In World War II, the United States did its best to keep war at bay and protect the country. The impact of World War II affected everyone worldwide, which made developing innovative weapons a top priority for many countries. Many weapons ended up being just experiments. While there were many successful weapons developed during that period of history, there were also some that didn’t make the cut. The Bat Bomb was one of them. The ironic aspect of this particular weapon was that if it had worked properly, it wasn’t a bad idea. 

The Bat Bomb is Born

This weapon was developed at the end of 1941 and early in 1942. The device looked very similar to a standard bomb used during WWII. However, the difference was that the Bat Bomb had a few holes around the outside of the device. These were strategically placed to provide breathing holes for live bats. Each bomb had over 1,000 compartments, each meant to hold a hibernating Mexican free-tailed bat.

Along with it, in the compartments in the capsule, there was a timed incendiary bomb attached. The idea was that the bomb would be dropped in the early morning hours, and the capsules would deploy a parachute and would release the bats. The bats would then root under eaves of roofs, mostly made of wood and other nooks and crannies in buildings. The incendiary devices would ignite at a set time and begin fires in areas of buildings that were not easily accessible. The project was taken on by the US Navy and was given the name Project X-Ray. It was a pretty good concept, even if it was odd. However, there were some hiccups. 

But Why this Bomb?

The concept was first developed by Lytle S. Adams. Adams was a dental surgeon and was a friend of Eleanor Roosevelt. The bat bomb was inspired by a trip he had taken to Carlsbad Caverns National Park in Carlsbad, New Mexico. These caverns are known for their depth, unique caves, and the amount of bats that inhabit them. Following Pearl Harbor, Adams wrote to the White House detailing his idea, which entailed using bats in a bomb. President Roosevelt signed off on this new weaponry, and the experiments began!

Once the US Government had approved it, the project was given to the US Army Air Force. Adams was allowed to handpick people to work with him on the bat bomb. He decided on Tim Holt, a former hotel manager and gangster, Orzo Wisell, Jack Couffer, and Von Bloeker. Later, another man who was a professional chemist would join their team. All parties involved loved bats yet said they had no problem sacrificing bats for the project. Since the group was working on a particular project involving weaponry for WWII, they were deemed acting non-commissioned officers. 

While further developing the project, the men had to determine what type of incendiary device would work best and the best way to transport these bombs, including what temperature to keep them at. After all, the bats had to remain in hibernation during their travel period. It was decided to keep those bats cool and use Mexican free-tailed bats. 

The Experimental Deployment

Of course, before using it in war, the US had to experiment with the Bat Bomb and ensure that it worked properly before actually using it as a means of attack. Adams had to request permission from the National Park Service to get the bats themselves. Once the team had the bats, they had to decide what chemical they would use; this would ignite the bombs. A newer substance called napalm was the chemical of choice. Napalm is gasoline or diesel-based and highly flammable. It had been invented by another scientist who joined the team later. From there, they had to figure out how much napalm to include with each bat. 

The bat bomb looked very similar to other traditional WWII bombs. When details had been worked out, the team had an airplane deploy the devices. The idea was that the sides of the bomb carrier or tube would fall away, and the bats could escape. Unfortunately,  their initial launch would be the beginning and the end of the bat bomb. Once launched, bats set fire to the Carlsbad (NM) Army Airfield Auxiliary Air Base. This occurred on May 15, 1943. The bats had set up campy under a fuel tank, and once the incendiary devices went off, they wreaked havoc. 

The bat bomb project was then given to the US Navy, and though many more experiments were conducted, it was eventually said to be not combat-ready. Though the bat bomb was never used as a weapon in combat, it would have been an effective device had everything lined up a little better. At least those bats were given a chance.