The Fu-go Balloon Bomb
The Japanese developed an unmanned balloon bomb which could actually act as a bomber in its own right. The so-called Fu-Go balloon bombs were launched from Japan on the prevailing winter winds, which were intended to carry them accross the Pacific and over the Western United States. The Fu-Go balloons had enveloped of silk and tissue paper and were mass produced by school children. They carried a mixture of incendary and antipersonal bombs. In all, more than 9,000 of these balloon bombs were launched, but only a few reached populated areas of the US. The only casualities were a woman and five children in Oregon who found one of the bombs which exploded when they tried to pull it out of a tree.
