Fleming: Bomb dropped on Swets farm during WWII

Barbara Fleming

The war in Europe was winding down in the spring of 1945, but the Pacific continued to be the scene of many battles, even though the Allies were gradually recapturing territory once held by Japan. Yet Japanese rulers did not give up easily, as the Swets family, Timnath farmers, learned on March 19, 1945.

Jack Swets, who was only 8 at the time, was in the corral near the family home when he heard an unusual noise — a loud buzzing sound. The next thing he knew, a ball of fire landed in a field only a short distance from where he stood. Flames 10 or 15 feet high filled the air.

Jack was struck dumb. He dashed for the house but could not get out the words to describe what he had just seen. A book of Timnath history compiled by the Columbine Club relates that he was “white as a sheet.”

Jack’s father, John Swets, promptly called the sheriff, who called in the FBI and the Army Department of Security and Intelligence. It developed the theory that the explosion had been caused by a bomb launched far off in Japan.

Though residents of Fort Collins had taken part in air raid drills and many homes had black-out curtains, few people thought the enemy actually would attack this far inland. Residents took precautions; authorities were prepared but not unduly concerned.

Then came the bomb.

This incendiary bomb was one of over 9,000 launched by the Japanese toward the end of World War II, between November 1944 and April 1945. The bombs were contained in hydrogen balloons that were carried by the jet stream to the North American continent, more than 6,000 miles. When the balloons landed, the explosives attached to them ignited the hydrogen, creating a bright flash. The Japanese hoped to generate fear and anxiety among Americans by causing forest fires, explosions and death. In the end, minimal damage was done by the campaign, though six people on a picnic in Oregon were killed by one of the devices.

The government quickly suppressed news of the balloons in the interest of preventing general panic; the Swets family was warned not to discuss anything about the incident, and newspaper reporters agreed not to run the story. One radio reporter was cut off mid-sentence when he tried to broadcast from the farm. The result of this secrecy was that the Japanese government deemed the project a failure and gave up on it.

After the war ended, John Swets discovered a second bomb buried deep in a field on his farm, unearthed as he was plowing. Luckily, this bomb had exploded underground.

Although a number of incidents were documented throughout the state, the damage to Swets’ tractor was the only destruction the incendiary bombs managed to inflict on Colorado.
