Curiosities 16 - The Private Bomb

João Henrique Barboza Jorgetto • Aug 10, 2023

The Vietnam War is a sensitive point in the military history of the United States. It is undeniable, however, that the role of the US Air Force and US Navy planes were crucial in decisive battles in Vietnamese jungles and cities.

One of the many aircraft available for combat on American aircraft carriers was the veteran Douglas A-1H Skyraider. In the photo below, this one became an unknown on the internet: would it be real or a montage? Did he fly like that? 

Incredibly, this photo IS REAL and the A-1H Skyraider flew and dropped the toilet like it was a bomb.

This plane, the "Paper Tiger II, " took off from the aircraft carrier USS Midway in October 1965 for a targeted bombing raid near the Mekong Delta. The pilot of the venture was precisely responsible for this crazy action, Commander Clarence J. Stoddard, who found this broken vase inside the vessel and decided to use it as a weapon. It took some skill from the weapons managers to fit the toilet into the bomb rack of the Douglas A-1H Skyraider. His aim with this "invention" was to "celebrate" the number of six million pounds in bombs over Vietnam.

In flight, everything went well and the "bomb" was released correctly. However, the vessel fell out of control due to its unusual shape, complex aerodynamics and low weight. It whistled with the wind, almost causing an accident with Stoddard's wing plane, which was making a dive to launch its bombs at that moment. Many jokes arose among the aircraft carrier's pilots, such as, for example, that this was the worst biochemical attack in world history.

Stoddard did not see the end of the war. The following year, while carrying out another bombing mission, he was hit by a Vietnamese anti-aircraft missile and unfortunately, he was unable to abandon his plane.