Bombs Away

The state that I have spent the least time in is Nebraska. Once upon a time, I was in Omaha for less than a day. I would like to go back one day, but not just to Omaha. I wouldn’t mind spending some time in Lincoln. Of course, a visit to Norfolk (hometown of Johnny Carson) is required. And if I do make it to Norfolk, you can bet that I will make the (relatively) short drive south to the village of Tarnov (population 48).

Until recently, I did not know that Tarnov existed. An editorial commentary in the Wall Street Journal brought the village to my attention. The historical event that put Tarnov on the map occurred on August 16, 1943. That was the day that Tarnov was bombed. The author of the article, Ward Parker, is not sure, but he believes that the state of Nebraska, thanks to the village of Tarnov and the city of Omaha, is the only American state that was bombed by both the US Army Air Corps and the Japanese military during World War II.

The bombing of Tarnov by the US Army Air Corps happened first. Two B-17 bombers left their base near Sioux City, Iowa, on a practice run. The target was a practice bombing range near Stanton, Nebraska, some 38 miles northeast of Tarnov. The B-17s were dropping practice bombs: bombs that weighed 100 pounds each, but not loaded with explosives. As Mr. Parker wrote in his article, “Something went wrong. Perhaps the B-17 crews . . got lost flying over endless cornfields and mistook Tarnov’s three streetlights for their Stanton target. For whatever reason, at 4 a.m., they fixed their bomb sights on Tarnov.”

Given that the practice bombs were not loaded with explosives, the danger was from being hit by 100 pounds of steel accelerated by the force of gravity. A total of seven bombs were dropped on the village. There were some close calls. The Ciecior family was grateful that the bomb that tore through their roof missed the bedroom where four young children lay sleeping. Another bomb landed across the street from the historic Catholic church which dominates the “skyline” of Tarnov. (The skyline of Tarnov is composed of St. Michael’s steeple and several grain silos at the railroad track.) One of the bombs did damage to a field of potatoes.

The government moved in rapidly, treating the area as if aliens had landed. They recovered six of the seven bombs and hauled them off for safekeeping. A few days later, a young ‘un found the seventh bomb in the aforementioned field of spuds. The Feds came back and hauled that one off, too. That seventh bomb splintered a good bit, so the locals were able to keep a few pieces from it. These are now on display in a museum in the church.

Tarnov was the first Nebraska village that was bombed during the war. The second bombing hit the city of Omaha, on April 18, 1945. The Japanese attached bombs to balloons, set them free in Japan, and then waited for the jet stream to carry the bombs to the United States. One such bomb landed on a street corner in Omaha, injuring no one.

The bombing was, I suspect, the most excitement that the village of Tarnov ever experienced. Perhaps it scared off some of its citizens: the 1940 census shows a population of 98, while the 1950 census recorded a population loss down to 74. The 2020 census lists the population at 52, which is quite a gain (13%) from the 2010 census (46, the lowest count in more than 100 years). Mr. Parker gives the 2023 count as 48. Easy come, easy go.

This is just the sort of history that tickles my fancy, so if I ever make it back to Nebraska, my motto will be “Tarnov or bust!”