Eine amerikanische P-38 Lightning schießt am 13. April 1945 eine japanische Fu-Go-Ballonbombe ab, die durch den Jetstream über Alaska treibt. Etwa 9.300 dieser Brandbomben wurden mit dem Ziel eingesetzt, Waldbrände in den USA zu bekämpfen

[Fu-Go Ballon Bomb](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fu-Go_balloon_bomb)

The bombs were completely ineffective, however, On May 5, 1945, a pregnant woman and 4 children were killed after finding one of the bombs near Bly, Oregon, becoming the war’s only deaths by enemy action in the contiguous United States.

>Reverend Archie Mitchell and his pregnant wife Elsie (age 26) drove up Gearhart Mountain that day with five of their Sunday school students for a picnic.[52] While Archie was parking the car, Elsie and the children discovered a balloon and carriage, loaded with an anti-personnel bomb, on the ground. A large explosion occurred; the four boys (Edward Engen, 13; Jay Gifford, 13; Dick Patzke, 14; and Sherman Shoemaker, 11) were killed instantly, while Elsie and Joan Patzke (13) died from their wounds shortly afterwards.[53] An Army investigation concluded that the bomb had likely been kicked or dropped, and that it had lain undisturbed for about one month before the incident.[28] The U.S. press blackout was lifted on May 22 so the public could be warned of the balloon threat.[5

>The remains of balloons have continued to be discovered after the war. At least eight were found in the 1940s, three in the 1950s, two in the 1960s, and one in the 1970s.[58] A carriage with a live bomb was found near Lumby, British Columbia, in 2014 and detonated by a Royal Canadian Navy ordnance disposal team.[59] Remains of another balloon were found near McBride, British Columbia, in 2019.[60]

Another interesting note, the surviving Reverend, [Archie Mitchell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archie_E._Mitchell), and his new wife, older sister of two of the kids killed, would travel to Indochina just 2 years later, in 1947. 15 years later, in 1962, Mitchell would be kidnapped by the Viet Cong, never to be seen again.

Would have been wild if it had bonked the plane and scored a kill