10 Weirdest WWII Stories You Probably Haven't Heard

Despite sounding like something that should be attached to Batman's waist, the bat bomb was something that the US intended to deploy in combat. When America entered the war following Japan's surprise attack on Pearl Harbour in 1942, any amount of crazy ideas were postulated but few sounded as ludicrous as this!

The idea was to attach time delayed incendiary devices to bats who would be housed inside bomb casings. When the bombs were dropped, the casing would open, and the bats would fly down and roost in houses. (Bear in mind that many of Japanese buildings were made of wood and paper at this time.) At a specified time, the incendiary devices would detonate and start fires. Sorry, bats.

The 'Bat Bomb' was originally conceived by Lytle S. Adams, who wrote a letter to the White House detailing his idea. Surprisingly, President Roosevelt gave it the green light and passed authority to the US Army Air Force. The USAAF's development of the weapon would end in 1943, following the destruction of Carlsbad Army Airbase, when armed bats escaped and roosted under the base's fuel tank. The army did finalise the design of a bomb that would house over 1000 bats in each bomb, but the loss of a base led the project to be moved to the US Navy.

Even though the Navy, following a full test on a mock Japanese village, had proved that it could be an effective weapon, the decision was made to terminate the project. With the progress that the Manhattan Project (the project that led to the first atomic weapons) was making, it was perceived to be the better option. A good day if you are a bat.