Take an evening stroll through Dundee and you may notice an interesting plaque on the buildings that compose the Harte Block at 5001 Underwood Ave. It sits on the exterior brick wall of eCreamery. It makes note of a Japanese balloon that exploded over the intersection on the evening of April 18, 1945.
They were part of an experimental Japanese offensive in the final months of World War II. They launched over 9,000 hoping that they would cause widespread panic and media attention which, in turn, would allow them to chart a course for future attacks. Nearly 300 of those balloons made it as far as the United States. Several made it as far inland as Nebraska including Schuyler, Burwell, Chadron and Omaha.
The one floating over Dundee was still high in the sky when it exploded. Lighting up the night sky, it caused several people in the neighborhood to step out and investigate. At first, they didn’t notice anything unusual so they chalked it up to fireworks or a car backfiring. By the next morning, it was obvious that it was something more ominous. The remnants were said to have landed near the house of Herman Dansky at 5124 Underwood Ave.
The government kept it secret until after the war ended a couple weeks later. The U.S. didn’t want the Japanese to know how far inland some of the bombs made it. Fortunately, most of the attacks including the one in Dundee caused no damage, however, one in Oregon resulted in the death of a woman and five children. The Dundee-Memorial Park Association installed its plaque in 1992 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of WWII.
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