. The last one was launched in April 1945. The last known discovery of a functional fire balloon in North America was in 1955 - its payload still lethal after 10 years of corrosion. There was a non-lethal balloon bomb discovered in Alaska in 1992. is the 307th day of the year (308th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Official language(s) English[1] Spoken language(s) English 85. ... For the capital city of the United States, see Washington, D.C.. For other uses, see Washington (disambiguation). ... Official language(s) (none)[1] Capital Salem Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 9th  - Total 98,466 sq mi (255,026 km²)  - Width 260 miles (420 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 2. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Largest metro area Greater Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... Official language(s) English Spoken language(s) English 74. ... Official language(s) English [1] Capital Boise Largest city Boise Largest metro area Boise metropolitan area Area  Ranked 14th  - Total 83,642 sq mi (216,632 km²)  - Width 305 miles (491 km)  - Length 479 miles (771 km)  - % water 0. ... Official language(s) English Capital Helena Largest city Billings Area  Ranked 4th  - Total 147,165 sq mi (381,156 km²)  - Width 255 miles (410 km)  - Length 630 miles (1,015 km)  - % water 1  - Latitude 44°26N to 49°N  - Longitude 104°2W to 116°2W Population  Ranked... This article is about the U.S. state. ... Official language(s) English Capital Cheyenne Largest city Cheyenne Area  Ranked 10th  - Total 97,818 sq mi (253,348 km²)  - Width 280 miles (450 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 0. ... Official language(s) English Capital Denver Largest city Denver Largest metro area Denver-Aurora Metro Area Area  Ranked 8th  - Total 104,185 sq mi (269,837 km²)  - Width 280 miles (451 km)  - Length 380 miles (612 km)  - % water 0. ... Official language(s) No official language See languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Largest metro area Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex Area  Ranked 2nd  - Total 261,797 sq mi (678,051 km²)  - Width 773 miles (1,244 km)  - Length 790 miles (1,270 km)  - % water 2. ... Official language(s) English[2] Capital Topeka Largest city Wichita Area  Ranked 15th  - Total 82,277 sq mi (213,096 km²)  - Width 211 miles (340 km)  - Length 417 miles (645 km)  - % water 0. ... Official language(s) English Capital Lincoln Largest city Omaha Largest metro area Omaha Area  Ranked 16th  - Total 77,421 sq mi (200,520 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 430 miles (690 km)  - % water 0. ... Official language(s) English Capital Pierre Largest city Sioux Falls Area  Ranked 17th  - Total 77,163 sq mi (199,905 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 380 miles (610 km)  - % water 1. ... Official language(s) English Capital Bismarck Largest city Fargo Area  Ranked 19th  - Total 70,762 sq mi (183,272 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 340 miles (545 km)  - % water 2. ... Official language(s) None (English, de-facto) Capital Lansing Largest city Detroit Largest metro area Metro Detroit Area  Ranked 11th  - Total 97,990 sq mi (253,793 km²)  - Width 239 miles (385 km)  - Length 491 miles (790 km)  - % water 41. ... Official language(s) English Capital Des Moines Largest city Des Moines Area  Ranked 26th  - Total 56,272 sq mi (145,743 km²)  - Width 310 miles (500 km)  - Length 199 miles (320 km)  - % water 0. ... North America North America is a continent[1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ...

The bombs actually caused little damage, but their potential for destruction and fires was large. The bombs also had a potential psychological effect on the American people. The U.S. strategy was to not let Japan know of the balloon bombs' effectiveness. Cooperating with the desires of the government, the press did not publish any balloon bomb incidents. As a result, the Japanese only learned of one bomb reaching Wyoming, landing and failing to explode, so they stopped the launches after less than six months.

Origins

The balloon campaign was not the first time the Japanese had attacked the American mainland. It was, in fact, the fourth attack. The fūsen bakudan campaign was, however, the most earnest of the attacks. The concept was the brainchild of the Japanese Ninth Army Technical Research Laboratory, under Major General Sueyoshi Kusaba, with work performed by Technical Major Teiji Takada and his colleagues. The balloons were intended to make use of a great strong current of winter air that the Japanese had discovered flowing at high altitude and speed over their country, which would later become known as the jet stream. Attacks on United States territory in North America during World War II by the Axis Powers were rare, mainly due to North Americas geographical separation from the central theaters of conflict in Europe and Asia. ... Jet streams are fast flowing, relatively narrow air currents found in the atmosphere at around 12 km above the surface of the Earth, just under the tropopause. ...

The jet stream blew at altitudes above 9.15 kilometers (30,000 ft) and could carry a large balloon across the Pacific in three days, over a distance of more than 8,000 km (5,000 mi). Such balloons could carry incendiary and high-explosive bombs to the United States and drop them there to kill people, destroy buildings, and start forest fires. Fire in San Bernardino, California Mountains (image taken from the International Space Station) A wildfire, also known as a forest fire, vegetation fire, grass fire, or bushfire (in Australasia), is an uncontrolled fire in wildland often caused by lightning; other common causes are human carelessness and arson. ...

The preparations had consumed much time because the technological problems were acute. A hydrogen balloon expands when warmed by the sunlight, and rises; then it contracts when cooled at night, and falls. The engineers devised a control system driven by an altimeter to discard ballast. When the balloon descended below 9 km (29,500 ft), it electrically fired a charge to cut loose sandbags. The sandbags were carried on a cast-aluminum four-spoked wheel and discarded two at a time to keep the wheel balanced. Diagram showing the face of a three-pointer sensitive aircraft altimeter displaying altitude in feet. ...

Similarly, when the balloon rose above about 11.6 km (38,000 ft), the altimeter activated a valve to vent hydrogen. The hydrogen was also vented if the balloon's pressure reached a critical level.

The control system ran the balloon through three days of flight. At that time, it was likely over the United States, and its ballast was expended. The final flash of gunpowder released the bombs, also carried on the wheel, and lit a 19.5 meter (64 ft) long fuse that hung from the balloon's equator. After 84 minutes, the fuse fired a flash bomb that destroyed the balloon.

The balloon had to carry about 900 kg (1,900 lb) of gear. At first, the balloons were made of conventional rubberized silk, but there was a better way to make an envelope that leaked even less. An order went out for ten thousand balloons made of "washi", a paper derived from mulberry bushes that was impermeable and very tough. It was only available in squares about the size of a road map, so it was glued together in three or four laminations using edible konnyaku (devil's tongue) paste. Hungry workers stole the paste and ate it. Many workers were teen-aged girls, whose fingers were nimbler than any other class of people. They were told to wear gloves, to keep their fingernails short, and not to use hairpins. They assembled the paper in many parts of Japan. They had no idea of the purpose of their work. Large indoor spaces, such as sumo halls, soundstages, and theatres, were required for the envelope assembly. For other uses of this word, see Silk (disambiguation). ... The Sugiharagami (杉原紙), a kind of Washi Washi (和紙) or Wagami is a type of paper made in Japan. ... Species See text. ... Binomial name Amorphophallus konjac K. Koch, 1858 Konnyaku Konnyaku (蒟蒻), also known as Konjak, Devils tongue, Voodoo lily or Snake palm, is a tubiferous plant grown in Japan used to create a flour of the same name. ...

Offensive

Gun cameras show balloons being shot down near the Aleutians

Initial tests took place in September 1944 and proved satisfactory. However, before preparations were complete, B-29s began their raids on the Japanese home islands. The attacks were somewhat ineffectual at first but still fueled the desire for revenge sparked by the Doolittle raid. Image File history File links Japanese_fire_balloon_shotdown_gun. ... Image File history File links Japanese_fire_balloon_shotdown_gun. ... The Boeing B-29 Superfortress (Boeing Model 341/345) was a four-engine heavy bomber flown by the United States Army Air Force. ... Combatants  United States  Japan Commanders James H. Doolittle Hideki Tojo Strength 16 B-25 Mitchells Unknown number of troops and homeland defense Casualties 3 dead, 8 POWs (4 died in captivity); 5 interned in USSR all 16 B-25s About 50 dead, 400 injured Lt. ...

The first balloon was released in early November 1944. Major Takada watched as the balloon flew upward and over the sea: "The figure of the balloon was visible only for several minutes following its release until it faded away as a spot in the blue sky like a daytime star."

By early 1945, Americans were becoming aware that something strange was going on. Balloons had been sighted and explosions heard, from California to Alaska. Something that appeared to witnesses to be like a parachute descended over Thermopolis, Wyoming. A fragmentation bomb exploded, and shrapnel was found around the crater. A P-38 Lightning shot a balloon down near Santa Rosa, California; another was seen over Santa Monica; and bits of washi paper were found in the streets of Los Angeles. This article is about the device. ... Thermopolis is a town located in Hot Springs County, Wyoming. ... The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft. ... Location in Sonoma County and the state of California Country State County Sonoma Area  - City 40. ... For other uses, see Santa Monica (disambiguation). ... Los Angeles and L.A. redirect here. ...

Two paper balloons were recovered in a single day in Modoc National Forest, east of Mount Shasta. Near Medford, Oregon, a balloon bomb exploded in towering flames. The Navy found balloons in the ocean. Balloon envelopes and apparatus were found in Montana, Arizona, Saskatchewan, in the Northwest Territories, and in the Yukon. Eventually, an Army fighter managed to somehow push one of the balloons around in the air and force it to ground intact, where it was examined and filmed. Modoc National Forest is a national forest located in northern California, USA. External links Modoc National Forest official website Don Bains VirtualGuidebooks to Mount Lassen and the Modoc Plateau Category: California geography stubs ... Mount Shasta, a 14,179-foot (4,322 m)[1] stratovolcano, is the second-highest peak in the Cascade Range and the fifth highest peak in California. ... Motto: The Center of the Rogue Valley Location in Oregon Coordinates: , Country State County Jackson County Incorporated February 24, 1885 Government  - Mayor Gary Wheeler Area  - City  21. ... Motto: Multis E Gentibus Vires (Latin: The Strength of Many Peoples) Capital Regina Largest city Saskatoon Official languages English Government - Lieutenant-Governor Gordon Barnhart - Premier Lorne Calvert (NDP) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 14 - Senate seats 6 Confederation September 1, 1905 (Split from NWT) (9th (province)) Area  Ranked... For other geographical names that include Northwest, see Northwest. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

American reaction

Newsweek ran an article titled "Balloon Mystery" in their January 1, 1945, issue, and a similar story appeared in a newspaper the next day. The Office of Censorship then sent a message to newspapers and radio stations to ask them to make no mention of balloons and balloon-bomb incidents, lest the enemy get the idea that the balloons might be effective weapons. The Newsweek logo Newsweek is a weekly news magazine published in New York City and distributed throughout the United States and internationally. ... is the 1st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... The Office of Censorship was an emergency wartime agency set up on December 19, 1941 to aid in the censorship of all communications coming into and going out of the United States. ... A radio station is an audio (sound) broadcasting service, traditionally broadcast through the air as radio waves (a form of electromagnetic radiation) from a transmitter to an antenna and a thus to a receiving device. ...

The fact that the balloons had been launched beginning in the fall made them little menace. The incendiary bombs could have caused forest fires, but by that time of year, the forests were generally too damp to catch fire easily.

However, the authorities were worried about the balloons anyway. There was the chance that they might get lucky. Much worse, the Americans had some knowledge that the Japanese had been working on biological weapons, most specifically at the infamous Unit 731 site at Pingfan in Manchuria, and a balloon carrying biowarfare agents could be a real threat. Biological warfare, also known as germ warfare, is the use of any organism (bacteria, virus or other disease_causing organism) or toxin found in nature, as a weapon of war. ... Body disposal at Unit 731 Unit 731 was a covert biological warfare research and development unit of the Imperial Japanese Army that undertook lethal human experimentation during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) and World War II. It was responsible for some of the most notorious war crimes carried... Pingfan was the headquarters of the Japanese Biological Warfare Unit 731 during World War II. Situated on the outskirts of Harbin, China, it had an airport, railway and dungeons. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Nobody believed the balloons could have come directly from Japan. It was thought that the balloons must be coming from North American beaches, launched by landing parties from submarines. Wilder theories speculated that they could have been launched from German prisoner of war camps in the U.S., or even from Japanese-American internment centers. USS Virginia, a Virginia-class nuclear attack (SSN) submarine Alvin in 1978, a year after first exploring hydrothermal vents. ... Geneva Convention definition A prisoner of war (POW) is a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. ... Japanese internment is a term generally used to refer to one or both of the following events: Japanese American internment – the internment of Japanese Americans in the United States during World War II. Japanese Canadian internment – the internment of Japanese Canadians in Canada during World War II. Categories: | ...

Some of the sandbags dropped by the fusen bakudan were taken to the Military Geology Unit of the US Geological Survey for investigation. Working with Colonel Sidman Poole of U.S. Army Intelligence, the researchers of the Military Geological Unit began microscopic and chemical examination of the sand from the sandbags to determine types and distribution of diatoms and other microscopic sea creatures, and its mineral composition. The sand could not be coming from American beaches, nor from the mid-Pacific. It had to be coming from Japan. The Military Geology Unit was a unit in the United States military during World War II. It was established in June 1942, six months after Pearl Harbor. ... The United States Geological Survey (USGS) is a scientific agency of the United States government. ... Robert Hookes microscope (1665) - an engineered device used to study living systems. ... Orders Centrales Pennales Diatoms (Greek: (dia) = through + (temnein) = to cut, i. ... A mineral is a naturally occurring substance formed through geological processes that has a characteristic chemical composition, a highly ordered atomic structure and specific physical properties. ...

In the meantime, the balloons continued to arrive in Oregon, Kansas, Iowa, British Columbia, Manitoba, Alberta, Northwest Territories, Washington, Idaho, South Dakota, Nevada, Colorado, Texas, Northern Mexico, Michigan, and even the outskirts of Detroit. Fighters scrambled to intercept the balloons, but they had little success; the balloons flew very high and surprisingly fast, and fighters destroyed fewer than 20. Motto: Splendor Sine Occasu (Latin: Splendour Without Sunset (diminishment)) Capital Victoria Largest city Vancouver Official languages English Government - Lieutenant-Governor Iona Campagnolo - Premier Gordon Campbell (BC Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 36 - Senate seats 6 Confederation July 20, 1871 (6th province) Area  Ranked 5th - Total 944,735... Motto: Gloriosus et Liber (Latin: Glorious and free) BC AB SK MB ON QC NB PE NS NL YT NT NU Capital Winnipeg Largest city Winnipeg Official languages English Government - Lieutenant-Governor John Harvard - Premier Gary Doer (NDP) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 14 - Senate seats 6 Confederation... Motto: Fortis et liber(Latin) Strong and free Capital Edmonton Largest city Calgary Official languages English (see below) Government - Lieutenant-Governor Norman Kwong - Premier Ed Stelmach (PC) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 28 - Senate seats 6 Confederation September 1, 1905 (split from Northwest Territories) (8th [Province]) Area Ranked... For other geographical names that include Northwest, see Northwest. ... Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes - this motto was adopted after the disastrous 1805 fire that devastated the city) Nickname: The Motor City and Motown Location in Wayne County, Michigan Founded Incorporated July 24, 1701 1815  County Wayne County Mayor...

The geologists continued their studies and ultimately determined the precise beaches in Japan the sand had been taken from. By this time, it was mostly irrelevant, since by early spring the balloon offensive was almost over. The Geologist by Carl Spitzweg A geologist is a contributor to the science of geology, studying the physical structure and processes of the Earth and planets of the solar system (see planetary geology). ...

Sole lethal attack

On May 5, 1945, a balloon bomb which had drifted over the Pacific killed five children and a woman. It exploded when a 13-year-old girl (Joan Patzke) attempted to pull the immense balloon from a tree during a church group picnic in the woods near Bly, Oregon. Having taken some local children on an outing, Reverend Archi Mitchell watched in horror as his wife, Elsie Mitchell, and five children who accompanied them (ages 11 to 14) were killed. The minister escaped by luck of being a short distance behind. Those six were the only known victims of the balloon bombs. However, dangers of the balloon bomb still may exist. Hundreds were never found and may still constitute unexploded ordnance. is the 125th day of the year (126th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... “Pacific” redirects here. ... Bly is an unincorporated community in Klamath County, Oregon, about 44 miles east of Klamath Falls. ... Unexploded ordnance (or UXOs/UXBs) are explosive weapons (bombs, shells, grenades, land mines, naval mines, etc. ...

The six who perished were the only known casualties inflicted by the Japanese attack on the U.S. mainland during World War II. Those who died were:

• Elsie Mitchell, 26
• Edward Engen, 13
• Jay Gifford, 13
• Joan Patzke, 13
• Dick Patzke, 14
• Sherman Shoemaker, 11

Japanese propaganda broadcasts announced great fires and an American public in panic, declaring casualties as high as 10,000. The press blackout in the U.S. was lifted after the deaths to ensure that the public was warned.

A memorial, the Mitchell Monument, is located 110 kilometres (70 mi) northeast of Klamath Falls. It was rededicated during a 50-year anniversary service in 1995. Klamath Falls, is a city in Klamath County, Oregon, United States. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ...

Overall effectiveness

The balloon bombs were not very efficient, with a kill rate of 0.067%. General Kusaba's men launched over 9,000 balloons throughout the course of the project. The Japanese claim that they sent approximately 900 to America, although only about 300 have ever been found in America. Japanese estimates were that about 10% would complete the trip, and in fact it is likely about a thousand did so. Two landed back in Japan but caused no damage.

The expense was large, and in the meantime the B-29s had destroyed two of the three hydrogen plants needed by the project. With no evidence of any effect, General Kusaba was ordered to cease operations in April 1945. The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was a four-engine heavy bomber propeller aircraft flown by the United States Army Air Forces in World War II and other military organizations afterwards. ...

On March 10, 1945, one of the last paper balloons descended in the vicinity of the Manhattan Project's production site at the Hanford Site. This balloon caused a near calamity when it caused a short circuit in the powerlines supplying electricity for the nuclear reactor cooling pumps. However, backup safety devices restored power almost immediately.^[1] March 10 is the 69th day of the year (70th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... The Manhattan Project resulted in the creation of the first nuclear weapons, and the first-ever nuclear detonation, known as the Trinity test of July 16, 1945. ... Hanford Site plutonium production reactors along the Columbia River during the Manhattan Project. ... Core of a small nuclear reactor used for research. ...

See also

• Attacks on North America during World War II
• History of Military Ballooning

Attacks on North America during World War II by the Axis Powers were rare, mainly due to the continents geographical separation from the central theaters of conflict in Europe and Asia. ... Balloons were the first mechanisms used in air warfare. ...

References

• The Fire Balloons from Greg Goebel's AIR VECTORS
• Robert C. Mikesh, Japan's World War II Balloon Bomb Attacks on North America, Smithsonian Institution Press, 1973.
• "Balloons Of War" by John McPhee, New Yorker, 29 January 1996, 52:60.
• "Japan At War: An Oral History" by Haruko Taya Cook and Theodore F. Cook , New Press; Reprint edition (October 1993). Includes a personal account by a Japanese woman who worked in one of the fire balloon factories.
• [1]

The New Yorker is an American magazine that publishes reportage, criticism, essays, cartoons, poetry and fiction. ... January 29 is the 29th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ...

External links

• http://www.af.mil/news/airman/0298/bombsb.htm
• http://www.stelzriede.com/ms/html/mshwfug2.htm
• http://www.seanet.com/~johnco/fugo.htm
• http://www.vectorsite.net/avbloon.html
• http://www.triplenickle.com/smjprs.html
• http://www.onawindandaprayer.com/
• http://web.umr.edu/~rogersda/forensic_geology/Japenese%20vengenance%20bombs%20new.htm