War: The Bombing of Boise City

A fledgling from the U.S. Army air base at Dalhart, Tex. last week bungled his navigation by 45 miles: he mistook the lights of Boise City, Okla. (pop: 1,144) for his practice target. Aiming straight at the Baptist church and Forrest Bourk's garage, he loosed six practice bombs (each bomb: 4 lb. of powder, 96 lb. of sand and shell). The noise of the explosions roared through the sleeping town.

Boise City citizens, first in the U.S. to get a real blitzing, acted the way most civilians would act who had never been bombed before....