Current Events > Bat Bombs were a real thing.

(+) Yeah! (+)

Bat bombs were an experimental World War II weapon developed by the United States. The bomb consisted of a bomb-shaped casing with over a thousand compartments, each containing a hibernating Mexican free-tailed bat with a small, timed incendiary bomb attached. Dropped from a bomber at dawn, the casings would deploy a parachute in mid-flight and open to release the bats, which would then disperse and roost in eaves and attics in a 2040-mile radius (3264 km). The incendiaries, which were set on timers, would then ignite and start fires in inaccessible places in the largely wood and paper constructions of the Japanese cities that were the weapon's intended target.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bat_bomb
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That's crazy

War really brings out the terrible ingenuity of humanity

that needs to be added to CoD as a killstreak
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Japan had flea bombs, US had bat bombs.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRsLFxFE0Sg" data-time="&start=94
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Fu-Go balloon bomb

A Fu-Go ([] fug [heiki], lit. "Code Fu [Weapon]"), or fire balloon ( fsen bakudan, lit. "balloon bomb"), was a weapon launched by Japan during World War II. A hydrogen balloon with a load varying from a 15 kg (33 lb) antipersonnel bomb to one 12-kilogram (26 lb) incendiary bomb and four 5 kg (11 lb) incendiary devices attached, it was designed as a cheap weapon intended to make use of the jet stream over the Pacific Ocean and drop bombs on American and Canadian cities, forests, and farmland.

The Japanese fire balloon was the first ever weapon possessing intercontinental range (the second being the Convair B-36 Peacemaker and the third being the R-7 ICBM). The Japanese balloon attacks on North America were at that time the longest ranged attacks ever conducted in the history of warfare, a record which was not broken until the 1982 Operation Black Buck raids during the Falkland Islands War.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fu-Go_balloon_bomb
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Heard of all of these.

One of those balloon bombs was responsible for the only deaths on the mainland US during WW2.
Some group came across it on the west coast somewhere and were blown up.
They would find remnants of other balloons in the US up until the 70s.
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UK developed 10 kiloton chicken-heated nuclear mines during the cold war.
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Foppe posted...

UK developed 10 kiloton chicken-heated nuclear mines during the cold war.

Nani?!
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Chicken posted...

Foppe posted...

UK developed 10 kiloton chicken-heated nuclear mines during the cold war.

Nani?!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Peacock
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Foppe posted...

Chicken posted...

Foppe posted...

UK developed 10 kiloton chicken-heated nuclear mines during the cold war.

Nani?!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Peacock

One technical problem was that during winter buried objects can get very cold, and it was possible the mine's electronics would get too cold to work after some days underground. Various methods to get around this were studied, such as wrapping the bombs in insulating blankets. One particularly remarkable proposal suggested that live chickens be included in the mechanism. The chickens would be sealed inside the casing, with a supply of food and water; they would remain alive for a week or so. Their body heat would, it seems, have been sufficient to keep the mine's components at a working temperature.

lol
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eggcorn posted...

Fu-Go balloon bomb

A Fu-Go ([] fug [heiki], lit. "Code Fu [Weapon]"), or fire balloon ( fsen bakudan, lit. "balloon bomb"), was a weapon launched by Japan during World War II. A hydrogen balloon with a load varying from a 15 kg (33 lb) antipersonnel bomb to one 12-kilogram (26 lb) incendiary bomb and four 5 kg (11 lb) incendiary devices attached, it was designed as a cheap weapon intended to make use of the jet stream over the Pacific Ocean and drop bombs on American and Canadian cities, forests, and farmland.

The Japanese fire balloon was the first ever weapon possessing intercontinental range (the second being the Convair B-36 Peacemaker and the third being the R-7 ICBM). The Japanese balloon attacks on North America were at that time the longest ranged attacks ever conducted in the history of warfare, a record which was not broken until the 1982 Operation Black Buck raids during the Falkland Islands War.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fu-Go_balloon_bomb

Wtf did Canada ever do? Have they actually ever been in a war?
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Sage JJ posted...

eggcorn posted...

Fu-Go balloon bomb

A Fu-Go ([] fug [heiki], lit. "Code Fu [Weapon]"), or fire balloon ( fsen bakudan, lit. "balloon bomb"), was a weapon launched by Japan during World War II. A hydrogen balloon with a load varying from a 15 kg (33 lb) antipersonnel bomb to one 12-kilogram (26 lb) incendiary bomb and four 5 kg (11 lb) incendiary devices attached, it was designed as a cheap weapon intended to make use of the jet stream over the Pacific Ocean and drop bombs on American and Canadian cities, forests, and farmland.

The Japanese fire balloon was the first ever weapon possessing intercontinental range (the second being the Convair B-36 Peacemaker and the third being the R-7 ICBM). The Japanese balloon attacks on North America were at that time the longest ranged attacks ever conducted in the history of warfare, a record which was not broken until the 1982 Operation Black Buck raids during the Falkland Islands War.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fu-Go_balloon_bomb

Wtf did Canada ever do? Have they actually ever been in a war?

Canada as a region has been in multiple wars, including the American Revolutionary War.
Heck, USA invaded there multiple times afterwards.
If we only count wars after Canada as a country was formed, then we got the Second Boer War, the First World War, the Spanish Civil War (volunteer not officially supported by the Government), the Second World War (they played a major role in the Allied invasion of Italy), the Korean War, Vietnam, the Gulf War, the Yugoslav wars, the Somali Civil War, the Afghanistan War, the Iraq War, the Libyan Civil War, the Mali Conflict, etc.
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America doesnt like to discuss Canadas involvement in many wars because they like to take credit for what they did.
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Seems like they really were throwing a bunch of stuff at a wall to see what sticks back then.
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VerisimiIitude posted...

Seems like they really were throwing a bunch of stuff at a wall to see what sticks back then.

Tell me about it.
UK captured tons of rats and filled their carcasses with plastic explosives that they intended to spread near German boiler rooms. They expected them to be disposed by burning them in the boiler, which could trigger a boiler explosion.
The Germans did discover the first shipment so UK dropped the idea, but it resulted in the Germans spending resources searching for dead rats.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Explosive_rat

USA created a pigeon guided bomb which worked pretty well in tests, but it got cancelled because it wasnt being taken serious enough.
It got revived after WWII, but got cancelled after some years when they managed to create a real electric guidance system.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Pigeon

Soviet trained anti-tank dogs that did suicide runs against German tanks. USA trained some as well, but they never deployed them.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-tank_dog

That said, the idea of using animals is not new.
In 1267, the sheriff of Essex was accused of plotting to release flying cockerels carrying bombs over London.
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VerisimiIitude posted...

Seems like they really were throwing a bunch of stuff at a wall to see what sticks back then.

The Japanese spent so much money trying to develop stupid weapons during WW2
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eggcorn posted...

Bat bombs were an experimental World War II weapon developed by the United States. The bomb consisted of a bomb-shaped casing with over a thousand compartments, each containing a hibernating Mexican free-tailed bat with a small, timed incendiary bomb attached. Dropped from a bomber at dawn, the casings would deploy a parachute in mid-flight and open to release the bats, which would then disperse and roost in eaves and attics in a 2040-mile radius (3264 km). The incendiaries, which were set on timers, would then ignite and start fires in inaccessible places in the largely wood and paper constructions of the Japanese cities that were the weapon's intended target.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bat_bomb

mexican bats taking the jerbs of murrican bats!!

My favorites are the German Landkreuzer P. 1000 Ratte and Landkreuzer P 1500 Monster.
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bat bump
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Sage JJ posted...

Wtf did Canada ever do? Have they actually ever been in a war?

Canada was developing a ludicrously-sized aircraft carrier in WW2 - made out of ice.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Habakkuk

Sage JJ posted...

eggcorn posted...

Fu-Go balloon bomb

A Fu-Go ([] fug [heiki], lit. "Code Fu [Weapon]"), or fire balloon ( fsen bakudan, lit. "balloon bomb"), was a weapon launched by Japan during World War II. A hydrogen balloon with a load varying from a 15 kg (33 lb) antipersonnel bomb to one 12-kilogram (26 lb) incendiary bomb and four 5 kg (11 lb) incendiary devices attached, it was designed as a cheap weapon intended to make use of the jet stream over the Pacific Ocean and drop bombs on American and Canadian cities, forests, and farmland.

The Japanese fire balloon was the first ever weapon possessing intercontinental range (the second being the Convair B-36 Peacemaker and the third being the R-7 ICBM). The Japanese balloon attacks on North America were at that time the longest ranged attacks ever conducted in the history of warfare, a record which was not broken until the 1982 Operation Black Buck raids during the Falkland Islands War.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fu-Go_balloon_bomb

Wtf did Canada ever do? Have they actually ever been in a war?

I get the joke but seriously bud lrn2 history. Thats painfully ignorant.
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