  Rustic Member Username: Rustic Post Number: 1164 Registered: 10-2003 |
In this week's New Yorker I came across a little tidbit tucked inside an essay on fact checking about a WW2 Japanese balloon bomb landing 15 miles outside of Detroit. These were those candle-powered, high-atmosphere, crude bombs that the Japanse launched which floated across the Pacific and landed randomly mostly in the Pacific NW of the US and Canada. My curiosity piqued, I did a quick internet search and, if this website is correct, a bomb did land in Farmington in March 1945. I asked my mother if she remembered it happening but she didn't. My father was not in Detroit at the time (otherwise occupied: Pacific theater, probably in/around the Phillippines in March '45). I understand that there are a few forumers who were around back then (therock, ray 1936, tp., jjaba?, etc). Any of you recall this incident? | ||
Bigb23 Member Username: Bigb23 Post Number: 3668 Registered: 11-2007 |
I'm a WWII history buff, and this is the first I've heard of it. Nice site find too. I hate to say it, but the Japanese are still doing damage on our shores. | ||
Lowell Moderator Username: Lowell Post Number: 2186 Registered: 09-2003 |
Very interesting. I knew of these attacks but mostly thought they just caused a few forest fires in the west. Based on their understanding of the jet stream the Japanese were able to make these attacks although from any military strategic standpoint, they were an ineffective waste of money. It is completely possible that they could have gone as far Detroit although this is the first I heard of that. I wonder if any went all the way around the earth and bit Japan. | ||
Pam Member Username: Pam Post Number: 4965 Registered: 11-2005 |
Current issue of Michigan History magazine has an article on Farmington and it mentions the bomb. | ||
Bigb23 Member Username: Bigb23 Post Number: 3669 Registered: 11-2007 |
I remember our own unusual WWII weapons, especially this - quote: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B at_bomb | ||
Eastsideal Member Username: Eastsideal Post Number: 268 Registered: 10-2007 |
Interesting historical stuff. These balloon bombs caused the only deaths by enemy action on mainland U.S. soil during WWII. A reverend's wife and 5 children at a church picnic in Oregon. quote: Well, if you call building pretty good cars "damage." | ||
Rustic Member Username: Rustic Post Number: 1165 Registered: 10-2003 |
I'm interested in any firsthand recollections. Ray, jjaba, tpt', rock .... Lowell, maybe there are some Farmington old-timers you could ask? Also Lowell as long I have your ear(eye?), what happened to my post count? I know I have not been posting here much lately and we may be living in deflationary times, but I didn't think that applied to my post tally. I reckon I should be a bit north of 3100 posts instead of the mere 1164 tallied above. How can I ever hope to catch up to gannon or ccb' if I lose ground like this? | ||
Mikem Member Username: Mikem Post Number: 1899 Registered: 10-2003 |
IIRC, the Farmington bomb did not explode. Also, it was farthest east of any confirmed sightings. | ||
Mikem Member Username: Mikem Post Number: 1900 Registered: 10-2003 |
Your post count was reduced for poor attendance. | ||
Rustic Member Username: Rustic Post Number: 1166 Registered: 10-2003 |
Mikem, funny. But IMO, in that same vein my post count should have been retroactively inflated due the increase in nonsense posts on this forum wasting Mr. Lowell's bandwidth over the last couple of years (years? yeah years!). | ||
Pam Member Username: Pam Post Number: 4966 Registered: 11-2005 |
quote: Software glitch, happened to a bunch of people. See Connect section. | ||
Detroitbred Member Username: Detroitbred Post Number: 239 Registered: 06-2008 |
slightly off topic, do any of you know where I could get honest pricing on some WWII items? I would like to know what these things are worth, but just don't know where to go for an accurate, honest appraisal. Thanks | ||
Johnlodge Member Username: Johnlodge Post Number: 9345 Registered: 10-2003 |
There's a vendor who specializes in old military stuff at Oddfellow's Antiques in Berkley. He might be helpful. I have a bunch of WWII Air Force stuff from my grandpa, but I wouldn't part with it. I was thinking of building a shadow box to display it all in with his folded flag. | ||
Mikeg Member Username: Mikeg Post Number: 2189 Registered: 12-2005 |
quote: To be accurate, the "bat bomb" was never used as a weapon. From that same Wikipedia article: More tests were scheduled for the summer of 1944 but the program was canceled .... | ||
Ray1936 Member Username: Ray1936 Post Number: 3870 Registered: 01-2005 |
I don't recall hearing of a Detroit area balloon bomb, but do remember hearing of the one in the Pacific NW that killed a camper. However, it was well after the war that I learned of it; I think those balloon bombs were pretty well hushed up at the time. My primary memories of WW II were following the travels of my brother and uncles (all Army) via the newspapers. I turned into a news junkie at a very early age and eagerly grabbed each afternoon's Detroit Times. On the home front, the scrap metal drives were a continuing thing, and my efforts in that area gave me a "Junior Commando" rating. That meant I was given an oilcloth thing type chevrons I could sew on a shirt (sponsored by my school). I also remember rationing and the stamps that went with it for meat and whatever, and dad's gas cards on the windshield of his 1940 Chevy. (Dad was a WW I vet). In those war years, we lived in east Dearborn, near Schaefer and Ford Road. I remember the folks saying that if the US ever got bombed, the Ford Rouge would surely be a #1 target and we'd probably catch hell from the near misses. At Christmas time, all our "toys" seemed to be war related....replica machine guns, helmets, rifles, airplanes, and so on. It was also politically correct to refer to the enemy as Japs and Krauts. I don't recall that we worried much about the Italians. For good cause, as history later showed. For our family, all those who served came home in one piece. I guess we were the lucky ones. | ||
_sj_ Member Username: _sj_ Post Number: 1666 Registered: 12-2003 |
The attacks were censored by the media at the time I believe. | ||
Raptor56 Member Username: Raptor56 Post Number: 742 Registered: 05-2007 |
"The attacks were censored by the media at the time I believe." Probably the direct opposite of what would happen today. Media enhanced widespread panic. | ||
The_rock Member Username: The_rock Post Number: 1505 Registered: 11-2003 |
Sorry rustic, but I just share Ray36's recollections of WWII, and I never heard of those so-called Japanese "Fu-Go" bombs until well after the war was over. I recall the "black-outs", gas rationing cards, those war-related military toys at Christmas, my Uncle Hank's beloved B-26 bomber at City airport,etc. The whole USA was behind the war effort, the last war to have such a wide "acceptance". I still have an honest to God WWII Nazi banner,about 3 feet by 7 feet, made of heavy red cloth with the white stripe, with the white circle in which the black swastika is imprinted. Scary looking to say the least, and ,fortunately, not flown in 64 years. It was brought home from the War from a late friend of mine who took it down from a flag pole at the stadium in Munich. It looks like it will be donated to the D Day Museum in New Orleans. The Yankee Air Museum seems uninterested in having it. | ||
Ray1936 Member Username: Ray1936 Post Number: 3872 Registered: 01-2005 |
Oh, yeah...the blackouts. Forgot about that. Shades drawn and lights out, and the neighborhood air raid warden patrolling the streets. And the little flags in the windows with the number of blue stars on it depicting how many family members were in the service. I didn't know at the time what a gold star meant, but I sure do now. | ||
Bigb23 Member Username: Bigb23 Post Number: 3672 Registered: 11-2007 |
My Grandfather, (a WWI Vet), was an OCD warden during WWII, and I found his equipment in my Grandmas basement when I was a kid. (He died before I was born). Gas masks, helmets, signal flares, etc. What a great find for a ten year old. (And the basement beer factory). I wondered what happened to that stuff ? | ||
The_rock Member Username: The_rock Post Number: 1506 Registered: 11-2003 |
Yes, '36, the gold star was sad to see. There was one hanging on a window up the street from Grandmother's house on Franklin Blvd.in Pontiac when I was a kid, And when I asked Grandma why she had a blue star in her window and Ms. Pierce had a gold one, she just broke down and cried. Remember that like it was yesterday. I recall asking my mother what "duration" meant, as there was a sign hanging in the window of Buzz's grocery store in Lewiston during the war that said "Closed for the duration", and she told me it meant that Buzz and his brother had gone off to the war and his market was closed until the boys came home again. And I also asked her what "Malarkey" meant, as that was the name of Uncle Hank's B-26 bomber. My mother said it meant a bunch of nonsense (or something like that). Dad was more to the point and said it meant bull shit. You gotta know the history of the much- maligned Martin B-26 Maraader bomber to see why Uncle Hank had that painted on the fuselage of his plane. Sorry, guess I am well off the point of Jap balloon bombs over the USA. | ||
Ray1936 Member Username: Ray1936 Post Number: 3873 Registered: 01-2005 |
Aw, I dunno if it's off point that much. Us old farts are allowed to wander a bit, y'know. As long as we still know the way back home, that is. | ||
Bigb23 Member Username: Bigb23 Post Number: 3680 Registered: 11-2007 |
The_rock - my dad was on a B-24, but you never hear about the B-26 Martin medium. We are the last of the WWII orphan's.  | ||
Shovelhead Member Username: Shovelhead Post Number: 18 Registered: 04-2008 |
In the book "Farmington and Farmington Hills", written by Debra Ann Pawlak it is discussed on pages 135-136. It was found off Gill Road, at the time the western boundary of the City of Farmington and Farmington Township. It was said to be the farthest in the continental U.S. that one was found. I actually heard of this in the mid 80's in a newspaper article out west. Growing up in Farmington in the 50's and 60's, I had never heard of it until then. And with family (both sides) at the same time in the area, none of them ever spoke of it either. So it must have been kept quiet. | ||
Reddog289 Member Username: Reddog289 Post Number: 900 Registered: 08-2007 |
I heard about it a few years back. I never knew about the ones found in Grand Rapids or the Soo. My Pops might know more about this. | ||
Whaler Member Username: Whaler Post Number: 135 Registered: 08-2007 |
Big 23 ...My Dad Flew That Bird..Great Photo | ||
Bigb23 Member Username: Bigb23 Post Number: 3685 Registered: 11-2007 |
Whaler - Those were hard assed guys and great fathers from that time. | ||
The_rock Member Username: The_rock Post Number: 1507 Registered: 11-2003 |
'36 says we old farts can wander away from the subject matter of this thread, so I feel better now. So I will wander further. I can add no more on those Japanese balloons anyway. Bigb23, you really made my day. Fine shot of the Marauder, looks like one from the 344th BG. Many thanks for posting it. Pretty slick-looking bird, heh? Over 5,000 built, most in Baltimore, many in Omaha, went right from the drawing board to production and service. The early models had too short a wing span, causing many training and early flight accidents and fatalities, earning the handle of "The Flying Prostitute,( No visible sign of support), "The Widow Maker", and the "Baltimore Whore". Then-senator Harry Truman and his Truman Committee nearly banned further production, but, fortunately, later models corrected the early flight deficiencies. None are flying today, only about 7 are in museums, because when the war ended and Europe needed to be rebuilt, the Marauders were scrapped on the spot to provide necessary metals for the rebuilding of Germany. I have seen them all except for the one in Paris which was being refurbished when we were there, but is now a beautiful static display. In some respects, the Marauder is like the B-24. It never got the credit it deserved. You think of the heavy bombers,and the B-17 seemingly gets the credit. Yet the Liberator had a much bigger pay load capacity than the Forts. Think about the the mediums, and the B-25 Mitchell comes to mind. Yet the Marauder was faster and ended up with a better safety record. But all in all, EVERY one of those bombers did the job as did those brave crews that flew them. | ||
Ray1936 Member Username: Ray1936 Post Number: 3874 Registered: 01-2005 |
Y'know, Rock, during "the war" as a kid I knew the alphanumerical designation of every one of the USAAF fleet, bombers and fighters alike. My favorite was the P-38, the "forked tail devil", as the German's called it. I just thought that twin fusilage was neat. I chuckle every time I see Frank Sinatra crash one in "Von Ryan's Express". Today the mist of time generally forces me to look up the designation. | ||
Eriedearie Member Username: Eriedearie Post Number: 3599 Registered: 08-2007 |
Just had to post this for you guys... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =ue3Gcp_5ESs | ||
Bigb23 Member Username: Bigb23 Post Number: 3694 Registered: 11-2007 |
Bump | ||
Ray1936 Member Username: Ray1936 Post Number: 3875 Registered: 01-2005 |
Saw that one recently, Erie. Yup, Tulsa was safe....LOL.....  | ||
Eriedearie Member Username: Eriedearie Post Number: 3600 Registered: 08-2007 |
And we owe it all to George! | ||
The_rock Member Username: The_rock Post Number: 1508 Registered: 11-2003 |
Great video, erie. I knew that George was a B-26 pilot, but I thought he actually saw some combat. Guess not, but he was an instructor which ( in theory) meant he had enough hours on the bird to teach others how to fly it. My Uncle was an instructor in Central America for a while ( of all places) before he went oversees to fly in France with the 410th. Those young pilots did some "maneuvers" that one would reflect on as "not very safe", like buzzing the tower after completing 25 missions, seeing how close they could fly over a church steeple while on a training mission, etc. Some results were disastrous. My dad told me that Uncle Hank landed his Marauder at old Pontiac Airport (now Oakland County International) on the way from Selfridge Field to somewhere because he lived in Pontiac, forgot some personal items and called his Mom to drive out and bring them for him. That was a no-no as it was a civilian field, not a military one and he could have faced a courts-martial, but the USAAF was so hard up for good pilots, nothing happened. All those pilots have stories, some scary, some humorous, and some down-right sad. Sorry---enough is enough. | ||
Eriedearie Member Username: Eriedearie Post Number: 3601 Registered: 08-2007 |
The_rock - never enough for me. I love reading things about the war, watching war movies, etc. I know, that's pretty unusual for woman to admit, but to me it's all history. And Lord knows, I love historical stuff. I think I must have been a soldier in a previous life. | ||
Bigb23 Member Username: Bigb23 Post Number: 3696 Registered: 11-2007 |
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The_rock Member Username: The_rock Post Number: 1509 Registered: 11-2003 |
Well, we have completely hijacked rustic's original thread on those Japanese balloon bombs, but I am sure that rustic is a forgiving soul. erie--you should have been a WASP in the War. Those gals did wonders, ferrying all sorts of aircraft from the plants to the various bases. Some lost their lives,yet got little credit until way after the War had ended, and they flew all sorts of aircraft, not just the P-38, P-47,P-51,fighters etc. But they also flew the bombers, B-17, B-29, B-25, B-24,A-20, even the good old B-26, the most unforgiving plane of 'em all. I had the pleasure of meeting one of them at Dayton a few years ago. "Rosie the Riveter" was a necessary component of the war effort, but those WASPS deserve all the accolades too. | ||
Ray1936 Member Username: Ray1936 Post Number: 3876 Registered: 01-2005 |
Hey, I did my share with bombers during the war. Here I am with my plane about 1943 with my aunt Gretel. Dearborn was safe.  | ||
Eriedearie Member Username: Eriedearie Post Number: 3602 Registered: 08-2007 |
My aunt, my mom's only sister was a WAVE during WWII. Their oldest brother was in the Pacific theater in the Navy during that war. Their other 2 brothers were too young at the time, but once they graduated high school, they both enlisted in the US Air Force. Their father, my papaw, was in the US Navy during WWI - he lied about his age so they would take him. Anyway, I was hoping to be like my aunt and uncles and enlist, but my mother wouldn't hear of it. I even had a recruiter come out to the house to talk with her, but I had been raised to listen to my mother and grandmother and do as I was told. So I became a secretary in good old safe Detroit...all the while dreaming about what a military life would be like. I often wonder about the road not taken...how things might have turned out if I had just followed my heart and enlisted. Maybe in my next life I'll get to do it! | ||
Eriedearie Member Username: Eriedearie Post Number: 3603 Registered: 08-2007 |
Ray, you were soooo cute! I could just pinch those cheeks of yours! | ||
Ray1936 Member Username: Ray1936 Post Number: 3877 Registered: 01-2005 |
No you wouldn't. I don't shave on weekends. | ||
Sstashmoo Member Username: Sstashmoo Post Number: 3262 Registered: 02-2007 |
I seen a documentary a while back about the balloon bombs. The method used to determined where the bombs were from: The bombs had ballast weights for correct flight. They were cloth bags of sand. Analyzing the sand, it was a perfect match with Japanese beach sand. At first they had no idea where they were coming from. The apparent intent was to start fires in the Pacific northwest, as many of these carried incendiaries (fire-starters). All in all an interesting way of attacking another continent. Some actually made it here and did start fires. But overall, they had little effect. More psychological effect than anything else. | ||
Bigb23 Member Username: Bigb23 Post Number: 3704 Registered: 11-2007 |
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Purpleheart Member Username: Purpleheart Post Number: 32 Registered: 01-2009 |
The Gold Star= Reserved for Mother's who had their son killed in action. Interesting thing about the Gold Star, there is no other military medal or award referring to gold "other than" this Gold Star. The Silver Star awarded for heroism and of course the Bronze Star. Our nation reserves "Gold" for mothers only who make the "extreme sacrifice." The Blue and Gold Star banners were authorized again since 9/11 and are proudly showing to those who pass by the houses of mothers who have their sons/daughters away in the war. Interesting side note here: Sarah Palin started wearing her blue star even though her son had not left for his tour of duty. Even her husband wore the “Blue Star” intended for “Mother’s”. This was the first time a politician used the Blue or for that matter Gold Star in a campaign. | ||
The_rock Member Username: The_rock Post Number: 1510 Registered: 11-2003 |
Wow! Not only is Aunt Gretel a pretty gal, but '36, old chap, that's one fine looking "toy" plane. Pretty good size, actually. Likes like a Gooney Bird. Gistok is going to kill us, and Lowell is probably going to call for a courts martial, but at least Sstashmoo( who obviously remembers June 18, 1936 ) is trying to get us back on track. Yes, dearie, it's amazing to hear all those stories about men with some sort of "disability" or being under age still wanting to join up and defend their country. I wonder just how many underage vets there were. The chap I mentioned who brought the Nazi banner back from Munich had flat feet and the Navy would not take him. So he signed up with the USAAF and ended up as a gunner/navigator on a Douglas A-20 Havoc. Hey, anyone remember when a B-25 hit the Empire State Building in '45? That same chap knew one of those crew members. So sad. | ||
Ray1936 Member Username: Ray1936 Post Number: 3878 Registered: 01-2005 |
Yeah, I remember that event, Rock. Remember I said I was a news junkie even back then. And I've read lots of articles about it since then; there were quite a few after 9/11. Postscript: Aunt Gretel passed away last November in Orange, CA, age 86. We were close all these years, both being genealogy nuts. | ||
Bigb23 Member Username: Bigb23 Post Number: 3716 Registered: 11-2007 |
She lives on in cyberspace,. in perpetuity. Thank you, Ray1936. (Message edited by Bigb23 on February 08, 2009) | ||
Reddog289 Member Username: Reddog289 Post Number: 913 Registered: 08-2007 |
I talked to my Dad today about the balloons. He said he'd heard about them and that was it.He was in Italy then just wanting to go home. My father would might know more cept he's gone.If my father knew about it, He would say He found it. |
