Category Archives: World War 2

Japanese Fu-Go Fire Balloons of WW2: Part 2

In part 1 of this series, we looked at the ingenious control mechanism employed by the Japanese Fu-Go fire balloons of World War II. The balloons were launched from Japan and traveled to North America where they dropped incendairies. They were also equipped with a demolition charge set to destroy the weapon after it had served its purpose.

One of these balloons was responsible for the war’s only civilian deaths within the 48 United States caused by enemy action. The last balloon was launched in April 1945, but the deaths occurred seventy years ago this month, on May 5, 1945.

Southern Oregon was seemingly far removed from the war. Victory in Europe was only three days away, and the war raging in the Pacific seemed far away. The papers that Saturday morning were full of war news, but the news was all good, such as this photo of American POW’s being liberated in Germany.

Archie Mitchell was the 27-year-old pastor of the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church in Bly, Oregon. His wife, née Elsie Winters, 26, was five months pregnant.

On May 5, 1945, Rev. and Mrs. Mitchell took a group of five children from the church on a picnic and fishing trip at Gearhart Mountain, on land within the Fremont National Forest owned by the Weyerhaeuser Timber Company. The road near Leonard Creek was under construction. Mrs. Mitchell and the children got out of the car while Rev. Mitchell turned the car around and started getting out the picnic lunch.

While hiking around the area, Mrs. Mitchell and the children spotted one of the Japanese balloons. Due to the news blackout, they were oblivious as to its possible origin. One of the road workers nearby saw the six gathered around in a semicircle, but wasn’t able to see what they were looking at. Mrs. Mitchell called out to her husband to come look at it, and he responded that he would come and look.

But before he could get there, there was a huge explosion, throwing debris over 150 yards. Rev. Mitchell and the worker ran to the scene, only to find four of the children already dead. Mrs. Mitchell and the other child died within a few minutes, never regaining consciousness.

The victims of the attack were:

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

These were the only civilians killed by enemy action within the continental United States during the war.

Because of the deaths, the news embargo was lifted a few weeks later. By this time, however, the Japanese had abandoned the program.

One would think that this is the end of the story. But Rev. Mitchell had not seen the end of wartime tragedy. Within two years, he was remarried to Betty (née Patzke) and the couple was called as missionaries to Asia. Eventually, they were stationed in Vietnam and worked at the Ban Me Thuot Leprosarium, located about nine miles from the town of Ban Me Thuot. By 1962, the couple had four children, ages 4-13.

At dusk on May 30, 1962, the staff of the leprosarium were gathering for their weekly prayer meeting when twelve members of the Viet Cong entered the grounds. The missionaries convinced the Viet Cong that if they left Mrs. Mitchell and the children alone, that they would fully cooperate. They left the compound a couple of hours later with Rev. Mitchell and two other captives.

Military intelligence was able to track the hostages’ location for a number of years, but a military rescue mission was not possible. The Christian and Missionary Alliance engaged in negotiations to free the three, but the negotiations collapsed in 1969.

In the next part of this series, we’ll look at some of the extraordinary distances covered by some of the balloons, some of which were recovered in places like Nebraska, Iowa, and Michigan.  Click here to continue to part 3.  In the final installment, we’ll learn how one of these balloons found its way to Minnesota.

References

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Japanese Fu-Go Fire Balloons of WW2: Part 1

Japanese Fu-Go Balloon Control System Schematic. U.S. Navy Image.

Japanese Fu-Go Balloon Control System Schematic. U.S. Navy Image.

Many Americans are vaguely aware that the Japanese launched fire balloons at the continental United States during World War II. While relatively little damage was done, they were responsible for six fatalities seventy years ago this month, in Oregon in May, 1945. In the next part of this series, we’ll look at that attack, and the interesting connection that attack had with the Vietnam war a generation later. A few of these balloons drifted far inland, as far as Nebraska, Iowa, and Michigan. We’ll look at those cases in part 3. And in part 4 of this series, we’ll look at an interesting connection one of these balloons had with the State of Minnesota.

The balloons, known in Japan as fūsen bakudan or “Fu-Go,” were launched from Japan and designed to rise to a level of 30,000 feet. During the winter months, the prevailing winds at this level were about 100 miles per hour, allowing the balloons to make landfall in North America in about four days.

Those who are aware of these balloons generally think of them as primitive devices which the enemy simply released and hoped for the best. But this is far from the truth. They were actually quite ingenious and sophisticated. There was, of course, no way to steer the balloon after launch, but the direction and velocity of the prevailing winds were well known. As long as the balloon was maintained at the proper altitude, its ultimate destination was readily ascertainable. And the method of maintaining altitude was quite ingenious.

This is best seen from this 1945 Navy training film, which appears to be made for those who might be called upon to disarm the devices:

US Army photo, via Wikipedia.

US Army photo, via Wikipedia.

The balloon itself was made of rice paper or rubberized silk and was about 30 feet in diameter. It held about 19,000 cubic feet of hydrogen. The key to making the balloon reach America was maintaining its altitude, since the prevailing winds would inevitably deliver it to its destination, as long as the balloon was at a known altitude.

Each balloon’s payload consisted of about four incendiary bombs, designed to set fires after the craft reached the United States. But the bulk of the payload consisted of ballast sandbags which were part of the altitude control mechanism. The payload also contained a number of barometers used for measuring altitude.

The balloon contained a relief valve which vented excess gas when it reached its cruising altitude. This was a simple spring-loaded valve at the base of the balloon set to 9/10 ounce per square inch pressure. This valve would vent due to the reduced pressure at the higher altitude.

When the balloon began to lose altitude, it would begin dropping ballast. With modern electronics, it would be quite easy to build the necessary circuits. Indeed, even in the 1940’s, it would have been relatively easy to build the electronics, but it would have been impossible to power the necessary vacuum tubes for the long flight. Therefore, another method was required.

When the balloon descended to about 27,000 feet, one of the barometers would trip a switch which would blow an explosive charge in two blast plugs that were holding the first sandbag in place. The sandbag would drop, and the balloon would begin rising. It would then be necessary to arm the plugs holding the second sandbag. But a delay would be necessary. If the second sandbag were armed immediately, while the balloon was still at the lower altitude, it would drop immediately, followed quickly by all of the remaining sandbags. It was necessary to build in a delay before the second sandbag was armed. This delay was accomplished by means of a fuse. The charge used to drop the first sandbag also ignited a fuse that was sufficiently long (2-1/4 minutes) to allow the balloon to rise to its cruising altitude. Only after this time had elapsed was the next sandbag armed. The balloon would continue cruising at 30,000 feet. When it again dropped to 27,000 feet, the second sandbag would be dropped and the fuse for arming the third sandbag would be lit.

This process would continue until the 36th and final sandbag had been dropped, at which point the balloon would be over the United States. The final drops would then consists of the incendiary bombs, controlled in the same way. After the final one was dropped, a fuse was lit to a demolition charge to self-destruct.

The electrical power was provided by a two-volt lead-acid battery, which was housed inside of a box containing a solution of calcium chloride to serve as a thermal ballast to keep the temperature of the battery as constant as possible. This was housed in another box with an air chamber to provide some insulation.

The first balloon was launched in November, 1944, and examples 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. An unexploded bomb was found as late as 2014 in British Columbia, and was detonated by the Canadian Navy. The single fatal attack took place on May 5, 1945, when Elsie Mitchell and five children, ages 11-14, were killed near Bly, Oregon during a Sunday school picnic. This was the war’s only lethal attack to take place in the 48 United States, and we’ll look at it in more detail in our next installment.

Newsweek carried an article on January 1, 1945, about a “balloon mystery,” and a similar story appeared in newspapers. However, the Office of Censorship asked papers not to mention balloon bomb incidents. After the deaths, however, the total press blackout was lifted.  One of the first accounts can be seen in the Milwaukee Journal, May 23, 1945.  The AP story notes that “some may be buried in melting snow.  With the coming of warm weather and the end of the school session it is desirable that people and especially children, living west of the Mississippi river, be warned of this possible hazard and cautioned under no circumstances to touch or approach any unfamiliar object.”  The article does not, however, mention the May 5 fatalities.

The blackout was largely successful, however, since the Japanese believed that the attacks had been unsuccessful, even though they had some measure of success. In addition, attacks had destroyed most of Japan’s hydrogen production, and the project was abandoned.

Part 2 will remember the victims of the May 1945 attack and the curious connection to the Vietnam War. Click here to go to part 2.  Part 3 will look at some of the balloons that reached far inland to the Midwest. And Part 4 will show the flight of one of these balloons to Minnesota.

References

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V-E Day

VEDay

70 years ago today, May 8, 1945, was V-E Day:  Victory in Europe.  It is heralded here on the front page of that day’s Chicago Tribune.   Following Hitler’s suicide on April 30, the surrender was authorized by his successor as head of state, Karl Dönitz.

You can hear CBS coverage of V-E day at YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fh8M6CEh5Jk

 

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The Army Hour, NBC Radio, 1945

1945NBCfamily

The family shown in this photo appeared in an ad for the NBC network in the April 1945 issue of Tune In magazine.  They are gathered around the family console, which is adorned by a photo of their young serviceman. The ad notes that NBC acts as a two-way pipeline between the men of the armed forces and their families back home. Not only do the servicemen tune in to their favorite NBC broadcasts via the regular network and shortwave, but NBC also broadcasts for the people at home the “Army Hour,” a weekly production of the War Department and NBC.

The picture was undoubtedly taken at 3:30 Eastern War Time on a Sunday afternoon, when the Army Hour was broadcast.

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Radio Station WAR, 1945

WARtapemachineSeventy years ago, April 1945, Popular Mechanics carried a feature about the War Department’s Signal Center in Washington and its radio station, which bears the call letters WAR. The article noted that the station at this nerve center of the War Department handled 8-9 million words per day, with direct hookups to forces throughout the world. The WAC operator shown here is overseeing tapes on an automated code sending machine. At the other end of the circuit is the station at Bougainville shown below.

 

Bougainville

The call sign WAR is heard on the airwaves at least once a year during the annual Armed Forces Day Cross-Band Communication Test when the station, along with other military stations, makes contact with amateur operators.

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Kate Smith Gives Advice on Wartime Meals

Kate Smith

Kate Smith

Seventy years ago, rationing was in effect for most meats, dairy products, sugar, and even some canned vegetables. Therefore, meals required careful planning. CBS radio personality and singer Kate Smith took the time in the April 1945 issue of Radio Mirror to explain the rationale behind the rationing rules. For example, she notes that 2 billion less pounds of meat would be produced in 1945 than had been produced in 1944. But the needs of servicemen and commitments to the Allies hadn’t changed. Therefore, those two billion pounds would have to come from the civilian supply.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, she reminds the readers that there was no excuse for preparing a meal that didn’t measure up to pre-war standards. “The trick lies in your own ingenuity–in how well you can learn to plan menus around the foods that, although restricted in variety, are still available to us in sufficient quantity.”

With that in mind, she presents the following menus. As you can see, they lean heavily on eggs. Since she assumes that most of the lunches will be eaten from a lunchbox, most consist of sandwiches, and the dessert is generally left over from the prior evening’s meal.

1945Menu

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Armin Wegner: Righteous Among the Nations

Armin Wegner. Wikipedia photo.

Armin Wegner. Wikipedia photo.

This month marks the hundredth anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, in which over a million Armenians were killed by the Ottoman Empire and those working on its behalf. The killings were carried out in a variety of ways, and the net result was that the bulk of the Armenian Christian population was eliminated. Most of those who survived were forced from their homes and formed the Armenian Diaspora, with large populations in North America, the Soviet Union, Europe, South America, and Australia.

The “official” start date is generally considered to be April 24, 1915, when about 250 intellectuals and community leaders were rounded up in Constantinople for eventual execution.

One convenient method employed to execute women and children was to simply march them into the Syrian desert where they could die by dehydration and starvation.

Armin Theophil Wegner was born in Elberfeld, Rhineland, in Germany, in 1886. He was trained in law, but didn’t seem to have much direction professionally. At one time, he decided to work as a travel writer. Eventually, deciding to see the world, he joined the Army, and served as a medic. The outbreak of war saw him attached to the Ottoman army and stationed along the Baghdad railway in Syria and Mespopotamia.

He heard stories of the death marches going on around him, and when he got leave, he took a camera and decided to investigate the stories, despite orders to the contrary. He learned that the stories were true, and the photos he took served as one of the few pieces of documentary evidence of the atrocities.

He was ultimately found out, and sent back to Germany. Many of his photos were seized, but he managed to smuggle out many negatives inside his belt.

The experience was moving for Wegner. In 1933, he wrote an open letter to Hitler denouncing the treatment of the Jews. No newspaper would publish it, and he was arrested and tortured by the Gestapo. He was eventually able to flee to Italy, where he lived until his death in 1978.

In 1967, Wegner was recognized as one of the Righteous Among The Nations by Yad Vashem.

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Bombing of Tokyo, March 9-10, 1945

Seventy years ago, the U.S. conducted its most destructive air raid of the Second World War. On the night of March 9-10, 279 American B-29s operating from Guam, Tinian, and Saipan dropped 1,665 tons of bombs on Tokyo. Fourteen of the planes were lost, but the incendiary bombs created a general conflagration that overwhelmed the city’s fire defenses and destoyed 16 square miles of the city. Over 100,000 were killed in the raid, and over a million Tokyo residents lost their homes.

References

Wikipedia, Bombing of Tokyo



Battle of Iwo Jima, Feb. 23, 1945

IwoJima

The iconic photo of U.S. Marines hoisting Old Glory on Iwo Jima was taken 70 years ago today, February 23, 1945. It appeared on the front page of the Chicago Tribune, February 28, 1945, as the drawing shown here. As the artist wrote, “Not with a rope, but with Blood and Toil is the flag raised, and Devotion only can keep it aloft.”

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