Comments by "Colonel K" (@Paladin1873) on "Shootin' Balloons: A History" video.

My late friend, General Bob, flew P-38 intercept missions against the Japanese balloons. At the time the operation was top secret because the government did not want the Japanese to know any of their balloons had reached the US. He never shot one down, but did sink an enemy submarine that looked an awful lot like a whale. 🙂
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@TheHistoryGuyChannel Yes, it was, but Americans back then understood how important such censorship was to our survival and victory. If only this patriotism had extended to turning out the lights at night along the seaboard, how many more merchant seamen would have survived the war?
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@kyle857 Which government, federal state, or local?
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@gotsloco1810 Bright moonlight can be a double-edged sword as it also exposes a surfaced submarine. Subs would try to position themselves so avoid silhouetting or exposure to reflected moonlight, but when approaching a shoreline this was not always possible. Additionally, a darkened ship can blend into a dark shoreline. Another consideration was shore bombardment. Early in WWII (21 June 42) a Japanese sub tried to bombard a Ft Stevens, OR but was foiled by a general blackout and the refusal/failure of the fort commander to return fire and thus reveal the position of his guns. On this night there was a first quarter moon that was 45.69% illuminated (a full moon is 100% illuminated).
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