A Conversation for Terror on the Jet Stream: The Japanese Fire Balloon Campaign of 1944-1945
Peer Review: A87838997 - Terror on the Jet Stream: The Japanese Fire Balloon Campaign of 1944-1945
Dmitri Gheorgheni, Post Editor Started conversation Sep 14, 2014
Entry: Terror on the Jet Stream: The Japanese Fire Balloon Campaign of 1944-1945 - A87838997
Author: Dmitri Gheorgheni - U1590784
If they hadn't used glue, I'd have worked in an origami joke.
You know, sometimes, people used to keep secrets really well. I'd never heard of this until I stumbled across it by accident the other day.
A87838997 - Terror on the Jet Stream: The Japanese Fire Balloon Campaign of 1944-1945
bobstafford Posted Sep 14, 2014
A87838997 - Terror on the Jet Stream: The Japanese Fire Balloon Campaign of 1944-1945
Dmitri Gheorgheni, Post Editor Posted Sep 14, 2014
A87838997 - Terror on the Jet Stream: The Japanese Fire Balloon Campaign of 1944-1945
Bluebottle Posted Sep 17, 2014
An excellent entry
It reminds me of the much disputed story that in 1943 the Isle of Wight was trial-attacked by German cardboard boxes, but I've succesfully resisted saying the details as I know how much everyone's fed up of me going on about the Isle of Wight.
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A87838997 - Terror on the Jet Stream: The Japanese Fire Balloon Campaign of 1944-1945
bobstafford Posted Sep 17, 2014
A87838997 - Terror on the Jet Stream: The Japanese Fire Balloon Campaign of 1944-1945
Dmitri Gheorgheni, Post Editor Posted Sep 17, 2014
A87838997 - Terror on the Jet Stream: The Japanese Fire Balloon Campaign of 1944-1945
Bluebottle Posted Sep 17, 2014
I don't know how much truth there is to the tale, but when did that stop a story from being told?
Basically in 1970 a respected naturalist claimed that in 1943 Germany had attacked the Isle of Wight with cardboard boxes – but each cardboard box was a beetle bomb, containing 50-100 Colorado Beetles. The Isle of Wight was a trial target for Germany's Kartoffelkäferforschungsinstitut, which aimed to devastate Britain's crops with agricultural warfare. Fortunately the scheme was largely unsuccessful, with many beetle bombs landing in the sea and local schoolchildren and evacuees sworn to secrecy were used to locate the beetles that landed successfully and kill them. Only a few beetles survived, which is why there were sporadic Colorado beetle sightings on the Island in the 50s, 60s and 70s.
Some cardboard fragments have been claimed to be supporting evidence, but no complete beetle bomb boxes have survived. There is evidence that Germany did consider using Colorado Beetles as weapons of war, most of which dates after 1943 when a beetle breeding programme was introduced (although some say that this followed the early trial on the Isle of Wight).
Most historians seem to agree that this story is possible, but probably didn't happen.
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A87838997 - Terror on the Jet Stream: The Japanese Fire Balloon Campaign of 1944-1945
Dmitri Gheorgheni, Post Editor Posted Sep 17, 2014
This is fascinating.
Apparently, both sides accused each other of dropping 'beetle bombs' during the war. The Germans even called them 'Amikaefer', or 'Yankee beetles'.
And in 1950, the Soviets accused the US of dropping them over East Germany. They wrote:
'Colorado beetles are smaller than atomic bombs, but they are also a weapon of U.S. imperialism against the peace-loving working population.'
http://research.calvin.edu/german-propaganda-archive/amikafer.htm
There are more hair-raising beetle pics in the BBC link on the page.
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Bluebottle Posted Oct 10, 2014
Dmitri shakes my nerves and rattles my brain
Intercontinental paper weapons are just insane
Reading was a thrill
Though these balloons did kill
Goodness gracious great balls of fire!
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bobstafford Posted Oct 10, 2014
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Dmitri Gheorgheni, Post Editor Posted Oct 10, 2014
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Peer Review: A87838997 - Terror on the Jet Stream: The Japanese Fire Balloon Campaign of 1944-1945
- 1: Dmitri Gheorgheni, Post Editor (Sep 14, 2014)
- 2: bobstafford (Sep 14, 2014)
- 3: Dmitri Gheorgheni, Post Editor (Sep 14, 2014)
- 4: Bluebottle (Sep 17, 2014)
- 5: bobstafford (Sep 17, 2014)
- 6: Dmitri Gheorgheni, Post Editor (Sep 17, 2014)
- 7: Bluebottle (Sep 17, 2014)
- 8: Dmitri Gheorgheni, Post Editor (Sep 17, 2014)
- 9: h2g2 auto-messages (Oct 10, 2014)
- 10: Bluebottle (Oct 10, 2014)
- 11: bobstafford (Oct 10, 2014)
- 12: Dmitri Gheorgheni, Post Editor (Oct 10, 2014)
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