Bombs Away - Japanese Balloon Bombs of WWII

Captain Charles A. East, a bomb disposal officer of the Royal Canadian Engineers, stared at the enemy ordnance through binoculars.All seemed still in the Cedarvale, B.C., wilderness, save for the frosted breath of Corporal W.V.L. (Smitty) Smith, an outdoorsman-turned-explosives expert. East studied the strange object draped between three trees, its paper canvas creating a vast canopy akin to a “monstrous form of mushroom.” From the fungus-like form, a maze of ropes trailed down to a chandelier-like structure—itself an elaborate array of equipment attached to a platform—on which hung 12 sandbags. Between those, most importantly, dangled two bombs. Read Full Article »