Pilot accidentally drops bomb on Boise City, OK during wartime exercise

Boise City, OK

Photo byEdgar SerranoonUnsplash

Practice makes perfect?

Boise City had the distinction of being the only town in the US that was bombed during World War II.

The lights were still on in the town square, but most citizens were asleep that July 5, 1943, at 12:30 AM when an airplane droned overhead. Suddenly, the bombs began to fall.

There were six of them, breaking windows and blasting craters.

The town square lights went out, and the bomber pilot flew back to Dalhart Flying Field in Texas. 40 miles off course, he had mistaken the town square for the bombing range at Conley, Texas, and dropped his practice bombs.

This occurred because pilots performing target practice became disoriented and mistook the four lights centered around the town's main square as their target. No one was killed in the attack and there was minimal damage, as only practice bombs with four pounds of dynamite and ninety pounds of sand were used and the square was deserted, but the pilots were embarrassed.--Wikipedia

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