The first of 28 incendiary balloons arrive in Washington, launched from Japan in 1945. They land about 7 miles north of Spokane; two unexploded bombs are found and neutralized. In all, about 9,000 balloons are sent aloft to set forest fires, which the Japanese hoped would siphon manpower and resources away from the World War II effort in the U.S. There are a few fires; no one is injured in Washington state. A woman and five children are killed by one device near Klamath Falls, OR, in May 1945. |