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#1602814
The first 'intercontinental strike aircraft' were pretty slow, too ..

[Japanese 'Fu Go' WW2 bombs under balloons designed to be carried by winds to the US. Some arrived, and caused at least one fatality

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_balloon ]
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#1602832
Kanga is, without doubt, one of the absolute gems of knowledge here, especially military.

I’m not at the same level as him (pro v amateur), and I am sure he knows this one - but there were some absolutely bizarre (by today’s standards) programs that deserve at least a bit of a look-in.

I studied this one as a student.

Not a surprise that Hollywood hasn’t made a film about it, but academically I find it jaw-dropping .

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bat_bomb
#1602839
War time makes a lot of people creative. The Japanese balloons were mentioned on QI once, as was a scheme during WWII where dogs where trained to carry explosives under tanks. That plan of attack was cancelled after the first real use when it turned out that the dogs took the explosives under the tanks they recognized: the "home team", as it were. Whether it was the Germans or Soviets who did this I can't remember.
#1602848
What I find interesting are those programs that ended up in the history books as purely research, and those that went operational.

Bat bombs were operational, bizarre but historically a fact.

Guided missiles with pigeons as 3-axis stability, not far from operational on “our” side”.
#1602854
OCB wrote:Kanga is, without doubt, one of the absolute gems of knowledge here, especially military.

I’m not at the same level as him (pro v amateur), ..]


:oops:

But also an amateur. I have given military history talks for several years, but never been paid for it. Like most of my JAM colleagues, just a geek.. :wink:
#1602940
My dad, after his national service, trained as bomb disposal for his three auxiliary years. One of those was spent searching the SE England for butterfly bombs dropped by the Germans. They were littered all over the place , often caught in tree branches. They were still causing casualties in the 50's. They used German labour, one of which was killed by a mine.
#1602984
Ian Melville wrote:.. searching the SE England for butterfly bombs dropped by the Germans. They were littered all over the place , often caught in tree branches. They were still causing casualties in the 50's. They used German labour, one of which was killed by a mine.


There were special units of the (IIRC) Pioneer Corps formed after WW2 from enemy PoWs originally recruited/forcibly conscripted by the Wehrmacht from the occupied countries of Eastern Europe who after VE Day, prudently, did not want to be repatriated back to their native lands, now under Soviet occupation :roll: These were trained in the detection of residual explosives, allied (eg potential invasion beaches, military training areas) and enemy; British military personnel were then used to make them safe. The Pioneers suffered quite a few casualties, I believe. They were paid at a basic UK military rate, usually lived 'on base' within their units, then retired, often to dedicated homes nearby, when they reached a certain age (60 ?). There was still such a camp, still being actively used, within the MoD base at Bicester as late as the early '70s. There was a possibly related 'Ukrainian Club' in Chektenham in the '70s. Since many had been conscripted young (early teens) by the Wehrmacht, and were then well fed and given good military care by the British Army, I expect there are still some alive. I do not know when the last such unit was disbanded.
Last edited by kanga on Fri Apr 06, 2018 12:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
#1602997
Thanks Kanga, as ever an informative reply.
Dad said the guy hopped off a boat in shallow water. They were lucky it was just one fatality. He also said they found more bycycles, bedsteads and assorted metal that explosive devices. :D
I have newspaper clippings and photos of a UXB they dug up in Gosport.