[Milsurplus] Small things matter

[mikea]

On Sun, May 23, 2004 at 02:25:42PM -0400, J. Forster wrote:
> >From another list:
> 
> Subject:   [Microscope] Re: Beach Sand
>      Date:   Sun, 23 May 2004 17:43:21 -0000
>      From:   "John Odom" <jodom25 at comcast.net>
>  Reply-To:   Microscope at yahoogroups.com
> 
> 
> My favorite teacher, Dr. Walt McCrone used to tell about how the US
> countered the Japanese balloon bombs of WWII. These balloon-bombs
> reached Washington and Oregon. While they caused no serious damage
> the potential was there for a real panic. The whole thing was done
> in secrecy, of course so as to not panic the population or give the
> Japanese any inkling of success.
> 
> Each of the balloons carried several bags of sand to be used as
> ballast, dropped by automatic mechanism as they lost altitude. The US
> government had a USC&GS scientist, who was a world-wide sand
> collector by hobby, examine the sand. He told them it was unique and
> came from a certain spot in northern Honshu. We sent bombers and
> found a small, but new industrial type building and bombed it. There
> were no more balloon bombs. After the cessation of hostilities they
> checked the sand and it was a perfect match! Dr. McCrone showed us
> slides of both the balloon sand and the post-war comparison sample.
> 
> John Odom

Thanks very much for forwarding that to milsurplus; it's neat.

John Odom was extraordinarily fortunate to have Walt McCrone as a 
teacher, and I envy him enormously. 

-- 
Mike Andrews
mikea at mikea.ath.cx
Tired old sysadmin