{"product_id":"fu-go-the-curious-history-of-japans-balloon-bomb-attack-on-america-9780803249660","title":"Fu-Go: The Curious History of Japan's Balloon Bomb Attack on America","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis story about a little-known failed military excursion by the Japanese will appeal to general history readers as well as military history buffs.\u003c\/b\u003e--John Rodzvilla, \u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNear the end of World War II, in an attempt to attack the United States mainland, Japan launched its \u003ci\u003efu-go\u003c\/i\u003e campaign, deploying thousands of high-altitude hydrogen balloons armed with incendiary and high-explosive bombs designed to follow the westerly winds of the upper atmosphere and drift to the west coast of North America. After reaching the mainland, these fu-go, the Japanese hoped, would terrorize American citizens and ignite devastating forest fires across the western states, ultimately causing the United States to divert wartime resources to deal with the domestic crisis. While the fu-go offensive proved to be a complete tactical failure, six Americans lost their lives when a discovered balloon exploded.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRoss Coen provides a fascinating look into the obscure history of the fu-go campaign, from the Japanese schoolgirls who manufactured the balloons by hand to the generals in the U.S. War Department who developed defense procedures. The book delves into panic, propaganda, and media censorship in wartime.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eFu-go\u003c\/i\u003e is a compelling story of a little-known episode in our national history that unfolded virtually unseen.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eRoss Coen is a historian who writes about the American West, Alaska, and the Arctic. He is the author of \u003ci\u003eThe Long View: Dispatches on Alaska History\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eBreaking Ice for Arctic Oil: The Epic Voyage of the\u003c\/i\u003e SS Manhattan \u003ci\u003ethrough the Northwest Passage\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"University of Nebraska Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50461168271634,"sku":"9780803249660","price":20.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_56da0951-f8b3-49f7-a4bc-a3b04b442ed2.jpg?v=1730058584","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/fu-go-the-curious-history-of-japans-balloon-bomb-attack-on-america-9780803249660","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}