One of the most bizarre events during World War II didn’t happen overseas, it happened right here in the small town of Boise City, Oklahoma. On July 6, 1943, Oklahoma became the only town in the United States that was bombed by airplanes during the war. As bizarre as that sounds, it happened. Read on to find out more about this forgotten event from over 70 years ago.
Boise City is located in the Oklahoma Panhandle region and is the only continental American town to be bombed during World War II.
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On July 5, 1943, four B-17 Bombers left Dalhart Army Air Base in Texas for what was supposed to be a routine training exercise.
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The planes somehow took a 45-mile detour and instead of bombing their target in Conlen, Texas, they bombed the town of Boise City.
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The practice target in Texas looked very similar to the courthouse square in Boise City, each lit by four lights on each corner. Just after midnight, the town of Boise City awoke to the loud sounds of explosions.
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The air raid lasted for over 30 minutes, damaging a few buildings and putting a few large craters in the ground. Luckily, no injuries were reported from the practice bombs.
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Unless you make a trip to Boise City, you won’t hear much about this mishap. The town created a memorial marking the site of the bombing at the courthouse square.
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Six bombs in total were dropped that night on Boise City. The same bomber crew that bombed Oklahoma went on to lead a raid on Berlin and they became some of the most decorated WWII pilots in history. The mishap in Boise City was always a sore subject for the pilots.
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Check out these 10 Insane Things That Happened In Oklahoma You Won’t Find In History Books.
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