Fu-Go balloon bomb (Bly incident) was a Indian Wars and Frontier Conflicts engagement fought in Oregon, 1945.
During 1944 and 1945 Japan launched thousands of Fu-Go balloon bombs, hydrogen-filled paper balloons carrying incendiary and antipersonnel charges, riding the high-altitude jet stream across the Pacific toward North America in hopes of starting forest fires and spreading panic. Most did little damage. The exception came on May 5, 1945, near Bly in southern Oregon, when a pastor's wife and five children on a fishing and picnic outing found a downed balloon in the woods. It detonated as they gathered around it, killing all six. They were the only people killed by enemy action on the American mainland during World War II. American authorities kept news of the balloon campaign largely secret to deny Japan any feedback on its effectiveness, and the deaths at Bly were only publicized afterward, with a memorial later erected at the site.
Approximate location. The nearest recorded settlement is shown; the exact site is unrecorded.
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