Project X-Ray: When WWII America Planned to Bomb Japan with Bats

Conceived by a dental surgeon, Dr. Lytle S. Adams, the 'bat bomb' project—codenamed 'Project X-Ray'—envisioned dropping bomb casings filled with Mexican free-tailed bats, each carrying a small timed incendiary device. The bats would disperse, roosting in buildings, and then ignite their charges, potentially sparking devastating fires in Japan's densely packed, wood-and-paper cities. Despite extensive research, including real-world tests where a few bats escaped and accidentally burned down a hangar and a general's car, the project was ultimately canceled in 1944. It was deemed too impractical and slow compared to other developing weapons, like the atomic bomb, which ultimately brought the war to an end.