Bat Bomb: World War II's Other Secret Weapon

An unknown but funny and very well-written chapter in history. The bat bomb carried zillions of bats, each of which had an incendiary device tied to it. The goal was to burn down Japanese towns. During its first test, it accidentally burned down the building housing the project! Talk about just desserts. This will cure anyone who thinks history is boring.

This book contains the funniest line I have ever read, already quoted by another reviewer: "We got a sure thing like the bat bomb going...." But there is much more to this book. The writing is incredible. For example, the author describes what happens when they use movie lights to illuminate the inside of one cave for the first time in its history. The description of almost being suffocated by clouds of bats so thick is first rate. Also, the tender retelling of his romance with Arlie is top notch. Who would have expected such deft handling of first love in a book about bat bombs? It made me want more of this material. I also treasured the retelling of the tiger mascot, "Top Sarge." Or when our hero tries to beat the cowboys at their own game in calf-roping. I could go on and on. I think the key to the success of this book is how the author treats all the characters with upmost respect. There is nothing snarky about how the author treats the self-important Patsy, who was Capone's driver, or the guano salesman. Read this book. You won't be disappointed.

I read this at about the same time I discovered Richard Rhodes' "The Making of the Atomic Bomb". The contrast between the seemingly insane bat bomb and the almost farcial nature of it's builder's quest contrasted wonderfully with the serious and dark tones of the Manhattan project. This book has parts that made me laugh out loud, which is something that few history books can do.The story of prospecting the cave is priceless, and it gives me the heebie-jeebies just thinking about it...

BAT BOMB covers a quite unknown but important part of World War II history. It got good reviews, but the public seemed to neglect it (I don't know why). This book is not only an important history lesson, it is also a wildly entertaining read. Don't YOU neglect this book. Read it. You'll love it.

Bat Bomb is the story of a small group of people shortly after the beginning of World War II, involved in an unlikely scheme to defeat the Japanese. The plan is to strap small incendiary devices (napalm) to millions of bats and drop them at dawn over Japanese cities. Written by a young member of the team, the story of their eccentric scientist leader, how money was obtained from Washington, and their first encounter with the now-famous bat caves in the Carlsbad area is sometimes sobering, often hilarious, and always fascinating. For example, they were particularly disturbed to find out that the government was spending millions on atomic research in the same part of the country. To quote the bat scientist, "We got a sure thing like the bat bomb going, something that could really win the war, and they're j--ing off with tiny little atoms. It makes me want to cry." A wonderful and mostly overlooked book.